Losing carries a lot of weight in any sport.
But losses in football, there’s truth to them carrying a heavier mental load.
Games come just once a week and the schedule can last just nine weeks. Then there’s the practices, which are draining and physically demanding.
So to carry one loss after another throughout a season, it takes a great toll.
Entering the 2026 season, the Harbor Springs football team is feeling a bit lighter. A little more mentally clear. The burden of a three-year losing streak has been lifted after last season’s 5-4 finish.
There’s more work to be done and the Rams appear committed to getting all the way back to the postseason under second-year coach Erik Slifka.
With a team chalked full of starters returning, there’s reason to believe last season won’t be a fluke and the goals are attainable.
As the Rams continue the first week of practice, here’s what’s standing out and where some questions still lie.
A great leader in Thaddeus Cosens
Every team needs at least one great leader. Good teams have multiple, but Harbor’s getting there.
Viewing the Rams at practice, it’s not hard to spot who that guy is in a Harbor Springs helmet. It’s junior quarterback Thaddeus Cosens.
Cosens is in his second year as a starter with the Rams and he’s already got command of the team.
There’s a lot to like about how Cosens goes about his leadership, too.
He’s vocal throughout practices and will run players through a drill or demonstrate. He also holds guys accountable if the effort isn’t there in a rep. That’s perhaps the most impressive part for someone just entering his junior season.
If there’s a play that could have been made or a drill that wasn’t run at 100 percent, he lets teammates know it, but does it in a way that addresses everyone.
When your most talented player is the one that’s putting everything into each rep, and making sure others do, that’s when teams get better.
And it’s fun to see Cosens do that.
Continue to play smart
As good of a turnaround as last season was and as much work as it took to go from 0-26 to 5-4, turning a campaign into a playoff ending will be just as tough.
The margins are razor thin and the difference between a playoff team and one left home can just be consistency and attention to detail.
All those annoying things coaches preach, that’s where it starts.
So it’ll be interesting to see if this Harbor Springs team can continue to be a team that puts its focus on the details.
Harbor did an amazing job in the turnover department a year ago, cleaning up those miscues to where they lost just two fumbles all season and Cosens threw just three interceptions.
When things get tough again – which they will in a more challenging schedule – will this Harbor team drop its focus, or continue to fight and focus on the task at hand?
In winning programs, it’s not always a question, but the Rams are still distancing themselves from a recent tough past.
But, it feels like this is a team that’ll continue to put in the work and keep progressing.
Athletes everywhere
One thing really stands out when watching the Rams practice: There are a lot of mouths to feed.
In an offense built on confusing defenses and spreading things around, that’s a great thing to have.
Outside of Cosens, there might not be a true star on the field, but there are a lot of great players that can join him.
Returning from last season are Jimmy Calnen, Luke Dickinson, Jared Johnston and Chaz Brainerd, all capable of big plays.
Calnen totaled over 500 offensive yards a year ago and is bulked up for a larger workload. He might be the best pure athlete of the group.
Brainerd is another Swiss Army Knife that ran for over 360 yards and five scores last season. While he wasn’t at Tuesday’s practice, he spent much of the summer putting in work.
Dickinson and Johnston will do most of their damage in the passing game as receivers, then senior Nick Lemieur could carve out a larger offensive role after his impressive baseball season and spending most of his time on defense a year ago.
It’s a fun group that should show some exciting progress ahead.
Reach Sports Editor Drew Kochanny at dkochanny@petoskeynews.com and follow him on X @DrewKochanny and Instagram @drewkochanny
This article originally appeared on The Petoskey News-Review: Harbor Springs motivated for next step, have the athletes to get there
Reporting by Drew Kochanny, The Petoskey News-Review / The Petoskey News-Review
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Drew Kochanny, The Petoskey News-Review | USA TODAY Network
