TOLEDO, Ohio — 2023 Record: 1-9 (missed playoffs)
Head Coach: Josh Lindke (1st year)
Top Returning Players:
Raheem Brown, Senior WR/DB (All CHSL)
2024 Schedule:
WEEK 1 8/23 vs. Perrysburg
WEEK 2 8/30 @ Scott
WEEK 3 9/6 vs. Brother Rice (MI)
WEEK 4 9/13 @ Clyde
WEEK 5 9/20 @ St. John's Jesuit
WEEK 6 9/27 vs. U of D Jesuit (MI)*
WEEK 7 10/4 @ Lumen Christi (MI)*
WEEK 8 10/11 @ Divine Child (MI)*
WEEK 9 10/18 vs. Central Catholic
WEEK 10 10/25 vs. Bedford (MI)
*Denotes Catholic High School League AA division game
A new era of Knights football has begun at St. Francis de Sales with head coach Josh Lindke at the helm, maybe at just the right time for change as the team missed playoffs last season and finished with a 1-9 record.
The program has had five coaching changes since 2020, but Lindke says he is prepared to offer structure and turn the team into a program.
"I think it's huge, just setting the tone from day one," he said. "We thought the last couple years has been kind of a team here and a group of individuals and I think these guys are doing a great job of buying into that team aspect and becoming a program."
Last season was the Knights' first year in the Catholic High School League where they played in the Central Division. While they will play in a lower division within the league this season, the team views it as an opportunity for growth.
"Catholic league gave us a punch in the mouth last season," said junior defensive end Jermaine Polk. "So kind of gave us a taste of what it's gonna be like. I think it got us prepared for how it's gonna be in the rest of the season going so far."
Lindke says he plans for the team to capitalize on the change, as high-level football opponents still remain ahead.
"We're playing a bunch of programs now that I think give us a good chance to compete," he said. "We've been preaching to our kids (that) it's not just because we moved down to this double-A league that now all of a sudden things are going to get easy, that's the furthest thing from the truth. We've still got to compete at a high level, we've got to work hard and we've got to learn and understand how to win football games."
Veterans on the team are bought into the culture Lindke is restoring. Senior quarterback Corey Swartz says he is prepared to lead the team to a comeback season and showcase what people should expect from the group this season.
"They're going to expect a family," he said. "I hope to see a team that knows what they're doing and knows their job, knows how to do their job, knows where to do their job and a team that will, when one teammate's down and they're not doing too hot, you pick them up."
Lindke added that the coaching staff has been preaching that programs are built in the trenches and the coaching staff will follow the team as they use the tools and standards they have given them.
"We kind of preach to them all the time it takes what it takes," he said. "So they need to understand when things do go well and you start to learn how to win a little bit or do things the right way, it's not just 'Now we gotta take a step back and relearn those things.' It's, 'We gotta keep going and stack those days and build those days'. So kids are doing a good job and we just as a program need to continue to get better every day."
The Knights begin the 2024 season on Aug. 23 against Perrysburg.