OTTAWA LAKE – Home for the holidays?

That’s a been a foreign concept for Whiteford football coach Todd Thieken.

Because of long playoff runs, Thieken has been seeing more of his players than his family on one of the most important holidays of the year.

“Last year was the first time I’ve spent Thanksgiving with my family in like four years,” he said. “Last year we had the traditional Thanksgiving dinner, but it’s usually chicken wings and pizza for me.

“It’s weird, but I would actually prefer that.”

It’s not that Thieken doesn’t love his family. He just would rather spend Thanksgiving preparing for a state championship game.

That’s what happened for Whiteford in 2016, 2017, 2022 and 2023. The Bobcats reached the semifinals in 2015 and 2021.

Last year was a different story.

A young W

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