“I’m excited,” Bandstra said. “I think it was a great opportunity. There’s a lot of potential at Northwestern. We’ve got great kids. The facilities are fantastic and the administration is great. I couldn’t ask for a better opportunity.”
He takes over for Shane Carter, who went 20-21 in four seasons with the Warriors. In 2018, Carter led Northwestern to its first conference title since 1967 and its first-ever appearance in the Division IV, Region 16 playoffs.
The Warriors went 1-6 in the modified season last fall, losing to Cleves Taylor in a D-IV, Region 16 playoff game. After the playoffs, the Warriors went 2-1 in their three remaining games, beating Northridge and Madison Plains.
“Coach laid a good foundation the last couple years and that is kind of my goal,” Bandstra said. “That’s one of the things I sold our administration on was the future and building a program that’s going to last a long time. We’ve got some good classes, a very good senior class that’s starting to lead already and the juniors we do have are busting their butts for me already. We’ve got some fairly large freshmen and sophomore classes with some talent. I’m very excited about our numbers in the seventh and eighth grade. I think there’s a lot of potential for growth.”
The Warriors offense will operate mostly out of the shotgun this season, but could also play under center, Bandstra said.
“I want to be able to adapt to what we’ve got,” he said. “I think we’ve got some pieces that could do some really good stuff for us.”
Defensively, Bandstra expects the Warriors to play an aggressive style, he said.
“We’ll take advantage of our speed,” he said. “My main goal is to get some speed on the field, keep everything in front of us and attack people.”
After getting hired late in the spring, the last few weeks have been a whirlwind putting together a staff and working with his players, he said.
“You’re essentially trying to do six months of work in 30 days,” Bandstra said. “It’s recruiting kids in our building who may not have come out and getting everything purchased and hiring a staff. There’s a lot to do. It’s been very fast-paced and interesting. My AD Jeff Hobby has been great with getting me everything I need. The administration has been fantastic and welcoming. I’m very excited about this year and the future of our program.”
During the pandemic, Bandstra started his own coaching podcast, the Gap Down Backer Podcast, where he interviews coaches from across the country about specific coaching techniques.
“It’s been very helpful, not just for me but the entire coaching community and that was kind of my focus,” he said. “I’ve been very fortunate to develop some good relationships with coaches across the country. It’s not only going to help me, but my kids, my staff and other coaching staffs. That was my main thing, the opportunity to give back between the clinics, podcasts and everything else.”