Since 2020, the Chalker Wildcats have faced an uphill battle in an effort to save the football program.

They completely missed the 2021 season, 2022 was spent as a club team, and 2023 was an amalgamation of junior varsity 11-man games and 8-man games.

This season marks Chalker’s first as a full 8-man program, and they have qualified for the playoffs for the first time since 2013.

For coach Justin Kren, who has been at the helm of the program since 2022, it’s been an uphill battle, but seeing his team make the postseason was a rewarding feeling.

“It’s an accomplishment,” Kren said. “These boys have prided themselves, and it was their first goal out of the gate, just playoffs. Then, it became ‘Hey, let’s play for the championship after that.’ So as soon as we found out that we made the playoffs, the boys were ecstatic. It’s been huge, and it’s showing that the hard work is paying off.”

Even this season, despite the on-field success, hasn’t been without its struggles.

Early-season losses, injuries, and the loss and subsequent return of sophomore Colt Levensky, who bounced back from a cancer diagnosis, have all impacted Chalker this year.

“There’s been ups and downs,” Kren said. “The boys learned how to battle back from adversity, how to deal with injuries, and play multiple spots in a game. Typical things of that nature. The biggest thing for me is that a lot of them, they grew up. They matured throughout the year. Took their mistakes and learned, and that’s a blessing in itself.”

Overcoming those adversities has only emboldened the Wildcats as they’ve grown even closer through the hard times.

“The camaraderie, the unity, the friendship. All these guys are friends, a lot of them, they played on the same team. Out of the eight that we have out there on defense right now, six of them have been together since they were five,” Kren said. “That’s a big thing. There’s continuity between the team. These guys know how to play off each other. They know how to play together. So that’s a big plus.

“They show their grit. These guys play baseball together, they all play basketball together, they play all the sports. That’s a big thing for me. When you’re an athlete, you need to be well-rounded, you need to play multiple sports. And all these guys play multiple sports together. That’s what makes them a good unit. It’s not only on the gridiron, they do it on the diamond, they do it up on the basketball court. They’re a good group of kids and they get along great.”

Chalker started out 0-2 after sizable losses to the Maryland School for the Deaf (42-22) and Toledo Christian (49-12), but since then, the Wildcats boast a 5-1 record, with the team’s closest victory being a 40-8 victory over Sebring.

That one loss was to Sandusky St. Mary Central Catholic, a 26-14 defeat.

Chalker gets another crack at the Panthers today. Winning the rematch sets the Wildcats up for the Ohio Football Coaches Association State Championship, which serves as the 8-man football state championship game.

“They’re a pretty solid group,” Kren said of St. Mary. “We’ve got two tough games ahead of us, and hopefully, if we win the St Mary’s game, we can play for that championship game.”

Start time is set for 7 p.m. in Sandusky.