FLINT – The transition to a new head coach should be fairly smooth for Flushing’s football team.
That’s because nobody knows the Raiders’ program better than Marcus Endicott.
Before a brief two-year hiatus to watch his son, Cal – a former Flushing quarterback – play college football at Grand Valley State, Endicott spent 20 years coaching at Flushing. Most recently, he was the defensive coordinator.
Now, he’s taking over as head coach after the resignation of Robert Oginsky.
“It’s been great,” Endicott said during one of the MLive-Flint Journal media days at the Flint Farmers Market. “The boys, especially the seniors, have been very hungry. We have been working hard, great attendance throughout our summer activities.
“Coming off COVID, we have ramped it up a little bit more from what they got to do last year. It’s been a little touch and go to have some of the kids understand we’re going to raise the bar as far as our preparation goes.
“We were able to go the veer offensive camp held at Montrose. Tony Annese and his Ferris State staff runs that. It was 16 teams. We did well. I felt we were in the top quarter. There were multiple state championship teams there.
“It allowed our boys to get out of our little Flushing bubble and see what other programs do in the summer and we’re trying to match their intensity.”
Flushing has nine returning starters among 18 players back from last year’s 2-5 team. Although the Raiders were in the playoffs for the fourth straight year, they haven’t won a postseason game winning two in 2017.
They beat perennial state power Lowell in the opening round in 2017 and in the second knocked off Fenton, which has won nine of the last 10 Metro League championships.
Not surprisingly, the Raiders expect defense to be a strength since that’s been Endicott’s specialty.
“The defense is there,” said senior Caleb Mantei, a 6-foot-185-pound safety who will double as the Raiders’ starting quarterback. “We’re definitely a top tier defense in the state.”
Flushing’s other top defensive players are expected to include senior back Jackson Harner (5-9, 155), senior lineman Javier Cross (5-10, 255) and senior linebacker David Hutchinson (6-0, 180).
“I think our strength is going to be our defense,” Endicott said. “The scheme won’t change much. We have the process in place. I expect our defense to fly around.
“Offensively, we’re going to do some things different. We’re going to be a no-huddle offense. It’s going to be tweaked but I would say we’re going to be a little more dynamic. If a team comes in and knows we run the option and then spend all week trying to stop the option, we’re going to be able to throw the ball.
“We’re not going to be one dimensional so that a defense can come in and stop one thing and shut us down.”
Harner will double as a wide receiver, Cross will also start on the offensive line and Hutchinson is also a wide receiver.
“We have fantastic coaches that push us hard,” Hutchinson said. “Coach (Chad) Cook, he excels in pushing the defense. He’s able to show you. You have DBs who don’t know how to get in position, he can actually get down and show you.
“We have a great bond on our defense.”
Cook is a long-time coach who will be in his first year as a coordinator.
“Last year definitely was different but just work hard this year,” Hutchinson said. “Leave it in the past, learn from it and make different choices.”
The Raiders open the season Aug. 26 against longtime rival Powers Catholic in the Vehicle City Gridiron Classic at Atwood Stadium.
This year will mark the sixth time since 2002 the teams have met in the season opener. Flushing was scheduled to play Powers in its first game a year ago before the COVID-19 pandemic wiped out the first three of the campaign.
Flushing has a 4-1 record in the aforementioned five games.
“The summers when we prepped the best were when we played Powers in Week 1,” Endicott. “We respect them, we respect their tradition. We know they’ve been place we’ve never been.”
MORE:
Flushing hires longtime defensive coordinator as new head coach
Robert Oginsky resigns as Flushing football coach
2020 All-Flint Metro League Stripes Division football team
2021 Flint-area high school football schedules
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