Roseville football is establishing a culture of winning

ROSEVILLE — Roseville High School has been patiently waiting to make a name for itself in the playoffs, with only eight appearances since 1989. Last year, the team made a statement by winning a district championship.

It’s a building block for a school that has only nine winning seasons in the last 30 years, but Roseville coach Vernard Snowden has set new expectations for Roseville football the past two years.

“The Friday night lights are a whole different environment here now,” Snowden said.

Roseville jump-started the 2022 season with a 46-7 win over Dearborn Heights Crestwood in week one, but a 30-6 loss to Macomb Area Conference-Red opponent Romeo High School and a 21-14 loss to MAC-White rival Grosse Pointe South has held Roseville to a 4-2 record so far.

It’s been the same story for Roseville the last two seasons with Warren De La Salle Collegiate ending their season for two straight years, but Roseville has proved it can hang with the best of the best in the state.

“One thing I took out of it was, in the Romeo game, was how the score did not dictate how well of a game that was; it was a 9-0 ball game up until halftime,” Snowden said.

While the Grosse Pointe South loss will likely keep Roseville in second place for the conference, Snowden said the games against Romeo and South will set up success for the team moving forward.

“We’re young, and just playing in those two environments in Romeo and Grosse Pointe South, and just going into those environments was key to not only our season success, but the future, as well,” Snowden said.

A leader for the young group has been sophomore quarterback Jordan Simes. In six games, the Roseville offense has averaged 36 points per game, scoring 45 or more points in all four victories.

Snowden said Simes’ growth this year as the offensive leader showed against Utica High School in a 48-14 win on Sept. 30.

“This past week in the Utica game, it was bad offensively; we couldn’t get anything going in the first half,” Snowden said. “In the second half, he had five touchdowns; I think the game really slowed down for him.”

Sophomore Desmond Straughton (RB) and junior Bryan Weathersby Jr. (RB) have handled the bulk of the carries this season while University of Cincinnati commit and senior defensive back Amare Snowden has made significant contributions in the slot receiver role.

Amare Snowden said the offense’s “team-ball” mentality has led to its success this season.

“If one fall, we all fall,” Snowden said. “We just built it together.”

Roseville’s defense has been dominant this season, earning 14 turnovers and allowing just under 14 points per game. Romeo and Grosse Pointe were the only teams to score more than 14 points against Roseville.

“It all comes down to the coach,” senior linebacker Huston Eubank said. “You talk about the coaching — well, we practice the turnover drill each day.”

Eubank said the team emphasizes to its players to punch the ball and also work on strip-and-grab drills.

It’s been a team effort defensively on all three levels with Snowden, Eubank, senior Dezzmon Meriweather (DL), junior Anthony Scott (OLB) and senior Elijah Baker (OLB/SS) all making an impact.

“Whether it’s interceptions or fumble recoveries, we’ve just been very good at stopping the run and stopping the pass,” Snowden said. “As a whole, our defensive unit and coaches have done a great job.”

Roseville will rely on its defense as the team finishes the season against Harrison Township L’Anse Creuse (played after press time Oct. 7), New Baltimore Anchor Bay and Harper Woods.

“We know everything, and we know all the expectations; we just have to live up to it,” Amare Snowden said.

As Roseville continues to build its program, Snowden and his coaching staff will rely on developing players and sustaining interest in the team.

Snowden said he has one goal that will be the key to building Roseville into a powerhouse program.

“The main thing, and I think I told you this the first time we talked, is we win at home,” Snowden said. “We get our middle school kids, and we go there and all the kids are excited.”