SCHOHARIE — Schoharie, Duanesburg, and Berne-Knox-Westerlo may be rivals in every other sport, but when it comes to football, these three schools must coexist. Entering its second varsity season, and first with BKW, Schoburg football is still very fresh.

At last Friday’s practice in Schoharie, it was nearly impossible to tell which of the 24 players were from what school. Listening closely to the coaches’ observations, the players flowed as one unit.

Varsity football is new to Schoburg — it moves up from Class D to Class C this year — but the team has no intentions of being sloppy.

“The coordination and transportation of bringing all these kids to one place is somewhat tough, but we’re getting them ready,” said Head Coach Ken Meyer. Gary Morin, of BKW, and Roger Tidball, of Duanesburg, are the two assistants.

“One week in and we seem to be working well together,” said Morin, who met Meyer and Tidball at the end of last year after pushing for five years for BKW to get football. “I’m most happy about how we’re getting along.”

Morin ran senior quarterback Colin Kenyon through some offensive motions and formations like option, trips, and twins while Meyer and Tidball examined the field, making sure the defense was in position. The coaches never had to repeat instructions.

“Now, with BKW, we feel like a full force,” said Meyer; there are seven or eight BKW players on the team. “I have to take my hat off to these guys. It’s good to come back to something so positive.”

Schoburg went 2-7 in its first varsity season. It played prestigious teams like Cambridge, Rensselaer, and Greenwich. Meyer said Cambridge “killed” his team the first time, but in the second match-up, Schoburg scored 19 points.

“That’s an improvement for us,” said Meyer. “Losing seven games doesn’t sound great, and I don’t know if we’re ever satisfied, but it was a good start.”

Tidball said that Schoburg’s first goal for 2014 is a winning season, but a .500 record would suffice. “We got many compliments last year,” he said. “Even when they [opponents] crushed us, they liked how our kids acted, and how they played.”

Playing in the Class C South, Schoburg will have the challenge of playing teams like Fonda and Chatham. Schoburg opens on the road at Taconic Hills on Sept. 6.

“We showed last year that we can compete,” Meyer said.

Meyer started coaching Pop Warner football in 1998 in Rotterdam, eventually coaching Duanesburg Pop Warner, and then Helderberg Pop Warner in 2005. Most of the current Schoburg players were brought up in Helderberg Pop Warner.

“We got all our boys back,” said Meyer.

“That’s why having BKW is so important,” Tidball added. “Even our first practice of our first season, you would not know that there were two different schools. They knew what they had going in, happy to have football, and playing the sport they love.”

The Schoburg coaches want to pair BKW kids with Schoharie kids, Schoharie kids with Duanesburg kids, and the best players with the less experienced players.

“If he doesn’t know the other guy’s birthday, or his grandmother’s name, then you run,” said Meyer, who is a big proponent of quizzing players. “It forces them to learn about each other; it works. The older guy is talking to the younger guy, and finds out something significant about him. If that person doesn’t remember it, then he runs. It builds something in them.”

Last Friday, Morin was telling Kenyon to keep his head up. One of Kenyon’s throws on a slant route came out pretty hot.

“I was really surprised with how well he listens and understands,” Morin said of Kenyon. “I went back to the Hill and told people about our QB. He’s what you need. It’s there in his eyes — he’s listening, processing.”

Putting great importance into little details, Morin expects the Schoburg players to be where they need to be come game time. He admits to being a little crazy with details.

“My offense will never be content with sitting in the pocket, scanning the field,” said Morin. “I like to read, take the drop, and get rid of the ball. If the quarterback is going to do that, look someone off, and then throw, then that person needs to be in that spot where he’s expected to be.”

The Schoburg players seem smart, Morin said, and just being allowed to play football is going a long way.

“Some of these kids have missed football for a few years because there was no place to play,” Meyer said. “We had to get the boys back together. I had emails that might make you cry. They’re so happy to be out here.”

As a self-funded team — the coaches are not paid — Schoburg is taking the field with an unadulterated passion for football.

“On a scale of 1 to 10 of excitement, we’re a 10.5,” said BKW freshman Michael Flower. “We’re ready.”