Football

JV games begin at 6:00pm.  Varsity games begin at 7:00pm.

Below is the summer letter for football:

Dear member of the 2010 Seminary football program, 

The entire MLS football coaching staff is looking forward to welcoming you on campus as we prepare for another year of Seminary football tradition.  It’s a tradition that has been rich in history since 1953.  Nothing is more exciting than to play as a team under the lights either on Thursday or Friday nights.  In order to play to our potential we need every football player to work hard and to get in shape so that as a team we have everybody doing their part.  Push yourself in your offseason conditioning so that you and your teammates have a season full of great memories to look back on for years to come. 

Weight room and Conditioning 

In order to prepare your body for the hits and collisions that come from playing football, it is imperative that you strengthen it through weight training, agilities, and running.  The weight room on campus is open every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.  From 6:30-7:30 we lift weights, and from 7:30-8:30 we work on agilities and conditioning.  The gym will be open these hours all summer except for June 28 – July 4 as those dates are the MHSSA mandated “dead” period for high school sports.  The last football workout will be on Monday, July 26.  

If you are not able to make the workouts on campus, get someplace where you are able to lift and run with others.  You can run long distance to help with your endurance, but running sprints of 10, 20, 30, and 40 yards will prepare your body for the quick bursts of energy that are needed on the football field.  Weightlifting should focus on core lifts:  bench, squat, and dead lift.  Sit-ups and push-ups are always good exercises to strengthen the core as well.  To build muscle, you need to use more resistance than your muscles are used to. This is important because the more you do, the more your body is capable of doing, so you should increase your workload to avoid plateaus. In plain language, this means you should be lifting enough weight that you can only complete the desired number of reps. You should be able to finish your last rep with difficulty but also with good form. To avoid plateaus you need to increase your intensity regularly. You can do this by increasing the amount of weight lifted, changing your sets/reps, changing the exercises and changing the type of resistance. You can make these changes on a weekly basis. Rest days are just as important as workout days. It is during these rest periods that your muscles grow and change, so make sure you're not working the same muscle groups two days in a row.  Whatever you’re able to do, work hard at it so that you can help yourself avoid injuries during the season as well as improve your strength, endurance, and coordination.  For other conditioning, if you want to follow the pattern that we’re using on campus, start with a light jog for about 12 minutes so that you break a sweat.  Then do a series of main stretches (quads, hamstring, groin, calves, back).  Set up some agilities with markers so that you can do quick cuts, backpedal, form running, etc. to work on quickness.  After the agilities, go to the sprints.  When you are finished, take a slow walk for about 5 minutes to allow your body to cool down. 

Team Camp at Killarney 

This will be the third year in a row that we will be taking part in a summer team camp.  This year our camp will take place at our WELS Camp Killarney (www.killarneycamp.org) in Onsted, Michigan, on July 29-30.  This is a great opportunity for us to come together as junior varsity and varsity teams, focus on our offensive and defensive schemes, and help us be that more prepared when we hit our August preseason camp.  This team camp is open for all incoming freshmen as well as all returning players.  We will need to bring helmets to this camp, so hopefully most players can get fitted during one of our summer workouts.  July 26 will be the last evening set aside for helmet fitting.  We will begin camp at Killarney about 9:00 a.m. on July 29.  If you are able to drive to camp on your own (or be dropped off by parents), that would be preferred.  If you need a ride from Saginaw, we will be leaving from the front of school at 7:00 a.m.  State rules do not allow us to drive a school bus, so we will possibly need parent volunteers to help drive.  Please let Coach Schmugge know if you can help in this regard.  Camp will finish on July 29 about 2:30 p.m., so parents may pick up their son at Killarney at that time, or about 4:30 p.m. if he is returning to Saginaw.  The cost, which included all meals and use of the Camp Killarney facilities, is $35.00 (payable to MLS).  If you have not received an application form for this camp, please contact the MLS athletic director’s secretary, Mrs. Diana Finkbeiner, and she will send you the appropriate information.   

August Preseason Camp 

Our preseason camp registration will take place on Sunday, August 8.  Everyone must begin with registration in the Commons beginning at 4:30 p.m.  From there, players will go to the IDO to get your room assignments and move in.  Dorm students for the regular school year may move in their belongings for the year.  Commuting students may also stay in the dormitory during football camp.  All students will have to bring bedding, and a pillow.  Many find it helpful to have a fan to cool off with at night.  Make sure you have your jock, socks, cleats, shorts, and t-shirts to practice in.  Some may also want to bring sunscreen.  Bring any medication that you are on.  Our staff will administer it to you.  At 5:30 p.m. there will be a cookout supper to which everyone is invited.  A freewill offering will be taken to offset the costs of the meal.  We will meet in the chapel at 6:00 p.m.  Parents are invited to stay for this opening meeting that will last about an hour.  At 7:00 we will begin to distribute equipment until 8:15 p.m.  At 8:30 p.m. there will be a team meeting to discuss the schedule for the rest of the week.  10:30 p.m. will be the bedtime for every night of the camp.  While it is okay for campers to have cell phones, we ask that you not use them after bedtime.  If a parent needs to get a message to a player during camp, call the school office: (989) 793-1041 and they will leave the message for the player; or in an emergency call my cell phone: (989) 274-7742. 

Other Important Stuff 

Before you come to camp, make sure that you have sent in the following:  an updated Student Medical Information sheet, a copy of both sides of your insurance card, 2010 pre-season athletic camp enrollment, transportation waiver, and HIPPA form.  Please address these materials to the Athletic Director’s office at MLS.  If you did not get a physical after April 15, 2010, you need to get one and we must have a copy of it before you can even practice (if you had your physical taken at MLS last spring, we have a copy of it).  Please try to send these things by July 31.  This will speed up registration.  Returning students, bring your laundry bag.  You will need to purchase a new one if you don’t have yours from last year.  Each player will receive a mouth guard as the equipment is distributed.  If you are getting a mouth guard fitted by your dentist, please make sure that it is a solid color other than white or clear, because that is what the MHSAA requires.  Our teams use red mouth guards. 

Conclusion 

The entire coaching staff looks forward to the upcoming season.  Andrew Naumann will be the head coach of our JV team this year, with Coaches Larry Schwartz, Dean David Koehler, and Tim Iles assisting.  Assisting me on the varsity staff will be Joshua Wakefield, Bill White, Steve Kuehl, and Jeff Schoch.  We encourage you to work hard in preparation for the season and use to the fullest your God-given abilities.   

Coach Schmugge