UPPER LAKE >> Nothing is automatic and first-year Upper Lake High School varsity football head coach Mike Smith said he won’t be taking anything for granted when the Cougars take the field on Sept. 3 to host the Rincon Valley Christian Eagles in the season and North Central League III opener for both teams.
Smith served as the assistant head coach a year ago under Frank Gudmundson, who had to step down because of a conflict with his work schedule. He inherits a talented group of Cougars entering the 2016 campaign. With most of his starters back from a team that tied Anderson Valley for last year’s league title, Smith and the Cougars would appear to be primed for another title run. Still, there is nothing guaranteed. When Upper Lake went 7-3-1 in 2011 and had most of their key people back in 2012, the Cougars couldn’t duplicate the success they had experienced a season earlier, stumbling to 5-6.
Of course, the Cougars abandoned 11-man football after 2014. Declining interest in the sport at Upper Lake and a couple of talent-challenged rosters in 2013-14 helped make the move to the eight-man NCL III, a league that featured opponents with enrollments closer to Upper Lake’s, a logical step. The Cougars reversed their football fortunes in no time at all under Gudmundson’s leadership. Smith’s goal is to carry on that winning tradition. In fact, Upper Lake has the opportunity to post back-to-back overall winning records for the first time in more than two decades.
Upper Lake figures to be tested early in 2016. The Cougars travel to Calistoga for a critical Week 2 game with the Wildcats, who routed Upper Lake 54-16 on its own field a year ago. That proved to be the Cougars’ only regular-season league loss.
As of Wednesday, the third day of practice for the team, 24 players were listed on Upper Lake’s roster, among them returning All-Leaguers Dre Santos (running back/safety) and Derek Pritchard (quarterback). Both are seniors.
Upper Lake’s homecoming game is Oct. 1 against Tomales. Of the Cougars’ nine scheduled NCL III games, five take place on Saturday afternoons (Rincon Valley, Round Valley, Tomales, Mendocino and Point Arena) and four on Friday nights (Calistoga, Potter Valley, Anderson Valley and Laytonville).
The Cougars will field a junior varsity team if their opponent has one. Only a handful of NCL III squads have enough players to field both JV and varsity squads. Those games will be announced at a later date.
The season-ending Redwood Bowl, which pits the top two NCL III finishers against each other, is scheduled for Nov. 5 at a site and time to be announced.
