SPRING LAKE – The Spring Lake football program has had a lot of success in recent seasons, with four state playoff appearances in the last four years.

The architect of that success, former Coach Dan Start, stepped aside after last season, and the school wanted to find someone with a track record to fill those big shoes.

Enter Cody Mallory, the former head coach at Cadillac, who has reached even higher peaks in recent years, taking his team to the Division 4 state finals in 2020 and winning a district title in 2021.

School officials are obviously hoping Mallory can build on the recent success without having much of a learning curve.

He certainly doesn’t have to learn how to win.

Mallory was the head coach at Cadillac for seven seasons. His first four years were not the greatest, when his team posted an overall 11-26 record, but the last three seasons were a much different story.

The Vikings were 7-5 in 2019 and posted two playoff victories. They were 8-3 in 2020 and won four playoff games before eventually falling to Detroit County Day 13-0 in the Division 4 state championship game.

Last season Cadillac went 9-3 and won two playoff games before bowing out in the regional finals.

“We changed the way we practiced quite a bit, putting a lot more value on keeping the guys fresh,” Mallory said, when asked about the keys to turning the Cadillac program around. “We started doing that around 2019.”

Mallory said it was an amazing experience to coach in the state finals, something that a tiny percentage of high school coaches ever get a chance to do.

“It was a special experience that you don’t forget,” he said. “The run we were able to put together, and beating some of the teams we beat, made it pretty special. I don’t think anybody gave us a shot.”

The new coach admits it was hard to leave the school where he had so much success, but says he’s ready for an exciting new challenge.

“It was saying goodbye to the players and coaches,” Mallory said, when asked about the hardest part about leaving Cadillac. “Those are guys you spend a lot of hours with and having to break the news to them was gut-wrenching.

“But my wife and I both knew Spring Lake is a really good school district. It also has a football program that’s been above .500 the past couple years and is doing well.

“I just thought it was kind of time to move on, and we had a son graduating. Spring Lake also has a great administration, and JT Hogan (Spring Lake’s athletic director) really has a great vision of what he wants to accomplish.”

Mallory is taking over a winning program that’s still working toward certain goals, like winning its first conference title in the O-K Blue and winning its first-ever district championship.

The new coach knows how tough the O-K Blue can be, with perennial powerhouses Hudsonville Unity Christian and Grand Rapids West Catholic, and an always strong Fruitport squad.

Cadillac played and beat Fruitport twice last year, 28-12 in the regular season and 42-35 in a tight playoff battle, then lost to Unity Christian 53-22 in the regional finals.

“I had the benefit of seeing those teams and getting a good feel for football in the Blue,” Mallory said. “It’s a good conference with good coaches and players. It’s a very competitive league. There really isn’t a week where you can coast.”

Another challenge for Mallory will be familiarizing himself with a completely new coaching staff, because he wasn’t able to bring any of his former assistants with him from Cadillac.

His new staff is comprised of Spring Lake staff members, including three returnees from last season.

“I’m flying solo down here,” the coach said. “Nobody came down with me and nobody was really in a position to come down. The Spring Lake district doesn’t have too many teaching vacancies, so we really weren’t able to get anybody in from the previous staff. It’s a completely new staff, and we’re really working hard to get to know each other and figure out our strengths. It’s all about helping each other to get where we all want to be.”

Mallory and his staff will face some challenges right off the bat, because the Lakers lost a lot of players from last year’s 6-4 team.

Gone are 18 seniors from 2021, including standouts like quarterback Jackson Core, lineman Travis Throop and linebacker/offensive lineman RJ Lisman, who were all first team All-Conference selections. The Lakers will also be replacing an All-region player on defense – defensive lineman Hunter Throop.

Mallory, whose team will open the season Aug. 25 at home against Montague, doesn’t seem worried about filling those holes, or what the new season might bring in terms of wins and losses.

“As soon as you start thinking like that, you stumble,” he said. “It’s cliché, but we’re focused on what we need to accomplish this week. I’ve gotten burned in the past looking down the road, and you can’t do that. You’ve got to focus on the details right in your face or you’ll get humbled quick.”

Like all good high school coaches, Mallory understands that it’s not all about winning championships, or building on his growing reputation as a successful coach.

“The biggest thing I’ve learned is that it’s not about me,” he said. “It’s about the kids and doing what’s right for them. We want to do what’s right in the program, and I’m really just a facilitator in the process. We’re going to build a program that takes ownership of what we’re doing, and I’m here to guide it.

“It’s about building these kids into fine young men and leaders. It’s all about them and I’m here to help them.”

When you do things the right way, the winning will eventually take care of itself, Mallory said.

“When you have a group of talented players who are willing to do what it takes, and put the team ahead of themselves, great things can happen,” the coach said. “There’s no magic bullet to get you there. it’s really a matter of what kind of team you have and how well they play for each other.”