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OCONOMOWOC - Facing the wall that houses the purple and gold banner, a banner listing the football conference championships at the school he now coaches, Greg Malling blew his whistle.
“It’s 7 a.m.,” he declared to the football players sitting in the school’s gym. “We’re starting.”
Tuesday marked the first preseason practice for Malling’s Oconomowoc Raccoons. Before heading out to the Rux Stadium turf, players received team apparel and signed up for Hudl accounts. They also spoke about their newly issued Schutt helmets and the head injuries the helmets can prevent.
Malling, who coached five seasons at Arrowhead High School and led the Warhawks to Division 1 state titles in 2012 and ‘13 and runner-up finishes in the two years after, watched anxiously as the morning took shape. That’s always the case on opening day.
Yes, he’s in new territory at Oconomowoc, but he’s also back in the area he believes he belongs. “This feels comfortable,” he said. Among many things, the five summer contact days helped establish said feeling. Malling said the days proved critical to establish buy-in from kids such as Ryan Hayes, a senior wide receiver who earned honorable mention all-conference honors in 2016.
After the first of two practices — the second started in the evening — Hayes admitted he enjoyed playing for former coach Ryan McMillen. McMillen led Oconomowoc to Wisconsin Little Ten titles in 2015 and 2016 but resigned in May after eight seasons and became athletic director at Muskego.
Thus far, Hayes has also enjoyed working with Malling.
“He does everything with a purpose,” Hayes said, “and that’s very important for a successful team.”
Having gone 52-9 at Arrowhead, Malling could not have been much more suc-
cessful, which is what made it so tough to leave for Coon Rapids (Minn.). When the opportunity arose, though, Malling saw it as a new challenge. So he made the move. Coon Rapids played in nine games last year with Malling at the helm. The team lost them all.
Not only did Malling have to assess a new group of players, a group he said he enjoyed coaching and from which he learned, but he also admitted having to hire a new group of coaches was difficult, especially with the unfamiliarity. “It was a humbling experience,” Malling said. When his former athletic director at Arrowhead in Kevin Flegner reached out about the open position at Oconomowoc, Malling jumped at the opportunity.
Yet he still feels bad about the way things ended in Minnesota.
“That was a great community, and the administration did a great thing taking a chance on me,” Malling said. “I think the thing I learned about myself is that I see this as being home.”
The Classic 8 is Oconomowoc’s new home and although he didn’t want to sound overly obsessed about winning, Malling thinks the competition will drive the kids.
He knows it’ll drive him and his coaching staff, another important aspect to his return. Former Arrowhead defensive coaches Sal Logue and Dan Pfeiffer are along for the ride, as well as offensive specialist Mike Feuerstahler.
Weeks ago, the coaches laughed as they were discussing X’s and O’s in a meeting.
“We were sitting around and one of them said, ‘This is so dang weird,’ “Malling said. “We kind of picked up a conversation that stopped in 2015, so we of laughed. It was so weird.”
Speaking about his team after the day’s first practice, senior defensive lineman Nick Baker said he thinks this year will be fun.
Malling, who views the team’s strength as its speed and its weakness as depth, doesn’t like to use that word. He prefers to say “joy.” “I don’t know why,” Malling said. “I always say:
Fun is some visceral thing like winning a video game or something like that. I’m the least fun person in the world.
“I’m not big into those moments of like, wheeee. Joy is what fires that nerve for me. It’s such a neat, powerful feeling.”
Regardless of whether 2017 will be added to the banner in the gym or not, Malling thinks he’ll feel that feeling at the end of this year’s journey — a journey that will take place in the area he loves.