Macomb County

Gridiron's best get nods as All-Eastside honorees

By Christian Davis, Jon Malavolti and Mike Moore
C & G Sports Writers

» Click on image to view full size « Photo by Deb Jacques Mike Abiragi, pictured running the ball against Brother Rice, was a threat just about everywhere on the field this year for De La Salle, but it was his defensive play that landed him on the first-team All-Eastside roster. Photo by Deb Jacques Mike Abiragi, pictured running the ball against Brother Rice, was a threat just about everywhere on the field this year for De La Salle, but it was his defensive play that landed him on the first-team All-Eastside roster.

The prep football season has come and gone, and what time better than now to look back on the season and honor those athletes who made it so enjoyable to watch.

Covering nearly 70 teams across Macomb, Oakland and Wayne counties, the C & G football staff has seen its share of big games and is now ready to name its All-Eastside and All-Westside teams.

The selection process for our seventh installment of the honor squads involved our football writers polling coaches, reviewing statistics and other research.

Here is the All-Eastside team.

First-team offense:
Shane Morris, QB, Warren De La Salle — It’s scary to think Morris hasn’t even reached his potential yet at the high school level, but the two-year starter had another brilliant season as a junior. While guiding De La Salle to a D-1 regional final, Morris finished the year completing 121 of 235 passes for 1,684 yards and 19 touchdowns. He also added six rushing touchdowns, which was tops on the team. Even more will be expected from Morris next fall, his final season at De La Salle before heading to the University of Michigan, where’s he verbally committed.

Latham Donald, RB, St. Clair Shores Lakeview — After rushing for 1,008 yards and 15 touchdowns his senior season, the senior leaves Lakeview with career marks of 5,219 rushing yards and 61 touchdowns. Huskies coach Rob Wozniak described him as a “hard runner who combined explosive quickness with old-school toughness.” Donald also caught three touchdown passes and hauled in 438 total receiving yards. Defensively, he made 28 tackles and had two interceptions at cornerback.

Travis Joseph, RB, St. Clair Shores Lake Shore — The senior starred on both sides of the ball for the Shorians. Joseph rushed 205 times for 1,030 yards — an average of about 5 yards per carry. He ran for 14 touchdowns, and caught 10 passes for 98 yards. Defensively, as a lineman, he recorded 48 tackles, six sacks and two forced fumbles.

Yousseff Bujaidar, WR, Utica Eisenhower — A threat to score every time he touched the ball for the Eagles, the senior returned four punts for touchdowns. He also played defensive back for the squad.

Jamel Lockett, WR, Warren Mott — When the Marauders needed a big play, the senior receiver and running back stepped up. Lockett Caught 43 passes for 810 yards. He also rushed for 225 yards, averaging 5 yards per carry.

Lucas Lanzon, TE, L’Anse Creuse — Coach Dan Roda called the junior the “most versatile player I ever coached.” On offense, Lanzon lined up at quarterback, center, running back and tight end for the Lancers. Defensively, he was “one of the hardest hitting linebackers ever to play” at L’Anse Creuse, according to his coach. Lanzon had 89 tackles, three forced fumbles, two recovered fumbles and two passes broken up. He also had 42 rushes for 142 yards and went 5-for-12 passing for 146 yards and four total touchdowns.

David Curle, OL, Utica Eisenhower — The 6-foot-4, 270-pounder lined up on both sides of the ball and absolutely dominated in the trenches. When the Eagles had the ball, the junior held his ground, creating holes for running backs and a barrier for his quarterback. On defense, Curle was often at the point of attack creating chaos.

Brad Meredith, OL, Utica Ford II — The senior helped the Falcons become the top-scoring offense in MAC White Division play, averaging a league-best 32 points per game. Meredith also played on the D-line, where he racked up 49 tackles (46 solo) and a pair of sacks.

Kent Donajkowski, OL, Macomb L’Anse Creuse North — Donajkowski is an All-State Academic team selection with a 3.5 GPA, according to Crusaders coach Joe Politowicz, The coach said his senior center is a hard worker who was very dependable and “never missed a practice.”

Evan Cavanaugh, OL, Warren Cousino — The senior helped pave the way for the Patriots to win the MAC White Division and return to the playoffs. Cousino’s offense averaged 31.4 points a game in league action.

J.J. McGrath, K/P, Macomb Lutheran North — McGrath didn’t have a ton of opportunities as far as field goals are concerned, but he certainly made the most of the ones he got. The junior made five on the season in eight attempts, highlighted by a 52-yarder and two from 47 yards out. He was a perfect 25 of 25 on extra points, and coach Gary Faszholz said the only times McGrath didn’t get a touchback on kickoffs was when North went for an onside kick or did an intentional squib kick. “I know I’m biased,” Faszholz said, “but I really believe he is one of the best kickers in the state.”

First-team defense:
Joe Tolliver, DL, Grosse Pointe North — A two-year starter at defensive tackle and offensive guard, Tolliver had 39 total tackles his senior season, including six for a loss. He also had two sacks and two forced fumbles. Offensively, coach Frank Sumbera said he was “our best run blocker and trap blocker. A very physical player.”

Ben Schulte, DL, Utica Eisenhower — Despite being listed at only 5 feet 11 and 195 pounds, wherever the senior lined up, he made his mark and presence known for the Eagles. Schulte recorded 59 tackles, six sacks, one forced fumble and fumble recovery in 11 games.

Nick Johnson, DL, St. Clair Shores South Lake — The senior was a vital member of one of the area’s most dominating defenses. The Cavaliers gave up a total of six points in division play en route to the MAC Bronze Division title.

Troy Cross, LB, Warren Cousino — The MAC White MVP starred on both sides of the ball for the Patriots. Defensively, the senior led a unit that gave up more than six points just once in league play. Offensively, he was a dual-threat option at quarterback.

Jon Jarvie, LB, Macomb Dakota — The senior had five games in which he recorded double-digit tackles, finishing with 92 on the year. He also recorded two sacks, two forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries, a safety and a pair of touchdowns.

Charles Idemudia, LB, Grosse Pointe North — The senior, who also played fullback for the Norsemen, was the team’s MVP. He totaled 91 tackles — including nine for a loss and two sacks — and forced two fumbles. He also batted down seven passes.

Jack Doyle, LB, Grosse Pointe South — Doyle made 139 tackles during his junior season, including 14 for a loss. He also added five sacks and recovered two fumbles. Offensively, he made five catches for 68 yards.

Mike Abiragi, DB, De La Salle — Abiragi is one of those pure athletes who could occupy any number of positions on this list. He was De La Salle’s second-leading rusher and fourth-leading pass receiver as far as yards and catches, but his greatest contribution was on the defensive side of the ball. The senior corner led the Pilots in tackles with 106, had a team-best four interceptions and was second on the team with nine pass deflections. He was the unquestioned leader of the defensive squad.

Alfonso Vultaggio, DB, Utica Eisenhower — The MAC Red MVP did it all for the Eagles. The senior recorded 71 tackles, including one sack, and forced a fumbled and recovered three. On special teams, he blocked a punt and averaged a little more than 18 yards on kickoff returns. Offensively, he caught 14 passes for 269 yards and scored five total touchdowns.

Corey Dunaj, DB, Warren Cousino — An imposing figure in the defensive backfield, the 6-foot-5-inch, 210-pound senior was a playmaker on both sides of the ball for the Patriots.

Coach of the Year:
Bob Lantzy, Utica Eisenhower — The longtime Eagles coach goes out on a high note, retiring after leading Ike to the state semifinals this past season. Lantzy leaves Ike with an impressive 304-115-1 career record, including 13 league championships, five district titles, seven regional crowns and four state-final appearances.

Second team:
• Lucas Ross, QB — Warren Mott
• Devante Thomas, RB — Chippewa Valley
• Lairren Johnson, RB — Warren Lincoln
• Trevor Macklem, WR — Dakota
• Jon Parker, WR — Grosse Pointe South
• Connar Tava, TE — De La Salle
• Ray Williams, OL — Roseville
• Dave Van Ittersum, OL — De La Salle
• Harris Vrabac, OL — Warren Mott
• Ian MacDonald, OL — Chippewa Valley
• Malcolm Simmons, DL, Roseville
• Alex Maday, DL— Utica High
• Dominic DiClemente, DL— Eisenhower
• Shane Strawska, LB— Warren Mott
• Kenny Kaufman, LB— Lakeview
• Casual Williams, LB— South Lake
• Daniel Venditti, LB — Eisenhower
• Kris Capuchina, DB — Roseville
• Josh Rezney, DB — Fraser
• Josh McCarthy, DB — L’Anse Creuse

Honorable mention:
Damorria Lilly, Nick Ciaramitaro, Reed Carnagie and Alex Issa, De La Salle; Jordan Sharich, Macomb Lutheran North; Nate Gaggin, Charles Jones, Daniel Baird, Kevaughn Jackson and Patrick Monahan, Grosse Point Woods University Liggett; Joe Zerafa and Daniel Gojcaj, Eisenhower; Anthony Brooks and Nate Mosher, Mott; Seth Balogh and Trevor Macklem, Dakota; Paul Kupke, Keegan Haggarty and Paul Miller, Chippewa; Lance Gross, Utica Stevenson, Stephan Annoni, Thomas Mickens, Israel Hicks and Jimmy Glidden, Cousino; Caleb Cummings, Roseville; Anthony Savine, Lester Olson, Mike Saba and David Skochelak, Ford; Anthony Sarkis, Tod Long, Chris Hamilton and Dylan Balicki, Grosse Pointe North; Russell Simmons and Andrew Ackerman, Utica; Kevin Reck, Eddy Mollison, Tom Firl, Pat Sattelmeier and Robby Kish, Grosse Pointe South; Josh Heins, Brian Khashola and Mike Adour, Sterling Heights High; Nate Snover, Chris Bolus, Joe Almeranti and Jo Janko, Lake Shore; Tre Wells, Tyler Forton, Charles Underwood and Zach Herron, Fraser; Tyrell Yharbrough, East Detroit; Zach Horne, Troy Kaplan, Austin Doll and Steve Altadonna, Lakeview; Dylan Burns, Malik Hazzard and Todd Walker, Clintondale; Larry Gavin, P.J. Garwood and Josh Thompson, Fitzgerald; Chuckie Voorhees, Warren Woods Tower; Marcus Anderson, Jacques Christian, Bradley Mitchell, Delshawn Dukes and Jordon Culver, South Lake; Aaron McFadden, Joshua Weidner, Shawn Clairmont, Chevas Walker and Kalvan Williamson, Mount Clemens; Jacob Legree, Jerome Dina and Mike Tyszkiewicz, Center Line; Kevin Shaw, Warren Lincoln; Brett Dodge, Parkway Christian; and Cliff Forris, Harper Woods High.

You can reach C & G Sports Writer Christian Davis at cdavis@candgnews.com or at (586)498-1062.

You can reach C & G Sports Writer Jon Malavolti at jmalavolti@candgnews.com or at (586)498-1040.

You can reach C & G Sports Writer Mike Moore at mmoore@candgnews.com or at (586)498-1038.