McKinstry's big passing night sets tone for Rogers City football

ONAWAY — All day long, Bryan McKinstry couldn't wait to get on the field .

While he was nervous throughout the day, he was itching to get his chance .

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After one play — the first from scrimmage, mind you — the work McKinstry put in during a productive summer leading up to this season was rewarded. He connected with senior teammate Nolan Lesko on a long touchdown pass that gave the Hurons an early lead.

The play was a statement of sorts from McKinstry, who was just getting started.

By the end of the night, McKinstry delivered the best performance of his high school career by tossing a career-high seven touchdown passes and spearheading the Hurons to a 46-18 victory at rival Onaway on Thursday Aug. 27.

"It meant so much, just to show what's going to happen in further games and how the offense is going to work," McKinstry said. "We just wanted to show how it was going to flow."

Having an opportunity to start for the Hurons a season ago, McKinstry showed the sort of traits required to be a quality quarterback, but he also knew improving was a must in the offseason. That was the plan for McKinstry, who went to work by putting on pounds and getting stronger. In addition, he built even better chemistry with receivers like Lesko and Daryl Hawley, and it showed on the field as each found the end zone thanks to the accuracy of McKinstry.

With everybody being on the same wavelength, it made for a memorable Rogers City night.

"These guys have been playing together since fifth grade," Rogers City coach Chris McKinstry said. "It's really nice when friends get to play football together, and they're rooting for each other, and they want everybody to succeed."

Coach McKinstry, Bryan's father, knew the talent was always there with his son, whose throwing and running abilities were on display against an Onaway defense that struggled to stop the Hurons all night. The coach also noticed some major differences in his son's play that allowed him to elevate himself to the next level.

"He looked really good with his field awareness," coach McKinstry said. "Just being able to see the field, find open guys, rolling out. He's put on like 40 pounds since last year, so he can take some of those hits where he can hang in the pocket a little bit longer, or when he's rolling out and he can shake a guy off."

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Following several months of working on his craft, McKinstry looked like the real deal.

For the QB himself, he pointed to another key area of progression.

"I would probably say my composure," McKinstry said. "Last year, I tended to kind of freak out when things went sideways. Even when things got sideways in this game, with those substitutions, I was able to get everybody in their spots. I'm definitely more confident this year."

For McKinstry and his teammates, who played like a team on a mission, they know what they're aiming for. If they perform like they did in a rivalry clash on the road, there's a good chance they'll get there.

"Playoffs is the goal," McKinstry said. "We're very hungry this year to get there. It's great to show every team on our schedule what we're capable of and how it's going to be this year."

Rogers City (1-0) travels to Atlanta in Week 2.

Contact sports editor Jared Greenleaf at [email protected] . Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter @sportsCDT

This article originally appeared on Cheboygan Daily Tribune: McKinstry's big passing night sets tone for Rogers City football

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