By Jason Wesseldyk
Sports Editor
The wait is over.
Saugatuck football players officially returned to the field Monday, Aug. 10, joining teams throughout the state in holding their first practice of the 2026 season.
And after weeks of summer workouts and the program’s annual summer camp, longtime Saugatuck coach Bill Dunn was happy to have his players back together in a more structured setting.
“There was lots of energy and excitement as we got back to a weekly structured environment in preparation for Game 1,” Dunn said. “It was also good to see the value of our summer camp work and the transition to the first day of official practice.”
Dunn has been at the helm of the Saugatuck program for more than two decades, guiding the Trailblazers to a pair of state championship game appearances and establishing the program as one of the area’s most consistently successful.
Last season proved to be a challenging one.
After dropping their opener, the Trailblazers won their next two games to improve to 2-1. Five straight losses followed, however, knocking Saugatuck out of postseason contention for the first time in three years.
The Trailblazers made sure the season ended on a positive note, closing with a 55-43 victory over Watervliet to finish 3-6.
Monday provided Saugatuck with a fresh start.
While players were back on the field, they weren’t yet in full pads.
Under MHSAA acclimatization guidelines, football players are limited to helmets during the first two days of practice. Shoulder pads can be added on Days 3 and 4, with full pads permitted beginning with the fifth day of team practice.
Practices will gradually ramp up from there as the Trailblazers prepare for their preseason scrimmage and, eventually, the start of the regular season.
That opener will take place on Saugatuck’s home field.
The Trailblazers will welcome Galesburg-Augusta at 7 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 27, giving Dunn and his players a little more than two weeks from the opening day of practice to prepare for their first test.
For now, though, the focus is on putting in the work that comes before that first kickoff.
And judging by Dunn’s assessment of the energy and excitement surrounding Monday’s opening practice, the Trailblazers were happy to get started.
