Colin Gay|Hometownlife.com
As the Michigan high school football season begins Thursday, there are many storylines to watch from Hometown Life-area teams in 2021.
Here are five questions that Week 1 of the football season could start to solve.
Will South Lyon win the Lakes Valley Conference?
This isn’t a question that will be finalized in Week 1. But South Lyon feels like if it beats Walled Lake Western in the first game of the 2021 season, it will be in the driver’s seat for a Lakes Valley Conference title.
Since the league’s inception in 2017, the Lions, the Warriors and Lakeland have been the top-tier teams, consistently finishing in the top four of the league all but once: a last-place finish by South Lyon in 2017.
Even before the season begins, South Lyon seems to be in the driver’s seat, bringing back eight starters on each side of the ball, including senior wide receiver and defensive back Quinn Fracassi — a ball-catcher head coach Jeff Henson feels can go up against anybody — senior quarterback Dawson Skupin and senior defensive back Dakota Blackwell, along with junior Tommy Donovan, who the Lions are very high on after only a few games on varsity a year ago.
The Lions know they can learn a lot from their Week 1 date, facing a Walled Lake Western team that’s last losing season was in 2009, and combines a new coach — former Farmington head coach Kory Cioroch — and quarterback Drew Viotto, who holds offers from Syracuse, Bowling Green, Eastern Michigan and Central Michigan.
In 2020, South Lyon and Walled Lake Western split the season series, with the Lions ending the Warriors’ year in the second round of the playoffs. In 2021, look for this season opener to send a ripple into the outcome of the entire conference at year’s end.
South Lyon will face Walled Lake Western on the road at 7 p.m., Aug. 26.
More: South Lyon football wants to continue last season's late run in 2021 campaign
More: Michigan high school football 2021: Predicting finishes for Hometown Life teams
Is Detroit Catholic Central legit?
Expectations for Detroit Catholic Central are high in 2021. The Shamrocks bring back their entire front seven on defense, their starting quarterback and a slew of offensive playmakers.
Eyes are set on a Division 1 state final appearance, what would be the Shamrocks’ first since 2016. But with a Week 1 matchup against Chippewa Valley at the Xenith Prep Kickoff Classic, Catholic Central will find out quickly what it needs to do to get to that top level.
Before last season’s 3-4 finish, the Big Reds had a streak of eight straight winning seasons, winning a Division 1 state title against Clarkston in 2018, capping off an undefeated campaign.
The X-factor for the Shamrocks will be on the offensive line. The talent is there, including freshman Kaden Strayhorn — a tackle who already holds offers from Michigan State, Michigan and Alabama — but the question is simple: will a wide-eyed, inexperienced line be able to protect quarterback Declan Byle when the lights turn on?
If so, the Shamrocks, including Kam Davenport and Owen Semp on the outside at receiver, Mohamed Jaffer at running back, Sean Field at linebacker leading a defense that allowed 101 points in 10 games in 2020, could start a run that leads them deep into November.
Catholic Central will face Chippewa Valley in the Xenith Prep Kickoff Classic 7 p.m., Aug. 26.
More: Detroit Catholic Central football opens first practice with lofty goal: state finals
More: These five high school football games will define the 2021 season
What does an experienced Livonia Churchill look like?
Livonia Churchill has been building for 2021, ever since a large group of sophomores joined the team in 2019 for an unexpected playoff surge.
After a 1-4 start in 2019, the Chargers roared back, losing in the regional final to Walled Lake Western by one touchdown. The success continued with a 4-2 regular season in 2020, before the Chargers lost to Oak Park in the regional final by one touchdown.
See a pattern?
Now with a roster filled with third-year varsity starters including wide receiver Bailey Brooks, running back and linebacker Boston Clegg Jr. —both honorable mention All-State team members — wide receiver and defensive back Joshua Brown and defensive tackle Demarius Gibson-Wells, the Chargers are looking to make that next leap into the state quarterfinals.
Week 1 should not be an issue for Churchill, facing a Salem team that has one win in its past two seasons. But it’s a good chance for experienced offensive skill players to get back in sync with senior quarterback Taj Williams after spending his junior season in Georgia.
This season-opening matchup against the Rocks could be a confidence booster for a Chargers team that has as high of expectations as the program has ever had.
Churchill will take on Salem on the road 7 p.m., Aug. 26.
More: Livonia Churchill football resets identity in July workouts as it prepares for new season
Can Farmington start its resurgence against rival North Farmington?
Farmington’s 2020 season didn’t go well.
After a 42-31 loss to Groves to open the season, the Falcons failed to score more than 15 points in the remainder of their games, allowing 40 or more points in four games. Farmington finished with its first winless season since 2007.
That winless season seems to be an outlier Since 2009, the Falcons have recorded eight winning season, including back-to-back eight-win seasons in 2018-19.
Heading into 2021, with a new head coach in Jason Albrecht — a former offensive coordinator for the Falcons — Farmington has an opportunity to reroute its trajectory, especially with returning starting running back Jacob Sanders and quarterback Dominic Pesci, who started for the Falcons at the end of the year in 2020.
However, Farmington faces a tall task Week 1: taking on rival North Farmington, a team that ended its season in the regional final in 2020. Since head coach Jon Herstein took over the Raiders in 2019 after moving from Harrison, Farmington has never beaten North Farmington.
Farmington will take on rival North Farmington on the road 7 p.m., Aug. 27.
More: Aaron Rice commits to Navy, shifts focus to final season of North Farmington football
What will Livonia Stevenson’s offense look like without Caden Woodall?
Stevenson’s offense was a machine in 2020. Despite a 4-4 record — losing its four games by a combined 15 points — the Spartans averaged 37.5 points per game, scoring 40 or more points in five games including each of their four wins.
Much of that had to do with the success of running back Caden Woodall, who broke the school's single-season rushing record with 2,238 yards on 185 carries, scoring 34 touchdowns on the ground, while also throwing a touchdown.
Woodall graduated, leaving to play football at Harvard and left a big hole in the Spartans offense.
As practice began, Stevenson head coach Randy Micallef said he expects more of a balanced look, utilizing returning quarterback Kyle Brown and linebacker-turned-running back Quincy Salter more in equal fashion instead of “just one running back,” helped by two offensive line starters in senior two-year starter Shaun Shahu and junior Charles Davidek
The Spartans will get a look at what their offense can do against a Northville defense that allowed 25.6 points per game a season ago, allowing more than 30 points to Canton, Hartland and Belleville.
Stevenson will travel to Northville to take on the Mustangs 7 p.m., Aug. 27.
More: Here's what to expect from KLAA East football in 2021
Contact reporterColin Gay at cgay@hometownlife.com or248-330-6710. Follow him on Twitter @ColinGay17.Send game results and stats to Liv-Sports@hometownlife.com.
