Columbia Central has a chance to start 4-0 for first time in 10 years
(photo: 19 returning seniors saw significant playing time last season)
By Mike Moore
Staff Writer
Brooklyn – At a school open house recently, Josh Kubiak couldn’t stop hearing about the Columbia Central football team, program and season going on right now.
Not that he wanted to.
“But what we have going is pretty great,” the Golden Eagles’ head coach said earlier this week. “The community is beyond itself. We feel like the talk of the town right now.”
Understandably so, too.
Thanks to a 26-22 upset of Hillsdale last weekend, Columbia Central is 3-0 on the season, unbeaten this far into the schedule for the first time since a 6-0 start in 2005.
We have a great group of seniors, and that really makes a difference,” Kubiak said of his group. “We have 19 seniors, and 16 of them saw significant time last year.”
So is he surprised by the three-for-three start?
“A little bit, yes, to be honest,” Kubiak said. “I wasn’t sure exactly what we had until the scrimmage. But we looked good there. Then against Napoleon we showed up and played well. Last week against Hillsdale, we just did enough to find a way to beat a very good team.”
Columbia was 1-13 all time against Hillsdale before the win.
Now the focus shifts to a home date with Hudson (2-1) this weekend, where the Eagles have a chance to move one step closer to a playoff berth — the first since 2011.
“We have to use our speed against a team like Hudson,” Kubiak said. “They are very big, five or six guys over 250. They probably aren’t as fast as us, and maybe not as deep. I think we have more guys playing one way, so we hope to wear them down. We have some good depth.”
Hudson beat Addison 24-18 to start the year, lost to Morenci 26-20 in Week 2, before beating Blissfield 36-26 last Friday.
While speed may be one factor in the game, Columbia’s defense may be the other.
The guys have allowed just 34 total points thus far.
“We have a crazy nose guard in Chris Williams. Teams have had a hard time blocking him,” Kubiak said. “And Tommy Plummer in the middle has been just as dangerous. Teams have issues trying to go up the middle, and we have speed outside.”
Kubiak said his guys have to continue what’s gotten them to this point, taking things one game at a time, and not looking too far ahead.
“It’s tough not to think about being 4-0, or beyond that,” he added. “I think this is a good group of guys, though. They understand what’s gotten us to this point and what we have to keep doing.”