6 Sports Two-A-Days: Quakers hope to build off 2019 season; Gladiators’ strength is in cohesiveness

LANSING, Mich (WLNS) – Our 6 Sports activities Two-A-Days protection on Tuesday took us to Lansing Japanese Excessive Faculty and Fowlerville.

The Quakers are ecstatic to be on the sphere this 12 months after not getting the chance to play in 2020 following the Lansing Faculty District’s choice to cancel all fall sports activities and fourth 12 months coach Jordan Morgan doesn’t need his staff to make use of the 12 months off as a ‘crutch’ or ‘excuse.’

Morgan was thrilled with the momentum Japanese was constructing following the 2019 marketing campaign after they received two video games as a result of previous to that they went 4 straight seasons, from 2015-2018, and not using a single win.

“That was at all times the mantra coming in,” mentioned Morgan. “ we have to be powerful. We have to play onerous. It doesn’t matter who’s on our depth chart. We’re going to go on the market and we’re going to play you onerous and even when we lose a recreation that staff’s going to depart saying, ‘Wow, that’s a distinct Japanese.’ So drilling that into these guys’ heads, yeah we had the 12 months off, however we’ve got some nice athletes.”

A kind of athletes is the Quakers’ beginning quarterback Santiago Trainor who might be a junior this 12 months.

“He was truly penciled in as our starter as a sophomore, so now he’s a junior,” mentioned Morgan. “We’re actually enthusiastic about him. He’s a younger man, so we nonetheless have another 12 months after this 12 months. He’s acquired a robust arm. He’s athletic. He can transfer along with his ft. It could have been good to have that season final 12 months to get the sport expertise below his belt however he’s one of many first guys out right here. He was right here day-after-day in the summertime and he’s acquired that playbook, as a quarterback, is aware of it just like the again of his hand.”

Then we went east on I-96 to see the staff the Quakers might be internet hosting on October 1, the Fowlerville Gladiators. The Glads hard-hitting protection was on full show throughout the afternoon observe however they advised us the power of this 12 months’s 43-member staff is their cohesiveness and brotherhood.

“Actually the primary factor we’re attempting to deal with proper now’s can we care about one another that’s been our primary query courting again to January,” mentioned head coach Jon Fletcher. “We really feel like if we reply that query and work onerous at it we really feel like we could be profitable.”

“Onerous work beats expertise when expertise doesn’t work onerous and we positive have loads of each,” mentioned Fowlerville senior fullback Trevor Maybee. “We acquired onerous work expertise and such as you mentioned we’re simply brothers.”

Group meals and getting an opportunity to know one another extra can at all times convey a staff nearer collectively however for the Gladiators, they love their sensible jokes.

“Within the locker room they’ll steal like any person’s towel or their deodorant or simply easy little jokes however no one takes offense to it trigger all of them realize it’s only for enjoyable,” mentioned Fowlerville senior security Jack Shrader.

“There’s a bunch of various issues we do I imply each every now and then it could possibly be as small as perhaps untying any person’s shoe to only stealing their deodorant within the locker room nothing private in any respect you already know simply everyone jokes at everyone you already know everyone kinda will get picked on somewhat bit however it’s all in good enjoyable,” mentioned Maybee.