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Manistee's Caleb Adamski looks to send the ball upfield during the second half of Manistee's 5-0 win over Benzie Central on Sept. 3.
Photo: Robert Myers/News AdvocateManistee's Caleb Adamski looks to send the ball upfield during the second half of Manistee's 5-0 win over Benzie Central on Sept. 3.
Manistee's Caleb Adamski looks to send the ball upfield during the second half of Manistee's 5-0 win over Benzie Central on Sept. 3.
Manistee's Caleb Adamski looks to send the ball upfield during the second half of Manistee's 5-0 win over Benzie Central on Sept. 3.
The Manistee soccer team has been playing in limbo as the Michigan High School Athletic Association and Governor's Office navigated a path forward for fall sports through the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Chippewas had been unable to host games under the protocols that were in place for the first few confusing weeks of the season, but were allowed to travel north to compete.
But now, with the green light to play statewide, the team can count on a full season and focus on its goals.
"With us being in the region we are in, we weren't sure what tomorrow brought for us schedule wise," said Manistee coach Brandon Prince. "Knowing this now, it's good to build off and move forward. ... (The clearance to play) gave us a sigh of relief.
"Now they are giving a season to us, and we are going to do the most we can with it."
For the Chippewas, that starts with filling some sizable cleats from last season that were left by departing graduates. Among that core of last year's leadership were All-State honorable mention Will Elbers and all-district defender Daniel Valencia. The team returns a crop of varsity players, though, and Prince believes they are up to the challenge.
"We lost two ends of the ball last year," Prince said. "Will was a four-year starter and Daniel was a three-year starter, so that's experience you can't just replace easily.
"But we're bringing back a lot of guys with minutes under their belts," he said, "who have had experience in big games that I think will pay off moving forward."
While Elbers netted a team-high 25 goals a season ago, then-junior Jack Holtgren was responsible for 10 goals and a team-high 15 assists over the course of the season. Holtgren is already starting to pick up where he left off, with four goals in the first three games of this season, including a hat trick in a victory over Benzie Central.
"When we talk strategy, Jack Holtgren's got to have the ball at his feet," Prince said. "Our scoring is going to come by committee, but he's going to be a big piece of that attacking puzzle."
Prince cited returners Mason Adamski, Caleb Adamski and Grant Schlaff as veterans crucial to the team's success as well.
"We've got some leadership, definitely," he said, adding that some Chippewas are adjusting to new positions on the field. "I think we have some guys who are still getting comfortable with the positions and minutes we're asking them to play. But we're seeing that early, which is great.
"The biggest thing we're bringing back, though — and it's such a key piece — is the camaraderie with this group," Prince said. "These guys have played together for a long time. Granted, I'll throw a wrench in it a bit, and have them playing some positions they've never played, but they're fully up to that task.
"For us, it's just about finding that comfort level with some of these adjustments."
While the Chippewas settle in to a rhythm offensively, a familiar face remains in net. Manistee senior Drew Schlaff returns for his third varsity season as goalkeeper to the delight of his coach.
"Drew Schlaff is such a key player for us," Prince said. "Everywhere we go, and no disrespect to any other keepers we face, Drew makes first class saves consistently.
"We preach defense, and he's got a growing defense in front of him, but at the same time Drew has made huge saves for us on his own for the last two years," he added. "I played goalie in high school — it's one of the positions I really look closely at — and I've had really good goalkeepers in the past, but Drew really sets himself apart with the quality of his saves.
"He's a dynamic player."
Manistee finished with a 6-13-2 record last season, but ended the year on its strongest stretch, going 4-3, including a district win over Hart. So far, the Chippewas are 1-3 this season, highlighted by their last outing: a 5-0 shutout over Benzie Central.
With a confirmed schedule ahead of them now, the Chippewas will continue to practice and play the way they have through the initial uncertainty.
"There's political views, personal views, that people have outside of this whole thing, but the one thing I've told the team from Day 1 is each day's a blessing," Prince said. "People can smirk at that, but the idea that we're happy, healthy and playing is the blessing. With or without COVID, that's what you've got to keep in mind.
"It's been a challenge with the circumstances, but we're staying positive day to day," he added. "We've been playing every day like it's the last one they're going to let us. Ultimately, the sun's going to shine tomorrow and we've just got to wake up and take advantage of what we're given."
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Chips' returning core looks to take next step - Manistee News Advocate
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