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Erie Mason, which was left so short handed by injuries last season that is had to cancel most of its JV games, is hoping for better luck in 2025.

ERIE – Erie Mason started the 2024 season with 33 players on its football roster.

By the end of September, that number had dwindled to about 25 healthy bodies. And the majority of the injuries were suffered by the team’s most experienced players.

All but a couple of junior varsity games had to be canceled because there simply were not enough players.

“I’ve talked with the other coaches and no one can ever remember having that many injuries in the same season,” Mason coach Steve Bowers. “In the first game, we lost three running backs.”

There are a couple of bright lights that emerged from that dark cloud of a 1-8 season. The Eagles lost eight in a row following a season-opening victory last fall.

Most importantly, the numbers are better for the Eagles this season. Bowers expects to have more players.

Kory Bondie runs an agility drill during Erie Mason football training camp on Tuesday, Aug. 12, 2025.

“It looks like we might have around 40,” he said. “That’s a number I am pretty confident with.”

And the injuries in 2024 led to increased playing time for a lot of underclassmen.

“It’s been re-enforced that you have to show up,” Bowers said. “You never know what is going to happen.”

A perfect example is the quarterback position.

Bowie Jacobs had never played there before his sophomore year on the junior varsity team. He wound up starting at QB for the final six games of last season.

He ended up throwing for 645 yards.

“I had one game over 200 yards and I think 150 against Whiteford,” he said. “It definitely was a hard year having all those seniors go down who were role models. This year is a lot better. Everyone is healthy and the chemistry is amazing.”

Jacobs is more comfortable with his role this season.

“Definitely having some varsity experience will help,” the senior said. “I know more about the pressure. I won’t be fazed as much.”

Bowie could share snaps at quarterback with Jared Tunison, who was supposed to be the JV signal caller last season but wound up on the varsity.

“He’s always been a quarterback,” Bowers said of Tunison. “He shot up a couple of inches this year and he’s smart. We’re going to give him a chance.”

If this season is anything like 2024, Mason players will need to learn a lot of positions.

Senior Aiden Cannon says he is planning to play wide receiver, running back, cornerback and perhaps even some quarterback.

“Last year we lost a lot of people,” he said. “It was a little bit of a struggle.”

Cannon was one of the players who was sidelined. He suffered a concussion in Week 3 and missed the rest of the season.

“Honestly, there’s not lot you can do (about injuries),” he said. “You just work in the weight room and try to get strong. … We have a few more people this year. There are a lot of freshmen coming in.”

Bowie Jacobs throws with coach Steve Bowers looking on during Erie Mason football training camp on Tuesday, Aug. 12, 2025.

Senior running back-middle linebacker Cam Davis, also missed time with an injury last season.

“It’s been good so far,” he said of Mason’s early practices. “We’re going to be a tough team. We have a big class of incoming freshmen.”

Mason will be facing a drastically revised schedule as it joins the Toledo Area Athletic Conference. The Eagles will do a lot of traveling and will play more than half of their games on Saturdays.

“The schedule is difficult,” Bowers said. “We start out with a couple of games in Flint and we play a lot of Saturday games.”

Mason originally was scheduled to play six games on Saturdays, but that number has dipped to five thanks to a favor from a league foe.

Brandan Baugh runs a drill during Erie Mason football training camp on Tuesday, Aug. 12, 2025.

Summerfield agreed to swap officiating crews for Week 4, allowing Mason to play its homecoming game on Sept. 19. Summerfield will shift to Saturday that week.

“That was nice of them to do that,” Bowers said.

The schedule still is daunting, but the Eagles won’t back down.

“I am excited for it,” Davis said.