Results - Top Class C Teams

For the last couple days, there's been a poll on the right hand side asking you who you believed to be the best class C team in Mid-Michigan. Like I predicted, not one team dominated the race; in fact, St. Charles and Nouvel tied at 19 votes a piece, and the Reese Rockets fell one vote short with 18. Fulton was right up there as well with 14 votes, while USA and Flint Hamady brought up the rear with 5 and 3 votes, respectively.

The results are exactly why this season is so interesting; there appears be a lot of parity this year, unlike previous years where Nouvel might have been the runaway favorite. Let's take a look at these squads.

Nouvel Catholic Central has a lot of live up to; after all, it can be tough to be the follow up to a team that goes 14-0 and absolutely dominated throughout the entire season. With the familiar names of Birnbaum, Sonntag, and Ryan gone, along with many other impact players, the Panthers were forced to reload for 2006. While they haven't quite been the steamroller that they hoped to be, they've put themselves in a position to win games. Without the star power, the Panthers have been relying on their depth to beat teams; its a good thing they have a lot of it. Quartberback David Kazmierski hasn't been quite as, well, Class C Player of the Year, as his predecessor, but he's been effective. Nick Awry, whose brother Tony was also a star player at Nouvel a few years back, has provided an athletic spark for the group. Despite losses from some quality teams (Detroit Country Day and Traverse City St. Francis), the Panthers still receive my vote for the top class C team in Mid-Michigan.

St. Charles went 8-4 last season, with losses to New Lothrop, Ithaca, Hemlock, and the eventual state champions, Nouvel. A lot of players from last year's team have returned as seniors to improve upon their district championship. Brian Halas has played well in his second year as quarterback, providing a 4th running option in the Bulldogs' vaunted wing T attack. So far, though, the bulk of the yards have been split between runningbacks Ryan Humpert and junior Marshall Davenport. Speed and elusiveness define the St. Charles backfield, but the backs aren't in it alone. A host of returning linemen, led by senior tackle Brad Saunders, have made plenty of room to run in. Mix that with the traditional Bulldog defense that always loves to hit, and you may have a combination for a long post-season run. They better be careful, though; they've defeated some quality teams, but one-touchdown victories against Ithaca and Merrill mean that they'll have to battle to keep teams at bay when the second season begins.

Reese has made the play-offs in each of the last nine years, and 2007 looks like it make a decade of success. If the Rockets looked a bit off in week 2 against All Saints, they sure made up for it against Deckerville last Friday. In what was expected by many to be a close game, Reese dominated 41-6 and sent a message to the state of Michigan - the Rockets are contenders once again. Josh Bierlein, from a long line of Reese stars with the surname, is calling the signals for the 4-0 Rockets. He has led the team with both his arm and explosive running ability. The Rockets' backfield is constantly rotating; indeed, their deep reserve talented backs has become one of their strengths. Hard-hitting, intelligent Thumb football is what Reese is known for; perhaps this year will be the one in which it takes them to the state finals.

Fulton is undefeated and favored to win the competitive CMAC. They have outscored opponents 180-22 after four weeks, and there are no signs that they won't be able to keep that pace for the rest of the regular season. Tailback Clevelyn Jefferson leads the Pirate offense, as he has accumulated over 100 yards in each game so far this year. With the toughest part of their schedule kicking off in week 5 against Laingsburg, Fulton will have to fight to stay on top with two other undefeated CMAC squads drooling at the chance of knocking off the Pirates.