WHITEHALL — Whitehall football has become a playoff regular over
coach Tony Sigmon's tenure, and as he enters year 14 at the helm,
there's confidence that will continue, even as the roster is dotted with
unknowns.
Anchoring the offense is senior running back Liam
Leeke, who had a huge season on the ground last fall, including a
241-yard, two-touchdown effort in a big win over Zeeland West. He's the
clear bell cow again, and he'll run behind an offensive line that
graduated some great players - including all-conference pick Caden
Bowyer - but also brings back Billy Darke and Cooper Kujawski, who grew
up fast as sophomores in 2025.
"Liam has had a
phenomenal off-season and did a wonderful job for the wrestling
team," Sigmon said. "He's gotten really strong. He was strong last year,
but he's gotten a lot stronger this year. His attention to detail and commitment to football, as well as wrestling,
has been really good. I've been very happy from that
perspective."
Darke and Kujawski probably came up to the
varsity before they were ready, Sigmon said, because of the lack of
bodies available on the line; even with their inclusion, the Vikes only
had seven varsity linemen last year. However, the experience has proven
to be a big positive for them, and they should be very stout up front.
"Fortunately for us, they excelled at a really high level," Sigmon said of the duo. "I
thought Billy was playing as good of football as anybody, and I thought
that with Cooper (too). What that buys us is that they're mentally a senior, but now, physically, they're a junior,
and they're not a sophomore anymore. That's really nice to see,
and their numbers show that in the weight room, the way they conduct
themselves on the field."
Senior Isaiah Lewis is set to take
over at quarterback, and Sigmon said he's been impressed. Lewis is
farther ahead than the coaches anticipated in terms of throwing and
knowledge of the offense. He's a versatile athlete and brings mobility
to the position as well.
"He's arguably as good of an athlete in his
class as anybody," Sigmon said. "He's always been the
smaller guy, but he had a growth spurt last year...He's gotten a lot
stronger for where he's at, and he's always had the speed piece. I'm really excited for him."
The
receiver position got an infusion of athleticism and height with the
arrival of Elijah Smith, who transferred from Ithaca and made a mark on
the basketball court over the winter. He was an all-region defensive
back last fall for the Yellowjackets and will be a welcome sight if
Lewis needs to make a throw under duress. Other solid target options
should include Jevon Hilliard, who's worked hard to get himself in the
mix, and Judd Musk, who got work as a slot receiver last year. Keandre
Maybanks, Graysen Olstrom and Clayton Betz could see the ball at times
as well.
Whitehall quarterback Isaiah Lewis (left) lets fly with a pass during a Tuesday, Aug. 11 practice.
"This two weeks
is critical for all those guys," Sigmon said. "They can stay the same or they can separate, and really, the biggest thing
for us as coaches, because we are reshuffling the deck, so to
speak, is that we need to make sure we give everybody their fair shot. Get them on film. See what they do well. See
what they do wrong. Coach them and see how they respond to it."
In
addition to the aforementioned names, many of which will be impact
defensive players, Whitehall is looking forward to Wyatt McFarren and
Brayen Sorensen as returning linebackers. Caden Kyser, brother of
graduated Colten, has emerged in the off-season and is poised to play a
Swiss army knife role of sorts.
Whitehall will again face a
tough non-conference slate, but Sigmon rejoiced that it doesn't include
any trips like last year's regular season finale at Tecumseh. The Vikes
host Saginaw Swan Valley, which beat them in last year's playoffs, as
well as area foe Reeths-Puffer in an intriguing week nine game. They
open the year with their longest road trip, to Clare, which has made the
playoffs 10 straight seasons.
"It's going to be a
great environment, a very proud
program, and then from there things work up to where I think
that there's teams in our conference that are significantly better," Sigmon said.
The
West Michigan Conference Lakes race should be interesting after
Ludington lost much of its roster to graduation or transfer and Hart
joined the league in the WMC's divisional realignment, replacing
Manistee.
"The
traditional ones, all the games that
always matter and have mattered, they're still
there," Sigmon said. "I like our schedule."
