Football | August 05, 2019

Just like any football coach, Western Michigan University head man Tim Lester couldn't wait for the Team 114's season to begin.

Lester was super enthused about the 2019 season because the Broncos have 22 seniors returning from a 2018 team which went 7-6 overall and 5-3 in the Mid-American Conference's West Division.

The known factors are players like senior Jon Wassink returning at quarterback, senior LeVante Bellamy at running back and senior Luke Juriga at center. The preseason honors are already rolling in for Wassink (Wuerffel Trophy watch list), Bellamy (Paul Hornung Award watch list) and Juriga (Outland Trophy watch list).

It's the unknown which has Lester grinning about 2019.

''I can't wait to see some of the new players and who is going to make us better,'' he said. ''There will be somebody who is going to come in and shock us.''

Last season, that surprise was a Bronco like sophomore Zaire Barnes, who played in all 13 games as a freshman. The Mudelein, Ill., Carmel Catholic safety had seven solo tackles and eight assists.

''Even though we have 22 seniors, there are still some question marks," Lester said. "That's the fun part of camp. You wait a long time and work eight months to get to this point.''

For the second straight season, Western Michigan's recruiting class was at or near the top of the Mid-American Conference's ratings by 247Sports.com. Lester will have a lot of options to look at this fall in an effort to find those impact players.

Offense Meet Defense
When the offense and defense meet, it's usually a massive collision during practice.

Or, as Lester puts it, with a smile, ''We could start 10 seniors on defense and I have the offense, so we will have to go against them every day…which will be a pain.''

However, it was several social gatherings between the two units which led to a lot of bonding. It was the first time that has happened in past four years, according to Bellamy.

''We spent a lot of time at Coach Lester's house, we all went swimming and we had time to mix the meetings with the offense and defense,'' the senior running back said. ''We wanted to make sure we have great camaraderie between the two sides.

''I felt it helped a lot in that it gave us a sense of responsibility and accountability for each other. It gave us the opportunity to share our passions and reasons why we are here.''

It also gave the seniors and juniors a chance to show the new players what Western Michigan football is all about.

''We wanted to lead the way for the freshmen, to make sure when we leave, there is still a legacy,'' Bellamy said. ''We made sure in the end we know each other and our friendship stays connected.''

It also gave everyone a chance to partake in community programs.

''We helped on a Habitat for Humanity house, we have a shoe drive on Aug. 10, we made sure to visit the kids at the hospitals and, we did a Loaves and Fishes project,'' Bellamy said. ''We made sure the freshmen were included so they could give back, too.''

Study Abroad
For the first time in his life, senior linebacker Alex Grace took a trip outside the United States.

Like way, way outside.

He and fellow senior Justin Tranquill went to Thailand for 17 days as part of a Study Abroad this summer. They did a little bit of everything, exploring rural Thailand and embracing the culture. The two also went on a lot of side trips around the country.

''The trip was just awesome,'' Grace said.

But at the end of the trip, the two were ready to get back to football.

"We couldn't wait to get back and work out with the guys again,'' Grace said. ''The trip was a terrific experience, but we wanted to get back into our workouts.''

Energy on Defense
It didn't take long at all for new defensive coordinator Lou Esposito to make an impression on his players.

During the spring, the noise the defense made, cheering on their teammates, was deafening inside the Seelye Center. It will be the same thing during camp in Waldo Stadium.

''Energy is our motto,'' senior linebacker Drake Spears said. ''Coach Espo is keeping it simple to let the dogs run.''

Grace added: ''Coach is throwing in a few new things and it will be fun to watch us.''

Planning Ahead
To say Lester is a planner is putting it mildly.

''You have to plan ahead and I'm 13 months ahead right now,'' he said. ''I can tell you what I'm doing next year at this time.''

He did take time this summer for a special family trip…Disney.

''Although I don't think 'Disney' and the word 'decompress' are used in the same sentence,'' he said with a laugh. ''Our children are ages 6, 8 and 10 and they ripped and roared and thought it was a great time.

''I'm not really a roller coaster guy, but the kids love them, so now I'll do it forever.''

Lester also threw out the first pitch at a Kalamazoo Growlers game recently.

''I threw it as hard as I could and it was for a strike,'' he said.

The coach recalls that then-Western Michigan baseball coach Fred Decker tried to get Lester to come out for the baseball team, too.

''He came to one high school games after I had already signed to play football at Western and it was the game of my life…the best game I ever played,'' Lester said. ''He wanted me to play baseball here, too.

''Even when I was playing football here, Coach Decker would stop by and say, 'The offer still stands.'  I told him thanks, but I wanted to stick to one sport.''

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