'I like hitting people': Postula a physical two-way senior leader for Cheboygan football

CHEBOYGAN – Sean Postula doesn’t do a ton of talking on the football field.

But when he delivers a hit, he’ll make sure to let people know.

With Cheboygan’s defense hungry for a stop, the senior linebacker came up big, made the play, and led the way on a goal-line stand during the late stages of last Saturday’s inter-squad scrimmage at Western Avenue Field.

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He was fired up, his teammates were fired up, and his defensive coaches were fired up.

“He’s quiet until he puts his pads down and then you can hear the pads,” Cheboygan assistant coach Adam Bury said of Postula. “When he gets low and hits people, it’s a different game. You saw it on the goal-line stop we had there. On his own initiative, he saw whatever his read was and flew through there, and the ball carrier barely had the ball when he stuffed him.

“He’s pumped up and ready to go.”

If the Chiefs are to have a winning season this fall, they’ll need terrific two-way play from Postula, who not only leads Cheboygan’s defense at linebacker but also makes his physical presence known as a powerful fullback offensively.

As much as he loves running, he let it be known which side of the ball he prefers, slightly.

“Probably defense – I like hitting people,” Postula said. “I’m pretty much in charge of the defense, so that’s fun for me. As linebacker, you kind of tell people where to be and what to do, but I have to know what the offense is doing before (the defense) knows what they’re doing and help everybody out.”

Postula’s play was one of many encouraging signs for a Cheboygan defense that wants to become a strong unit. In recent years, the Chiefs have struggled to get off the field. But this season, they’re confident things will be different.

“We’re pretty solid this year defensively,” Postula said. “If we can do our jobs, we’ll keep the ball out of our end zone. We’ve got some big guys who can make some big plays. We should be pretty good.

“Everybody just needs to play hard all game long and not give up.”

Cheboygan’s staff understands the importance of Postula, including Bury, who lauded the senior for his leadership.

“It’s Week 1, people are still kind of finding their niche, but now that he’s a senior, the kids all look up to him,” Bury said. “As the season progresses, I can’t wait to see him being a leader out there for us on both sides of the ball.”

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With almost a week before Cheboygan’s opener against Saranac, Postula can’t wait to get rolling.

And when he delivers that first big hit, he'll be revved up.

“I think we’ve got a chance to win some games and have fun together,” Postula said. “I think it’s going to be a great senior season for me and the rest of the team.”

Cheboygan hosts Saranac at 7 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 30.

Contact sports editor Jared Greenleaf at jgreenleaf@gannett.com . Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter @sportsCDT

This article originally appeared on Cheboygan Daily Tribune: 'I like hitting people': Postula a physical two-way senior leader for Cheboygan football