Michigan high school football: Mick McCabe's top teams for 2023, Nos. 11-25
Here are the Free Press’ 2023 preseason Michigan high school football teams ranked Nos. 11-25. Come back Saturday to find out more on the teams ranked 1-10:
All players are seniors unless noted; 2022 records are in parenthesis:
25. Utica Eisenhower (6-4)
Top players: QB Preston Curry; LB/TE Cody Raymond; DB Lorenzo Moceri; WR Hayden Bills; junior OL Mike Diadula and Claudio Malaj; DT Geovanni Rowe.
State playoff record: 40-29.
Coach: Chris Smith, 13th season (83-44).
Overview: Two seasons ago, Ike started nine sophomores and went 1-8. Last season, those juniors were 6-4 and made the state playoff. This is an experienced team, led by Crum, a four-year starter who is one of the top passers in the state. Bills is the team’s top athlete; he and Raymond will catch a lot of passes.
24. Zeeland West (10-2)
Top players: RBs Parker Holman and Rolando Robelin; junior DBs Trey Sloothaak and Keaton Hendricks; junior DEs Brody Maas and Brody Smeyers; junior LB Isaac VanderZwaag.
State playoff record: 35-12.
Coach: John Shillito 40th season, 19th at West (163-41).
Overview: With Muskegon moving up to D-2, the Dux have an excellent chance to make a long run in D-3. Operating in the most efficient T-formation in the state, West should be all that and more this fall. Holman ran for over 1,500 yards last season, and the Dux got another 850 yards from Robelin.
23. Brighton (8-2)
Top players: QB Grant Hetherton; K/DE Braedan Chiles; OL Hayden Lorius; junior DE Jaden Rogers; LB Luke Whitaker.
State playoff record: 15-26.
Coach: Brian Lemons, ninth season (55-26).
Overview: Only five starters — three on defense, two on offense — return, but these players gained a lot of experience last season. Hetherten is one of the better combo QBs around. Lorius will have to emerge as a leader in the offensive line. Chiles is an outstanding kicker and is developing into a D-I recruit, besides playing well on the defensive line. Rogers is a dynamite defender, and Whitaker will also be a force on defense.
22. Novi Detroit Catholic Central (8-3)
Top players: Sophomore OGs Benny Eziuka and Rob Wierzbicki; OTs Bryce Porter and Cal Rutherford; TE Cael Rogowski; DB Kam Lloyd; DE Stone Chaney; WRs Nico Genrich and Andrew Kitchen.
State playoff record: 93-21.
Coach: Justin Cessante, first year.
Overview: The Shamrocks return eight offensive starters and there is a wealth of experience with good size in the offensive line That could mean a return to smash-mouth football, which had escaped CC in the last few seasons. Eziuka, Wierzbicki, Porter and Rutherford will look more like a small-college line. They should be able to protect the QB so receivers Genrich and Kitchen could be used effectively.
21. Clinton Township Chippewa Valley (7-3)
Top players: QB Andrew Schuster; OL Davont’a Love; RB/DB Cash Shaw; WRs Evan DiBucci and junior DeShaun Lanier; DT Anthony Wright; DL Collin Sturgeon; DBs Rayshaun Hester (Eastern Michigan) and Preston Roberts.
State playoff record: 28-21.
Coach: Scott Merchant, 15th season (95-50).
Overview: Schuster returns at QB and is the third brother to start there for the always tough Big Reds. DiBucci and Lanier will comprise an impressive receiving corps. Love is a three-year starter and a dominant force offensively. Shaw will run for a lot of yards this season. Wright is a rare four-year starter on the defensive line. Hester and Roberts will make the secondary tough to throw against.
20. Muskegon Mona Shores (8-3)
Top players: Junior QB Johnathan Pittman; C Luke Emmons; LB/TE Andrew Baker; sophomore RB Tomarion Steward; DB/WR O’Mari Hall-Brown; LB Trent Rosenthal.
State playoff record: 23-7.
Coach: Matt Koziak, 13th season (100-35).
Overview: This is going to be another dynamite Mona Shores team, which is talented but not overly deep. Pittman is effective as a passer and runner, giving the Sailors a dual attack. Emmons is a four-year starter, including in the state championship game as a freshman. Steward is going to be a special running back. Hall-Brown is a speedster in the secondary, and Baker is a threat at TE. Rosenthal will be a factor now that he is healthy.
19. Birmingham Groves (9-4)
Top players: QB Cayden Hardy; junior OT Avery Gach; junior Chris Little; DE/FB Braden Hall; WR/DB Zachary Rogers (Toledo) ; DL/OL Aidan Whan; C Henry Bob Lovett.
State playoff record: 19-17.
Coach: Brendan Flaherty, 23rd season (125-100).
Overview: This outfit is expected to give Southfield a run for the OAA White title. Rogers can be a dangerous receiver. Hardy is fast and smart and holds the offense together; Gach is going to be a monster on the offensive line. Little is believed to have led the state with 11 interceptions last season as a sophomore. Hall and Whan are three-year starters on the defensive line, and Whan also plays on offensive.
18. Detroit King (10-3)
Top players: DT Jaylen Garrett; junior DE/TE Xavier Newsom; DB Donte Dooley; LB-DE Marvell Eggleston; junior DB Willie Fletcher; LB-DB Dewayne Dickerson; QB Nate Edwards; freshman QB Darryl Flemister III.
State playoff record: 64-25.
Coach: Tyrone Spencer, eighth season (75-17).
Overview: The Crusaders, who are actually a D-4 team, are voluntarily playing up in hopes of a three-peat. It will be the first without QB Dante Moore, a freshman at UCLA. Edwards, a transfer from outside Toronto, and the freshman Flemister are competing for the QB job. King returns four starters on offense and defense, but a lot of backups got extra playing time in the state playoffs.
17. Romeo (8-3)
Top players: RB/LB Victor Earl; LB/FB Ryan Relyea; TE-WR Jake Watson; WRs/DBs Ben Turner and D.J. Phillips; OL/DL Carter Bush and Danny Alberts.
State playoff record: 21-22.
Coach: Curt Reinas, 21st season (139-64).
Overview: The Bulldogs haven’t had a losing season since 2003 and should wind up in the state playoffs for the 20th straight season. Earl should pile up a bundle of yards now that he has settled into a running back spot. Watson, Phillips and Turner will help with the efficiency of the passing attack. Relyea will be a standout on both sides of the ball.
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16. River Rouge (5-5)
Top players: WR Nick Marsh (Michigan State); sophomore DB DiJon Wilson; OL/DL Lamar Moore; junior DL Jordin Farrow; LB/RB Daivon Hill; DB-LB Leo Garcia; junior QB McKale McDowell.
State playoff record: 26-16.
Coach: Eric Pettway, second season (5-5).
Overview: An independent, Rouge has a ferocious first six games: Belleville, Grand Rapids CC, Toledo St. John’s, Birmingham Brother Rice, Lakewood (Ohio) St. Edward and Orchard Lake St. Mary’s. Marsh, who caught 44 passes for 786 yards and 7 TDs, may be the top receiver in the state. Wilson’s play will be key in the secondary. Hill needs to be an effective runner to keep the pressure off McDowell, who completed 85 of 125 passes for 1,389 yards and 15 TDs.
15. DeWitt (9-4)
Top players: Junior QB Elliot Larner; junior WR Abram Larner; sophomore slot-QB/DB Traverse Moore; sophomore TE Jacob Schorfhaar; sophomore WR/DB Jadon Bender; RB Rece Baker; WR Jensen Ridley; DL/OL JT Terrill and Lincoln Stein.
State playoff record: 66-28.
Coach: Rob Zimmerman, 24th season (233-48).
Overview: Not only will the Panthers be talented again this season, but they will be faster than usual, which will help make the offense even more dangerous. The Larners — QB Elliot to twin brother Abram — will be quite a passing combination and Ridley is a flat-out burner who can beat most defensive backs deep. Baker is a talented RB and Moore will be on the field a slot at either QB or slot, which will open up the offense.
14. Macomb Dakota (11-1)
Top players: RB/DB Austin Tuchowski; DE Jake Kowalkowski; junior LB Damari Malone; WRs Keleb Pritchard and Colin Snead; OT Bryce Ward; DB/WR Jalen Whittaker.
State playoff record: 42-21.
Coach: Greg Baur, eighth season (53-23).
Overview: A strong junior class, led by Malone, will help fill some gaps for the Cougars, who are again among the strongest teams in Macomb County and a perennial threat in D-1. Tuchowski should have a lot of success rushing this season. Pritchard and Snead will help the passing game go. There is a lot of strength in the two lines, led by Ward and Kowalkowski.
13. Mount Pleasant (9-2)
Top players: QB Logan Borodychuk (CMU); OL Andrew Dennis (Michigan State) and Kal Kowallic; SB/slot Tyler Hutchins; DB Logan Zenenberg; RB Caleb Neubecker.
State playoff record: 24-20.
Coach: Jason McIntyre, 18th season (140-45).
Overview: The Oilers will be a senior-dominated team that could be tops in the Saginaw Valley League again. Borodychuk has a D-I arm, but with the exceptional experience in the offensive line, the Oilers may not throw the ball as much as they did last season. Hutchins, Dennis and Kowallic have all been key starters since their sophomore seasons, and they will have a lot of influence over the younger players who will need to fill some holes.
12. Southfield A&T (8-3)
Top players: QB Isaiah Marshall (Kansas); WR Tashi Braceful (Toledo); WR Jawon Jarrett; WR Xavier Bowman; RBs Davier Burt and Royce Liggins; DB Jalen Todd (Kansas) DL Reggie Gardner; LBs Mathias Davis and Mauricio Clayton.
State playoff record: 4-3.
Coach: Aaron Marshall, third season (10-10).
Overview: In Marshall, who passed for 2,556 yards and 27 TDs and ran for another 1,116 yards and 20 TD, the Warriors have one of the most dynamic QBs in the state. It helps that he has three excellent receivers in Braceful, Jarrett and Bowman. Burt and Liggins combine to give A&T a legit running game. The defense — with Gardner on the line, backed up by Davis and Clayton and Todd in the secondary — should be improved.
11. Davison (9-2)
Top players: LB/RB Carter Herriman (Miami of Ohio); RB-slot AJ Hill Jr.; DEs Tyler Dosh and Jackson Clarke; WR Buddy Banks-Williams; QB Sawyer Glennie; sophomore OT Ben Nichols.
State playoff record: 28-19.
Coach: Jake Weingartz, sixth season (44-12).
Overview: A perennial playoff contender, the Cardinals have a rough start, facing two-time defending D-2 state champ De La Salle in the opener and Grandville in Week 2. Harriman, along with Dosh and Clarke, will lead what should be an improved defense and a tough unit to score against. Glennie has progressed each season and has become an impressive passer; he should be in for a big season.
Mick McCabe is a former longtime columnist for the Detroit Free Press. Contact him at mick.mccabe11@gmail.com. Follow him on Twitter @mickmccabe1.
Order his book, “Mick McCabe’s Golden Yearbook: 50 Great Years of Michigan’s Best High School Players, Teams & Memories,” now at McCabe.PictorialBook.com.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan high school football 2023: Preseason top teams Nos. 11-25
