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Chess games by coaches are intriguing

Probably one of the most overlooked part of any athletic contest is the ongoing chess game between the coaches.

Over the years, I’ve had the chance to watch some of the all-time coaching greats.

In football, there were legends like Ron Warner of Lake Linden-Hubbell High, Wayne Sickler of Calumet and the late Bob Carlson of Ontonagon.

In hockey, you had Jim Crawford of Calumet and the late Don Miller of Houghton and Rick Miller of Hancock.

In basketball, the names of Ed Helakoski of Chassell, Tom Caudill of Ewen-Trout Creek and the late Carl “Cookie” Johnson of Baraga are notable.

In girls basketball, Julie Filpus of Houghton, Nancy Osier of Ewen-TC and Dick Franti of Ontonagon stand out.

No doubt, there are many other very good coaches I could mention. But these are the ones I remember most clearly.

They were the kind of skippers who could directly influence the outcome of a game with strategy, and often, plain old motivation.

Warner was a good example of strategy and game preparedness. His teams knew exactly what to expect from an opponent and that directly led to his 229-58-1 career record.

Crawford and Filpus are two other sterling examples of getting their teams ready. Crawford brought six state championships to Calumet, while Filpus has won an incredible 88 percent of her games. Both won with great game plans.

Helakoski, the architect of Chassell’s amazing 65-game winning streak, ran practices that were equally divided into segments for an upcoming game. His former players always said there was no variation in his practices.

Naturally, when you get two good coaches opposing each other there’s an ongoing chess match.

Just last week, Keith Willis of Baraga and Joe Romano of Jeffers matched wits in a game that went down to the final seconds.

Both coaches judiciously used all their timeouts to tell their players what to expect and what plays to execute.

Ultimately, the game hinged on a controversial (I won’t get into that) play and Baraga won a 47-46 game.

Watching the Miller brothers match up was always a treat. The two knew other’s strategies so well that the outcome of the game hinged on shift-to-shift.

The rivalry between the brothers was keen, but you knew they backed each other completely against a common foe.

The chess game between good coaches adds another dimension, albeit not always noticeable to the common fan, that makes sports intriguing.

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