Looking Ahead to Fall: Seaholm Football Returns from Rocky Offseason

No football team in Oakland County had a more difficult offseason than .

Maples head coach at the end of the 2010 season, however his replacement, Nick Deane, tragically at the end of May. In June, Jim Pobursky became the Maples'

Pobursky agreed to replace Deane, a long time friend who brought him out of retirement to coach Seaholm’s defense.

Now, the emotional rollercoaster has finally come to a stop and the team is ready to play some football. Pobursky said that despite all that has happened, the Maples squad is coming along pretty well.

The reason why? Pobursky pointed to the plans Deane put in place during his first few months as coach. While players continued to mourn, Pobursky said the second half of the school year was spent making sure kids were getting into the weight room and working out.

“We had a weight program in the evening that the kids came to,” Pobursky said. “Probably the front seven kids we are going with right now (on the defense), they all paid the price so to speak. They were there two-to-three days a week. They are bigger, faster and stronger.”

Defense was a major issue for Seaholm last season. The team started 3-0 in 2010 and then collapsed with a five-game losing streak. During those losses, the defense allowed more than 37 points per game. Pobursky said his players' extra size and strength should solve a lot of those issues.

Neal Page, a 6-foot-4, 215-pound defensive end, and Sterling Johnson, a 6-foot-3 outside linebacker, are a perfect fit for Pobursky’s 4-3 defense. The seniors will be his big playmakers this season.

The offense, however, isn’t as far along as the defense heading into the first week of the season. Quarterback John Glazier is back but the Maples are thin at running backs and are inexperienced on the offensive line.

Instead, the Maples will rely on senior tackle Dan Gibbs to set the tempo. He is 6-foot-8 and more than 300 pounds. 

“We are going to find him and run behind him a little bit,” Pobursky said, smiling. “You sort of notice him (laughing). He’s had a good camp. He’s been to a lot of camps (in) Wisconsin and Michigan.”

Colleges across the country are also taking a good look at Gibbs, but defenses in the Oakland Activities Association will get a long look at him first.

It's still early, but Pobursky said the feeling around the program is that the playoffs are definitely a possibility. Pobursky said he's hoping he can help restore some of the Maples football tradition: from 1991 to 2005, the Maples only missed the playoffs twice (1999 and 2004). They haven’t made the playoff since ’05.