Article - High School Sports Scene

David Cook
Sports Scene
Over the years, the Traverse City St. Francis football team has been one of the premier programs in Division 7 football. This year, the Gladiators are back among the best in the state in Division 7.
St. Francis opened the season with wins in five of their first six games. The Gladiators are also ranked seventh in the state in total playoff points in Division 7.
As usual, St. Francis plays a rugged schedule. This season the Gladiators defeated Lawton 31-14 and fell to Berrien Springs 28-14 in big non-league games and still has a matchup with defending Division 7 champion Jackson Lumen Christi coming up. St. Francis is a perfect 3-0 in the conference.
St. Francis is averaging 42.7 points per game with powerful ground game leading the way along with the ability to strike through the air. The Gladiators spread the ball around as Cam Sellers, Evan Belanger, Harrison Shepherd and Braxton Lesinski are among the top rushers on the squad. Up front, the offensive line is led by seniors Beau Belanger, Garrett Gillespie, Warren Asher and Benjamin De Carolis along with junior Zack Winowiecki.
St. Francis also has a solid defense that is allowing 16.2 points per game. Among the standouts on defense are senior linebackers Eli Biggar and Matthew Rialson, junior linebackers Michael Frederick and Evan Belanger and senior defensive back Harrison Shepherd.

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Butch Harmon
Sports Scene
Thanks to strong line play and consistency on both offense and defense, the St. Johns football team is off to a strong start this season.
The Redwings cleared every hurdle in the first five weeks of the season as they built a 5-0 record. St. Johns opened the season with a 48-21 win against Okemos and then won close games against Hamilton (27-26) and Fowlerville (21-14) before picking up win number four against Lansing Eastern (47-8) and turning back Williamston in week five.
“It’s been a good start,” said St. Johns coach Andrew Schmitt. “We’ve been able to win a couple of close games in week two against Hamilton and in week three against Fowlerville. It feels good to win both of the close games as in the past we may have let one slip away.”
Schmitt points to a number of strong points of this year’s team as reason for the early success.
“We’ve had some good line play and some good quarterback play,” Schmitt said. “We have also been doing a good job defensively of doing what we are supposed to do. Our defense is doing a good job of keeping us in ball games.”
St. Johns likes to run the football on offense and the offensive line is doing a strong job of paving the way for the running backs. The St. Johns offensive line is getting strong contributions from linemen Isaiah Cobb, Robbie Andretz, Jackson Armstrong, Gavin Moreno, Kyle Lockwood, Luke Tracy and Brody Abendroth along with solid play from tight end David Frisbie.
Operating behind the line are running backs Brandon Schomisch, Thomas Putmon and Michael Oberlin and quarterback Bryce Pratl. Spencer Nobis leads the receiving corps.
Pratl is an efficient quarterback who has completed 55 percent of his passes for 217 yards and six touchdowns. Schomisch leads the ground game with 299 yards (6.4 avg.) and five touchdowns while Oberlin has added 286 yards (8.9 avg.) and four touchdowns.
“Our offense always has a heavy emphasis on the run,” Schmitt said. “Brandon is our leading ball carrier and Michael is also having a good year. Our quarterback Bryce Pratl is also doing a good job of running the offense and making plays.”
On defense, the Redwings rely on a total team effort to get the job done. Up front, Frisbie is at defensive end with Greyson Osborne, Cole VanEtten, Lockwood, Tracy and Abendroth all contributing along the defensive line. The linebacking corps is led by Brady Heibeck, Schomisch and Cobb. The defensive backfield is comprised of Tyson Smith, Gus Kaiser, Ian Smith and Oberlin.
“We play good assignment football on defense,” Schmitt said. “Our cornerbacks do a really good job of man coverage and that allows our defensive line to pin their ears back and come after the quarterback. Our defensive line and linebackers also do a really good job of stopping the run.”
Brady Heibeck leads the Redwings in tackles with 21 closely followed by Schomisch and Tyson Smith with 19, Isaiah Cobb and Gus Kaiser with 16 apiece and Frisbie with 15. Heibeck, Schomisch and Frisbie also have one sack each. Heibeck has a total of two tackles for loss while Kaiser also has an interception.
With a strong start to the season, the Redwings are focused on keeping the momentum going into the second half of the campaign.
“I’m really happy with the way we are executing so far,” Schmitt said. “We have to continue to fine tune things and continue to get better. We have to focus on getting better every day. We have a stretch of difficult teams coming up so we really have to make sure we prioritize making plays when they are available, playing good football and limiting the mistakes. We have to make sure we get better week to week.”

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HSSS FOOTBALL STATS
Mid-Michigan coaches, statisticians, school administrators. Feel free to contact us with any updates or football statistics you have. Send any updates to greg102300@yahoo.com . HSSS will be updating the football stats page on a daily basis. Send us your stats if you have players among the leaders, we will post them.

WEEK 7 STATS
PASSING YARDS
Aidan Anderson, Evart 1,770
Joel Cranmore, Leslie 1,695
Garrett Buzzard, Bay City Glenn 1,428
Colton Klein, Swan Valley 1,387
Jayden Arthur, Clare 1,263
Elliott Larner, DeWitt 1,207
Jaxson Dosh, Davison 1,168
Jackson Conn, Ithaca 1,145
Maxwell Volk, Chesaning 1,107
Mayson Burgett, Dansville 1,015
Kaleb Nielson, Williamston 974
Tyger Whitbeck, Perry 947
Jordan Allen, Saginaw United 786
Ethan Pratt, Essexville-Garber 716
Jay Kreisler, Bath 715
Andrew Miller, Michigan Lutheran Seminary 642

PASSING TOUCHDOWNS
Joel Cranmore, Leslie 26
Elliott Larner, DeWitt 21
Jayden Arthur, Clare 20
Aidan Anderson, Evart 19
Jackson Conn, Ithaca 18
Maxwell Volk, Chesaning 16
Jaxson Dosh, Davison 16
Colton Klein, Swan Valley 14
Garrett Buzzard, Bay City Glenn 13
Kaleb Nielson, Williamston 10
Jay Kreisler, Bath 9
Mayson Burgett, Dansville 8
Jordan Allen, Saginaw United 7
Andrew Miller, Michigan Lutheran Seminary 7
Liam Patrick, Owosso 7

RUSHING YARDS
Elliott Larner, DeWitt 1,105
Nolan Rowley, Bath 947
Brayden Florian, Chesaning 846
Nathan Mikesell, Ithaca 837
AJ Hill, Davison 783
Max Heyn, Freeland 673
Trav Moore, DeWitt 670
Joe Smith, Williamston 647
Tevon dallas Walsh, Millington 628
Hoyt Patrick, Owosso 616
Ladon Hatcher, Holt 603
Landon Russell, Millington 603
Jackson Conn, Ithaca 587
Anderson, Evart 560
Dominick Knezek, Essexville-Garber 513
Case Johnson, Greenville 507
Brayden Petre, Freeland 503
Marshaun Hallums, Okemos 464
Aiden Vanbonn, Clare 463
Garrett Hilborn, Bay City Glenn 460
William Salgot, Michigan Lutheran Seminary 451

RUSHING TOUCHDOWNS
Elliott Larner, DeWitt 14
Jackson Conn, Ithaca 13
Trav Moore, DeWitt 13
Max Heyn, Freeland 12
Nolan Rowley, Bath 11
Aiden Anderson, Evart 10
AJ Hill, Davison 10
Nathan Mikesell, Ithaca 9
Patrick, Owosso 9
Landon Russell, Millington 9
Jayden Colby, Leslie 8
Ladon Hatcher, Holt 8
Joe Smith, Williamston 8
Garrett Hilborn, Bay City Glenn 7
Codey Manley, Belding 6
Brayden Petre, Freeland 6
William Dalgat, Michigan Lutheran Seminary 6
Tevon Dallas Walsh, Millington 6
Liam Patrick, Owosso 5
Aiden Vanbonn, Clare 5
Maxwell Volk, Chesaning 5

RECEIVING YARDS
Jayden Colby, Leslie 802
Jamison Pelt, Swan Valley 703
Abram Larner, DeWitt 678
Noah Vanderlinde, Evart 677
Lucas Johnson, Evart 604
Quinton Burgett, Dansville 579
Brady Sager, Chesaning 527
Bradley Boyk, Bay City Glenn 445
Ryan Louch, Clare 445
Nathan Mikesell, Ithaca 435
Wesley Hughes, Davison 412
Jacob Halicek, Clare 399
Ethan Wakefield, Michigan Lutheran Seminary 391
Dionquavis Hardy, Saginaw United 388
Braydin Johnson, Leslie 372
Hunter VanSickler, Williamston 364
Braylon Naves, Davison 353
Tommy Pratt, Williamston 342

RECEIVING TOUCHDOWNS
Abram Larner, DeWitt 14
Jamison Pelt, Swan Valley 11
Brady Sager, Chesaning 9
Noah Vanderlinde, Evart 9
Jayden Colby, Leslie 8
Jacob Halicek, Clare 8
Quinton Burgett, Dansville 7
Braydin Johnson, Leslie 7
Nathan Mikesell, Ithaca 7
Ethan Wakefield, Michigan Lutheran Seminary 7
Wesley Hughes, Davison 6
Lucas Johnson, Evart 5
Ryan Louch, Clare 5
Lukas Gies, Bay City Glenn 4
Trav Moore, DeWitt 4
Jacob Phillips, Leslie 4
Braylen Navis, Davison 4
Tommy Pratt, Williamston 4

TACKLES
Miles Keener, Williamston 88
Nathan Mikesell, Ithaca 83
Justin Rodriguez, St. Louis 74
Brady Burns, Perry 72
Garrett Hilborn, Bay City Glenn 64
Ryan Louch, Clare 64
Roman Hurosky, Ithaca 61
Aiden Van bonn, Clare 61
Jack Pestrue, Essexville-Garber 60
Valentino Solano, Bay City Glenn 60
Logan Broekhuizen, Michigan Lutheran Seminary 58
Alex Mcewan, Perry 57
Noah Reif, Michigan Lutheran Seminary 57
Blake Bawks, Perry 56
Kane Romano, Dansville 55
Michael Borie, St. Louis 53
Karson Tweh, St. Louis 53
Joey Bouchy, Clare 51
Hoyt Patrick, Owosso 50

SACKS
Alex Mcewan, Perry 13
Braydon Wendling, Chesaning 7
Landon Qualls, Chesaning 5
Tristan Comer, Freeland 4
Trenton Farkas, St. Louis 4
Ethan Fowler, Freeland 4
Cal Frasier, Chesaning 4
Karson Tweh, St. Louis 4
Ethan Wakefield, Michigan Lutheran Seminary 4

INTERCEPTIONS
Jadon Bender, DeWitt 3
Owen Case, Freeland 3
Tray Haido, Davison 3
BJ Henry, Holt 3
Andrew Miller, Michigan Lutheran Seminary 3
Jacob Phillips, Leslie 3
Kam Reynolds, Swan Valley 3
Elijah Smith, Ithaca 3
Truk TerBush, Millington 3
Miller Wing, DeWitt 3

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WEEK 5 STATS
PASSING YARDS
Aidan Anderson, Evart 1,362
Joel Cranmore, Leslie 1,340
Colton Klein, Swan Valley 1,025
Jayden Arthur, Clare 981
Garrett Buzzard, Bay City Glenn 964
Jaxson Dosh, Davison 946
Elliott Larner, DeWitt 931
Maxwell Volk, Chesaning 839
Kaleb Nielson, Williamston 755
Mayson Burgett, Dansville 697
Jackson Conn, Ithaca 687
Jordan Allen, Saginaw United 602
Andrew Miller, Michigan Lutheran Seminary 599
Tyger Whitbeck, Perry 541

PASSING TOUCHDOWNS
Joel Cranmore, Leslie 18
Aidan Anderson, Evart 17
Jayden Arthur, Clare 16
Elliott Larner, DeWitt 16
Maxwell Volk, Chesaning 12
Jackson Conn, Ithaca 12
Jaxson Dosh, Davison 11
Garrett Buzzard, Bay City Glenn 10
Colton Klein, Swan Valley 1,025
Andrew Miller, Michigan Lutheran Seminary 7
Kaleb Nielson, Williamston 7
Liam Patrick, Owosso 7
Jordan Allen, Saginaw United 6
Mayson Burgett, Dansville 5

RUSHING YARDS
Elliott Larner, DeWitt 932
Hoyt Patrick, Owosso 616
Brayden Florian, Chesaning 605
Nathan Mikesell, Ithaca 605
Ladon Hatcher, Holt 589
Trav Moore, DeWitt 551
AJ Hill, Davison 532
Case Johnson, Greenville 507
Joe Smith, Williamston 435
Liam Patrick, Owosso 427
Codey Manley, Belding 425
Aidan Anderson, Evart 404
Aiden Vanbonn, Clare 398
Jackson Conn, Ithaca 374
Max Heyn, Freeland 369
Brayden Petre, Freeland 366
Tevon Walsh, Millington 330
Jayden Colby, Leslie 309
Landon Russell, Millington 307

RUSHING TOUCHDOWNS
Jackson Conn, Ithaca 12
Elliott Larner, DeWitt 12
Trav Moore, DeWitt 10
Hoyt Patrick, Owosso 9
Jayden Colby, Leslie 8
Aiden Anderson, Evart 7
Max Heyn, Freeland 7
AJ Hill, Davison 7
Ladon Hatcher, Holt 6
Codey Manley, Belding 6
Landon Russell, Millington 6
Nathan Mikesell, Ithaca 5
Liam Patrick, Owosso 5
Joe Smith, Williamston 5
Aiden Vanbonn, Clare 5
Maxwell Volk, Chesaning 5
Brayden Petre, Freeland 4
Case Johnson, Greenville 4
Noah Reif, Michigan Lutheran Seminary 4
Tevon Walsh, Millington 4

RECEIVING YARDS
Jayden Colby, Leslie 609
Jamison Pelt, Swan Valley 580
Lucas Johnson, Evart 578
Abram Larner, DeWitt 519
Noah Vanderlinde, Evart 482
Quinton Burgett, Dansville 392
Wesley Hughes, Davison 377
Brady Sager, Chesaning 373
Ethan Wakefield, Michigan Lutheran Seminary 367
Braydin Johnson, Leslie 362
Ryan Louch, Clare 328
Jacob Halicek, Clare 327
Tommy Pratt, Williamston 309
Dionquavis Hardy, Saginaw United 265
Braylen Navis, Davison 264
Bradley Boyk, Bay City Glenn 257
Hunter VanSickler, Williamston 248
Adam Woodcock, Chesaning 248
Nathan Mikesell, Ithaca 236

RECEIVING TOUCHDOWNS
Abram Larner, DeWitt 10
Noah Vanderlinde, Evart 8
Braydin Johnson, Leslie 7
Jamison Pelt, Swan Valley 7
Jacob Halicek, Clare 6
Brady Sager, Chesaning 6
Ethan Wakefield, Michigan Lutheran Seminary 6
Jayden Colby, Leslie 5
Wesley Hughes, Davison 5
Lucas Johnson, Evart 5
Quinton Burgett, Dansville 4
Lukas Gies, Bay City Glenn 4
Ryan Louch, Clare 4
Nathan Mikesell, Ithaca 4
Trav Moore, DeWitt 4
Jacob Phillips, Leslie 4
Braylen Navis, Davison 3
Tommy Pratt, Williamston 3
Gibson Rondy, Ithaca 3
Adam Woodcock, Chesaning 3

TACKLES
Miles Keener, Williamston 61
Nathan Mikesell, Ithaca 59
Ryan Louch, Clare 54
Hoyt Patrick, Owosso 50
Brady Burns, Perry 57
Roman Hurosky, Ithaca 49
Justin Rodriguez, St. Louis 48
Blake Bawks, Perry 47
Noah Reif, Michigan Lutheran Seminary 47
Aiden Van bonn, Clare 47
Logan Broekhuizen, Michigan Lutheran Seminary 43
Alex Mcewan, Perry 39
Garrett Hilborn, Bay City Glenn 38
Gabe Mitchell, Evart 38
Valentinok Solano, Bay City Glenn 38
Brayden Bundy, Davison 36
Morgan Laupichler, Michigan Lutheran Seminary 36
Noah Vanderlinde, Evart 36
Maxwell Volk, Chesaning 35
Eli Jackson, Davison 34
Kam Reynolds, Swan Valley 34
Brayden Florian, Chesaning 33
Karson Tweh, St. Louis 33

SACKS
Alex Mcewan, Perry 10
Braydon Wendling, Chesaning 7
Landon Qualls, Chesaning 5
Tristan Comer, Freeland 4
Trenton Farkas, St. Louis 4
Ethan Fowler, Freeland 4
Cal Frasier, Chesaning 4
Karson Tweh, St. Louis 4
Caleb Charchan, Davison 3
Gavin Fitchett, Perry 3
Zach Rye, Owosso 3
Austin Blaha, Owosso 3
Joseph Kunin, Evart 3

INTERCEPTIONS
Jadon Bender, DeWitt 3
Tray Haido, Davison 3
BJ Henry, Holt 3
Andrew Miller, Michigan Lutheran Seminary 3
Jacob Phillips, Leslie 3
Kam Reynolds, Swan Valley 3
Dominic Brazil, Saginaw United 2
Mason Burgett, Dansville 2
Owen Case, Freeland 2
Cal Delisle, Swan Valley 2
Kaden Gerzseny, Freeland 2
Isaiah Hankinson, Bay City Glenn 2
Garrett Hilborn, Bay City Glenn 2
Braydin Johnson, Leslie 2
Abram Larner, DeWitt 2
Jake Metiva, Freeland 2
Tommy Pratt, Williamston 2
Elijah Smith, Ithaca 2
Conan Weeks, Clare 2
Miller Wing, DeWitt 2

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WEEK 4 STATS
PASSING YARDS
Aidan Anderson, Evart 937
Jaxson Dosh, Davison 844
Elliott Larner, DeWitt 798
Garrett Buzzard, Bay City Glenn 785
Jayden Arthur, Clare 781
Maxwell Volk, Chesaning 727
Kaleb Nielson, Williamston 716
Mayson Burgett, Dansville 668
Jackson Conn, Ithaca 572
Tyger Whitbeck, Perry 541
Andrew Miller, Michigan Lutheran Seminary 529

PASSING TOUCHDOWNS
Elliott Larner, DeWitt 14
Jayden Arthur, Clare 12
Maxwell Volk, Chesaning 12
Aidan Anderson, Evart 10
Jackson Conn, Ithaca 10
Garrett Buzzard, Bay City Glenn 9
Jaxson Dosh, Davison 9
Andrew Miller, Michigan Lutheran Seminary 7
Liam Patrick, Owosso 7
Kaleb Nielson, Williamston 6
Mayson Burgett, Dansville 5

RUSHING YARDS
Elliott Larner, DeWitt 794
Hoyt Patrick, Owosso 616
Brayden Florian, Chesaning 563
Ladon Hatcher, Holt 461
AJ Hill, Davison 441
Nathan Mikesell, Ithaca 427
Liam Patrick, Owosso 427
Trav Moore, DeWitt 409
Joe Smith, Williamston 386
Aiden Vanbonn, Clare 365
Aidan Anderson, Evart 333
Tevon Walsh, Millington 330
Max Heyn, Freeland 316
Landon Russell, Millington 307
Brayden Petre, Freeland 295
Andrew Miller, Michigan Lutheran Seminary 279
Kam Swales, Evart 277
Jackson Conn, Ithaca 264

RUSHING TOUCHDOWNS
Elliott Larner, DeWitt 11
Jackson Conn, Ithaca 9
Hoyt Patrick, Owosso 9
Aiden Anderson, Evart 7
Trav Moore, DeWitt 7
Ladon Hatcher, Holt 6
Max Heyn, Freeland 6
Landon Russell, Millington 6
AJ Hill, Davison 5
Liam Patrick, Owosso 5
Aiden Vanbonn, Clare 5
Maxwell Volk, Chesaning 5
Nathan Mikesell, Ithaca 4
Noah Reif, Michigan Lutheran Seminary 4
Tevon Walsh, Millington 4

RECEIVING YARDS
Lucas Johnson, Evart 541
Jamison Pelt, Swan Valley 435
Abram Larner, DeWitt 432
Quinton Burgett, Dansville 383
Wesley Hughes, Davison 368
Ethan Wakefield, Michigan Lutheran Seminary 349
Brady Sager, Chesaning 329
Tommy Pratt, Williamston 294
Noah Vanderlinde, Evart 283
Jacob Halicek, Clare 270
Hunter VanSickler, Williamston 236
Ryan Louch, Clare 232
Adam Woodcock, Chesaning 225
Bryce Martin, Millington 213
Bradley Boyk, Bay City Glenn 212

RECEIVING TOUCHDOWNS
Abram Larner, DeWitt 8
Jamison Pelt, Swan Valley 6
Ethan Wakefield, Michigan Lutheran Seminary 6
Wesley Hughes, Davison 5
Lucas Johnson, Evart 5
Quinton Burgett, Dansville 4
Lukas Gies, Bay City Glenn 4
Ryan Louch, Clare 4
Trav Moore, DeWitt 4
Brady Sager, Chesaning 4
Jacob Halicek, Clare 3
Nathan Mikesell, Ithaca 3
Gibson Rondy, Ithaca 3
Adam Woodcock, Chesaning 3

TACKLES
Nathan Mikesell, Ithaca 51
Hoyt Patrick, Owosso 50
Brady Burns, Perry 48
Blake Bawks, Perry 42
Miles Keener, Williamston 41
Logan Broekhuizen, Michigan Lutheran Seminary 39
Ryan Louch, Clare 38
Noah Reif, Michigan Lutheran Seminary 37
Roman Hurosky, Ithaca 35
Brayden Bundy, Davison 33
Aiden Van bonn, Clare 33
Gabe Mitchell, Evart 32
Eli Jackson, Davison 31
Justin Rodriguez, St. Louis 31
Morgan Laupichler, Michigan Lutheran Seminary 30
Alex Mcewan, Perry 30
Kam Reynolds, Swan Valley 30

SACKS
Alex Mcewan, Perry 8
Braydon Wendling, Chesaning 6
Tristan Comer, Freeland 4
Trenton Farkas, St. Louis 4
Ethan Fowler, Freeland 4
Cal Frasier, Chesaning 4
Gavin Fitchett, Perry 3
Zach Rye, Owosso 3
Austin Blaha, Owosso 3
Joseph Kunin, Evart 3
Landon Qualls, Chesaning 3
Karson Tweh, St. Louis 3

INTERCEPTIONS
Tray Haido, Davison 3
BJ Henry, Holt 3
Andrew Miller, Michigan Lutheran Seminary 3
Jackson Bender, DeWitt 2
Mason Burgett, Dansville 2
Cal Delisle, Swan Valley 2
Kaden Gerzseny, Freeland 2
Abram Larner, DeWitt 2
Jake Metiva, Freeland 2
Tommy Pratt, Williamston 2
Kam Reynolds, Swan Valley 2
Conan Weeks, Clare 2

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WEEK 3 STATS
PASSING YARDS
Aidan Anderson, Evart 813
Jaxson Dosh, Davison 697
Garrett Buzzard, Bay City Glenn 684
Elliott Larner, DeWitt 669
Kaleb Nielson, Williamston 618
Jayden Arthur, Clare 607
Maxwell Volk, Chesaning 526
Mayson Burgett, Dansville 484
Jackson Conn, Ithaca 458
Truk TerBush, Millington 451
Andrew Miller, Michigan Lutheran Seminary 388
Tyger Whitbeck, Perry 323

PASSING TOUCHDOWNS
Elliott Larner, DeWitt 12
Jayden Arthur, Clare 11
Aidan Anderson, Evart 9
Maxwell Volk, Chesaning 9
Garrett Buzzard, Bay City Glenn 8
Jackson Conn, Ithaca 8
Jaxson Dosh, Davison 7
Mayson Burgett, Dansville 5
Andrew Miller, Michigan Lutheran Seminary 5
Kaleb Nielson, Williamston 5

RUSHING YARDS
Hoyt Patrick, Owosso 561
Elliott Larner, DeWitt 515
Brayden Florian, Chesaning 454
Liam Patrick, Owosso 402
Tevon Walsh, Millington 330
Nathan Mikesell, Ithaca 319
Ladon Hatcher, Holt 317
Joe Smith, Williamston 312
Landon Russell, Millington 307
AJ Hill, Davison 291
Jackson Conn, Ithaca 254
Aiden Vanbonn, Clare 247
Trav Moore, DeWitt 243

RUSHING TOUCHDOWNS
Hoyt Patrick, Owosso 9
Jackson Conn, Ithaca 7
Ladon Hatcher, Holt 6
Elliott Larner, DeWitt 6
Landon Russell, Millington 6
Trav Moore, DeWitt 5
Liam Patrick, Owosso 5
Maxwell Volk, Chesaning 5
Noah Reif, Michigan Lutheran Seminary 4
Tevon Walsh, Millington 4
AJ Hill, Davison 3
Andrew Miller, Michigan Lutheran Seminary 3
Joe Smith, Williamston 3
Aiden Vanbonn, Clare 3

RECEIVING YARDS
Lucas Johnson, Evart 444
Abram Larner, DeWitt 404
Quinton Burgett, Dansville 276
Wesley Hughes, Davison 267
Noah Vanderlinde, Evart 259
Brady Sager, Chesaning 257
Ethan Wakefield, Michigan Lutheran Seminary 252
Tommy Pratt, Williamston 229
Jacob Halicek, Clare 227
Bryce Martin, Millington 213
Bradley Boyk, Bay City Glenn 212
Ryan Louch, Clare 177
Braylon Naves, Davison 177
Nathan Mikesell, Ithaca 173
Landon Russell, Millington 172

RECEIVING TOUCHDOWNS
Abram Larner, DeWitt 7
Quinton Burgett, Dansville 4
Lukas Gies, Bay City Glenn 4
Lucas Johnson, Evart 4
Noah Vanderlinde, Evart 4
Ethan Wakefield, Michigan Lutheran Seminary 4
Jacob Halicek, Clare 3
Wesley Hughes, Davison 3
Ryan Louch, Clare 3
Nathan Mikesell, Ithaca 3
Trav Moore, DeWitt 3
Gibson Rondy, Ithaca 3
Brady Sager, Chesaning 3

TACKLES
Nathan Mikesell, Ithaca 43
Hoyt Patrick, Owosso 42
Brady Burns, Perry 38
Miles Keener, Williamston 31
Blake Bawks, Perry 29
Roman Hurosky, Ithaca 29
Brayden Bundy, Davison 28
Noah Reif, Michigan Lutheran Seminary 28
Eli Jackson, Davison 26
Kam Reynolds, Swan Valley 26
Valentino Solano, Bay City Glenn 26
Gabe Mitchell, Evart 25
Noah Vanderlinde, Evart 25

SACKS
Alex Mcewan, Perry 7
Tristan Comer, Freeland 3
Gavin Fitchett, Perry 3
Ethan Fowler, Freeland 3
Zach Rye, Owosso 3
Braydon Wendling, Chesaning 3
Austin Blaha, Owosso 2
Carter Miculka, Owosso 2
Nathan Mikesell, Ithaca 2

INTERCEPTIONS
Andrew Miller, Michigan Lutheran Seminary 3
BJ Henry, Holt 2
Abram Larner, DeWitt 2
Jake Metiva, Freeland 2
Tommy Pratt, Williamston 2
Kam Reynolds, Swan Valley 2

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By Jeff Steers
MHSSS Special Writer
With only two wins in the last four years, Bridgeport is looking to improve on those numbers in 2024.
Second-year coach Ryan Love believes the Bearcats may be turning the corner as a football team.
“We have about 40 in the (high school) football program which is better numbers compared to other years,” Love said during media days. “We had much better leadership this summer.”
Bridgeport plays in the Tri-Valley Conference Red Division with its last contested win being in 2019.
“We have improved this summer … and hopefully learned that when you don’t do summer workouts, you are three months behind everyone else,” Love said. “It takes a while to learn a new system and we are only 14 months into it.”
The Bearcats expect to run a gun-wing offense trying to gets playmakers into good positions.
Some of the key players include all-league defensive back and wide receiver Germontae Bucker, offensive and defensive lineman Antwiane Sanders, and receiver and cornerback Jakobe Taylor.
Buckner earned Tri-Valley Conference honors for his defensive work in 2023 for the Bearcats.
“We learned to go hard in practice so you can go hard in the games,” Buckner said.
Sanders said the biggest thing he learned in 2023 is to “give it all you got and do your assignment.”
“We need to come together as a team to be successful,” Sanders said.
Other players expected to make major impacts are all-league defensive end Chris Collins and all-league lineman Elijah Bowes.
Lamarion Moore expects to be a hybrid back and linebacker for the Bearcats in 2024.
Love said the 15 summer practices and work in the weight room will pay off for Bridgeport.
“We accomplished some baseline stuff during the summer,” Love said. “Now we can work on plays and formations.”
Bridgeport kicks off the season with a non-conference game against Gwinn, plays TVC games week two and fourth through eight, and battles Madison and Yale in non-conference contests.

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BUTCH HARMON
Sports Scene
Year in and year out, the DeWitt football team is one of the best in mid-Michigan. This year, with a talented group of players on hand, the Panthers are poised for an even bigger season.
The Panthers have turned in some solid seasons the past couple years, but this year’s squad is aiming for a finish similar to the 2020 and 2021 seasons. DeWitt won a state championship in 2020 and reached the state title game in 2021.
“We haven’t had this much talent since the 2020 team,” said veteran DeWitt head coach Rob Zimmerman. “We have several players who have already committed to playing football in college.”
One of those players is senior quarterback Elliott Larner who will be playing college football at Michigan Tech. Larner is a versatile quarterback who can make big plays with his arm or legs.
A quick quarterback, Larner points to overall team speed as one of several strong points of this year’s team.
“Definitely our speed,” Elliott Larner said. “Our speed is going to be very effective for us this year. And then up front we’ve got some guys that are pretty big that will help us lead the way.”
Larner will be teaming up with a familiar face on many of those big plays with the return of Abram Larner to the slotback position. Abram will also be playing defensive back along with Elliott. Both Elliott and Abram were first-team, all-conference players last season.
“We are a really, really close team this year,” Abram Larner said. “I think we bond together really well. This year is going to be really special for us and I think we will make a good run in the playoffs.”
The passing game is loaded with playmakers across the field. Junior wide receiver Jadon Bender is a big-play receiver while junior tight end Jacob Schorfhaar (6-foot-4, 235 pounds) is a mismatch problem for opposing defenses with his combination of size and speed. Both Bender and Schorfhaar earned first-team, all-conference honors last season.
Along with having plenty of talent up and down the roster, the Panthers have strong leadership that will also be key to success this season.
“Obviously leadership is the most important part of this,” Bender said. “We have great leaders here. Teamwork. We haven’t had a close team like this since our state championship team and I think that is most important.”
The Panthers can also strike on the ground with running back Travis Moore (6-0, 170) who brings good speed and quickness to the backfield. Moore is a returning first-team, all-conference player.
“I think our offense will be a definite strong point,” Moore said. “We have a lot of returners. All of us are returning on offense so I think our offense is going to be a strong point this year.”
Paving the way for the backs and the passing game is an offensive line anchored by junior Luke Nolen (5-8, 235) who earned first-team, all-conference honors last season. Also looking to make an impact up front are junior linemen William Kawika-Solomon (6-3, 303), Andrew Nehf (6-1, 315) and Drew Rumsey (6-2, 270).
Defensively, the Panthers boast a strong secondary led by the Larners and Moore. Junior linebacker Cooper Chambers (5-11, 195) is a returning first-team, all-conference selection. Senior Gavin Dusseau (6-1, 210) is also in the mix at defensive end along with Tyler Dusseau. Bender lines up at outside linebacker while Schorfhaar is at defensive end.
DeWitt turned in a 7-3 record last season with two of the three losses coming against Division 3 state finalist Mason. The Mason game in week two is one the Panthers have circled on the schedule. As usual, DeWitt faces a rugged schedule. Along with playing against the top competition in the Capital Area Athletic Conference Blue Division, DeWitt opens the season with a non-league game against Haslett and also has a difficult test in week four when it plays host to West Virginia powerhouse Hurricane High School.

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By Jeff Steers
MHSSS Special Writer
Dansville High School football player Kane Romano said when players make mistakes on the field, first-year coach Wayne Dismuke does not dwell on it.
It is on to the next play.
The Aggies could use a little bit of positive encouragement after posting an 0-9 record a year ago.
Dansville struggled offensively in 2023 scoring only 42 points in nine games.
Previously Dismuke led Eaton Rapids since 2020 – first as a wide receivers coach, then a skills coach, and stepped in as an interim coach his second season.
Dismuke was hired as the permanent head coach and led ERHS for two more seasons. He has worked as a coach in San Antonio, Las Vegas, and Anchorage.
Dismuke graduated from Lansing Sexton High School and joined the United States Air Force where he served for 10 years, deploying to the Middle East as well as South Korea. He received both the achievement medal and commendation medal.
Dismuke believes the Aggies can get better every day.
“We need better attitudes and have to be locked in every day,” Dismuke said. “I am here to change the culture.”
Players say the new coach is already working players harder during practices.
“Last year we would work out only one time per week,” player Mayson Burgett said. “Now we are lifting three or four times per week.”
Some of the key players for the Aggies include Burgett, Haydon Tomlin (RB/LB), Quinnton Burgett (WR/S), and Kane Romano (LB).
Other players expected to make contributions include Evan Sykes (TE/CB), Alex Baker (RB/DE/CB), and Noah Starkey (OL/DL).
Dansville kicks off the season with a non-conference game against Springport, plays seven weeks of Central Michigan Athletic Conference competition, then faces Stockbridge to close out the regular season.

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By Jeff Steers
MHSSS Special Writer
Swan Valley High School quarterback Colton Klein begins his fourth season at the helm of the team’s offense.
With the “best set of weapons” offensively, the senior should have a big season.
Swan Valley finished 5-5 a year ago losing in the Division 5 playoffs in the opening round. But Klein put up some impressive numbers last year.
“It is crazy that this is my last year … but I am excited,” he said during media day at Ithaca High School. “I was nervous going into most games as a freshman … but it has gotten a lot better.”
MaxPreps statistics has Klein with 1,344 passing yards, 1,650 total yards, and 23 touchdown passes in 2023. He was 83-for-146 passing making him the fifth-ranked quarterback in Division 5 based on passing numbers.
Coach Kevin Gavenda said his receivers – “the best set of weapons he has had” – will make opponents cover the whole field.
“I am sure Colton is sick of me at this point,” Gavenda said of his four-year quarterback. “We are close to being on the same page now … we have been through it all together.”
Some of the weapons Klein will enjoy will be receivers Boston Beougher, Cal Delisle, Logan Zahn, and Jamison Pelt.
Senior Walker Murphy is expected to be a top lineman for Swan Valley on both sides of the football.
Other players expected to make an impact are Michael Gerard, Gavin Grandy, and Jack Lagan.
The Vikings play in the Tri-Valley Conference Red Division.
“If this is not the toughest Division-5 leagues in the state, it is close,” Gavenda said.
Swan Valley opens with Croswell-Lexington, then plays five conference foes before facing Powers Catholic in week 7. They close out the regular season with games against Alma and Bullock Creek.
The Vikings have only missed the Michigan High School Athletic Association three times since 2000.

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