Coloma vs Watervliet: The Final Meeting

As you may have heard, Coloma vs Watervliet will play their final football game this year.  This will be the 102nd meeting between the two schools, with a rivalry starting over 100 years ago.  The two communities are close, in location and in family ties, will see their final game which abruptly announced this game will be the last.

With Coloma joining a new conference, the Wolverine, Coloma can play intra-conference games for their non conference games instead of what they have had to do in recent years, traveling to places like Hamilton High School, or having teams from Canada or Indiana come to McDaniel's Field. The downside is that the big game at the beginning of the year is gone.  Sure, the rivalry isn't what it used to be, with the teams being a less than competitive in recent years, and the game traditionally being at the end of the year.

But its a shame to see the game go away forever.  It is something I have looked forward to for the last 15 or so years, when I started going to Coloma games.  I remember the 100th game, with the throwback jerseys, the introducing old players before the game and all the celebrations.  Coloma won that contest, as they did my senior year game.  Last year Coloma wasn't so lucky in the final game in Coloma, but I thought the rivalry would continue.

Working at the local grocery store, I remember talking to customers and coworkers about the game.  Everyone was always really excited for it.  There was always a lot of bragging going on.  Sure, it was small town Michigan high school football, but the rivalry was real and intense, and a lot of rivalries can't say that. 

Its terrible this game is ending.  Its more awful that in 20 years, 30 years down the road, I will tell people about how when I was a young football fan, Coloma had a truly great and long rivalry with the team down the road. 

Coloma Closes Out Season With Win Over Cassopolis

Coloma celebrated Senior Night in spectacular style with a 35-0 win over Cassopolis. Coloma finished the year 5-4 (4-2 in the Lakeland Conference) and just missing out on a chance at the postseason. A game against River Valley usually would have given the Comets a chance to extend their season. A third place finish in the conference is pretty good considering they upset champion Berrien Springs on the road in convincing fashion. With a lot of young starters and a new offensive system, Coloma is laying the foundation to be a winner for years to come. Friday night Senior QB Sam Swihart threw two touchdown passes after the game was broken open by two Derrick Allred touchdown runs. Cassopolis never found a rhythm and were out gained four to one in yards. Cassopolis finished behind Coloma in the Lakeland standings but will probably continue on with their season. Coloma closes the season by winning 82-0 in their final two games.

With the season ending post I would like to thank team Statistician Scott Garrod for getting me all the stats of the games so quickly and making it able for me to cover the games with such detail. I would like to thank my family who helped me getting to games and joining me in enjoying Michigan High School Football. Great season Comets!

Coloma Wins Big On The Road In Bridgman

Coloma got a huge win last week against Bridgman 47-0 late in the Lakeland conference schedule. This sets up a must win for Coloma on Senior Night against Cassopolis. With a lot of help, Coloma has an outside shot at being tied for second in conference with a 4-2 record (5-4 overall). Coloma was clicking on all cylinders with a huge shutout win. QB Sam Swihart ran for two scores and added one in the air, Derrick Allred ran for 220 yards and four scores to lead the way on the Comet attack. Coloma did not turn the ball over once but forced 5 Bees turnovers. With over a 4 to 1 ratio in yards gained, Coloma completely dominated this game in every way from the beginning. The final regular season game of the year for Coloma is Friday October 23, at 7:30 PM.

Coloma Loses Tough Road Game In Edwardsburg

Coloma lost a tough battle against Edwardsburg on the Eddie's Homecoming. Edwardsburg took a quick 14-0 lead on two Devin Bywaters runs. Coloma came storming back with a Swihart run and a long Swihart pass to Colin Saltzman for 60 yards and a score. A third Devin Bywaters run extended the Edwardsburg lead but before halftime Derrik Allred scampered for 63 yards and a score to make the score 21-20 Edwardsburg. All the first half offense fireworks was followed up by only 14 points combines in the second half. Colin Saltzman broke another run for 23 yards and a touchdown. Devin Bywaters ran for his 4th touchdown of the night and put Edwardsburg up for good 29-26. Coloma had a good game offensively but couldn't find an answer for Devin Bywaters who ran for 159 yards and 4 scores. The game was back and forth between two of the better teams in the Lakeland conference. Coloma had 206 yards rushing and 123 yards in the air in a balanced attack. Not being able to convert a extra point or a two point conversion hurt the Comets. Next week Coloma takes on Buchanan at home in Coloma's homecoming. The kickoff is set for 7 pm.

Coloma Goes 2-0 In Conference Play, Win A Battle On The Road

Coloma had a rough start to the season but have really turned it on in conference play. Beating Brandywine 44-14 at home was a good start, but the Comets beat Berrien Springs on the road on Friday 20-13. The Shamrocks beat Coloma twice at home handily last season, the second meeting in the first round of the playoffs. Coloma now has a great shot to win the Conference title if they take care of business when they are expected to win and beat Cassopolis at home in late October. Coloma's offense is finally clicking and having a solid passing attack levels the playing field when Coloma has less or smaller players. Sam Swihart was efficient on Friday going 6-9 with 61 yards and one interception. The defense played well forcing three fumbles and holding Berrien Springs to only 59 yards rushing. As the offense has gelled, the defense has carried the way for the Comets as the weather gets colder and the games get more important. The Comets travel to Edwardsburg this week to take on the Eddies who have won two games in the conference already. The Eddies lost in a shootout to Cass before destroying Bridgman and Brandywine.

Lakeland Conference Present and Future

While attending the South Haven scrimmage, my best friend Brandon and I were talking about Lakeland Conference football/politics. For as long as I can remember, the Conference consisted of eight teams. Powerhouses Berrien Springs, Coloma, Buchanan and Cassossapolis middle of the pack teams Bridgman, Edwardsburg and Brandywine and whipping boy River Valley. River Valley has moved to the greener pastures of the rebuilding Red Arrow Conference. The Red Arrow conference, made up of much smaller schools, has been reeling since Watervliet and Hartford left for the SAC. With 7 teams left teams are scrambling to fill their 9 game schedules, Coloma has to play a much tougher Hamilton squad and Notre Dame Secondary out of Canada. We are the lucky ones, having the Watervliet rivalry to guarantee one game to start the season. Last year Coloma had to play a team near Traverse City. That is ridiculous. Either the Lakeland must add more teams, or combine with another league. Bridgman, only fielding 16 players this year, is “taking a year off” from the Lakeland to play an independent schedule, consisting of mostly Red Arrow Conference teams. They will probably leave the conference to win more than one game a season.
What other conferences could Coloma join then? The logical choice is the Wolverine Conference, which schools like South Haven, Allegan and other schools north of Coloma play. Coloma would have to make their case, and would be one of the smaller schools in the conference. Coloma will probably have to upgrade or replace their facilities (they need to anyway) and try to attract more kids to the program, both inside CHS and transfers. Anything to get more talented players on the field for the Comets. Of course, the Comets will probably struggle the first few years in the new conference to find their footing, and the playoffs will not be a near certainty as in past years.
Coloma would not be able to join the Red Arrow, they have too many teams and they are all too small. A bigger conference would not do the Comets any good to keep losing year in and year out. The Lakeland is probably going to have to combine with another Conference to sustain itself, or start playing select home and home games to fill out the schedule. Unless Coloma’s student body starts to drop, then it would make sense for Coloma to join another conference, such as the Red Arrow.
The politics of High School Athletics are tough and complicated to say the least, and new AD for Coloma Ken Schmaltz he has to work a deal that works best for Coloma, not the Lakeland Conference. I would love to see the Comets grow into a “mid-major” power that contends for the Conference crown every season, make the playoffs and sometimes win a postseason contest. But if the Lakeland continues to lose teams and Coloma has to keep scheduling no win non conference games, Coloma could struggle to keep building on the momentum they have built.

Notre Dame Defeats Coloma In International Contest

In the third game of the season and the final in Coloma's non conference schedule Notre Dame Secondary defeated the Comets 41-14. Notre Dame made the 6 hour trip from Ontario to play Coloma and were treated to a win and dinner after the game. Coloma struggled to get started in the game, as Notre Dame ran the spread to perfection as QB Billy McPhee showed off quick feet and a rocket arm. The Irish pass rush was relentless, giving the Comets fits in the passing game. The rushing attack did not fair any better until the second half, when Coloma was down 21-0. There we penalties all night as the Canadian players adjusted to the American style of play. In the third quarter, things started going Coloma's way. A great punt by Colin Saltzman (who punted excellent all night) pinned the Irish deep. The Comets stuffed Notre Dame in the end zone for the safety, then after the free kick, Coloma drove down the field with their passing game finally in rhythm and punched the ball in for the score. The defense held the Irish with the next possession and that led to a blocked punt by Donovan Browning, setting up great field position for the Comet attack. Coloma carried momentum from the safety and scored again, making the score 34-14. Notre Dame added another touchdown to make the score 41-14 and that was it for the Comets. Coloma's offense lacked consistency and Notre Dame ad more players and were just too fast. Coloma's defense was strong besides giving up big plays, and the offense came into its own during the second half, despite missing physical target TJ Scott all game. The Comets open up Lakeland Conference play against Brandywine next Friday night at home.

Coloma vs Hamilton: Hamilton Wins Tough Non Conference Matchup

Coloma lost a tough battle to the Hamilton Hawkeyes in the home opener for the Comets. With the 21-0 score, Coloma drops to 1-1 on the season with next week's home match up against Notre Dame Secondary (Canada). Hamilton used a tough spread offense to take the best of Coloma on the opening drive. After that, the Comets defense held the Hawkeyes to only 14 more points, and came up with stop over stop in crucial situations. The offense was a different story as the new passing attack sputtered. Sam Swihart went 16 out of 30 with two interceptions. Coloma's offense does not work well throwing 30 times a game and despite Allred running for 74 yards, the Comets were shut out. A few big plays and a couple of trips to the red zone left Coloma without a point.

Despite playing a team that has 52 players on the team and a size advantage, Coloma was tough and the defense played very well, showing improvement over the last game. Facing all these spreads will help the Comets improve and adapt well, and help the offense by giving it time to gel.

The Comets play at MacDaniels Field at 7 on September 11 against Notre Dame Secondary, a high school in Canada, making a 6 hour drive to round out Coloma's non conference schedule.

Building A Program: Coloma Comets Football

Coloma has started to move in the right direction to build a Lakeland Conference powerhouse. Since I graduated in 2006 from CHS, the Comets have added a Green and Gold game and more community support for the team. I have seen more Comet T-Shirts and banners across the town and the fans and students seem more involved. The Comets also added scrimmages against bigger Kalamazoo and larger area teams to the pre-season schedule to help prepare the team for the season.

Coloma probably will not be a powerhouse this side of the state or even this area (Lakeshore and St Joe own that) but winning conference championships and hosting playoff games will help move the Comets to be the consistent winners that every high school team dreams to be. Current HC Mark Eddy hit a rough patch in his first season, taking a team that lost many star players after winning the first playoff game in school history. If he had a reliable kicker, he may have made the playoffs and have many more wins on his record. He has added many aspects larger teams use and can make the city more proud of their Comets. CHS will never stack the sidelines with 50 players or have great size at any position, but that does not mean you cannot compete in Michigan High School football.

The Green and Gold game’s third installment took place Saturday morning, August 15^th, the week after training camp. Sadly, due to work commitments, this was the first time I was able to attend. The format was one employed by some colleges for their intra-squad scrimmages. 20 minute halves were played with a 15 minute halftime and the offense and defense both had opportunities to score.

The game started with the offense taking the ball at the 35 yard line ready to start their new offense. When you cannot be expected to be as large as the other team or be more physical, the best way to compensate for that is trickery, speed and finesse. Looking to gain an advantage, Eddy installed a west coast style passing offense. From what I saw at the game, the formation of choice is still the wishbone Coloma has employed the last few seasons. I am not sure if what the Comets ran was a preview of the offense this season or what coaches were trying to teach and emphasize this training camp. The passing game was something that looked new to the team. The QB looked hesitant to pull the trigger sometimes and had happy feet and took off too early. I know that the defense they were playing knew the offense better than anybody else the Comets will play, but the pressure put on the offense by the defensive line and linebackers was relentless. Near the end of the game, the offense was clicking more in the aerial attack and sustaining drives deep into the defenses territory. At halftime, the defense took a commanding lead with 16-0 but did not let up and only added to it to take a final score of 28-0.

What I concluded from the game was a few bad points and more than enough good. The new offense is a good idea and will need a few years of tough hard work and commitment from all involved to take effect. I really hope the JV team is running the same offense to help the players get acclimated with the ins and outs of the passing attack. The defense looks bigger than the offense this year, as the team has about 25 players total. A few players will probably be called up from the JV team to help fill in holes and provide depth, especially as the season goes on and injuries pop up.

Honestly I hope the Comets soon consider moving to a full spread attack. What we lack in size we make up for in speed. The spread helps smaller teams pass the ball around and find seams and win ballgames by forcing teams to cover all weapons. The lineman would be taught to be mostly pass blockers, as running would come out of the shotgun. It would be a challenge to have a consistent good long snapper, but with a whole summer could help that. Having a Lakeland Conference team cover 4 or 5 wideouts would be asking too much and hopefully our QB can find the open man. Watervliet moved to a spread, as did Berrien Springs. We will have to wait and see for the season to start to see how many other teams did as well.

Overall, I like where this program is going. The Green and Gold game and scrimmages against bigger teams will only give the players more exposure and practice heading into the season. More passing and options make up for out lack of size and depth. This year the Comets open up on the road against Watervliet in the Super Bowl of the series, the 100^th meeting between the two schools. A pressure packed situation with tons of fans and Alumni players got me thinking of where this team is and could be. A solid Lakeland Conference team could be a powerhouse and make the playoffs every year. A new football stadium and facilities can excite the fan base and get the money and pride it takes to get to that goal. We have the coach, the dedication, the tradition and the idea to get there, now Coloma has to put it together and start a new winning tradition to carry into this century.