Streator football opens summer wanting to ‘surprise people’ this fall

STREATOR – To reach their goals, football teams have to put in the work.

The Streator Bulldogs are getting to work this week as their summer camp officially opened Monday ... and although the mood is light, the work is real and the ultimate goal obvious.

“I want to make the playoffs, win some games and surprise a lot of people,” Bulldogs senior-to-be Cade Stevens said.

Numbers through two days – with the team splitting its time between on-the-field drills and community-minded volunteer work helping set up Streator’s Independence Day celebration a mile north of the high school – have been a pleasant surprise themselves.

“We’re not building brick by brick now. We’ve got a little bit of foundation laid, and we’re able to build on that this year.”

—  Streator head football coach Kyle Tutt

A little more than 30 Bulldogs were on the field Tuesday for the second day of summer camp, with a handful more excused to help assemble the Northpoint Plaza stage, which later this week will host musical acts Lita Ford, Joe Nichols, Buckcherry, Colt Ford and more.

“We’ve got about 10 guys over there right now helping set up,” second-year Bulldogs head coach Kyle Tutt said. “We had about 15 giving their time there yesterday. We’re really trying to make it a community thing.”

“It shows our community we’re out there for them,” senior Tyler Luckey said, “and we’re also together, bonding as a team.”

“Nobody wants to pound a bunch of fences in,” Stevens said, “but we’re doing it as a team. It’s everyone together.”

With 40-plus players invested enough to participate in optional offseason camp – including a quite promising 18 freshmen, which can only be taken as a positive sign of things to come – the mood Tuesday was light, with players and coaches smiling and joking as they went through drills and talked football.

“Our big day for us is going to be Aug. 9,” Tutt said, referring to the IHSA’s official start date for preseason practices. “That’s what we’re building toward and when things are going to transition into being more mandatory ... but right now we’re having some fun, getting a little better at football and getting some skills and development going.

“It’s really nice to be back on the field. The breeze, the sunshine, being back playing ... I think everyone is excited to just be back playing football.”

Streator returns after a unique – but winless – five-game spring season a few months ago after missing out on the fall 2020 season because of the state’s measures to contain the coronavirus pandemic.

“I’m just glad to be back with my teammates,” said Luckey, the starting quarterback for the spring Bulldogs who could see his offensive role evolve this fall. “It’s a quick turnaround, but I think we have a lot of stuff to prove, and I think we’re going to do that.”

Streator played the last of its five games April 16, less than three months ago.

“It’s weird being back so soon after having just played a season and not getting the break you normally get,” Stevens said. “Not that we need a break, but it’s weird. We’ll have to adapt, but I definitely think we’ll be able to.”

“We definitely feel better than we did starting last year,” Tutt said. “We don’t feel like this is a first-year coach with a first-year team. ... While we didn’t get everything in last season, we felt we got enough in to hit the ground running a little faster.

“We’re not building brick by brick now. We’ve got a little bit of foundation laid, and we’re able to build on that this year.”

The Bulldogs will continue camp Wednesday and Thursday, with a planned 7-on-7 event scheduled for later in the month.