Best Returners & Biggest Shoes to Fill in the MAC Red
One of the best leagues in the State, the MAC Red holds Elite talent among Elite competition. Last season was a rollercoaster, seeing Romeo take the MAC Red Crown with their suffocating defense. At the same time, Stevenson shocked the…
Access all of Prep Redzone
Continue reading this article and more.
Continue ReadingOne of the best leagues in the State, the MAC Red holds Elite talent among Elite competition. Last season was a rollercoaster, seeing Romeo take the MAC Red Crown with their suffocating defense. At the same time, Stevenson shocked the world, advancing to the State Semifinals, and our #1 C/O 2022 player William Johnson William Johnson 6'3" | 190 lbs | DB Grosse Pointe South | 2022 State MI balled out for Grosse Pointe South. This offseason marks a goodbye to some fantastic athletes but an excellent opportunity for those working in silence. Here are the best returners and biggest shoes to fill for every MAC Red team!
Romeo
Best Returner: MLB Anthony Lomakoski Anthony Lomakoski 6'0" | 220 lbs | LB Romeo Highschool | 2023 MI
Biggest Shoes: SS Caleb Youngblood
Romeo had some DOGS this past season (pun intended). Caleb Youngblood was an electric playmaker at the safety position who was a sure leader on defense. At the same time, other defensive leaders such as Joey Kostrubiec and Doug Malcolm Doug Malcolm 6'4" | 315 lbs | DL Romeo | 2022 MI will also be greatly missed. That being said, these losses on defense make Lomakowki even more of an asset. He’s a big linebacker who can bench 300lbs at 17 years old, having already dominated a very tough schedule last season. Romeo loses a lot on paper, but in practice, they should be able to reload quite well.
Stevenson
Best Returner: DB Keion Singletary
Biggest Shoes: QB Biagio Madonna Biagio Madonna 6'0" | 190 lbs | QB Adlai Stevenson | 2022 MI
“Playoff B” will be sorely missed in 2022. It was a special season for Stevenson because although they didn’t win the MAC Red, they advanced all way to the State Semifinals, where they put up a great fight against Belleville. Biagio Madonna Biagio Madonna 6'0" | 190 lbs | QB Adlai Stevenson | 2022 MI was a key part of that run, and Evan Watson Evan Watson 5'11" | 170 lbs | QB Sterling Heights Stevenson | 2024 MI looks to be the next man up. Keion Singetary headlines a great secondary group for Stevenson, which will be an obvious strength of this team. It seems that he’s been putting in good offseason work, and I can’t wait to see the payoff.
Dakota
Best Returner: QB Ethan Hamby
Biggest Shoes: RB Caiden Sloan Caiden Sloan 5'11" | 195 lbs | RB Macomb Dakota | 2022 State MI
After a difficult start to 2021, Dakota stormed back and won 5 of their final 6 contests. Sloan played a major role in the team’s success, rushing for a school-record 1941 yards. Though 2023 QB Ethan Hamby has had some impressive performances this offseason, he seems locked in for his best season yet. This is a team that will again be full of seniors, and they’ll have a chance to go far.
Chippewa Valley
Best Returner: ATH Shamar Heard
Biggest Shoes: QB Ryan Schuster Ryan Schuster 6'2" | 180 lbs | QB Chippewa Valley | 2022 State MI
A team full of insane talent, Chippewa Valley looks to dominate in 2022. All in all, it was a good year for the Big Reds having gone 7-4 with big wins against Catholic Central and Troy, with a few extremely close losses to Stevenson. Ryan Schuster Ryan Schuster 6'2" | 180 lbs | QB Chippewa Valley | 2022 State MI was a great signal-caller, though oddly enough the biggest shoes to fill may be the easiest shoes to fill as Ryan’s brother Andrew Schuster Andrew Schuster 6'2" | 205 lbs | QB Chippewa Valley | 2024 State MI looks to take the reigns. As for Shamar Heard, we all know the athlete he is, and broadly how much of an X-factor he is while on the field.
Grosse Pointe South
Best Returner: RB Egan Sullivan
Biggest Shoes: DB William Johnson William Johnson 6'3" | 190 lbs | DB Grosse Pointe South | 2022 State MI
These are the biggest shoes to fill in the entire state, as William Johnson William Johnson 6'3" | 190 lbs | DB Grosse Pointe South | 2022 State MI , our #1 ranked 2022 player, is now a Wolverine. It goes without saying, Grosse Pointe South will really miss Will Johnson. All in all, it didn’t seem like this team could get it going, especially with league play. Egan Sullivan, CJ Schervish CJ Schervish 6'2" | 230 lbs | OL Grosse Pointe South | 2024 State MI , and others will now lead this team, and I’m curious to see what comes of it. Speaking on Sullivan, he’s a great back who earned all-region honors last season, and he’ll be carrying an extra load in 2022.
Eisenhower
Best Returner: QB Preston Crum Preston Crum 6'1" | 180 lbs | QB Utica Eisenhower | 2024 State MI
Biggest Shoes: WR/DB Ethan Barker Ethan Barker 5'11" | 160 lbs | WR Eisenhower | 2022 MI
Not a phenomenal year for Eisenhower, but they have some good returning talent to bounce back with. Ethan Barker Ethan Barker 5'11" | 160 lbs | WR Eisenhower | 2022 MI was a great receiver with over 700 yards and 40 catches, and he will be missed. Crum is a great QB who I have been thoroughly impressed with, the question is if he can put together a great season.