JACKSON – It takes temperatures around 3,000 degrees Fahrenheit to melt iron ore into steel.
After a molding process is completed, a strong metal is turned even stronger and the result is a product that is durable, resilient and powerful.
The Concord football program might not be taking up smelting any time soon, but the same principles to creating steel can be applied to the Yellow Jackets this season.
The team faced adversity in 2018, whether it was injuries or missed opportunities, and the result was a 4-5 record and a second straight season with no playoff appearance after reaching the Division 7 regionals in 2016.
"I think we learned some hard lessons last year that are an important part of maintaining a successful program," said seventh-year head coach Max Clark. "I think sometimes, you get complacent when you win on a regular basis and you start to assume that things are just going to fall in to place for you.
"We were hardened last year by how things turned out and everything we went through, so our motto this year to be men of steel."
The motto, based on the Superman nickname, gives everyone within the Concord program a belief that through adversity, great things can be accomplished.
"We want to have steel character, focus, discipline, and effort whenever we do something," said Clark. "You can't be steel unless you've been through adversity. Steel gets heated and beaten and molded until it becomes one of the hardest metals on the planet.
"We like to look back at last year and view it as a learning experience for us that will make us stronger and help shape us into the team we want to be. Our record wasn't great and we didn't accomplish all the things we wanted to, but I think it can be something that helps motivate our program to go out and do something amazing this season."
A big reason for optimism for the Yellow Jackets is having 10 of 11 returning starters on offense and eight starters returning on defense.
"We are going to have a really good offensive line," said Clark. "We have four of five guys coming back up front and those guys are big, strong and physical. At the same time, we have a lot of speed with our skill position players. Plus, I think everyone gets along and the chemistry in the locker room and on the field is going to be the best we've had here in a long time."
Senior Bryce Black anchors the offensive line, along with Riley Gannon, Scott Spicer, and Quinn Coppernoll. Junior Christian Kirkland will be the new addition to the group. An experienced group of skill position players returns behind the line, led by senior quarterback Marley Sprague, senior wideout C.J. Glaspie and senior running backs Brandon Kettwich and Zeavion Jones.
Jack Freeman, Ross Weeks and Isaac O’Dell will also be targeted by Sprague in the passing game.
Concord's Bryce Black poses for a portrait during day one of the Jackson Citizen Patriot/MLive.com high school football media days on Thursday, Aug. 1, 2019. J. Scott Park | MLive.com
"A lot of our major playmakers are back again this year, which is exciting for us," said Clark. "We have a chance to be very versatile on offense between our passing and run game. We believe we have the size and strength to run the ball and we have the speed and athleticism on the outside to beat teams in the air, too."
The Yellow Jackets will also strive for versatility on defense this season, as another year in the scheme gives players a chance to rotate into different positions depending on the opponent.
"Zeavion might like safety and corner this year, Brice might play defensive line and linebacker at times and C.J. might play linebacker, safety or corner depending on the opponent," said Clark. "All of these kids know the system and scheme well enough to adjust on the fly during a game."
Black and Kettwich will be the team's top tacklers from their linebacker spots, while Spicer, Kirkland and Clayton Hinkle will be key players along the defensive line. In the secondary, Glaspie, Sprague, Jones and Weeks will make life difficult on any team that attempts to throw the ball on them.
"Defensively, we feel like we can hang with anybody," said Black during an Aug. 1 media day session. "We have a lot of experience in the secondary and the linebacking group, and we have a lot of big guys on the defensive line.
"I think we all trust each other to get the job done on a given play, and we go into games expecting that to happen."
Trust was gained over the offseason when the entire roster went to Fort Custer Training Center in Augusta during the last week of July.
"We got on the bus at 7 a.m. and rolled in there and worked directly with the National Guard," said Clark. "We got to do the obstacle course there, a lot of the leadership and reactionary training and they even broke out the sumo suits for us, too.
"We also did tug-a-war, stayed in the barracks together and did a big cookout. It was a three-and-half day stretch to come together as a group, wake up early, sweat it out and work together for a common goal. I think that we really improved our communication as a team and created some positivity in the locker room."
The Yellow Jackets will get a chance to make a statement early on the season this fall, as they travel Week 3 to face the defending Division 8 state champion Reading Rangers.
"Seeing a team from our conference win a state championship opened our eyes to what small schools can accomplish," said Black. "That made us want to work a little harder during the offseason and prepare a little harder than we used to because we know it's something within reach if we play to our potential."
Concord will be battled test by the time the regular season wraps up, as the Big 8 Conference will be feature plenty of quality opponents and up-and-coming programs.
"Our league is loaded this year," said Clark. "We have the defending state champions in Reading, plus teams like Quincy, Union City, and Springport, who have a lot of good kids coming back. Jonesville is young, but they are returning basically their entire team from last year, so they'll be improved. Homer should be good, too. If you do well in our league, you've earned it. You really can't take a night off because every team in the Big 8 is a gritty, hard-working group that is going to compete like crazy from start to finish."
In order for the Yellow Jackets to survive the Big 8 grind and get back to playing in Week 10, the men of steel must show the reserve of a champion on every play.
"We have to stay disciplined," said Clark. "That means staying focused in practice and in games. We can't let the outcome of one play or one quarter determine how we are going to react the whole game. We have to keep our eyes on the task at hand and be a little more resilient when we face adversity."
"We have to do the right thing on every play," said Black. "That means that every person has to do their job the way they've been taught and do it with everything they've got in order for us to be successful.
"We know that if all 11 guys on our team do that every game, we will be successful this season."
CONCORD YELLOW JACKETS
2019 SCHEDULE
8/29: vs. Hanover-Horton, 7 p.m.
9/6: vs. Jonesville, 7 p.m.
9/13: @ Reading, 7 p.m.
9/20: vs. Bronson, 7 p.m.
9/27: vs. Springport, 7 p.m.
10/4: @ Quincy, 7 p.m.
10/11: @ Union City, 7 p.m.
10/18: vs. Homer, 7 p.m.
10/25: Big 8/Cascades Crossover Game, 7 p.m.
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