SAGINAW, MI – When Traverse City Central and Traverse City West joined the Saginaw Valley League, the dominoes started to fall.
And they fell right on the Heritage football team.
The move necessitated another move within the two-division SVL football league, pushing Heritage to the South from the North and away from traditional rivals such as Bay City Central, Bay City Western, Midland Dow and Midland High.
“We are losing some of those, but we are going to play Dow in a crossover this season, so we are still keeping some of those games,” Heritage coach Justin Thelen said. “There was a lot of talk when it happened, but I think all of us – coaches and players – have moved on. We have the same goals, to compete for a Saginaw Valley League and district championship.”
The season will mark the first time the Hawks will not play Mount Pleasant since 2004 and the first time Heritage will not take on either Bay City team since 1994, other than the 2020 Covid-shortened season.
“It’s a challenge,” Thelen said. “We understand that. The South has some of the top programs in the state … teams that are in state championship games.”
Davison won the Division 1 state title in 2019 and finished as a runner-up in 2020. In 2021, Grand Blanc reached the Division 1 semifinals.
“And you have to include some of the other programs that are traditional powers … programs like Lapeer and (Flint) Carman-Ainsworth,” Thelen said. “We understand, but we’re not going in scared.”
That’s probably because the Hawks, in Thelen’s third season as the coach, feature some of the top skill players in the league.
Braylon Isom, a junior, has received an offer from Central Michigan University and hopes to build off a strong sophomore season. The 6-foot-2, 180-pound receiver led the SVL North with 48 catches for 755 yards and eight touchdowns, earning SVL North first team honors.
Isom put up the numbers despite an injury to starting quarterback Josh Braley.
“We’ve had injuries to our quarterbacks, but I feel confident this season because we have two very good quarterbacks,” Thelen said. “We have depth there with two strong players.”
Ashton Rubio, a senior, saw some time at quarterback in 2021, including a 362-yard performance against Midland High. But junior Ethan Mason is also a strong quarterback.
Other top players for the Hawks include receiver/defensive back Carrington Pryor, lineman Carlos Lopez, receiver/defensive back Charles Cork, tailback/linebacker Ty Robertston, tailback/linebacker Thomas Churchill, lineman Jackson Mason and sophomore lineman Ethan Kraatz.
In 2021, Heritage qualified for the Division 2 playoffs with a 4-5 record, marking the first non-Covid year appearance since 2007. A difficult schedule helped lift the Hawks into the playoffs, despite a losing record. Moving to the SVL South could provide the same boost in 2022. Heritage lost in the first round to Traverse City Central, 49-7. Central reached the Division 2 state final before falling to Warren de la Salle.
“We have some very good returning skill players, plus we’re coming off a playoff appearance,” Thelen said. “We feel good about the players we have, the work they’ve put in. We’re looking to build off last season, and we feel we have the talent to do that.”
Heritage opens the season Thursday, Nov. 25, at Alpena, which was 2-7 in 2021.
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