There are years when expectations are obvious. And then there are years like this one.
After guiding Montague to a 6-5 record and a trip to the Division 6 district championship game in his first season, head coach Phil Koops enters Year Two knowing this team will have a much different look than the one that finished 2025 playing its best football.
The Wildcats earned a district semifinal victory over Montcalm before falling to Reed City in the district final, capping off a season that showed the program was moving in the right direction.
Now, the names that anchored last season’s offensive and defensive lines—French, Eilers, Osborne, Wood, Pendell, and Hanson are gone.
Replacing talent is never easy. Replacing experience may be even harder. But Koops isn’t viewing that as a setback. He’s viewing it as an opportunity.
“We’re going to be very young,” Koops said. “That being said, we like our young guys, and many of them have had huge offseasons.”
For a program with Montague’s tradition, the question isn’t whether expectations remain high. It’s who will be ready to answer them.
Year Two Means More Than Just Another Season
One year ago, Koops and his coaching staff were installing an entirely new offensive system while learning their players and establishing a new culture.
Now comes the next phase. Instead of teaching concepts from scratch, they’re building on a full year of experience. That familiarity could become one of Montague’s biggest advantages.
“Being in Year Two in our offensive system, we hope to see gains in the depth of knowledge by the players,” Koops explained. “We hope our fullbacks and wingbacks have a much better understanding of the system, leading to more big plays and fewer negative plays.”
It’s often Year Two, not Year One, when a new system truly begins to show what it can become. Players react instead of thinking. Assignments become instinct. Execution becomes faster. That doesn’t eliminate the challenges of replacing veteran linemen, but it can help close the gap.
Cole Moss Leads a Familiar Backfield
While the offensive line will feature plenty of new faces, Montague returns something every coach wants entering a rebuilding year: experience at the skill positions.
Leading the way is senior running back Cole Moss, who rushed for more than 1,000 yards last season and emerged as one of the area’s most productive backs.
The Wildcats also return much of both their offensive and defensive backfields, giving Koops experienced playmakers to build around while the younger players develop.
Rather than relying solely on overpowering opponents as they often did last season, this year’s offense may need to win differently.
“Last year we had some really good veteran offensive and defensive linemen,” Koops said. “This year we’ll have to play smarter, and our skill guys will have to execute at a higher level for us to be successful.”
It’s a different formula. Not necessarily a worse one. Just different.
Youth Will Determine the Ceiling
Koops didn’t hesitate when asked about the team’s biggest challenge. It’s youth.
Montague’s roster has relatively small junior and senior classes, followed by significantly larger groups of underclassmen.
That means sophomores and first-year varsity players will likely play meaningful football much earlier than they otherwise might.
Several players have already positioned themselves to do exactly that. Rising junior Van Thommen has impressed throughout the offseason and is expected to contribute on both the offensive and defensive lines.
Gavyn Maddox and Evan Francis are additional first-year varsity players the coaching staff believes can make an immediate impact.
How quickly those younger players adjust to Friday nights could determine just how far Montague climbs this fall.
Growth Has Been the Theme of the Summer
Wins aren’t always the best measure of an offseason. Sometimes it’s the weight room. Sometimes it’s confidence. Sometimes it’s simply watching young players begin to believe they belong.
Koops has seen all three.
“The fun part has been seeing the growth,” he said. “Physically and mentally we’re making progress as a program.”
That progress won’t truly be measured until late August. But internally, the Wildcats believe they’ve taken important steps forward.
A Fast Start Could Shape the Season
Before Montague even reaches conference play, the Wildcats will face two games that could define the confidence of this young team.
The season opens at Napoleon, a matchup Koops intentionally scheduled because of the Pirates’ Wing-T offense—a scheme Montague could encounter again in the Division 6 playoffs. One week later, the Wildcats travel to Hart, where a physical opponent will provide an early test for a team replacing much of its offensive and defensive lines.
Koops knows those first two Fridays are about more than wins and losses.
“Montague is always measured by our fans with how we play against Oakridge and Whitehall,” he said. “But with a young squad, we need to start the season on the right foot and grow some confidence. Those early-season matchups with Napoleon and Hart have all of our attention right now.”
Conference play begins in Week 3 with rival Oakridge coming to town, followed by games against Orchard View, Whitehall, defending conference champion Ludington, North Muskegon, Fremont, and Ravenna.
More Than Wins and Losses
The coaching staff hasn’t officially established season goals yet. Those conversations will happen during the team’s annual senior trip before preseason camp begins. But Koops already knows the identity he wants his team to have. Not necessarily the biggest. Not necessarily the fastest. Just the most connected.
“Hopefully a team that plays hard, plays together, and maximizes the talents of the guys that we have.”
Sometimes that’s exactly what a young team needs to hear.
Military Appreciation Night Continues to Grow
Beyond the football field, one of the highlights of Montague’s home schedule will once again be Military Appreciation Night, a tradition that continues to grow each season as the community honors local veterans and active service members.
It has become one of the program’s signature evenings, reminding everyone that Friday nights in Montague are about more than football.
They’re about community.
Season Prediction
Montague enters 2026 with a blend of experience and youth. The Wildcats return one of the area’s top running backs, an experienced backfield, and a second year in Coach Phil Koops’ offensive system, but replacing a veteran offensive and defensive line will be their biggest challenge.
If the young linemen develop quickly and Montague builds confidence in its early games against Napoleon and Hart, the Wildcats have the pieces to compete for another winning season and a return to the playoffs.
This year’s success may not be measured solely by the final record, but by how much this young team grows throughout the season.
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