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Lowell looking to get back to elite status in 2019

The Red Arrows had their 19-year playoff streak snapped last year but they have a new head coach who is hungry for success.

When it comes to West Michigan football, Lowell has long been a perennial power. However, the Red Arrows have had a rough couple of years. 

Last season the team missed the playoffs for the first time since 1998. 

They were shutout twice in one season for the first time since 1993. 

Their record of 1-9 was their worst since 1976. 

And now they're on their third head coach in the last three seasons. 

Legendary football coach Noel Dean retired after the 2017 season. The school hired Juston Miller to replace Dean, but he lasted just one season before resigning. Now Jacob Henige is in charge of the program and he's embracing the challenge. 

"You've got to build trust," Henige said assuredly. "You've got to build trust as a staff, as adults, we have to build that trust with our players." 

Henige was an assistant at Lowell in 2009 before leaving to teach in Arizona. He returned in 2012 and went back to coaching Lowell until 2017. He spent last year on Matt Mitchell's football staff at Grand Valley State University. 

"I've borrowed a lot of our practice structure from him," Henige joked. 

He says the struggles of the past two seasons have provided lessons that his team used in the offseason, but now he's focused on just getting better each day. 

"We've got to get back to what Lowell football can do and how we go about our business." 

This years seniors have had to deal with significant changes in their athletic careers but now they say they're okay with it. 

"It's a little different but I think we're blessed to have this staff," said senior linebacker Grant Pratt. "Coach Henige is a great guy, he's very supportive. He sets all the goals for us and I think we have common goals as a team."

Lowell opens their season against Detroit Loyola on August 30th. 

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