APPLETON — As the Appleton North football team heads into the 2024 season, we know their defense will always be great under coach Rob Salm. But now they’re bringing back a former quarterback they hope can spark this fast-paced offense.
“Every fourth down you’re always going to want to stop somebody, no matter what,” linebacker and wide receiver Abraham Tomori said.
They allowed an average of 9.7 points per game to their opponents last year, and anyone who plays Appleton North knows what the expectations are for the defense.
“We train with intensity and physicality, and that’s the standard here and that’s what we want every year,” said head coach Rob Salm. “The kids come in and they know that if they’re going to wear a blue jersey to practice, they’re going to be at a certain level, and the kids are very proud of that.”
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After starting the season 5-0, the Lightning lost 4 of 5 to end their season. In those 4 losses, they never scored more than 7 points and failed to score twice.
“We lost a lot of really close games last year,” Salm said. “(We) just consistently didn’t move the ball and didn’t move the chains and sometimes didn’t finish plays. I can’t say it was one specific thing.”
But this year Salm has found a recent voice to lead the attack.
“Just like what he brings to the team, his intelligence level, his anticipation, his preparation — his communication is phenomenal,” Salm said of his recent hire. “We’re so excited.”
2012 graduate Nate Otto, who shined as a starting point guard for the Lightning, leading them to a conference title, is now the offensive coordinator.
“It was really cool to be back – seeing a lot of the same coaches that trained me and that I had the opportunity to learn from,” Otto said.
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Salm says Otto’s teammates have always believed in him as a leader and that he has transferred his self-confidence and self-assurance into his coaching style. As for Otto, he simply believes in positive energy.
“(A) big emphasis I put on as a coach is trying to keep it positive,” said Otto, who has coached at schools in the Fox Valley and the Milwaukee area for the past few years. “Of course, there are things we want to coach kids on and make sure they’re doing the right things, but we kind of deal with the good things that happen, even when there’s some bad stuff. Just that energy, that excitement and just staying positive.”
As he takes over the offensive line, he has two projected playmakers to work with, senior Charlie Olson and junior Grant Hardy, both of whom are replacing Luke Kritzer, who graduated.
“I think ideally, as you mentioned, if you have two quarterbacks, you don’t have one,” Otto said. “I think in this case, we just think we have two quarterbacks. Two guys who can get the job done. Two guys on offense, trust in their ability, trust in the coaching staff.”
These are two playmakers who balance each other out.
“Charlie has a bit of a cannon, so he knows how to shoot that thing,” Tomori said. “Grant has a bit more mobility, so we have those two pieces and we can just put him in and fix him in any situation.”
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Otto’s attack will still be a physical, focused attack, but there will be a lot more movement to it.
“He brought more flexibility,” Tomori said. “A little more moving things around, more confusion in defense.”
A week before the first match, the players had fully accepted Otto as a coach, as well as his style of play.
“You can tell he’s studied all of this stuff. He knows all the ins and outs, and that gives you confidence that you believe what he’s saying,” Tomori said.
The Lightning will open their season on Paul Engen’s home court when they host Mukwonago on Thursday, August 22.
