It will take more than elbow grease for McHenry to clean up its win-loss record.

More than elbow bumps.

The latter is a start, at least.

Besides, first-year Warriors’ head coach Colt Nero has a plan, which also includes bringing in two former head coaches of the football program to be his offensive and defensive coordinators.

The Warriors wrapped up camp July 24 on a muggy morning at McCracken Field, and when it was time for everyone to go their separate ways, players approached Nero one by one with an extended fist, shoulder-high, expecting a friendly bump.

Nero countered with an elbow.

“We did the fist bump last year, and I changed it up,” said Nero, who coached at McHenry’s frosh/soph level last season after a four-year run as head coach at Stagg in Palos Hills. “I’m the only one who does the elbow [bump] now. I got to be different.”

And safe.

“All of these guys are nasty,” Nero joked. “I’m not going to get sick from any of them.”

Every Warrior needs to be healthy in body and mind this season.

Nero is the program’s sixth head coach since 2015 and replaces Jeff Schroeder, who coached the team for two seasons. The Warriors went 2-7 last season after a winless campaign in 2023. Their 14-13 win over Dundee-Crown in Week 4 last season snapped a 12-game losing streak.

“I think it’s everybody’s drive,” senior quarterback Jeffry Schwab said. “We’ve had a rough two years, and this is the same group we’ve had since our freshman year. Everyone wants it. Everyone wants to win, and I think we’re a good group of boys. We all love each other. We’re all brothers.”

Schwab (6-foot, 165 pounds) knows what it’s like to contribute to a winning team. He started in right field for McHenry’s baseball team that finished second in Class 4A in the spring. He played running back and free safety for the football team last fall, after playing running back and cornerback as a sophomore on varsity in 2023.

Schwab, who also pitched for the baseball team, hasn’t played QB since his freshman year. His arm, speed and athleticism should be apparent under the lights on Friday nights.

Nolan Chovanec (6-0, 185) is another three-year varsity player and leader and returns at starting “Warrior,” the team’s hybrid safety/linebacker position. He started at outside linebacker as a sophomore.

“The atmosphere [has been positive],” Chovanec said. “It’s our last year, and we got a lot of seniors going into the season.”

The Warriors will be a veteran group on the field and on the sideline. Jon Niemic will run the offense, while Tim Beagle will coordinate the defense. Niemic served as McHenry’s head coach from 2018-21. Beagle directed the Warriors to Class 7A state playoff berths in 2006 and 2007 during his six-year run as head coach.

Nero, whose first coaching stint at McHenry was from 2017 to 2020, served as Niemic’s defensive coordinator in 2018 and 2019. He said he still looks to Niemic for mentorship, whether it’s football-related or not.

He’s more than confident in Niemic’s ability to scheme and game plan.

“Jon brings a lot,” Nero said. “He’s got a very good football mind, and he’s very organized. I can trust him with everything that we do offensively. I know that if we’re not meeting our standard or expectation, he’s going to hold these guys accountable to get them to do what we need them to do.”

Beagle provides added experience and mentorship.

“I think he’s been really good for Jon and myself,” Nero said. “He’s got 30 years of coaching, so we would be stupid to not try to take as much information from him as possible. He’s been around a long time. He’s seen a lot.”

Funny enough, Nero, Niemic and Beagle are all Crystal Lake South graduates. Frosh/soph coach Jake Wiersma is another former Gator.

The staff also includes head baseball coach Brian Rockweiler.

“Our staff has been phenomenal,” Nero said. “To have four guys who have head-coaching experience is nice. We’re able to challenge each other in different ways and just think about things differently. It’s been refreshing in the sense that I feel like everybody has brought a different thing to the table, a different perspective. That part for me has been huge.”

Now it’s time for the players to execute on the field. The Warriors open the season Aug. 29 at Dundee-Crown, before Nero faces his alma mater for the first time as head coach in Week 2, when South visits McCracken Field.

“It’s been building up,” Chovanec said. “Freshman year, we won no games together. Sophomore year, no games. It was just the whole, ‘Oh, we’re a young team, so we’re not good.’ So, this [senior year] is it.”

As the Warriors lifted weights last week, Chovanec and Schwab said they reminisced about how quickly time has flown in three years.

“Our freshman year, we were co-MVPs,” Schwab said of himself and Chovanec. “That was yesterday [seemingly]. ... Now we’re seniors. It went like that.”