After 13 successful seasons as head coach at Zeeland East, Derek Pennington has taken over at Caledonia.
"I had 13 wonderful years there," Pennington said about his time leading the Chix. "I just always wanted to be in a place where there was a one-horse town, where you have one high school, and you can get everybody behind it. That's what we're hoping to do here in Caledonia."
The Fighting Scots won a pair of playoff games last season reaching the division two district finals.
Longtime head coach Tom Burrill retired after the 2020 season.
Things will be different this season for Caledonia starting with the offense where they will transition from the wishbone to the spread.
"There's just a lot more thinking to it because when you're in the wishbone you're just head on," senior offensive and defensive lineman Caleb Paarlberg said. "With this system, there's a few things you have to think about once in a while but for the most part, I like the system a lot and I'm excited to play it."
The Fighting Scots open the season Thursday at Holt.
"I think for us the focus is really just to stick to our game plan," Paarlberg said about game one. "Practice, get ready, and just be ready to go out there and follow the game plan."
