Hazel Park, Madison Heights

Madison-Park News: A look at local prep teams as gridiron season nears

» click to enlarge « Photo by Donna Agusti Madison Heights High posted an impressive 9-3 record last season. The Eagles are hoping for more of the same in 2012. Photo by Donna Agusti Madison Heights High posted an impressive 9-3 record last season. The Eagles are hoping for more of the same in 2012.

High school football season has arrived. And to help you get familiar with all the local teams, we present our annual football preview, chock full of information to review right up until the first kickoff.

Check back in the paper and online throughout the season for more football coverage, including photos, game previews and recaps, team and player features, rankings and picks.

And don’t forget to follow along with us on Twitter and Facebook for live updates from select games.

Madison Heights High Eagles

Last season’s record: 9-3
League: Macomb Area Conference Silver Division
Returning starters: Four

Offensive keys:

Quarterback Nick Wallace missed most of last year with an injury, and coach Drake Wilkins is hoping that his return will help guide Madison to another winning season. And given the inexperience of the squad, Wallace’s leadership and arm are needed.

Of course, Wallace will not exactly be alone in the backfield. He is likely to get some protection in the form of sophomore running back Juan Johnson.

Wilkins believes that the season Wallace and Johnson have will go a long way toward determining the Eagles’ place in the standings.

“I’m looking for both of those guys to have productive years,” Wilkins said. “Otherwise, (we’re) in trouble.”

Defensive keys:

The defensive side of the ball may be the biggest question mark heading into the season. The inexperience of his squad is making it difficult for Wilkins to know exactly what he has on defense until the season begins.

The coach said he may have to wait to see some game action until he learns if he has some new faces who are ready to step up and help lead Madison’s defensive efforts. But in the meantime, as the Eagles prepare to head into the season, the two players he will be counting on the most are senior linebacker Antonio George and senior lineman Dennis Jenkins.

Coach’s outlook:

With only four starters returning, Wilkins knows that the Eagles will have to rely on some as-of-yet untapped resources in order to make some noise. He expects to have as many as five sophomores suit up this season.

“What it boils down to is whether or not the inexperienced players are going to make the adjustment of being on varsity and be able to perform,” Wilkins said. “That’s really the whole key, because we’re so young and inexperienced that I’m relying on a lot of guys that have never played a down of varsity football.”
 

Bishop Foley Ventures

Last season’s record: 4-5
League: Catholic League Intersectional Division
Returning starters: Six

Offensive keys:

The Ventures are looking to three-year senior starters Gabe O’Neil and Dominic Henry-Davis to help their offense roll in 2012.

Foley coach Tim Sagert considers O’Neil to be one of the top wide receivers in the league, and his play could account for a lot of the points scored by the Ventures.

A good running game can serve as an excellent source for keeping defenses honest, and Sagert will be relying on Henry-Davis to fill that role as the team’s fullback.

Defensive keys:

Henry-Davis is a two-way player, and his role as one of the team’s linebackers means he will also be asked to help shut down the running game of opponents.

Safety Nick Gwisdalla and cornerback Brendan McMahon are also expected to play a big role on defense.

Coach’s outlook:

Change is the order of the day for the Ventures. Along with a host of new players, Sagert has overhauled his coaching staff, bringing in five former players — Ryan Coughlin, Ian Coughlin, Chris Synagoga, Nick Harris and Juwan Shakespear — to help guide his team.

Sagert said he has been pleased with the atmosphere that has been created during practice sessions, in part as a result of the enthusiasm his coaching staff has brought to the practice field.

“I think I needed to put a little jolt in my program, so I brought back some kids that can bring me a little bit of excitement,” Sagert said of his assistant coaches. “The tempo of my practices and the workouts has been night and day from the last couple seasons.

“Our weakness and our strengths are about the same. My weakness is I have a very young team — our numbers are a little down. But the strength would be that we’re a very enthusiastic young team.”

Madison Heights Lamphere Rams

Last season’s record: 3-6
League: Macomb Area Conference Silver Division
Returning starters: 11

Offensive keys:

Although Lamphere may have been known primarily as a passing team in the past, the Rams may be looking to their ground game to help provide a more balanced attack this season. Coach Jason Charron hopes for close to a 50-50 split between run and pass plays, and he believes he has the resources to do it.

Lamphere returns four starters to the offensive line (Sam Trabucchi, Bobby Parker, Jacob Myszenski and Dan Gettel), in addition to running back Sid Hernandez. Charron will turn to them to help put points on the board.

“I think that’s going to be a good strength for us,” he said. “We have a few skill positions we’re trying to develop — trying to develop the receivers. But I think going into the season, we’re going to really try to put an emphasis on running the ball.”

Defensive keys:

Just as Charron hopes Lamphere can make some hay in the trenches on the offensive side of the ball, he also believes his defensive line can help to neutralize opponents.

Defense could be a strength for Lamphere this season, and Charron credits defensive coordinator Tim Chapman for his contributions.

“It’s the second year in the system for the players,” Charron said. “Systemwise, I think we feel pretty comfortable with where we’re at defensively, and we have some senior leadership at some skill positions. I think, as a whole, defensively we’re pretty sound. We just got to play consistently and get to the football.”

Coach’s outlook:
With some potential pieces in place on offense and defense, belief could be the key ingredient for the Rams this season.
“The players believing in the coaches, themselves and in the team, I think, will take us a long way,” Charron said. “Offensively, we just got to be able to be consistent — move the chains. Defensively, play aggressive. Make plays when plays need to be made.”

Hazel Park Vikings

Last season’s record: 3-6
League: Oakland Activities Association Blue Division
Returning starters: Four

Offensive keys:

Coach Scott Guthrie will be relying on eight members on his offensive unit who have no previous experience in starting roles. And given that lack of experience, Guthrie will be looking to quarterback Andrew McClellan to play a big role in helping to lead the way for Hazel Park. This will be McClellan’s third year as a starter, and the Vikings are likely to lean heavily on his senior leadership.

Guthrie expects McClellan to be aided by some speed on the edge and fullback Deonte Bynum who can pound the ball in the middle.

Defensive keys:

Speed is expected to be the name of the game on defense. Although Guthrie hasn’t witnessed it unfold in game action as of yet, he is hopeful that what he is seeing on the practice field plays itself out once the Friday night lights come on.

“I think we’re going to be pretty fast on defense,” Guthrie said. “We only returned four guys, but a lot of the younger guys have some good speed. They’re not proven yet. Once they get experience, I think we’ll be pretty fast.”

Coach’s outlook:

Endurance could be a key factor this season. Of course, avoiding injuries is likely near the top of every coach’s wish list, but Guthrie has his reasons as to why it is particularly important for his squad.

“To be successful, we’re going to have to stay healthy,” he said. “We’re very limited with numbers. A lot of guys are going two ways, and we need to count on those guys.”