EAST GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — A new era of football has begun at East Grand Rapids High School.
Josh Shattuck is taking over the reigns as the head coach of the Pioneer football program.
Shattuck comes to East Grand Rapids after spending the last five years as a head coach in Indiana at Elkhart Central and Elkhart High School.
Shattuck is now back with his roots. He is originally from West Michigan and grew up in Spring Lake.
While Shattuck is definitely excited to be back home in West Michigan, he is also excited for the challenge that has been presented at East Grand Rapids. The Pioneers finished with an uncharacteristic 3-6 record in 2021.
The Pioneers feel like Shattuck is the guy to right the ship.
"I really like his energy," East Grand Rapids senior wide receiver Nick Collins said. "He wants us to be there everyday with the amount of energy we have. I think he brings energy to every single guy here."
Shattuck hopes he can turn things around in 2022.
"The kids, the tradition of this place, the way the operations are, they definitely do not need me to be operating at a high level," Shattuck said. "Just try to come in and add the value that I bring to the program. That's helped make the transition really smooth so far."
The transition has allowed Shattuck to really make an impact with the team since he has arrived at East Grand Rapids.
"He knows what he is talking about," said senior quarterback Preston Bergstrom. "He has an amazing mindset to get our mindset right. I think our whole team is really excited to bring our energy and his energy to the field this year."
The first game of the Shattuck era is on August 25 when the Pioneers play at Rockford.
►Make it easy to keep up to date with more stories like this. Download the 13 ON YOUR SIDE app now.
Have a news tip? Email news@13onyourside.com, visit our Facebook page or Twitter. Subscribe to our YouTube channel.