Jeff Chaney
Sports Scene
Another great year of high school football has passed, but the memories left behind by the area’s players will last a lifetime. As usual, the middle part of the state had some great teams, led by Ithaca, which won its third straight Division 6 state championship and is currently on a 42-game winning streak. Beal City made another trip to Ford Field to play for a state title, while Portland made its first trip to the finals and came home with a Division 5 state championship trophy. To have great teams like this, you must have great players, and great players were not in short supply.
The following is High School Sports Scene’s Dream Team.
The team is led by co-Players of the Year, junior quarterback Travis Smith of Ithaca and senior offensive lineman Steve Elmer of Midland. Smith had an excellent season, throwing for over 2,300 yards and leading a Yellowjackets offense that scored 637 points in 13 games. Smith’s year ended on a personally disappointing note, as he hurt his shoulder on the second play of the state championship game against Constantine and was sidelined for the entire game. But his teammates came to him while he lay on the trainer’s table at Ford Field and told him they had his back, and they did, taking a 37-27 victory. So even if he wasn’t making plays on the field, he was still inspiring the Yellowjackets to a win.
Elmer, the 6’6″, 310-pound behemoth has had a great fall. He was a key reason that his team finished the regular season with a perfect 9-0 record and won its first Saginaw Valley Association championship in three years. And his future team, Notre Dame, finished with a perfect 12-0 record and now will play for the BCS Championship on January 8 in Miami.
This year’s first team offense and defense is represented by 28 players from 25 different high schools. There are eight juniors on the team, and the rest are seniors. The smallest player is 5’9″, 175-pound specialist Charles Proctor of Bay City Western, and the largest is Elmer. The offensive line is huge, averaging 276 pounds, and that’s with 200 pound senior center Nate Schafer of Beal City on it. The defense is fast and athletic, and it may have the best wrestler in the nation on it in Fowlerville’s Adam Coon, who will hang up his football cleats to concentrate on wresting at Michigan next year.
As hard as it was to pick this team, picking the coach was just as difficult. Beal City’s Lou Rau, Midland’s Eric Methner, and last year’s coach of the Dream Team, Ithaca’s Terry Hessbrook are all great selections. But this year’s honor to lead this great team goes to Portland’s John Novara, who led his team to its first state title this year. Here is the 2012 Dream Team.
Players of the Year
Travis Smith, Ithaca (6-2, 200, Jr.) and Steve Elmer, Midland (6-6, 310, Sr.)
OFFENSE
QB- Garrett Pougnet, Powers Catholic (6-3, 190, Sr.)
RB – Gerald Holmes, Carman-Ainsworth (6-1, 199, Sr.)
RB – Derrick Nash, Carrollton (5-9, 180, Sr.)
RB – Michael Tweh, Mt. Pleasant (6-0, 205, Jr.)
RB – Caleb Rinehart, Montrose (6-2, 235, Sr.)
WR – Max Cummings, Swartz Creek (6-3, 185, Sr.)
WR – Amari Coleman, New Lothrop (5-8, 165, Jr.)
OL – Riley Norman, Cadillac (6-7, 295, Sr.)
OL – Curtis Doyle, Alma (6-6, 295, Jr.)
OL – Derek Trecha, Powers Catholic (6-4, 295, Sr.)
OL – Josh Schipper, Nouvel Catholic Central (6-2, 264, Sr.)
OL – Nate Schafer, Beal City (6-0, 200, Sr.)
Specialist – Charles Proctor, Bay City Western (5-9, 175, Sr.)
K – Bryce Frahm, Frankenmuth (6-0, 170, Jr.)
DEFENSE
DL – Josh Capen, Ithaca (6-2, 220, Sr.)
DL – Pierce Watson, Lowell (6-0, 200, Sr.)
DL – Aaron Matthias, Hemlock (6-7, 231, Sr.)
DL – Dylan Carroll, Portland (6-5, 230, Sr.)
LB – Mitch Greenacre, Clare (6-0, 225, Sr.)
LB – Mike Czarnota, Fenton (5-10, 205, Sr.)
LB – Brent Showers, Rockford (6-0, 201, Jr.)
LB – Tyler Jacqmain, Nouvel Catholic Central (6-1, 200, Jr.)
DB- Cha’quan Love, Lansing Everett (5-9, 180, Sr.)
DB – Jordan Hessbrook, Ithaca (5-8, 160, Sr.)
DB – Eric Cooper, Beecher (5-11, 180, Sr.)
P – Austin Feldpausch, Fowler (5-10, 215, Jr.)
COACH
John Novara, Portland
Honorable Mention
QB – Mitch Myler, Sacred Heart
QB – Bart Williams, Grand Blanc
RB – Alex Grace, Swan Valley
RB – Nick Hire, Sacred Heart
RB – Tyler Koenigsknecht, Fowler
RB – Jacob Kimmell, Portland
WR – Trent Karcher, Chippewa Hills
WR – Jack Swain, Lansing Catholic
WR – Jared Evers, Ithaca
WR – Javon Haines, East Lansing
OL – Brann Schmitt, Carson City
OL – Alex Neering, Garber
Specialist – Nick Sullivan, Powers
Specialist – Alec Johnson, Midland
K – Dan Burns, Meridian
LB – Zach Huver, Lowell
LB – Adam Coon, Fowlerville
LB – Wes Asel, Garber
LB – Lucas Bourelle, Midland Dow
LB – Luke McClean, Grand Blanc
DL – Jesse Micho, Frankenmuth
DL – Terrance Thomas, Midland
DB – KC Zenner, Rockford