T-R PHOTO BY ROSS THEDE - The GMG football team returns eight letterwinners for first-year head coach Justin Witte. Pictured (from left) are front row: Jacob Snider, Jacoby Woodbury, Caleb Ferch and Rider Kupka; back row: Ethan Klemesrud, Jonas Buchanan, Jay Bessman and Easton Sash.

GARWIN — In order to build its program back up, the GMG football team is starting at ground level.

First-year head coach Justin Witte wants to see the Wolverines succeed again, but the wins won’t come without first establishing a winning culture.

The former junior high head coach may have an extensive playbook and a lot of new ideas for GMG to adopt, but first the rebuild must begin with a solid foundation.

“When you build a home, you’ve got to start with a foundation,” Witte said. “That starts with a mindset. So when the mindset sets the tone, then everything else falls into place.”

GMG is trying to come back from a 1-7 campaign that included a lot of lopsided losses and only 1,539 yards of total offense. The Wolverines ranked 63rd out of 68 teams in the 8-Man class scoring an average of 15.25 points per game last season, but Witte’s expectations won’t wilt thanks to a sturdy group of returning letterwinners.

“We have a great nucleus,” Witte said. “I think we’re going to turn some heads. These guys have grit. A lot of them are farmers and they’re hard workers.

“I’m excited. GMG has not had a good season in a long while, and I’m looking for this season to change this program around.”

Witte’s blueprints will revolve this year around quarterback Ethan Klemesrud, who was GMG’s leading passer and rusher last season. The junior signal caller threw for 256 yards and three touchdowns while rushing for 518 yards and four scores.

Klemesrud has given himself to the process, Witte said, and the results should be indicative of that.

“He’s a leader, he’s always been a leader,” Witte said. “I want to give Ethan an offense that he has control over and he gets to do what he wants to do.

“I think the sky’s the limit for him, I really do. I think he has got so much talent. … He’s going to have a lot of opportunities to create all over the place, whether it’s running or passing, he’s going to be able to do it all.”

Witte said Klemesrud has dropped his 40-yard time down to 4.7 seconds through his offseason weight and fitness program, which should bode well for the Wolverines in the wide-open 8-Man game.

“Last year was my first year as a quarterback, so it’s a lot more responsibility of course, but I’m ready for it,” Klemesrud said. “I’m good for it. It’s an honor to lead this team.”

The Wolverines have eight returning letterwinners, all of whom were starters on last year’s squad. Up front, seniors Jay Bessman and Jonas Buchanan return to the lineup, while Liam Fitzsimmons and Caleb Ferch will contribute as well.

Easton Sash was the team’s second-leading rusher behind Klemesrud a season ago with 473 yards and four touchdowns, and he was GMG’s top receiver as well with 13 catches for 97 yards and one TD. He also took a kickoff back for a touchdown. Bodie Hutchinson will take up a utility role on offense, and Jacoby Woodbury will be in the mix as well at tight end.

“I had Easton and Bodie in junior high and these guys had 1,600 yards for me altogether rushing. I know these guys and I know what they can do, so I built an offense around their abilities, so I think we’re going to have a really good team this year.”

Defensively, the Wolverines return their top four tacklers from a year ago with Klemesrud, Sash, Ferch and Bessman. A healthy season for Buchanan would go a long way to aid in GMG’s rebuild as well.

The Wolverines open the season with a non-district game at Calamus-Wheatland before jumping into District 6 action with a home game against returning playoff qualifier Clarksville. Defending state runner-up Gladbrook-Reinbeck is the incumbent district champion, while North Tama joins the 8-Man ranks for the first time.

“As they say, Gladbrook-Reinbeck is probably one of the best, and I think Clarksville is a tough team,” Witte said. “We’ve got some new teams coming in that we have never played before, like Central City, and we’ll have Meskwaki for Homecoming.

“There’s some exciting things there, and I think with fresh blood starts a new level of commitment.”