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Photograph by filmguy - bigblue.8k.com

Thank You Climax Township Fire Dept.

For being there at every home football game. The team and staff appreciate you guys being there.

Photograph by filmguy - bigblue.8k.com

Climax-Scotts kicker Jacob Longman lets it fly ... shoe, too

By Richard Holcomb | Special to the The Kal...

Two years ago, Jacob Longman was a sophomore call-up on Climax-Scotts’ varsity football team and handled kickoff duties.

Of course, he clearly remembers the Panthers’ heartbreaking 40-36 loss to Fulton in the Division 8 state semifinals, when having a reliable placekicker may have come in handy. That was when C-S went for the two-point conversion following touchdowns, before Longman came into his own as a kicker.

Now a senior, Longman is the man for the job. He no longer does kickoffs — teammate Matt Gibson handles those, watermelon-style — but when the straight-on right-footer sizes up a point-after kick, it’s practically a shoo-in.

Or, in the case of Friday’s 62-16 win over Camden-Frontier, a “shoe-off.”

“It was fourth down and we were on defense,” Longman said, setting up the story. “(The punter) kicked it into the back of his own players and one of our players returned it for a touchdown. I was on defense at the time.

“They didn’t have my (square-toed kicking) shoe ready at the time (on the sideline). I just kind of stomped it on. I was hoping it wouldn’t come off, but it did. The shoe went higher than the ball.”

It was Longman’s only miss in nine attempts in that game — actually, his only misfire in 17 PAT tries through the first four contests. The eight makes Friday is a school record.

"The ball went right (of the right upright). I told him, ‘If the shoe would’ve had the distance, that would’ve been good,’” C-S coach Kevin Langs quipped.

Langs said he got Longman an instructional DVD featuring former Washington Redskins kicking great Mark Moseley, and that the 5-foot-7, 200-pound Longman practiced the technique during the summer.

Longman has not attempted a field goal this season, but is confident he could deliver from the 30- to 35-yard range.

“There’s no possible way I could kick soccer style with the way I’m built,” Longman said when asked why he doesn’t try the sidewinder style. “I don’t have maneuverable legs. I can only stretch my legs up and down.”

Next time you’re in field-goal range, Coach, why don’t you give the kid a shot? Of course, perhaps you could call a timeout first and give him time to tie his kicking shoe

Time to shine for C-S' Schau

by Corey Rhodes | Special to the Kalamazoo Gazette

CLIMAX -- As strange as it might sound, Alec Schau can't wait to get back to his sophomore form.

The senior from Climax-Scotts had a great junior season from his weak-side linebacker spot -- good enough, in fact, that despite playing at only 140 pounds, Schau garnered honorable mention all-conference recognition at the end of the year.

This season, the persistent and tough-minded Schau will return to the duties he had his sophomore season, which included time at running back.

"I'm really excited about doing that," Schau said. "I'm happy to get back on both sides of the ball."

Climax-Scotts coach Kevin Langs is pretty excited, too. As the only four-year varsity letterwinner on the team, Schau brings the most experience to the squad and has a track record of succeeding on offense and defense.

"His sophomore year, he split time at running back and had scored some touchdowns, but his junior year he didn't have one touchdown -- he focused on defense and gave up the limelight," Langs said. "This year, we expect him to do both."

Despite standing at only 5-foot-7 and weighing what Langs hopes will be at least 150 pounds, Schau brings a different level of tenacity than most of his teammates.

"Alec is one of those guys that's mentally and physically gifted, but it's his mental toughness that makes him physically gifted," Langs said. "He's just one of those kids you'd want to be in a foxhole with."

Initially, making the transition to playing solely from the linebacker spot was difficult for Schau, but that's where some of that mental toughness showed up.

"It was kind of difficult at first but once I learned that my role was going to be strictly defense, I accepted it and focused on what I had to do on defense," Schau said.

The Panthers' biggest all-purpose threat, senior Beau Langs, will offer Schau plenty of backup. Beau Langs is entering his third varsity season and coming off a year in which he was named Associated Press special mention all-state as an all-purpose player.

"I take great pride in my team and doing that puts me in a leadership role," said Beau Langs, third in the line of tough-as-nails brothers who have starred at C-S. "I like being the leader on the team and a playmaker on the field."

Whether it's at quarterback, receiver, or somewhere on the defensive side of the ball, Kevin Langs said his all-purpose threat brings a load on every play.

"Beau is probably our true all-around football player," he said. "He loves the game of football and, like Alec, he brings a lot of intensity and a load to offense and defense. He always plays both ways -- at free safety and splits time at quarterback and wide receiver."

Leadership, though, is also a big area in which Beau Langs wants his presence to be felt in his final season. He's hoping maybe then, he can parlay his tools into a chance to play at the next level.

"I just want to prepare mentally," he said. "Physically, I need to put on a few more pounds. But, mentally, I need to have a good season and show I can lead a team."