Kangas regained his position from Dennis Beaman, who coached the team the past two seasons but left to become an assistant coach at Northern Michigan University.

“You never close the door whether it would be here or somewhere else,” said Kangas, who had previously coached the Emeralds for 25 years.

“It’s not something I put all my plans on, but it feels good to be back.

“I was able to stay involved (in coaching) with the U.P. All-Star Classic and still have a little bit of a passion for coaching.”

Manistique's Steve Knudson, left, chases down Gwinn ball carrier Chris Bosworth during their Mid-Peninsula Conference game played Sept. 9, 2016, in Gwinn. (Journal file photo)

Manistique hosts Newberry in tonight’s opener, marking the first time in nearly 40 years the Emeralds haven’t opened against Negaunee, not counting 1989 when MHS didn’t field a team.

“Our schedule is kind of awkward,” Kangas said. “Four of our first five games are at home and the last four are away.

“Newberry has been solid the past four or five years. I’m sure they will be pretty good again. It won’t be an easy opener by any means.”

It’s no secret the Emeralds have struggled in recent years.

Prior to last year’s winless campaign, they finished 1-8 in each of the three previous seasons after going 6-4 and reaching the playoffs in 2012.

Manistique defender Joe Barr, center, eludes a pair of Gwinn blockers during the teams' Mid-Peninsula Conference game played in Gwinn on Sept. 9, 2016. (Journal file photo)

“We didn’t have a lot of juniors coming in and a lot of success in recent years,” Kangas said. “We definitely have our challenges in front of us.

“I will say our kids have really worked hard. They’ve given a great effort and they’re learning a lot.

“We’ve shown progress every day so far. We’re not overly young. We also don’t have great numbers, but we have decent senior leadership.”

The Emeralds have 18 players, 11 of them seniors. They lost a dozen through graduation from last year’s squad, including quarterback Nolan Armock and receiver Jake Arnold.

Alex Oas, a 5-foot-9 junior, is handling this year’s signal-calling duties.

“I can guarantee we’re going to be more of a ground-oriented team, although Alex will do a good job running our offense,” Kangas said. “Being able to hand the ball off and make decisions is most of the job.

“We’ve tried to change our philosophy a little. We made a promise not to turn the ball over as much as in the past. We need to control the ball more and have worked hard to install that mindset.

“By doing these few things we can eliminate some of our turnovers. We’re trying to get to a point where we can compete a little more.”

The Emeralds have some depth at halfback where seniors D.J. Bowers and Phillip Haggenson and sophomore Christian Aldrich are expected to share duties.

“We try to keep a balance with our numbers,” Kangas said. “With 18 guys you really have to make sure you get in position to get some reps.”

Also ready to help in the backfield are junior fullback Logan Savage and sophomore tailback Skyler Anderson.

“We have a young backfield,” the coach said. “We’re not only working for this year, but we’re also building for the future.”

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2017 schedule

(* Mid-Peninsla Conference game)

Friday, Aug. 25 — NEWBERRY, 7 p.m.

Friday, Sept. 1 — * at Gladstone, 7 p.m.

Friday, Sept. 8 — * GWINN, 7 p.m.

Friday, Sept. 15 — * ISHPEMING, 7 p.m.

Friday, Sept. 22 — MUNISING, 7 p.m.

Friday, Sept. 30 — * at Iron Mountain, 7 p.m. EDT

Friday, Oct. 6 — * at Negaunee, 7 p.m.

Friday, Oct. 13 — * at Westwood, 7 p.m.

Saturday, Oct. 21 — at Lake Linden-Hubbell, 2 p.m.

---

Providing senior leadership on the offensive line are center Steven Knutson, guard Kyle Seeley and tackle Joe Barr.

“Other spots are up for grabs,” Kangas said. “We’re still trying to see how everything plays out.”

Defensive leaders include Knutson and Seeley at tackle; Savage and Barr at linebacker; and Anderson, junior Matt Wood, senior Liam McJeege and junior Mason Santi at end.

“We’ll be kind of multiple with four- and five-man fronts,” Kangas said. “The biggest thing is just trying to find ways to get better in games and practice. We’re trying to create a more competitive situation.”

After today’s opener, the Emeralds visit Mid-Peninsula Conference newcomer Gladstone, marking the first gridiron meeting between the schools since 1976.

“Gladstone is probably the biggest school in our conference,” Kangas said. “I think they’ll be better than they were last year. They have decent numbers and it’s good to see they’ve brought back freshman football. It will be a good rivalry for us.

“Anybody within an hour is our next-door neighbor.”

The Emeralds conclude their season with a trip to Lake Linden-Hubbell, a new opponent.

“That will be a good road trip to end the year on,” Kangas said.

“I don’t think there’s any weak spots on our schedule. We’ll have to earn everything we get.

“Ishpeming will probably be pretty good. Westwood has a lot of guys returning and you can’t overlook Negaunee or Iron Mountain. Both have great traditions.

“Gwinn lost some pretty good guys, but you never know how many new guys they have.

“We’re just going to focus on ourselves for now. We’ll focus on the other teams one week at a time.”

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