JOE FREIHOFER: Mark, how would you describe your final year on varsity football?

MARK SCANNELL: Wow. It’s been unforgettable. It’s been crazy and everything that I thought it would be. I’m a pretty emotional guy, so it’s crazy. I don’t believe that it’s all coming to an end, but I’ve really enjoyed it so far. I’m just trying to live in the moment and take it game by game.

JF: What player rubbed off on you the most as a kid and this season?

MS: I would say Brett Miller because when I was younger, he was the quarterback on varsity, and he was always super nice to the kids. He really helped us a lot and taught us what to do. He’s still on our sidelines during the games and comes to our practices and helps out. As for this season, Sal [Sidebotham]. He is our most vocal leader on the team and is really good at getting us fired up and ready to go on game day.

JF: How would you describe the team chemistry and relationships between classes this year?

MS: It’s the closest team I’ve ever been a part of, by far. Everyone is super close and super friendly. After each summer workout, we would all go to speedway and get some slushies and snacks and go hang out by the covered bridge. I am not kidding you, every day. That definitely helped out the team chemistry.

JF: What does this postseason playoff appearance mean to you and the team?

MS: It means a lot. It means that all of our hard work has really payed off, and we have a chance to do something special. Our school has never won a state championship in football, so we’ve got a chance to do something that is unheard of around here. I’m really excited for this opportunity, and everybody is going to come in and work hard every single day in practice to get it done.

JF: What is the defense doing this week to prepare for the run-heavy offense that Battle Creek Lakeview uses?

MS: We are running the same defense that we ran against Cedar Springs, who has a very similar offense. This week we’re going with more of a 4-4 look, but it’s basically still the same defense. Now that it’s playoff time, JV doesn’t have anymore games so now they are with us at practice. We’re using them as our scout team primarily. We’re being a lot more physical at practice now too. We usually try to stay healthy and don’t bang around a whole lot, but this week we’re bangin’ a little bit more, being more physical and getting ready for the game.

JF: How has Cam Dienes handled being pulled up on varsity?

MS: He’s handled it extremely well. He stepped right in and didn’t miss a beat. It seems like he knows the play signals better than I do.  He’s a really smart, confident kid and a heck of a runner too. I’ve been impressed.

JF: What guys on the team are the most fun to be around?

MS: Well, it depends. We’ve got a lot of funny guys on the team. Sal [Sidebotham] is a jokester. Ryan [Gast] is pretty funny when he starts dancing around in the locker room. Harrison [Engler] is pretty funny.  Elz [Alec Elzinga] is funny too, but that is just naming a few. There are a lot of funny guys on the team.

JF: What has been your most favorite part of the season so far?

MS: I don’t know if I can pick just one. I loved going to the Ada bridge after football in the summer, just team bonding stuff like that. But during the actual season, I would say the Jenison game because I got to play a lot of QB, and it was really fun. From more of a team standpoint though, the first home game against West Ottawa when we won. I’ve never seen that much school spirit before, and it was really cool to see.