The Mt. Gilead Indians struggled last year in a season in which they went 2-8, including 0-7 in KMAC play, and now the team looks to rebound with Coach Mike Reid rallying the team with a mantra of “power of one.”
"We have rallied behind 'The power of one' as a slogan,” Reid said. “This is not new. Other programs have used this, especially on the college level. However, it epitomizes everything that football is about. It is probably the greatest microcosm of life that a young person can experience in sports. We have individuals working hard to make themselves better. We have individuals that bring totally different skill sets and body sizes to the table. They all have value; none are junk. When we bring these totally diverse talents together in different positions, and meld these skills into one powerful unit, we start to understand the concept of team.”
Reid is in his 37th year coaching and his second as the Mount Gilead head coach. He gets his coaching philosophy from the “late, but great’ Paul “Bear" Bremigan. Reid said he was able to play for him during part of his high school career at Mount Gilead, and he also got to coach with Bremigan on the varsity level. He said the revered mentor an coach taught him the value of each player and how to treat people.
Reid also gives credit to Coach Chris Kubbs, who guided him as a player and helped him develop as a coach while Kubbs was winning state titles at Pleasant in both football and baseball.
“I have played with, coached with and coached young people with various socio-economic backgrounds, different ethnicities, different religious beliefs, and different political views … and it never mattered,” said Reid. “We were always focused on the greater good … football. It is what I love about the game.”
The Indians will be running a power spread offense to put pressure on defenses to recognize the Mount Gilead formations and to help exploit defensive holes. The team runs a base 3-4 defense but will show other fronts as well. The Indians choose the 3-4 defense because it is adaptable for the many formations thrown at them.
This year, the team returns a pair of seniors who missed time from injuries last year in Matt Bland (WR/DB) and Judah Reid (OL/DL). Garrett George (RB/LB) is another senior who Reid said has developed into a team leader. George and Judah Reid are members of the "1,000 Club" weightlifters, which is the combined weight of bench, power clean and squat. Other major contributors from last year include senior Nick Garvey (OL/DL), senior Ben Whitt (RB/LB) and senior Owen High (WR/DB), who had 577 yards and seven touchdowns last year.
“Our seniors have already established themselves as leaders,” said Mike Reid. “They have bought in and are bringing the others with them. I am happy with our senior leadership.”
Junior Gabe Simpson (WR/LB) is also expected to be a key player. Reid said he has been impressive in the winter and spring programs, and this continued into summer camp. Last year, Simpson led the team in sacks with 10. Junior Logan High (WR/DB) has also showed great promise, Reid said.
Showing improvement and promise for a solid season are sophomores Cam Vickers (WR/LB) and Shane Carpenter (OL/DL) as well as juniors Bryan Sayers (OL/DL), Hayden Krinn (OL/DL) and Mitch Sayers (OL/DL).
“We expect to have the first winning season for Mount Gilead in a long time (2004) and put ourselves into position to be playing very meaningful games as the regular season comes to an end,” Reid said. “We want to contend for the league title and a possible playoff opportunity.”
The Indians look to start off on a high note on the road with a matchup with Upper Sandusky on Aug. 26, with kickoff at 7 p.m.
