'Us vs. us:' How Redford Union football is building a Division 4 powerhouse

Ian Iler had no interest in becoming a head coach. 

Heck, he didn't even want to be an offensive or defensive coordinator. 

He just enjoyed showing up to practices and developing players. 

And that's what he did as a positional coach at his various stops, which included helping Canton, Westland John Glenn and Siena Heights University as well as a few different youth instructional programs. 

But a new job in 2017 as a positive behavior interventions and support specialist got him back to Redford Union Schools, where he graduated in 2005, and an opportunity to lead his own program popped up a year later. 

Iler joined the staff of longtime Panthers coach Miles Tomasaitis and quickly realized just how much talent their small community in northern Wayne County was harboring. 

"I was helping Miles when he was the head coach, and I was like, 'Redford's got so much talent,' and then you look at Belleville. You look at (River) Rouge. You look at (Detroit) King," Iler said following RU's 47-21 win over Garden City last week. "They've had Redford kids on their rosters. That's why I always say it's about keeping the kids here and building something they can be proud of. 

"I know that I'm proud of it because I went to it. But at the end of the day, if we can build something that can have them be proud of it themselves, they don't have to drive somewhere and waste their gas. They can be right here in their own district winning championships and getting scholarships. Right here." 

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One year after Iler returned to RU, Tomasaitis stepped down as the head coach after leading the team for 13 seasons and posting a 61-60 record so he could become the school's athletic director. 

Iler jumped at the opportunity to replace Tomasaitis and hasn't second-guessed himself once. 

He had a tough first year, going 2-7. 

But ever since, the program has been on the rise. 

They've made the playoffs three straight seasons, and they've already secured a postseason berth this fall. 

A year ago, they won the Western Wayne Athletic Conference with a 7-0 league record. It marked the first time since the Panthers won the Michigan Mega Conference-Gold in 2004 that they had won a league title. That was Iler's junior season. 

And already in 2022, they're undefeated. They knocked off Pewamo-Westphalia, winners of two of the past three Division 7 state championships, in the season opener and have won five-straight WWAC games since. A win over Melvindale this week ensures them at least a share of the league title. And a win over winless Redford Thurston in Week 8 gives them the championship outright. 

The Panthers had made the playoffs only five times before Iler took over. 

Now qualifying for the postseason has become the standard. 

This year marks just the 30th time in the past 72 years that RU will have a record over .500. 

But having near-perfect regular seasons has become the standard. 

Watching the best athletes in the school district transfer to football powerhouses elsewhere has plagued the Panthers for years. 

But having Division I college coaches stop by Iler's office to recruit his home-grown talent has become the standard.

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And having as many as 45 players on the JV team has become the standard. 

"Honestly, man, everybody says brick by brick," Iler added. "But we like to say we've built it from the dirt. We sowed a lot of the seeds. We've kept a lot of the kids in Redford that would normally go to other places. That's been the main factor. And, yeah, we get some kids that come from other places, too. But we build them up. 

"We build them up, and we love them up. We're hard on them, super hard on them. But at the same time, we tell them how special they can be. That's the thing we're trying to get to them: Don't take for granted what you're doing. Every single team since 2018 has left something behind. Now this team is going to leave something behind that we think can be really special. But we're also trying to keep them humble at the same time."

And that has to do with just how much talent the Panthers have. 

Leading the defense is three-star linebacker Jeremiah Alston, who is committed to Central Michigan University. 

Their backfield is crowded with about three or four guys who could start at running back at most other D-4 schools, including starters Dawaune Strickland, Daquan Davis and Javerious Shepherd. And even Alston runs the ball. 

Their receiving depth is about as deep as you can get with Kyren Ware, Jamel Belcher II and Dematthew Dixon. 

And their quarterback is as reliable as they come in 6-foot-5 pocket passer Cory Chavis. 

"It's been great. It's just been a full turnaround," said Chavis, a second-year starter who tossed TD passes to Ware (39 yards) and Belcher (69) against the Cougars. "Last year, we had our beginning stages. I've worked with my receivers in the off-season, and we just got our timing together. We've bonded together as a team more. And we've felt good about this season."

One of Iler's biggest challenges is realizing that Chavis has only one football to share among eight or so different playmakers each week. 

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That's why the fifth-year coach has encouraged his guys to make the most of their opportunity when they actually do get the ball. He likes to ride the hot hand. Sometimes guys will get three touches per game, others will get 10 or 12.

But regardless of how many touches you get in his offense, you better be making house calls. You might not touch it again for a few quarters. 

And that strategy has worked. It's not out of the ordinary to see a receiver have three catches for over 100 yards or a running back have fewer than 15 rushes but have three or four TDs.   

And rarely do his guys have off nights. 

"It's hard work, but we're staying consistent, and we're keeping motivated," said Strickland, who rushed for three TDs this past week. "It's amazing. We really put in the work. It's not possible if the team doesn't stay consistent and just stay locked in." 

The Panthers are just three wins away from finishing with an undefeated regular season for only the second time in program history. The 1998 team went 9-0 but lost its regional opener to Dearborn, 34-27. 

Michigan high school football is going through an era of "Keeping up with the Jones." There's no transfer portal, but there are plenty of transfers. Players are leaving home every day for better opportunities down the road. It's like a free agency with an a la carte menu.

By focusing on themselves, the Panthers have navigated those troubled waters well. By building something special at home, they're making RU look like a great place to play to outsiders. And they're keeping their kids at home, in the district.

Going undefeated at RU might have seemed unbelievable in 2018. Now it's the expectation. 

"This year, the mantra is ,'Us vs. us,'" Iler added. "We know what to expect from our opponents. But throughout the week, we're not playing for Garden City. We're not playing for (Dearborn Heights) Crestwood. We're playing for Redford Union. If we do what we're supposed to do, piece by piece and detail by detail, you won't lose." 

Brandon Folsom covers high school sports in metro Detroit for Hometown Life. Follow him on Twitter @folsombrandonj.