Behind a culture shift and a core of veteran leaders, Utica Ford II is poised for a successful season in 2023.
By: Jonathan Szczepaniak | Metro | Published August 23, 2023
MACOMB COUNTY — As summer workouts come to a close, northern Macomb County readies for another exciting football season. Here are previews for all teams in the C & G Newspapers coverage area.
Clinton Township Chippewa Valley
Last season’s record: 7-3.
League: Macomb Area Conference Red Division.
First game: vs. West Bloomfield High (at Wayne State University), 7 p.m. Aug. 24.
Making the playoffs for the 11th straight season in 2022, Chippewa Valley coach Scott Merchant and his guys have regrouped after a first round exit to division rival Romeo last season.
Senior quarterback Andrew Schuster, a Grand Valley State University commit, returns under center this season looking better than ever, according to Merchant.
“Physically, he’s bigger and stronger,” Merchant said. “He has all the tools you want in a quarterback, so we just have to do a good job of protecting him and let him do his thing. I’ll put him up against any quarterback in the state.”
Schuster will be joined by his top offensive weapon in junior wide receiver DeShaun Lanier, who earned all-region honors last season with six touchdown receptions.
Lanier will headline an explosive receiving corps alongside senior Evan DiBucci and junior Eric Thomas Jr. Thomas Jr. and junior Caleb Fowlkes will handle the bulk of the carries offensively.
Senior defensive back Rayshaun Hester — an Eastern Michigan University commit — senior defensive lineman Anthony Wright and senior defensive lineman Davont’a Love headline a Chippewa Valley defensive unit that allowed just under 16 points per game last season.
Chippewa Valley will have to wait until Oct. 6 to get another shot at Romeo, but they’ll have a tough schedule until then with West Bloomfield, Harrison Township L’Anse Creuse and Utica Eisenhower to open the season. Merchant said it’s the price of competing in the MAC-Red.
“Every year, I don’t think it can get any harder, and then we find a way to make it harder,” Merchant said.
Clinton Township Clintondale
Last season’s record: 3-6.
League: Macomb Area Conference Silver Division.
First game: vs. Grosse Pointe North High, 7 p.m. Aug. 24.
Snapping its three-year run of state playoff appearances, Clintondale’s 2022 season should be remembered less for its 1-6 record with two games to go and more for its 2-0 finish to end the year.
Clintondale returns all-region defensive lineman Shamar Riser-Pressley as he looks to anchor the Dragons defensive unit.
After averaging 15 points per game offensively for the first seven games in 2022, Clintondale finished the final two games scoring just over 25 points per game, and the team will look to carry that into this season.
Clintondale will have early tests against Grosse Pointe North and Madison Heights Lamphere in two of the team’s first three games.
Fraser
Last season’s record: 1-8.
League: Macomb Area Conference Blue Division.
First game: at Troy Athens High, 7 p.m. Aug. 24.
After two seven-point losses to open the season, Fraser struggled to find its footing throughout the rest of the year, which snapped a back-to-back playoff appearance streak. A three-year span would have been the longest streak since Fraser made the playoffs from 1991 to 1994.
Now refreshed and energized, Fraser will once again play a tough out-of-conference schedule with Troy Athens, Sterling Heights Stevenson and Troy all making appearances again this season.
Senior quarterback Jack Tury will command the huddle again this season while junior wide receiver Kenneth Vinson Jr. will look to emerge as one of Tury’s premier targets.
Harrison Township L’Anse Creuse
Last season’s record: 7-5.
League: Macomb Area Conference White Division.
First game: at Ferndale High, 7 p.m. Aug. 24.
L’Anse Creuse continues to take massive strides year in and year out with the football program.
Capturing the school’s first district title in school history and extending its historic playoff streak to four, there’s a lot of excitement around L’Anse Creuse football heading into 2023.
Former St. Clair Shores South Lake coach Vincent Phillips will enter his first year with the Lancers and will have an early test at filling the void of a senior-filled offense last season that included quarterback Jaiden Sanders, running back Alan OuYang and receivers Donovan Weatherly and Mitchell Rivard.
Luckily, Phillips returns key playmakers in senior wide receiver Quincy Dorsey, junior running back Donovan Rey, senior running back Bryant Shack, and senior wide receiver Amarion Brownlee.
Brownlee will also be a vital part of the Lancers defensive backfield while senior defensive tackle Brandon Gordon will anchor the defensive line.
An all-region selection last year, Gordon is poised for another monster season in 2023.
“Once you see him in person, his motor don’t stop,” Phillips said. “He’s all you want in a player. He does everything right and is a great kid on and off the field, but his motor is ridiculous.”
Macomb Dakota
Last season’s record: 11-1.
League: Macomb Area Conference Red Division.
First game: vs. Dearborn Fordson High, 7 p.m. Aug. 24.
It’s no surprise to anyone that Dakota made the playoffs again, a streak that dates back to 2000 and is a Macomb County record, but a perfect regular season, a MAC-Red league title, and a district title added an impressive touch to the season.
Dakota last went unbeaten in the regular season in 2013, and with that comes extreme expectations that Dakota is more than accustomed to.
Junior Jadon Ford will take control of the offensive unit this season after Ethan Hamby did everything and more than a coach could have asked during his tenure with the Cougars.
Senior running back and team captain Austin Tuchowski is expected to be the bell cow this season behind an offensive line anchored by senior lineman and team captain Bryce Ward.
Senior cornerback Jalen Whittaker, senior defensive end and team captain Jake Kowalkowski, senior defensive end and team captain CJ Russell, and junior linebacker DiMari Malone are expected to anchor the defensive unit this season.
Macomb L’Anse Creuse North
Last season’s record: 3-6.
League: Macomb Area Conference Blue Division.
First game: at Troy High, 7 p.m. Aug. 24.
The streak is over!
After 17-straight losses, North picked up a win over Warren Mott and finished 2-1 in its last three games to carry some momentum into 2023.
“I felt like we finally got the big chip on our shoulder off our back with getting the win,” North coach Hannibal Roda said.
Seniors Landon Coker and Carson Grant headline the offensive line while seniors James Watts and Blake Walmsley will anchor the receiving corps for North this season.
Senior linebacker Jack Mullins, who tallied 111 tackles last season and holds the school record for career tackles, returns to bolster the linebacking core with Walmsley while sophomore Caleb Johnson will lead the defensive line.
The pendulum is swinging at North, and it appears to be swinging in the team’s favor as it looks to start the season on the right foot.
“There’s a big culture change here,” Roda said. “Everyone has bought in.”
Macomb Lutheran North
Last season’s record: 3-6.
League: Catholic League Intersectional 1 Division.
First game: at St. Clair Shores South Lake High, 7 p.m., Aug. 24.
Their record may not indicate it from last year, but Lutheran North was on the verge of having one of the better seasons in school history in 2022.
Holding fourth quarter leads in five of its six losses, North’s inexperience and youth showed, and that’s where coach Garrett Wenzelburger expects to see a transformation this season.
“We were just young,” Wenzelburger said. “We blew a lot of leads and couldn’t finish games, but we were pretty explosive on offense.”
The Mustangs offensive unit was extremely successful last year behind junior Eddie Cesar, who threw for 16 touchdowns and ran for 13 in 2022, and he’s expected to lead the huddle in his senior season with junior wide receiver Hudson MacDonald back on the outside.
A major offseason addition for North was hiring former Buffalo Bills linebacker and Shelby Township native John DiGiorgio as the team’s defensive coordinator.
“I think what John has done is just kind of brought in some schemes that fit this team well, and he’s just coaching what he knows,” Wenzelburger said.
Senior linebacker Ian Ruatto is expected to lead the defensive unit.
Mount Clemens
Last season’s record: 7-3.
League: Charter School Conference Silver Division.
First game: at Warren Lincoln High, 7 p.m. Aug. 24.
After opening the season with a loss, Mount Clemens was firing on all cylinders en route to a seven-game win streak.
With returning all-conference players in senior offensive/defensive lineman Brian Allen and senior wide receiver/defensive back Neco Landers Jr., Mount Clemens will look to have another impressive season in hopes of making its fourth straight playoff appearance.
Sterling Heights
Last season’s record: 1-8.
League: Macomb Area Conference Blue Division.
First game: vs. Madison Heights Lamphere High, 7 p.m. Aug. 24.
The Sterling Heights offense showed some flashes last season, but the offensive output and defensive stops never seemed to fully click at the right time.
Sterling Heights will open up against Lamphere again this season with hopes of getting the offense going early, but it’ll be a quick test for the defensive unit after giving up 64 points in last season’s opener.
Sterling Heights Parkway Christian
Last season’s record: 6-6.
League: Michigan Independent Athletic Conference.
First game: vs. New Haven High, 7 p.m., Aug. 24.
That Parkway Christian run game is no joke, and teams are about to get another dose of it this year.
After a lackluster 2021 season kept the Eagles from making the playoffs, a 1-5 start in 2022 looked like all signs were pointing in the wrong direction for coach Joe Beck and his guys.
Tallying five straight wins to end the season, Parkway Christian earned the school’s first district title since 2008. Heading into 2023, it’s all about hitting the ground running.
“There’s more of a focus and more of a determination not to have a repeat from last year,” Beck said. “I was playing psychologist for those first six weeks, trying to figure out what the problem was, but finally we got the boys on board and things started going well for us.”
Senior fullback DJ Quest and senior running back Kyler Maiorana both earned all-region honors as Maiorana ran for 1,861 yards and 20 touchdowns, including 10 games of 100 yards or more. Maiorana was a workhorse for Parkway Christian last season, tallying 285 carries.
“When it comes to work ethic and durability, there’s nobody better than Kyler,” Beck said.
Senior quarterback Luke Wolgast will be under center for the Eagles offense while senior wide receiver/tight end Logan Zielinski — an all-region honoree — and senior wide receiver Dane Mazek look to be the top targets in the passing game.
All-region linebacker Mark Nesler Jr. will anchor the Parkway Christian defense this season.
Sterling Heights Stevenson
Last season’s record: 2-7.
League: Macomb Area Conference Red Division.
First game: at Novi High, 7 p.m. Aug. 25.
Like most schools, there can be a drop off in production when a substantially large senior class graduates, and Stevenson felt the bumps and bruises of that in 2022.
Just a year removed from a state semifinals trip, Stevenson went through the trials and tribulations of a team in the midst of developing its young talent, but the team is ready to showcase its talent this season.
Sophomore quarterback Andrew Knight returns under center this season after an impressive freshman year earned the respect of his coaches and teammates, and he’s shown significant growth this offseason.
“He’s looking a lot more comfortable,” Stevenson coach Justin Newcomb said. “He’s getting in there and understanding the offense and understanding not only his responsibility, but the responsibilities and roles of everyone else around him. I think that’s the biggest jump, because last year, as a freshman, he spent so much time learning his job.”
Knight will have an array of offensive weapons at his disposal with senior Evan Watson (WR), senior Alexander DeLorey (RB), senior Lucas Timbuc (RB), Ahmad Hrhor (WR), sophomore Ronnie Hill (WR) and senior Ahmed Alawsy all looking to make an impact offensively.
Senior linebacker and team captain Caden Bollinger will anchor the Titans defensive unit as it will have early tests against Novi, St. Clair Shores Lakeview, Romeo and Macomb Dakota.
Utica
Last season’s record: 2-7.
League: Macomb Area Conference White Division.
First game: vs. Rochester High, 7 p.m. Aug. 24.
Talk about a way to start and end the season, Utica’s two wins occurred during the season opener and the final game of the year, which leaves the team in an interesting place entering the 2023 season.
One thing Utica should be feeling is confidence due to the fact that senior wide receivers Zachary Conley and Numehnne Gwilly return on the outside alongside senior quarterback Tyler Powrozek.
Powrozek, who led the Chieftains offense last season, was efficient last year under center, and Utica coach Matthew Marulli is expecting him to progress this season.
“Arm-wise, he has a big arm,” Marulli said. “He’s accurate and he can probably make any throw on the field we need him to make. We’re kind of expecting him to take that jump for his senior year.”
Senior running back Jeff Cleaver is set to handle the bulk of the carries while seniors Dylan Kelley (LB), Kyle Jacob (DE) and Nick Gojcaj (DE) lead the Utica defense.
Utica Eisenhower
Last season’s record: 6-4.
League: Macomb Area Conference Red Division.
First game: at Oxford High, 7 p.m. Aug 24.
Although Eisenhower’s impressive regular season earned it a playoff bid, the window was quickly closed by division rival Macomb Dakota.
Returning senior quarterback Preston Crum and a slew of offensive weapons, Eisenhower is looking more confident than ever entering the 2023 season.
“They have the motivation, they have the work ethic and they have the experience,” Eisenhower coach Christopher Smith said. “Those three things we have, and now it’s just a matter of making the plays in those big games. That’s what it always comes down to.”
Crum will headline the offense in his fourth season as the starting quarterback while senior Hayden Bills (WR), junior Conner Temple (WR), junior Bryce Hurley (WR) and sophomore Braylon Burnside (WR) will lead the receiving core.
Seniors Sammy Agnello (DB), Cody Raymond (LB), David Scheel (DB) and Geovanni Rowe (DT) will headline the Eagles’ defensive unit.
Utica Ford II
Last season’s record: 1-8.
League: Macomb Area Conference White Division.
First game: at Salem High, 7 p.m. Aug. 24.
There’s a culture change happening at Ford II.
It may not have translated in the wins and losses category just yet, but coach Mike Szalkiewicz is instilling a new mindset around the Ford II football program in an effort to grow the on-the-field chemistry.
Whether it’s movie night watching “Remember the Titans,” team dodgeball or team relay races, the team chemistry is improving while the production on the field hopes to turn a corner this year.
“We’re grinding,” Szalkiewicz said. “There’s no doubt about it, and we’re killing our kids with love and holding them accountable. We’re trying to walk the walk, so hopefully they buy in and they see it and say, ‘Oh, that’s what it looks like,’ and they emulate it.”
Ford II will be led by an improved defense featuring seniors Jacob Brzezinski (DL), Andrew Miller (DL), Jack Nilson (LB) and juniors Eric Johnson (LB), Michael Brown (DB) and Joshua Houston (DB).