Coach Joe Simon remembers what it was like when he arrived at Plainville High School three years ago.
The Cardinals finished 0-9 the year before and were on a 10-game losing streak. They scored only 50 points for the entire 2008 season and hadn’t scored more than 20 points in 15 games.
Even worse, the Cardinals were lacking in the weight room.
"When I first got here, we were not strong," Simon said. "I used to joke around with my wife that we were the weakest team in the state. We probably weren’t, but we were pretty close."
Jump forward three years, and things definitely have changed.
Plainville has won six of its last seven games, including its first three in 2011. The Cardinals have scored more than 30 points in all three games, including a 53-point outing last week against Norton.
Strength is a big reason why. When Simon arrived, the strongest hangclean was 185 pounds. Now, Plainville has five players maxing out at more than 300 pounds on the lift.
"Now, we’re strong enough to compete with any team in the state," Simon said. "They’ve worked hard. They’ve gone from boys to men out there."
So, here they are ready to travel to face the mighty Smith Center Redmen Friday in the state’s Game of the Week as voted by the readers of Kpreps.com. The Cardinals are ranked No. 4 in Class 2-1A and are two wins away from their first winning season since 1994.
"I did think it would take longer," Simon said. "It’s been fun. The kids have really bought in."
However, Plainville knows it has one heck of a challenge against Class 3A’s 3-0 Smith Center. The Cardinals realize it wasn’t all that long ago when the Redmen were riding a 79-game winning streak and pummeling teams with 70-point outbursts in the first quarter.
"I just think of them as a great program," Simon said. "They put out a great team every single year. My first game as head coach was against them. We didn’t really compete with them that night, and I just wanted to get to the point where one day we could compete with them. Everyone wants to have that type of program."
Smith Center coach Roger Barta showed equal respect for what Simon has been able to do at Plainville.
"They really have played well," Barta said. "Simon is a young, enthusiastic coach. He’s really created some enthusiasm and promoted football in Plainville. He’s getting the program back to where it used to be. They are fundamentally sound and well coached."
The Cardinals are led by junior running back Trevor Axelson (5-8, 140), who has rushed for 491 yards and four TDs in the first three games. Most impressively, he’s gained more than 13 yards per rush and ran for 194 yards on only 11 carries in the 40-point dismantling of Norton.
Fullback Harrison Gilliland (5-10, 185) gives the Cardinals a bigger option. The junior has rushed for 244 yards and 4 TDs on only 23 carries.
Smith Center’s offense starts with Truitt Kuhlmann. Last week in a 60-14 win against Ellis, he rushed for 310 yards and three touchdowns. Kuhlmann added a kickoff return for a touchdown.
"The kid is a big back who runs very physical," Simon said. "And he’s very fast. We definitely will have to keep an eye on him. If he gets out into the open, we probably don’t have anybody on our team who can catch him. After the Kuhlmann kid, they are just very solid all the way throughout their team. We will just have to play sound football and play tough."
The Redmen feel the same way. Despite a long winning streak against Plainville and all of the recent history, Smith Center isn’t taking the Cardinals lightly.
"Our players know they are a good team," Barta said. "We’ve looked at film. When this senior group was playing junior high, Plainville won the junior high league. So they know that they have a good team."
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