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12/12/07-Football
The West's best
All-Westside football stars headline C & G dream game
By C & G Football Staff
In setting up the 2007 C & G Dream Bowl, we the football staff of Brad D. Bates, Christian Davis and Mike Moore took a lot into consideration.
The factors included a player's value to his team and how he would give an All-Star team its best chance to take a win back home across Dequindre.
With the Eastside having a state champion (Macomb Dakota) and the Westside accounting for two runners-up (Orchard Lake St. Mary's and Detroit Country Day), we also took into consideration how each played during the playoffs.
Together, our football staff covered 58 teams. So, here it is the best of our best.
Now it's up to you to decide which squad would win the 2007 C & G Dream Bowl, the Eastside team or the Westside, and all those bragging rights.
Starting offense:
Branko Hamilton, QB, Troy High The senior proved he could handle the Colts' new spread look just fine. Hamilton threw for 1,370 yards and 10 touchdowns while rushing for 1,144 yards on 151 carries and scoring 13 times.
Jonas Gray, RB, Detroit Country Day Not bad for a kid who went to Country Day to play basketball. Gray cemented his legacy as one of the top Michigan backs of all time with 2,196 yards and 27 touchdowns before taking his skills to a little football school in South Bend , Ind.
Deandre Johnson, RB, Madison Heights High The senior was unstoppable this season, rushing for 2,170 yards on 214 carries and 26 touchdowns. The MAC Silver MVP also had 110 yards receiving and three scores.
Nick Gallina, WR, Troy This is the second year the senior has been selected All-Westside team. Gallina showed his true athleticism with 1,167 yards rushing, 601 yards receiving and 19 total touchdowns, including two kickoff returns.
Cameron Nabors, WR, Rochester High Nabors led the Falcons to their best record in eight years. The senior finished with 45 receptions, 700 yards receiving and six scores.
Clifton Powell, WR, Madison Heights Bishop Foley Powell was the unquestioned weapon for the Foley offense this season. The senior had 77 receptions for 1,146 yards and 13 touchdowns. He averaged nearly 15 yards per catch and 130 yards per game.
Dion Sims, TE, Orchard Lake St. Mary's Even though he played wideout, he works as an end for the All-Westside squad. The 6-foot-6-inch 235-pound junior was St. Mary's home run hitter, averaging 46 yards a catch, totaling 604 yards and three touchdowns.
Armando Roque, OL, Madison A senior who earned All-State honors for the second time and was a three-year starter at left tackle, Roque was the anchor for a Madison line that helped produce more than 4,300 yards rushing this season.
Deon'tae Pannell, OL, Birmingham Groves Pannell is a man of the trenches. The senior anchored the Falcons' offensive line and finished with eights sacks on the defensive side. Pannell is continuing his career at Penn State University next season, where he expects to play tackle.
Matt Sargent, OL, St. Mary's The senior captain was one of the bigs on an undersized St. Mary's line at 6 feet 3 and 230 pounds. The line, which averaged 225 pounds, paved the way for 2,660 yards of rushing.
Ethan Ruhland, OL, Lake Orion High The 6-foot-5-inch senior committed to Michigan State University last season and proved to be the Dragons' best lineman.
Kevin Muma, K, Troy The junior was a secret weapon for the Colts' special teams, booming 48 touchbacks on 60 kickoffs. He was 12 of 20 on field-goal attempts with a long of 50 yards and made 48 of 49 extra-point attempts.
Starting defense:
Jake Heinrich, DL, Rochester Adams The senior made his presence felt with 63 tackles, three sacks and a fumble recovery. He also started on the offensive line.
Jason Semmes, DL, St. Mary's The 6-foot-3-inch 218-pound senior captain anchored a St. Mary's defensive front that gave up an average of 11 points in the playoffs on the way to the Division 3 title game. He finished with 7.5 sacks and 15 tackles for a loss.
Kyle Mio, DL, Troy The senior controlled the middle of the Colts' defensive line, racking up 90 tackles and seven sacks.
Noyes Campbell, DL, Royal Oak Shrine Catholic Despite missing two games with a torn ACL and playing injured the final three weeks of the season, Campbell was a force up front for Shrine, anchoring a defense that finished the season with five shutouts.
Chris Reeves, LB, Ferndale High A prototypical run-stopping linebacker, the senior amassed 146 tackles and had two interceptions. Splitting time at fullback and tight end, he tallied 500 yards of offense.
Paul Gyarmati, LB, Birmingham Brother Rice Had 100 tackles and three sacks as the man stepping into Chris Colasanti's shoes for the Warriors. In the last two seasons, he totaled 200 stops and his team won 18 games.
Kenny Demens, LB, Detroit Country Day The senior was everything to the Yellowjackets' defense that Gray was to its offense. In his final game before moving on to the University of Michigan , Demens had 11 tackles and one sack in the Division 4 title game.
Josh Renel, DB, Rochester Adams The senior proved to be one of the most elusive players in the state. On defense, he finished with three interceptions and 24 tackles. At running back, he scored 26 touchdowns averaging a score every 5.5 carries and amassed 966 yards rushing. He also had two touchdown catches and three punt returns for scores. His 31 total touchdowns is an Adams record.
Dave Pardun, DB, Troy The senior returned from a knee injury in his junior campaign and didn't disappoint on either side of the ball. Pardun finished with 138 tackles while also rushing for 1,163 yards and 16 touchdowns.
Kris Morris, DB, St. Mary's He was the Eaglets' backup quarterback, the punter, holder and an anchor in the defensive backfield, where the senior found time to finish third on his team in tackles with 37.5 stops.
Chris Massa, DB, Rochester Hills Stoney Creek A four-year starter for the Cougars, the senior had 10 interceptions a school record two of which he returned for scores. The captain also had one punt return and two offensive touchdowns.
Co-coaches:
Gary Griffith, Troy The veteran coach led the Colts to a 10-3 overall record and an appearance in the Division 1 semifinal. This season marked Troy 's first trip back to the playoffs since 1999.
George Porritt, St. Mary's Few coaches graduated more elite players in the last two seasons than Porritt. After saying goodbye to top skill-position players, he went to work with a power rushing attack behind an undersized offensive line and almost won his fourth state title in the five-overtime Division 3 title game.
Second Team:
Steven Heard, QB Ferndale
Chris Sinagoga, QB Bishop Foley
Caulton Ray IV, RB Brother Rice
Eric Tye, RB Notre Dame Prep
Cody Wilson, WR Rochester Adams
Ronald Dorsey-Austin, WR Brother Rice
Robert James, TE Auburn Hills Avondale
Brice Johnson, OL Troy
Randal Jarvis, OL Madison
Adonis Adonakis, OL Walled Lake Central
Justin Johnson, DL Birmingham Seaholm
David Burnley, DL Bloomfield Hills Lahser
John Lamb, DL Southfield High
Derek Boyd, LB Stoney Creek
Josh Fields, LB Bishop Foley
Alex Whitmore, LB Berkley High
Joe Simony, DB Troy Athens
Ryan Broth, DB Lake Orion
Honorable Mention:
Donald Coleman, St. Mary's; Dominique White, St. Mary's; Andy Lentz, Brother Rice; Steve Carlson, Brother Rice; Raylen Davis, Royal Oak High; Jack Schowalter, Royal Oak; Cameron Bell, Bloomfield Hills Andover; Trevor Stapleton, Seaholm; Jack Noble, Seaholm; Jeremy Altman, Seaholm; Zakk Cummings, Lahser; Drew Pyles, West Bloomfield High; Lawrence White, West Bloomfield; Adam Hurst, Hazel Park High; Josh Miller, Hazel Park; Kris Cathey-Armsted, Southfield-Lathrup; Joe Fleming, Southfield-Lathrup; Dayvon Anderson, Southfield-Lathrup; Ziair Hill, Rochester; Torin Taylor, Berkley; Jerren Harrison, Ferndale; B.J. McNorton, Avondale; Montel Nix-Fleming, Walled Lake Western; Matt Watko, Walled Lake Western; Thomas Ropek, Walled Lake Northern; Andrew Waszak, Rochester Adams; Aaron McNamara, Rochester Adams; Jon Cato, Troy; Klajdi Sina, Troy; Chris Lum, Lake Orion; Kevin Kelly, Lake Orion; Mike Davis, Troy Athens; Joe Nieri, Troy Athens; Kojo Appiah, Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook-Kingswood; Dalton Katcher, Madison Heights Lamphere; Jordan Skinner, Stoney Creek; Kyle Koster, Stoney Creek; Greg Hockembrocht, Southfield Christian; Damion King, Madison; and DeCarlos Montgomery, Madison.
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