The Sheboygan County SaberCats have proven themselves to be a dominant force in the world of semi-pro football despite only being three years old.
Founder and Head Coach TJ Schouten was on the On the Line Podcast this week, where he spoke with hosts Evan Smith and Ryan Brahm about how he started the team three years ago.
He mentioned that one of the most difficult aspects of the start-up was finding a place to play.
“Because the high schools don’t want you on the grass fields. In Sheboygan, most of the fields are grass,” he explained. “When we went out to Lakeland, the price they offered I couldn’t turn down.”
Lakeland University in Howards Grove is also where TJ played his college ball, so it was a match that was meant to be.
Over the past three years, the SaberCats have gone to the Midwest-United Football League championship game each year and won two of those matchups.
A big reason for that, according to TJ, is the fact that he has had a reliable kicker.
“I’ve been very lucky throughout my whole semi-pro career. I have always had really good kickers,” he explained. “It’s a luxury because when all these teams are going for two, I would rather go for one.”
Evan agreed, saying, “Those are guaranteed points. They add up.”
The SaberCats will open up their season with a preseason matchup against the River City Rough Riders on April 20th at Lakeland University, with the regular season kicking off on May 11th as they host the Neenah Eagles.
You can learn more about the SaberCats by listening to the entire podcast, which can be found in the sports section of SeehaferNews.com.
You can also visit the Sheboygan County SaberCats page on Facebook.