All-Stars shine, sign

The Michigan High School Football Coaches Association released its All-Star roster last month, and gridders form the C & G Newspapers’ coverage area dominated the East roster.

Of the East’s 44 players from Macomb, Oakland, Wayne, Monroe, St. Clair, Lapeer, Sanilac, Huron and Tuscola counties, 16 are from schools in our coverage area.

The July 11 game at Spartan Stadium will be the last time for fans to catch these players in a high school game before they make good on their Feb. 4 National Letters of Intent signing ceremonies and kick off their college careers.

The Macomb Area Conferences alone had seven players garner spots.

Red Division co-MVP Mike Laamanen, who signed with Wayne State University, was tabbed as a defensive lineman, linebackers Dan Sawicki (Clinton Township Clintondale), Kurtis Showers (Madison Heights Madison) and defensive back KyeRell Williams (Clinton Township Chippewa Valley) will accompany him.

Offensively, Utica Eisenhower’s Tyler Copacia, who signed a letter with Grand Valley State, was named one of two quarterbacks, along with Taylor Truman’s Ryan Hargraves.

Copacia and Hargraves will have Chad Allemon (Marine City High) at receiver and Warren Fitzgerald’s C. J. Carroll, an All-County 215-pound wrestler, at fullback.

Lake Orion’s Tyler Benson and Beverly Hills Detroit Country Day’s Tim McLean, both of whom led the blocking for their state runner-up rushing attacks, will serve as the centers for the East.

Rochester Adams’ Cody Wilson, another Central Michigan commitment, will be a defensive back for the East.

The Oakland Activities Association will handle all the East’s kicking duties and bring its total of players in the game to four, with Troy’s Kevin Muma, a Michigan State University commit, placekicking and Rochester Stoney Creek’s Eric Fisher, a 6-foot-7-inch, 243-pound lineman prospect who signed with Central Michigan, punting.

Including MacLean, private schools from our area accounted for six spots on the East roaster.

Orchard Lake St. Mary’s Gabe Charette will be on the defensive line, while Birmingham Brother Rice’s Zach Cherocci will play guard on the same offensive line as Warren De La Salle tight end Dan Sorgi.

Adding electricity to the East backfield are Royal Oak Shrine Catholic’s Anthony Cade and future Central Michigan back Zurlon Tipton of Sterling Heights Parkway Christian.

A couple notable names absent from this year’s All-Star rosters were Ohio State recruit Reid Fragel (Grosse Pointe South) and Holland Christian quarterback A. J. Westendorp.

What’s interesting about the omission of Westendorp and Fragel is that teams are allowed at most one representative in the game, but neither South nor Holland Christian had a player named to the rosters.

There could be any number of very sound reasons these two are not part of the game, and I'm not trying to place blame on anyone, but they will be missed

Fragel would have offered flexibility to the East squad with his ability to play tight end, offensive tackle or defensive end.

Westendorp would have given the game a boost of star power with the kind of athleticism that saw him lead his prep team to a Division 4 state title while rewriting the offensive record books for the title game before committing to Central Michigan.