Unsung heroes
By MMichael Selecky

As the regular season for high school football has come and gone, all of us who’ve braved the lights of Friday night for the past nine or 10 weeks realize how hard each and every athlete has to compete in order for a quality program to gel the way it truly needs to.
That being said, and in response to several calls we’ve received regarding the fact that not every competitor has received his share of the spotlight, I’d like to take some time to discuss some of those area gridiron athletes who’ve given their all, but haven’t graced our pages as often as area stars such as Goodrich’s Jake Bourassa, Lapeer East’s Kris Pender or Bentley’s Shane Skalski.
For Grand Blanc, some of its season-long contributors include Adam Cesal with one catch for six yards, while running for 22 yards on six carries, Jace Bapert managed 61 yards on 15 rushes and one catch for 10 yards, and Anthony Owens added two catches for 29 yards.
Another Bobcat who’s come through this season is Tyler Thurlow, who ran for 34 yards on five carries, while completing 2-of-5 passes for 24 yards and making eight catches for 73 yards and two touchdowns.
Defensively for Grand Blanc, some of its diamonds in the rough include Logan Castleman with 11 total tackles, Justin Music managed a dozen defensive stops and Nate DeFrain added nine tackles for the year.
On the county’s other side, Bendle will be losing seniors such as Jacob Schofield, Kyle Mathis, Carlos Quitanilla, Dane Panos, Jacob Coffin and Tony Goss for the offense.
“Linebackers Matt Bender and Billy Owens, along with our defensive line of sophomore Leslie Hurlburt, senior Dan Honeysette and junior Nick Walt all gave quality efforts,” said Coach Jerry Todd.
Another such player would be Dryden senior Travis Litkovitz, who managed one solo tackle and five assists, while also playing offensive line in the Cardinals’ season closing victory over Burr Oak on Oct. 19.
“Travis has been a rock for us on the line both ways. It’s going to be tough to replace him on and off the field,” said Coach Brian Tresnak. “He’s a four-year letterman, and we’ve been lucky enough to coach him since he was in the seventh grade.”
Also contributing to the Cardinal cause against Burr Oak was Allen Clark, who had 10 carries for 27 yards, along with three solo tackles and 12 assists, Nathan Forrest had one solo stop and seven assists, and Evan Crean added one catch for 40 yards, a two-point conversion and one solo tackle with four assists.
At Imlay City, in its final loss of a two win campaign against Lake Fenton, Michael Guerrero had four catches for 14 yards, Cody Slingerland notched a 16-yard touchdown grab along with a 78-yard kickoff return for a score, and Mason Duke chipped in with four catches for 44 yards, six solo tackles and three interceptions. All of these players are seniors.
“The defense played well as a whole, but it was a learning year and we were inexperienced,” said Coach John Forti. “We’ll be better next season, but this year’s seniors will be missed.”
Some of the hidden gems for Lapeer West in their recent win over Holly include Nate Smith, a sophomore quarterback who stands in at 5-foot-10, 160 pounds. He completed one pass for seven yards while rushing three times for 23 yards, while Tim Sparks, a senior wide receiver, had one kickoff return for 13 yards.
At undefeated Almont, Ethan Coucke and Dillon Melly led the way with 11 tackles, Jeff Simeon managed three sacks and a fumble recovery and Steve Mack added 21 rushing yards on seven carries in the Raiders’ 23-12 victory over Cass City on Oct. 19.
All in all, it’s been nine games of agony, pain and mind-blowing aggression, and I wouldn’t have it any other way. For all of you in the trenches, gutting it out in the wind, rain and mud, keep up the good work; Fridays won’t be the same without you.

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