Alex Mitchell, LaMarr Woodley Lead 41 Area Gridders at Michigan Colleges

SVSU Tops List With 18 Local Players Set to Take the Field for New Season

August 20, 2005       Leave a Comment
By: Dave Rogers

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Alex Mitchell, 6-5 and 319 pound sophomore offensive lineman from Bay City Central is not the biggest local threat on the gridiron for Michigan colleges.
However, Mitchell has perhaps the greatest potential to emerge from obscurity as the MichiganWolverines are expected to contend for the national title this year.

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The Wolverines open against Northern Illinois at Ann Arbor next Saturday. Michigan's defense, however, will have to step up for the Wolverines to live up to predictions they will finish fourth in the NCAA rankings.

Saginaw Nouvel leads area high schools with seven playerson college teams, followed by Saginaw High with six and Bay City Central with four.

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Western, Midland, Midland Dow, Caro, Freeland and Bridgeport all have two players on college teams. Other area high schools with college players include Essexville Garber, Pinconning, Tawas, Saginaw Heritage, Saginaw Buena Vista, Swan Valley, Reese, Bay City All Saints, Chesaning, Saginaw Arthur Hill, Midland Bullock Creek and Standish.

Chesaning's Leo Henige, Jr., 6-4 339 pound fifth year offensive lineman for Michigan takes the honor as the largest threat from this area in more ways than one.

Henige is returning from knee surgery after an injury in the Indiana game, his second starting role, last year. He may end up at left guard if Rueben Riley is shifted to center, according to reports in The Ann Arbor News.

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There are other local players who, pound for pound, can take on anybody in the country on the gridiron and on the scales.

Alex Mitchell, 19, of Reese, sophomore from Bay City Central,is battling for a backup role at offensive tackle, according to MGoBlue, the U-M football website.

A four year starter for Coach Morley Fraser's Wolfpack, Mitchell was rated the No. 1 player in Michigan by the Detroit Free Press last year. He ran the 40 yard dash in 5.1 seconds and bench presses 405 pounds. Some national ratings services have him as the No. 1 prospect in Michigan and No. 3 offensive guard in the nation. Defensively, Mitchell had40 tackles for Central last year including 10 for losses. He also has thrown the shot 52 feet.

Mitchell earned a 3.6 grade point average in high school and attended the U-M football camp for three years. He is primed to follow in the footstepsof great Bay City linemen like Paul Johnson and Ken Wright at Michigan, Wayne Meylan at Nebraska, Jim Kanicki, Dave Techlin and Chris Willertz at Michigan State and Nigel and Dennis Wirgowski at Purdue.

Northwood boasts 6-3, 318 pound Nick Degg, a senior lineman from Pinconning.

Clifton Ryan, 6-2, 302 pound defensive end from Saginaw Arthur Hill will take the field for the Michigan State Spartans in their first game Sept. 3 against Kent State in East Lansing.

Eric Karbowski, 6-2, 301 pound senior defensive lineman from Standish will help anchor the Central Michigan University Chippewas this season.

Saginaw Valley's Cardinals have senior offensive lineman Stephanol Santos, 6-4, 300 pounder from Buena Vista set for action along with 17 other local players.

LaMarr Woodley, Saginaw High grad at Michigan, may be one local player with All America potential. Woodley, a 6-2, 268 pound junior linebacker, is drawing rave pre-season press reviews.

Brian Thompson, 6-2, 230 junior from Saginaw Nouvel is possible choice for fullback at Michigan, sportswriters theorize. He caught 13 passes in 2003 but none last year and his ballcarrying potential has yet to be tested.

Local players on Michigan college teams include:

MICHIGAN:

Alex Mitchell, 6-5, 319 sophomore offensive lineman, Reese, Bay City Central;

Jerome Jackson, 5-11, 200, junior running back, Saginaw High;

Brian Thompson, 6-2, 230 senior fullback, Saginaw Nouvel;

LaMarr Woodley, 6-2, 268 junior rush linebacker, Saginaw High;

Leo Henige Jr., 6-4, 339 fifth year offensive lineman, Chesaning;

MICHIGAN STATE:

Clifton Ryan, 6-2, 302 junior defensive end, Saginaw Arthur Hill;

Blair White, 6-2, 192 freshman wide receiver, Saginaw Nouvel;

CENTRAL MICHIGAN:

Isaac Brown, 5-11, 197 junior linebacker, Bridgeport;

Jacob Brown, 6-2, 215, senior tight end, Bridgeport;

Ronnie Ekdahl, 6-2, 290, sophomore defensive tackle, Midland Bullock Creek;

Joseph Grillo, 6-0, 263, sophomore defensive lineman, Midland High;

Eric Karbowski, 6-2, 301, senior defensive lineman, Standish;

NORTHWOOD UNIVERSITY:

Brandon Cork, 6-0, 202, senior defensive back, Saginaw High;

James Christensen, 6-0, 240, freshman defensive end, Bay City Western;

Asa Jenkins, 6-1, 206, sophomore linebacker, Saginaw High;

Steve Learman, 6-2, 200, junior linebacker, Essexville Garber;

Alan Drummond, 6-6, 290, freshman offensive lineman, Midland High;

Nick Degg, 6-3, 318, senior offensive lineman, Pinconning;

Mike Rogers, 6-2, 175, freshman wide receiver, Midland Dow;

Richard Kamm, 6-8, 285, senior tight end, Saginaw Nouvel;

Drew St. Aubin, 6-3, 200, freshman wide receiver, Tawas;

Charleston Hughes, 6-1, 230, junior defensive end, Saginaw High;

WESTERN MICHIGAN UNIVERSITY:

John Roddy, 6-2, 240, freshman defensive end, Caro;

SAGINAW VALLEY STATE UNIVERSITY:

Robert Smith, 6-2, 175, freshman defensive back, Bay City Central;

Tony Awrey, 6-2, 180, freshman wide receiver, Saginaw Nouvel;

Matt McPhee, 6-1, 170, freshman defensive back, Bay City Central;

Dustin Kestner, 6-2, 195, freshman quarterback, Saginaw Nouvel;

Jeff Mackey, 6-2, 205, junior defensive back, Bay City Central;

DeMarcus Copes, 6-0, 190, junior defensive back, Saginaw (Grand Rapids Community College);

Bob Awrey, 5-11, 180, junior wide receiver, Freeland;

John Jacobs, 6-2, 210, freshman linebacker, Midland Dow;

Jason Kelly, 6-2, 210, freshman linebacker, Bay City Western;

Kyle Myczkowiak, 6-2, 205, freshman linebacker, Saginaw Heritage;

Brandon Emeott, 5-10, 195, freshman running back, Caro;

Ryan O'Fallon, 6-2, 255, freshman offensive lineman, Saginaw Nouvel;

Stephanol Santos, 6-4, 300, senior offensive lineman, Saginaw Buena Vista;

Jeremy Burr, 6-0, 175, freshman placekicker, Swan Valley;

Aaron Bickerstaff, 6-1, 190, freshman wide receiver, Freeland;

Brian Kern, 6-5, 205, sophomore wide receiver, Reese;

Greg Szczepanski, 6-3, 245, sophomore tight end, Bay City All Saints;

Peter Oskvarek, 6-2, 200, freshman linebacker, Saginaw Nouvel.###

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Dave Rogers
Dave Rogers is a former editorial writer for the Bay City Times and a widely read, respected journalist/writer in and around Bay City. (Contact Dave Via Email at carraroe@aol.com) More from Dave Rogers

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