For starters

By Brad D. Bates
C & G Sports Writer

Photos by David Schreiber Grosse Pointe North senior Jimmy Guest, pictured earlier this year at practice, rushed for 162 yards on 16 carries against Harrison Township L’Anse Creuse in North’s 2010 season opener.

North, South football set to open leagues after debuts

While they may have had different results, with Grosse Pointe North winning its first game and Grosse Pointe South falling in its opener, the rivals feel good about kicking off their league slates.

North topped Harrison Township L’Anse Creuse 49-3 Aug. 26 at home, while South fell to University of Detroit Jesuit 46-39 Aug. 26 at home.

“We have the same group of kids that we had before last Thursday, so we still feel good about our team,” South coach Tim Brandon said.

“We came back from down four scores and tied the game in the fourth quarter before they beat us. That was a very athletic and fast team from the Catholic League, though, and we played them very tough.”

A look at the stats from week one and it’s easy to see why Brandon feels good about his team’s chances to repeat as Macomb Area Conference Blue Division champions.

“Ben Fry had more than 350 yards of total offense; Will Reeves had 13 tackles; and Victor Matteson had a monster game,” Brandon said.

“And (senior offensive lineman) Ryan Gall was very impressive in what he did on the field, as well the way he led off it.”

Fry, the senior quarterback, paced the Blue Devils’ offense with 221 passing yards and a touchdown. He also had 133 yards rushing, including three touchdowns.

Matteson, a senior receiver, led the receivers with 111 yards on five receptions and one touchdown, while junior running back Eddie Mollison chipped in with 61 yards on six carries and a touchdown.

On defense, senior linebacker Jeff Blazhoff, who posted 11 stops, helped Reeves, a senior linebacker.

Even though they lost to U-D, Brandon feels his players will bounce back in the league because of the familiarity they have with the opposition.

“Against U of D, all we had to go on was the scrimmage, so they did a lot of things we didn’t know they would do,” Brandon said. “In the Blue, we have a lot more film and experience with the teams.

“There’s a confidence level, too. Instead of playing a team from the Catholic League Central Division that we don’t know, we’re playing teams that we know, and teams that, based on last year, we know we can beat.”

South kicks off defense of its 2009 MAC Blue title at 7 p.m. Sept. 2 at Port Huron Northern, which topped Rochester Hills Stoney Creek  23-13 in its opener.

“I thought Stoney Creek would be able to take care of Port Huron Northern,” Brandon said. “So that score surprised me a little bit, but (Northern) has some real nice weapons.”

Northward bound

There is never much doubt that under coach Frank Sumbera the North football team is going to run the ball.

But in 2010, it might be a little tougher to guess who is going to carry the ball.

“We’ll pretty much have (seniors) Jadon Cook and Jimmy Guest running the ball with junior Aaron Rivera backing up at fullback or tailback,” Sumbera said. “It’s not going to be like last year when we had a guy carry the ball 30 times a game.”

Guest led the Norsemen in rushing against the Lancers with 162 yards on 16 carries, while Cook posted 53 yards on eight carries and Rivera had 89 yards on eight carries.

“I thought our kids did a real good job coming off the ball and controlling the line of scrimmage,” Sumbera said. “Our right tackle, Joe Tolliver, played solid, as did Kevin Wieczorek, the left tackle, and the left guard Evan Locke. I was real impressed with the offensive line.”

Sumbera was also impressed with his defensive line, which he said was still a question mark heading into the first game of the season.

“We were a little worried about our line play on defense, but it turned out pretty good,” Sumbera said. “After the first possession of the game, they didn’t give up a first down.”

While he boasts a roster with 25 seniors, Sumbera said he was very impressed with play of Rivera and said performances like his week one showing can help other underclassmen on the team.

“Aaron Rivera had a very good game on defense too, with four tackles, and he returned a kickoff 30 yards for us,” Sumbera said.

“(Rivera’s performance) puts us ahead of the game a bit, because it shows a newcomer can come in and do a good job, and maybe inspire some other juniors and even sophomores.”


North faces Utica Ford II, which fell to Utica Eisenhower 17-7 in its opener, at 7 p.m. Sept. 2 at Runkel Field in Sterling Heights.

“After week one, (MAC White teams) won four and lost two,” Sumbera said. “Ford played a real good game against a strong Eisenhower team, too.”

You can reach C & G Sports Writer Brad D. Bates at bbates@candgnews.com or at (586)498-1029.