FEATURE: Noe prioritizes, builds to a big fall season

By Sandy Gholston

Big Rapids - - Kevin Noe is not exactly your typical college football player or, for that matter, your typical college student-athlete.

Ferris State University linebacker Kevin Noe works during a drill in spring practice in Big Rapids. (Photo/Sandy Gholston)

The former Belding High School football standout spent last summer getting married to ex-Bulldog star volleyball player Danielle Baucher. That alone makes him a bit of a non-traditional student-athlete. But, this happily-married young man still has some goals left to achieve, on the football field, as he gears up for his senior season in the fall. Indeed, that fire still burns inside him. The 6-foot-3 and 243-pound Ferris State University linebacker still has plenty to play for and has been one of the players working hardest throughout the spring as drills concluded with Friday night’s spring game – an offensive shootout that ended with a 49-14 score.

“This spring has been a great time for all of us as players and especially for some of the younger guys who are getting a chance to show what they can do,” said the native of Orleans, who had a big junior campaign with a team-high 111 total tackles and two interceptions in 2007. “We have a lot of guys who have been out here this spring and they’re all getting their reps and that’s something they’re taking advantage of to get themselves ready for the fall when we’re all going to be needed as a team.”

The players wearing Ferris jersey numbers four (Noe), five (Jeff Hollandsworth) and six (Jordan Moore) are planning to patrol the area behind a tough Bulldog defensive line this coming fall – a year richer with experience. That capable trio is expected to give the Bulldogs some much-needed experience against a number of the best Division II programs in the nation in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.

“The three of us have gotten a lot of playing time during our careers and that has helped us get the experience we need coming into (the fall),” said Noe as he and the Bulldogs hope to climb the ladder up the GLIAC standings. “Hopefully, that experience is something that will pay off for us. Teams we go up against are going to be paying a lot of attention to (All-American tackle Jake) Visser and the other guys we have up front. So, because of that, we’re going to have some opportunities to make plays. We have to take advantage of those opportunities.”

With spring ball having concluded, it now is time for Noe and company to look ahead – with a little more focus – to the fall.

“We still have a lot of work to do this spring and then in the summer,” Noe said. “But, we’re all planning to be ready for the season. There’s a lot of work to do.”

If you have any questions, ideas or comments feel free to contact Sandy Gholston at sgholston2@netzero.com