BOWLING GREEN, Ohio — Bowling Green overview:
2023 Record: 5-6 (Made playoffs)
Head Coach: Josh Wade (4th year)
Top Returning Players:
Jackson Shafer, Senior DL (2nd Team All-NLL)
Ja’ceous Shannon, Senior LB (2nd Team All-NLL)
2024 Schedule:
WEEK 1 8/23 @ Otsego
WEEK 2 8/30 vs. Fostoria
WEEK 3 9/6 vs. Anthony Wayne
WEEK 4 9/13 @ Springfield
WEEK 5 9/20 vs. Northview
WEEK 6 9/27 @ Clay*
WEEK 7 10/4 vs. Southview*
WEEK 8 10/11 @ Woodward
WEEK 9 10/18 @ Napoleon*
WEEK 10 10/25 @ Fremont Ross*
*Denotes Northern Lakes League Cardinal Division game
It's a new era for Bowling Green High School football. Longtime assistant Shawn Kiss is now the head coach of the program. Kiss said one of the first orders of business on the field is to diversify the offense.
"We need to be a little more multifaceted, especially on offense," Kiss said. "Last year, towards the end of the year, we had a great rushing attack, we ran for over 3300 yards on the ground. When teams start stacking the box against you, it gets real hard when you're trying to go up against nine, 10 defenders in the box. We've got to be able to throw the ball a little bit."
The Bobcats will certainly have plenty of skill guys to do that. Senior quarterback Jamison Horst is one of seven starters returning on offense.
"We've got a lot of returning talent," Horst said. "We have (Ja'ceous Shannon), (Jackson) Schaffer. We have guys that can come up behind them. We've got a bunch of talent everywhere. The o-line, they're doing great. It's really coming together."
Also on offense is the aforementioned senior Ja'ceous Shannon. The slot back will be a focal point of the offense.
"We're the ultimate competitors. We're not the biggest, the strongest, or the fastest team. But as BG, we want to change the stigma around here," Shannon said. We want to be competitors. We want to go hard every play."
The Bobcats have finished with a winning record once since 2019, during the COVID-shortened 2020 season, in which the team went 7-2. Bowling Green will need high-level play from guys like Horst and Shannon if they want to compete for a Northern Lakes League Cardinal Division title.
In 2023, the Bobcats started the year an eye-catching 4-1 but once entering league play, they finished dead last in the division, going a disheartening 0-4 against divisional opponents.
"We know that we have to keep working. Our mindset is that we need to outwork, be more physical, be in better shape than everybody else because we're a smaller school," Kiss said. "We're going to come out and play. We're not going to back down from anybody."
Bowling Green will open their season on the road at Otsego.