By BUTCH HARMON
For the first time in a decade, the East Lansing football team opened the season with four consecutive victories.
The last time the Trojans started 4-0 was during the 2001 season. That season saw the Trojans turn in a 9-0 regular-season record and eventually reach the state semifinals, where they fell to Fruitport.
This season, the team has started strong with solid efforts on both sides of the football. East Lansing has scored 30 or more points in three of its first four wins, while the defense has not allowed more then two touchdowns in any game.
Defensively, the Trojans are paced by linebacker Chris Hagan. A three-year veteran and a ringleader of the defense, Hagan recorded a whopping 57 tackles through the first four weeks of the season. In East Lansing’s 20-7 win over Chelsea in week two, Hagan totaled 19 tackles and also added a one-yard touchdown run on offense. A multi-dimensional player, Hagan notched 11 tackles and one interception in East Lansing’s 42-14 win against Lansing Eastern, while also kicking six extra points and hauling in a 41-yard touchdown pass.
Linebackers Michael Griffin, a senior, and Ronnie Russell, a junior, have also been defensive leaders. Griffin recorded 22 tackles and four sacks through the first four games of the season, while Russell notched 20 tackles and four sacks. Junior defensive back Javon Haines has also been a playmaker, with three interceptions.
Balance has been a key word for the Trojan offense. Running back Elijah Hamilton-Wray paces the ground game with 369 yards (7.53 avg.) and seven touchdowns through the first four weeks of the season, while JR Lara has added 259 yards (5.8 avg.) and four touchdowns.
The Trojans have also been effective through the air. Senior Alex Carlson has stepped in at quarterback and completed over 50 percent of his passes for 400 yards and four touchdowns. Carlson has a pair of big-play targets at receiver. Senior Efe Scott-Emuakpor has caught 13 balls for a 14.9-yard average and scored two touchdowns, while Haines has hauled in nine passes for a 14.0-yard average and has also scored a pair of touchdowns.