Mills excited by challenges that await Campbell football

A year ago, Keegan Mills stormed onto the scene for the Campbell High School football team.

As a sophomore, Mills was part of a dynamic running back duo that helped lead the Cougars to their second championship in four seasons, while also contributing to one of the best defenses in the state. 

But this year, as he prepares for the start of his junior season, Mills will see a different face in the head coach's position on the sideline.

There will also be someone else joining him in the backfield, and who that might be may not be determined right away.

And across the field, new opponents await, as Campbell now finds itself in a reworked Division III, as Lebanon, Trinity, Laconia and Hillsboro-Deering/Hopkinton - teams the Cougars have never faced - join the fold. 

Despite the changes, the objective for Campbell remains the same.

"We have the same goals as last year," Mills said. "Win as many games as we can and eventually get back to (the University of New Hampshire, where the title game is held). I think the team we have this year is the same as last year, and we might even be better."

That would be a scary thought for the rest of the division, as Campbell was undefeated last year (11-0) and allowed an average of just over four points per game. 

This season, though, Glen Costello has been promoted from assistant coach to replace head coach Greg Gush, who stepped down in December. And with Ryan Yanuszweski, who rushed for over a 1,000 yards last season, graduated, Mills knows there will be more on his shoulders.

"I realized I had to get faster and in better shape than I was last year," he said. "I was able to take more breaks since I knew Ryan was able to go in. Going into junior year, I kind of have to get into the best shape that I can."

Costello saw that firsthand this offseason.

"By no means do I question what he’s doing," the coach said. "If you watched him over the years, you saw his level of focus from freshman to sophomore year, it was that much more this offseason. If he continues to put in the work, he can do whatever he wants to do."

This season, Mills is hoping to be on the field more. Despite playing both sides of the ball all year, Campbell was often ahead by so much at halftime that he and many of the other starters rarely played in the second half of games.

"I hate standing on the sidelines," he said. "I couldn’t stand that last year. I like having close games. That’s pretty exciting."

While Costello doesn't like to have his players go both ways too much, he admits keeping Mills off the field might be a difficult thing to do.

"Philosophically, I’ve always believed in one-and-a-half-way players," the coach said. "If you start on one side of the ball, ideally you’ll split time on the other side to keep you fresh. There’s a handful of players from time to time that push that. Keegan is one of those."

Even with a tougher schedule, the Cougars should be a favorite again going into the season, thanks to the return of many of the players who contributed a year ago.

"I think for me, I’m in a pretty lucky position," Costello said. "We’re returning almost 10 out of 11 on defense, really, and probably eight out of 11 offensively. The systems are in place, the kids know what the expected level on both sides of the ball is. It’s been a fairly transition so far."

And it was one that the Cougars were hoping would take place when they found out that Gush would not be returning.

"At the end of last season, (Greg) Gush told us he was going to be leaving, so everyone was hoping coach Costello would be the coach," Mills said. "Coach talks with everyone, so everyone was close with him."

And perhaps that familiarity will guide Campbell through any new challenges the Cougars will face this year and get them back to where they want to go.