Eagles start as underdogs, but hope that will soon change

Sixth in a series of DODEA-Pacific high school football previews.

MISAWA AIR BASE, Japan – Liam McDonald and Robert D. Edgren’s football team looked in prime position near the end of the 2023 season. At 3-1, they earned host rights to one of the Far East Division II semifinals.

Things haven’t gone so well since. The Eagles closed that season with two losses, then went 1-4 last year, marking the 13th straight year the Eagles haven’t reached the D-II final and 18th since they last won a small-schools title.

There’s nowhere for this team to go but up, new head coach Mark Ganeb said. An assistant with the program the last two years, Ganeb steps in as the Eagles’ sixth head coach in six seasons.

“You never know,” Ganeb said of an Eagles team that has 20 players on the roster and will play 11-man format. By giving it all they have following a .200 season, “we have nothing to lose,” Ganeb said.

“I have a vision for this team. Less injuries and more wins,” Ganeb said, adding that the 2023 team wasn’t expected to compete for the D-II title either. “That year was also a rebuilding year.”

The biggest change comes under center, where McDonald, who had anchored the defense at linebacker the last two years, takes over at quarterback. It will be quite a change, the junior said.

“A little bit,” McDonald said when asked if he was nervous about the challenge. “Learning new plays and ironing them out. Having a lot of new players and helping them grow.”

The cupboard isn’t quite bare, though. Two other juniors return to anchor the interior, Carter Berry and Charles Richardson. The latter, who pitched the Eagles to a Far East D-II baseball title in April, is due to transfer in October.

“We’re a young outfit, rebuilding as well as rebuilding the football field,” Ganeb said of a team that will play its home games on the Misawa Air Base force support field while the Eagles’ home field is being renovated.

What will it take for the Eagles to return to the heights they enjoyed in 2023 when they almost reached the D-II final?

“A lot of grit and a positive mindset,” McDonald said. “And ensuring everybody has that positive mindset.”

The Eagles open their six-game slate on Aug. 28 when they host Zama.

Robert D. Edgren Eagles

2025 season record — 1-4 overall and DODEA-Pacific Division II.

Head coach — Mark Ganeb, first season. Assistant coach the previous two seasons.

Championships — DODEA-Pacific Far East Division II titles in 2006-08, six title-game appearances in all.

Returning players — 8.

Returning starters — 8.

Key performers — Carter Berry, Jr., L; Charles Richardson, Jr., L; Liam McDonald, Jr., QB.

Strengths — Interior size. Solid assistant coaching core, features former Eagles head coach Jeremy Sanders, coaching the defense.

Drawbacks — Youth and inexperience. Core of the team is sophomores and juniors.

Overview — Rebuilding. It has been 13 years since the Eagles reached the Far East D-II final and 18 years since they won the championship. It might take a year or more of tooling with the young players to build an eventual winner.

2026 season schedule

Friday, Aug. 28

Zama at Edgren, 6 p.m.

Saturday, Sept. 5

Edgren at Osan, 2 p.m.

Friday, Sept. 18

Yokota at Edgren, 6 p.m.

Friday, Sept. 25

Edgren at Zama, 6 p.m.

Friday, Oct. 2

Perry at Edgren, 6 p.m.

Saturday, Oct. 10

Osan at Edgren, 2 p.m.

Friday, Oct. 23

Championship: No. 2 at No. 1, teams, time and site to be determined.