Eisenhower football back on track, puts MAC-Red on notice

SHELBY TOWNSHIP — Eisenhower High School football is back.

After a 3-13 record the past two seasons, Eisenhower (5-2) has returned to the powerhouse it once was during its 35 straight seasons without a losing record from 1985 to 2019.

Eisenhower coach Chris Smith, currently in his 11th year as head coach at Eisenhower, said his team’s commitment has been a vital part of its success this year.

“We haven’t changed much, but the kids we have this year put a lot of work into the offseason and worked hard,” Smith said. “Our wins haven’t been pretty, but our team is finding ways to win.”

It’s been a bit of a revenge tour for Eisenhower this season, as four of the team’s five wins have come against teams it lost to last season.

Eisenhower opened the season 2-0, but a 33-7 loss against Clinton Township Chippewa Valley gave Eisenhower the familiar adversity that it’s faced in past seasons. Instead of losing ground in the conference, Eisenhower defeated Macomb Area Conference-Red rival Romeo 35-29 on Sept. 16 to swing momentum back in favor of Eisenhower.

“We put up points against them, and we knew it was going to be a battle against them,” junior quarterback Preston Crum said. “We came out on top, and that showed us who we are and that we could be atop of the MAC-Red.”

Eisenhower faced a crucial road matchup against MAC-Red rival Macomb Dakota for a share of the league title, but Dakota bested Eisenhower 31-14 on Oct. 7.

Regardless, Eisenhower has continued to improve this season based on its senior leadership and talented underclassmen.

“The seniors are doing what’s good for the team, and the other guys are doing their job,” Crum said. “We’re all about the team this year.”

Leb by Crum, Eisenhower’s offense has been at the forefront of the team’s success this season. After averaging 14 points per game in 2021, the Eisenhower offense has averaged just under 25 points per game this season.

Senior running back Christian Johnson has handled the bulk of the carries for the team while senior Benett Cardamone headlines the wide receivers for Eisenhower.

Johnson’s physical run style has been dominant this season.

“You ever seen a bowling ball?” Smith said. “That’s his skill set.”

While Eisenhower’s offense has improved, its defensive unit has performed at a much higher level as well this year.

Allowing 26 points per game in 2021, Eisenhower’s defense has allowed 20 points per game this season led by senior defensive end Luke Aniel.

Aniel said the team’s review of last season led to some changes coming into the year.

“The biggest takeaway was we needed to be physical and make more tackles, and once we figured out we were a good defense, we just knew we had to execute,” Aniel said.

Alongside Aniel are junior defensive backs Sammy Agnello and David Scheel, and junior middle linebacker Cody Raymond.

“We’re playing more as a team this year,” Aniel said. “No one is trying to do anything, especially by themselves.”

Eisenhower will play two out of conference matchups before the end of the season with Utica and West Bloomfield high schools, respectively.

Eisenhower will look to gain some momentum heading into the playoffs, and Smith said his team’s resilience will be the key to ending on a high note this season.

“All the wins except Ford could’ve all gone either way, and that says a lot about these guys,” Smith said. “I think we have a group of guys that fights till the end and finds a way to win, and I’ll take a group like that any day.”