The coach is different, but the goal is the same.

Rob Stover wants to go 1-0 every day. Even during summer camp.

The first-year Sycamore football coach wrapped up his first full organized activities with his whole team on Thursday after taking over for 22-year head coach Joe Ryan.

Stover said 1-0 on a camp day is about maximizing the players’ time and themselves.

“We’re trying to get a little bit faster, a little bit stronger and a little bit smarter each day,” Stover said. “We talk about relentless in what we do, being connected, picking each other up when we make mistakes. That’s what it looks like.”

The Spartans qualified for a seventh straight postseason under Ryan last season, finishing 5-5. They only missed five postseasons in Ryan’s tenure, two after his first three seasons. He finished 156-80 in his Sycamore career.

Stover said there haven’t been a whole lot of changes from Ryan to him. He was an assistant for 11 years under Ryan, most recently as defensive coordinator.

There have been little tweaks like reorganizing the weight room. The biggest adjustment for him has been the normal changes that come from going from a defensive coordinator to a head coach.

“As a defensive coordinator, you’re trying to plan everything for one side of the ball,” Stover said. “As a head coach, you’re trying to make sure coordinating things ... in all three phases. It’s just coordinating coaches, making sure I’m not slowing them down so they can coach and do the things they do best.”

Running back and linebacker Vasilios Arhos returns after leading the Spartans with 618 rushing yards last season and was used mainly on offense.

He said things were a little rusty after the opening week but has been very impressed with Stover and the staff.

“With the coaching staff we have, they are on our game every single play, every single rep that we get,” Arhos said. “It’s do it right or you get critiqued for it. A lot of kids, they have the discipline to listen and be coachable, which will carry us really far.

“I love the program he’s got going. It’s really shaping us well. I can see from other people they’re really enjoying it too.”

Rising senior wide receiver and defensive back Ben Anderson led the team with 31 catches, 500 yards and six touchdowns. He was also third with 48 tackles and second with two interceptions. He also handled punting duties.

Anderson said the week went by really fast.

“It’s not a crazy adjustment. He was here with us last year,” Anderson said. “But it’s awesome and I’m having a lot of fun. But it’s still getting work done, still strict coach, making sure we’re on top of our game, every play.”

The season kicks off for the Spartans Aug. 21 at Huskie Stadium against DeKalb, then Aug. 28 with their first home game against Moline.

Stover said he’s worried about 1-0, improving every day and other coach-isms more than he is what it means to follow Ryan as Sycamore’s head coach.

“Control the things you can control, right?” Stover said. “Joe was just an awesome mentor for me. To have a guy like that in front of you and learn from him, I feel like it’s been a huge advantage for me. You never want to follow a coach as decorated as he is, as respected as he is, because he has had a ton of success, but the nice thing is the coaches on this staff were a part of his staff. I was a part of his staff.”