Geoff Mott
Sports Scene
MIDLAND – Every week of the season, Midland High’s football team improved.
The growth and improvement was not lost on head coach Eric Methner. “You are always optimistic to start the season as a coach, and you know a lot of things are going to occur,” he said. “We got better as the season went on. We had a lot of seniors starting for the first time this year, because they had good players in front of them last year. We had question marks, and these guys did a good job.”
Midland High’s only blemish during the regular season was a 50-42 shootout loss to Mount Pleasant in Week 5. Mount Pleasant finished unbeaten in the league and won the Saginaw Valley League North, while the Chemics finished second.
Midland thrashed rival Midland Dow 45-6 to close the regular season, and it and beat Marquette 41-10 in the playoff opener before beating Dow again, 56-28, in the second round of the playoffs. Muskegon, which advanced to the Division 2 state title game, ended the Chemics season at 10-2 with a 24-7 win in the quarterfinals.
Senior Will Williams was dynamic in the backfield, finishing with 1,841 yards and 26 touchdowns on 295 carries . He averaged 6.2 yards per carry before an all-senior offensive line that included three first-year starters.
“They really gained confidence and worked together as a unit,” Methner said. “We started putting together an effective running game in the three to four weeks before playing Muskegon.”
Tanner Gross completed 122 of 207 passes for 1,720 yards and 14 touchdowns, with six interceptions. Austen Irrer was his favorite target, catching 48 passes for 689 yards and five touchdowns.
Linebacker Michael Alexander led the defense with 138 tackles and two interceptions. “In my opinion, [Alexander] was the best defensive football player on the field every week,” Methner said. “He’s a senior who is starting to be recruited by Division 2 schools.”
Williams, offensive linemen Austin Rapanos and Zach Stirn, and kicker Phil Wandor all received All-SVL North first team offense honors, while Alexander and defensive lineman Colin Coltson earned All-SVL North first team defense honors.
“We started three sophomores and a couple of juniors, but for the most part, this was a senior-laden team,” Methner said. “It will be another challenge for next year’s senior class to work hard over the winter and put in the work.
“Hopefully they can leave a legacy in their senior season.”