Offense
EVAN BERGDOLL | Allen Park Cabrini: A first-ever run to the state semifinals for Allen Park Cabrini was thanks in large part to a full healthy season of Evan Bergdoll at quarterback. An all-state honoree by the Michigan High School Football Coaches Association, Bergdoll finished his junior season with the Monarchs with over 2,700 yards passing and 37 touchdowns.
TORRENCE SEARCY | Romulus: It was another strong and productive season for Torrence Searcy over at Romulus. An all-News-Herald honoree each of the previous two seasons, Searcy single-handedly pushed the Eagles into the playoffs for a third consecutive year. The senior and all-region honoree collected nearly 30 touchdowns — 72 now over the last three seasons — and just under 1,900 scrimmage yards.
IZAIAH WRIGHT | Gibraltar Carlson: One of the more decorated running backs locally in recent history, Izaiah Wright finished his final season at Carlson as one of the top running backs across the mitten. An all-state honoree by both the MHSFCA and the Michigan Sports Writers, the Purdue University signee logged nearly 2,200 yards and 31 touchdowns on the ground for a Marauders team that captured a third-straight district title.
ISAIAH IBRAHIM | Brownstown Woodhaven: If not for Wright, Isaiah Ibrahim could make a case for being the Downriver area’s top running back this past fall. A MHSFCA all-state recipient, the “tough and gritty” Ibrahim compiled just shy of 1,400 yards and 15 touchdowns for a Woodhaven program that turned in an 8-3 record overall, their most wins in a single season since 2021.
EVAN SZALAY | Flat Rock: “One of the best wide receivers to ever play at Flat Rock.” Those were the words of Flat Rock head coach Brandon Reaume when describing Evan Szalay. Now a first-team all-area honoree for the second straight season, Szalay was named all-state by both the MHSFCA and the MSW. The senior finished with 711 receiving yards and eight touchdowns on 44 grabs, all categories he owns the career records for at the school.
XAVIER LIEPE | Allen Park: Another local wideout familiar with receiving all-area recognition, Allen Park’s Xavier Liepe makes the jump to first team this year after being named honorable mention in 2024. An all-state recipient by the MHSFCA, Liepe was one of the more productive pass-catchers in the entire Downriver League this past season. The senior finished just shy of 700 yards receiving on 40 catches
LOGAN EMERICK | Allen Park Cabrini: One of the big pass-catching options for the pass-heavy Cabrini team was Logan Emerick at the tight end position. A MHSFCA all-state honoree like his quarterback Bergdoll, Emerick in his final season also earned all-Catholic honors in the Catholic League collected just shy of 500 receiving yards to go along with seven touchdowns for the Monarchs.
CHRIS NIGHTINGALE | Gibraltar Carlson: The best offensive line in the entire Downriver region resided over at Carlson. The anchor of it all was Chris Nightingale, who has occupied the center position for the Marauders for the last 36 games, including a dozen more this past season. Head coach Jason Gendron said the all-region honoree’s execution was “fundamental” to the team’s overall success.
MICHAEL OWENS | Brownstown Woodhaven: Elsewhere in the Downriver League, Carlson’s rivals over at Woodhaven also boasted some big bodies in the trenches themselves. Few, if any, were more impactful on the offensive line than Michael Owens. An all-conference and all-region recipient, the Warriors ran the vast majority of the plays — nine out of every 10, to be exact — behind Owens.
JOHNNY PARDO | Southgate Anderson: One of the best two-way linemen in the local area, Johnny Pardo in his final season with Anderson was named both all-Downriver League and all-region at season’s end. In addition to his near 50 tackles and four sacks on defensive end, Pardo was more or less the lead blocker on the offensive line as the Titans ran 80 percent of their plays behind the senior.
RICHARD ESCOBAR | Allen Park Cabrini: Unlike the aforementioned Nightingale for Carlson, Richard Escobar found himself all over the offensive line for Cabrini and even at times lined up as a fullback. Regardless of his role, Escobar proved to be one of the more effective linemen, giving up no sacks on the season. The senior was named both all-Catholic and MHSFCA all-state.
SAM PRZYTULA | Gibraltar Carlson: While they will see Nightingale graduate and move on, Carlson has no shortage of depth in the trenches moving forward. Arguably the biggest returning piece come the 2026 campaign will be Sam Przytula. Coach Gendron said the “physical presence was a defining feature” for the junior all-conference and all-region recipient.
Defense
NIKO BEAUDRIE | Trenton: Deemed as “one of the best leaders we’ve ever had” by head coach Steve Voss, Niko Beaudrie was the captain of the secondary for Trenton all season long. An all-DRL and all-region performer, Beaudrie in addition to his three interceptions logged well over 55 tackles at the strong safety position for the Trojans.
COOPER OBRYCKI | Allen Park: One local defensive back who appears to putting together a strong resume is Allen Park’s Cooper Obrycki. A third-team all-News-Herald honoree in 2024, Obrycki makes the rise all the way to first team after seeing a considerable uptick in production. The junior racked up close to 80 tackles while also breaking up six passes, picking off opposing quarterbacks twice, and scoring one touchdown.
KRIS KING | Romulus Summit Academy North: Few defensive backs in the area, if any, showed an ability to make big plays throughout the season than Summit Academy’s Kris King. An all-Charter Conference and all-region honoree, King posted 31 tackles while also recording an incredible 12 interceptions, two of which were returned for touchdowns. The junior also compiled almost 500 all-purpose yards on offense and special teams for the Dragons.
DOMANIC STUCK | Riverview: The team at Riverview had big shoes to fill in both the offensive and defensive backfields entering the 2025 season. Domanic Stuck was able to step up in a big way and help plug those gaps. An all-Huron League and all-region honoree, Stuck finished with over 50 tackles and a pair of picks for the Pirates. The senior also turned in over 800 scrimmage yards on offense, most of which was as a running back.
CAM KALBFLEISCH | Gibraltar Carlson: No local defensive player found himself making plays in the opposing team’s backfield more than Carlson’s Cam Kalbfleich. An MSYW all-state recipient like his teammate Wright and his coach Gendron, Kalbfleisch saw nearly half of his 75 tackles come behind the line of scrimmage. The senior linebacker for the Marauders was described as an “invaluable anchor” by Gendron.
BROCK CULPEPPER | Trenton: Elsewhere in the Downriver League, no area linebacker finished with more total tackles than Trenton’s Brock Culpepper at season’s end. With his 151 tackles, Culpepper set both the single-season and career records for the Trojans program. The senior and all-region standout also had two pick-sixes as well as four blocked point-after tries on special teams.
RISHON LANGFORD-SMITH | Ecorse: The biggest reason why Ecorse was regarded as one of the top teams in Division 6 was the two-way play of Rishon Langford-Smith. Described as a “dominant force on defense” as well as a “downhill demon” by head coach Larry Johnson, Langford-Smith will enter 2026 as perhaps the best returning linebacker in the area. The junior compiled well over 100 tackles as well as over 1,100 yards and 13 touchdowns rushing.
BRAYLON ORCHER | Riverview: Another player with a knack for finding the football, Braylon Orcher has been a fixture for the Riverview defense for multiple seasons now. A first-team honoree for the second straight season, Orcher was praised for his “block destruction” and “filling the point of attack” by Pirates head coach Derek McLaughlin. The senior linebacker earned all-region honors after tallying over 120 tackles.
MARQUEZ MCADOO | Brownstown Woodhaven: It’s the third time in three years that Woodhaven’s Marquez McAdoo receives all-area recognition. Described as “one of the best defensive lineman I have ever coached” by head coach Dave Mifsud, McAdoo finished the season with 41 tackles, 18 of which were for a loss of yards, including four sacks. The senior also scored five touchdowns as a fullback for the Warriors.
BRENNAN ROUSSEAU | Trenton: Like Pardo from Anderson, Trenton’s Brennan Rousseau was consistently one of the more productive and reliable linemen on both sides of the ball this past season. Both an all-Downriver and all-region recipient, Rousseau in addition to his work on offense was one of the more stout play-stopping defensive linemen in the area, evident by his 59 tackles.
CORTNEY POWELL | Ecorse: Another imposing figure in the tretches, few area linemen had a knack for blowing up plays of opposing offenses like Ecorse’s Cortney Powell did. Regarded for his “great hands and great get-off” on the line, no area defensive lineman had more tackles than the 61 put up by Powell, with 10 of those coming behind the line of scrimmage. The senior for the Red Raiders was named all-region at season’s end.
Special Teams / Athletes
EVAN THOMPSON | Allen Park Cabrini: One of the more important and unheralded impact players for Cabrini was the play of Evan Thompson on special teams. The primary kickoff specialist consistently showed an ability to pin opposing teams deep, or even steal extra possessions for the Monarchs. The senior all-region honoree had five touchbacks on kickoffs and set up seven successful onside kick recoveries.
DEREK LESKO | Riverview Gabriel Richard: After starting the season as the team’s go-to pass-catcher, Derek Lesko later became Richard’s primary signal-caller under center. The senior showcased his elite athletic prowess as he finished with over 1,400 all-purpose yards and 20 total touchdowns. The senior all-Catholic standout was named to the MHSFCA all-state team in D8 at season’s end.
LANDER EMERICK | Allen Park Cabrini: One would be hard-pressed to find a bigger mismatch than what Lander Emerick was for almost every team that faced Cabrini during the season. The unquestioned No. 1 pass-catching option for the quarterback Bergdoll, the big 6-foot-3 Emerick was named all-state after scoring nearly two dozen touchdowns in five different ways. Most of those came in the form of 16 receiving touchdowns on almost 1,000 receiving yards.
