TVC East
Name: Millington
Nickname: Cardinals
Coach: Roger Bearss
2012 record: 9-2
Players lost: Nick Hajdo, Dakota Seaver, Joe Cole, Dustin Smith
Players returning: Colin Meacham, Chase Maxon, Jordan Hudson, Wyatt Munson, Jacob Hager, Jason Keinath, Nicholas Ranney, Jeremy Johnson, Austin Weber
Coach’s comment: “I think we have a good group of kids and real good chemistry. We have some veterans with youth. We’ll try to get better each game. I like the chemistry and hope to be competitive, and I think we can. We will take it game by game.”
Name: Caro
Nickname: Tigers
Coach: Todd Topham
2012 record: 0-9
Player lost: Trevor Jaster
Players returning: Chad Bennett, Mike Gonzales, Kyle Sharp, Brandon Tomlinson
Coach’s comment: “This is always such a tough football league. We are just taking it one day at a time. We have gotten some more kids to play and are at 27 with our 10th graders. We are trying to improve each day, and the kids have had a great attitude for the coaches.”
Name: Frankenmuth
Nickname: Eagles
Coach: Phil Martin
2012 record: 10-1
Players lost: Blaine Malochleb, Kyle Lafferty, Alex Helpap, Joel Warnemuende, Bryce Frahm, Zach Heyse, Ian Fischer, Jordan Stainforth, Jesse Micho, Jothom Micho, Chris List, Chase Kreager
Players returning: Jake Reinbold, Michael Frahm, Alex Mawer, Brian Stearns, Nick Volk, Andrew Woodard, Ethan Maurer, Jeff Knoll
Coach’s comment: “The league will be very competitive this season. Millington is always at the top of the league, and Birch Run will be much improved. North Branch and Garber will both have teams that are improved and will be in contention. Not sure what we have with Bridgeport and Caro with new staffs and LakeVille being new to the league. We have to stay healthy and play well every week to have a chance to repeat. Our start will tell us where we stand this season.”
Name: Birch Run
Nickname: Panthers
Coach: Chris Gilliam
2012 record: 2-7
Players lost: Grant Childs, Taylor Ellis
Players returning: Willie Periard, Jared Elliott, Derek Kern, Connor Taylor, Andrew Helm, Jared Burke, Joe Okopien
Coach’s comment: “We have 16 guys coming back that played a lot last year. All started at least one game somewhere. We feel like we have some experience. The kids that we got from the JV have good potential. The attitude is good, and the work ethic is good. We want to protect the ball and not make mental mistakes. If we do that, good things can happen.”
Name: Garber
Nickname: Dukes
Coach: Jake Coquillard
2012 record: 6-4
Players lost: Wes Asel, Will Frye
Players returning: Alex Neering, Noah Bargouthy, C.J. Glaza, Simeon Berry, Logan Martin, Steven Cecchini, Joe Foret
Coach’s comment: “We feel very positive about being in the second year of the veer offense and pistol. We installed it last year and had our share of hard knocks. We feel comfortable with it this year, and our opportunities as a team to get back to the playoffs and extend our winning ways from last year.”
Name: North Branch
Nickname: Broncos
Coach: Patrick Forster
2012 record: 5-4
Players lost: Laben Woidan, Corey Franks, Travis Kukkola
Players returning: Doug Stikeleather, Jacob Young, Josh Lopez, Nate Weingartz, Trevor Mindelli, Michael McKee, Logan Woidan
Coach’s comment: “We are really excited to start the year. I’ve had to replace a lot of my staff in the off-season, and the guys I have put in place have done a great job. More importantly, the kids here at North Branch are excited, as we have over 50 kids on our roster, the most in the 14 seasons I’ve been here. As always, our concentration currently is on getting better.”
Name: LakeVille
Nickname: Falcons
Coach: Drew Johnson
2012 record: 0-9
Noteworthy: The Falcons make the jump from the Genesee Area Conference Red Division to the Tri-Valley East. They’ve closed their season with TVC East foe Millington the past four seasons and finished 0-4, getting outscored 188-18. LakeVille beat Bridgeport 66-0 in 2010. The Falcons have had one winning season since 2000 and have never advanced to the postseason.
Name: Bridgeport
Nickname: Bearcats
Coach: Anwar Jackson
2012 record: 1-8
Noteworthy: Anwar Jackson returns to his alma mater after a head coaching stint with Arthur Hill. The Bearcats beat Caro to finish 1-8, breaking up three-straight seasons of 0-9 finishes. Bridgeport has had six winless seasons since 2003 and haven’t had a winning record since 1999 when it qualified for the postseason and finished 6-4