With four schools, 19 coaches, and three wins under their belt, the SMB Wolfpack has had a strong start to their season. This summer, the team was introduced to a coaching staff that had undergone a near- complete rearrangement, including new specialized coaches for each position.
Linebacker Bennett Sauer is optimistic about what the new coaches have accomplished. “This year is a little more tough on us,” he said, “but so far, it’s been a pretty good thing … We’re looking really good this year.”
With the team under new coaching, Sauer hopes for more wins to come of the season. Introducing new plays and assigning players to new positions are just a few of the ways that quarterback coach Bryan Cupito has worked to make that happen.
There were many new people for the Wolfpack to meet when the coaching staff joined the team over the summer, but for some seniors, there was a familiar face among them. Cupito has returned to coaching the Wolfpack after being with the team two years prior. In that time, he coached at Hopkins High School.

“The receivers coach came with me, from Hopkins, and then the defensive coach, he came. He’s coached with me forever,” Cupito said. “Those are people that I’ve known for such a long time, it just made it an easy fix, bringing us all back together, making it fun.”
Coming back to the team, Cupito noticed a significant culture shift. “I only have two years ago to compare it to, but it’s 1000 times different, in a better way. A lot of the kids are a lot closer. They know each other. When you have four schools, it’s hard … you got to make all four schools kind of merge and feel like they’re one,” he said. Part of how he has helped facilitate the unity of the team is through connecting with each player on an individual level.
Linebacker Miles Coates Cush has felt this effort from his coach. “He’ll make sure you’re seen at practice and make sure not to skip over you, and ask you how your day is,” he said. As a sophomore on the team, Coates Cush had not met Cupito before. One thing he immediately noticed was Cupito’s drive to get the team winning.
“First impression, I thought he was scary, but he warms up. He just wants us to win as a team,” Coates Cush said. “I know, myself, 66 plays for offense and defense, each different, all with hand signals. So it can be hard at times, but they want us to win and they want us to be better.”
If there was ever proof needed to support the claim that “change brings growth,” the Wolfpack would be an excellent source. Striking a balance between competition and a positive culture and community will likely come naturally for the team as they continue to build relationships with the new coaching staff, as well as strengthen old bonds with each other and, for some, a familiar coach.