Byron Brother & Sister Teaming Up Once More
By
Paul Costanzo
Special for MHSAA.com
October 23, 2018
When it was announced Sunday night that Byron was included in the Division 6 playoff bracket, it wasn’t a surprise for the 5-4 Eagles – but it did provide new opportunities.
An opportunity to play another game. An opportunity to avenge a Week 1 defeat against Flint Hamady. An opportunity to stay together for at least one more week as a team.
In the Marvin household, it provided one other unique opportunity: a chance for senior TJ and his younger sister Sarah, a sophomore, to be teammates on the Eagles’ offensive and defensive lines. Sarah Marvin was a captain on the Eagles’ junior varsity team this year, and is among a group of players moving up to the varsity for the postseason.
“That’s awesome to be able to play football with your sister,” TJ Marvin said. “But to play the same positions and not have to go easy, it’s good, because I can still get a good look.”
It’s the second straight year the Marvins have had this opportunity, and in 2017 they actually were able to line up next to each other late in the Eagles’ loss to Ithaca.
When it comes to practice, being on the same field is nothing new as Byron’s varsity and JV teams often practice together. That means brother and sister – who both play defensive end and offensive tackle -- not only share a field, but also get to square off throughout the season.
“It’s fun,” TJ Marvin said. “It’s cool to be up against your sibling. Caliber of player wise, she lines up just like all the other guys, so I’m still getting a good look. It’s not much different.”
The Marvins get to spend plenty of time together athletically, as both are also throwers on the track & field team, along with Sarah’s twin sister, Becky. Sarah and Becky also get to play basketball for their mother, Theresa, who is the Byron girls varsity basketball coach.
“Everyone in my family knows about throwing,” Sarah said. “All of the sports – you can go home and talk about it, and everyone in your family understands.”
Football is also a family thing, but it’s something special TJ and Sarah share. They started playing while she was in first grade and he was in third, and often times found themselves not only as teammates, but also lined up next to each other on the offensive line.
Starting in the male-dominated sport was something Sarah didn’t think twice about.
“I don’t know if it was something that so much drew me to it. It was just that all of my boy cousins always played,” Sarah Marvin said. “I have (two younger cousins, two younger brothers), an older brother and an older cousin, and we would always rough house.”
Theresa Marvin said her daughter has always loved the game -- whether it be watching or playing -- and became a student of it. TJ agreed.
“Sometimes I’ll give her tips and stuff, but she is very athletically smart,” TJ Marvin said. “She knows the game, watches a lot of football and she’s very good at big picture plays and seeing what’s going on. Any sport, really, but especially football where there is so much going on, she really analyzes the game.”
While they started playing at the same time, TJ does have plenty of experience he can pass onto his younger sister. Injuries kept him off the field for the majority of his freshman and sophomore seasons, but the 6-foot-3, 235-pound two-way starter was an all-conference selection as a junior. He also is a varsity captain this season.
Sarah Marvin already has established herself as an all-state athlete, finishing third this spring at the Lower Peninsula Division 3 track & field championships in the discus and shot put. She was also an honorable mention all-state selection in basketball during her freshman year.
Throwing appears to be her future as an athlete, and continuing to play football is something they’re taking year by year.
“All through my freshman year I was dead set on it, that I’m going to play all four years,” Sarah Marvin said. “I think that’s changed a little bit. I had a kind of close call where a kid went to make a tackle and I was behind our running back, and he fell right into my knee. So that’s the main thing, is not getting hurt.”
Worrying about getting injured, however, has nothing to do with Sarah’s gender.
“Sometimes I worry about it, but I don’t worry about her anymore than I would other guys on the field,” TJ Marvin said. “I worry about it a little bit with her coming up on varsity where there are much bigger players and it’s a little more intense, but I know what she can do physicality wise and the kind of athlete she is. I worry about her getting hurt, but I worry about every one of my teammates getting hurt.”
Sarah is simply a member of the team, and she says that’s something that resonates through the program.
“Within my grade level and even the grade older, since I’ve played since the first grade, I think they’re just used to it -- we’re definitely just regular teammates,” she said. “They don’t treat me any different than the other kids; they’re just out there to play football. I’d probably be annoyed if they didn’t hit me as hard as they hit everyone else.”
Despite that, the Marvin siblings realize their situation is unique, and they feel fortunate to be able to experience playing together for at least one more week.
“(Getting on the field together) would be a really cool thing to do,” Sarah Marvin said. “Especially in his senior year.”
Paul Costanzo served as a sportswriter at The Port Huron Times Herald from 2006-15, including three years as lead sportswriter, and prior to that as sports editor at the Hillsdale Daily News from 2005-06. He can be reached at [email protected] with story ideas for Genesee, Lapeer, St. Clair, Sanilac, Huron, Tuscola, Saginaw, Bay, Arenac, Midland and Gladwin counties.
PHOTOS: (Top) TJ, left, and Sarah Marvin take the field for Byron’s varsity and junior varsity teams, respectively, this season. (Middle) TJ and Sarah first teamed up nine years ago when TJ was in 3rd grade and Sarah in 1st. (Photos courtesy of the Marvin family.)
Perseverance Turns Into Possibilities During Cassopolis' Turnaround Season
By
Scott Hassinger
Special for MHSAA.com
November 3, 2026
CASSOPOLIS – Good times on Friday nights have returned to the Cassopolis football program.
A couple of years removed from canceling its final three games of the 2024 season because of injuries and a lack of experienced players to fill in, coach Jeremiah Lee and his Rangers have lots to celebrate heading into this offseason and 2027.
Cassopolis finished 8-2 this fall with a 54-12 Division 7 District Semifinal loss at Ravenna on Friday. But Lee's Rangers ended the regular season on an eight-game winning streak after suffering a 25-21 defeat in the opener to Southwest 10 Conference foe and Division 8 playoff qualifier Decatur.
With an experienced roster filled with several two-, three-, and four-year varsity letterwinners, Cassopolis rebounded from a 3-6 season in 2025 by outscoring opponents 451-161 this autumn and earning its first appearance in the postseason since 2021.
"Everything has come together for our kids and coaching staff. It's just a blessing to be able to end the season in the spot we are,” Lee said. “We don't take any of it for granted and try and take advantage of all these opportunities.
"Our physicality between last year and now has changed greatly. You could see that in our preseason scrimmage at Constantine and when we took Decatur down to the wire to open our schedule. That first game allowed our team to realize how good they could be, and they continued to tap into that every week.”
Senior quarterback Lucas Williams, a four-year starter, played a major part in Cassopolis' resurgence with his athleticism and leadership in the huddle. The Rangers ran a split-back and spread offensive look.
During the regular season, the 6-foot-2, 180-pound Williams completed 73-of-114 passing attempts with 27 touchdowns while adding 75 carries for 792 rushing yards and 14 TDS.
"This season has been great after some hard times with the cancelation of our season a couple years ago and the death of one of our teammates a year ago," Williams said, referring to Kollin Grover, who died from injuries sustained during a crash a few weeks before the start of the 2025 season. "We've stuck together through it all as one and have been driven to get stronger every day on the field and off it."
Williams, a standout and four-year all-league performer in basketball and baseball as well, broke Tyrese-Hunt Thompson's school record for total TDs (passing and rushing) in a single season with 41. Hunt-Thompson, one of the greatest all-around athletes in school history, went on to play football at Ferris State and North Texas State.
Williams credited his offensive line of junior Mason Boyer (6-6, 300), Conner Turnbow, Colt Bement, Cah'lil Warren, Micah Schuelke and others for his success behind center.
"I couldn't have done anything without their hard work and dedication up there. I couldn't have broke the TD record without those guys or my receivers Jamiere Pratt, Mason Nelson and Camdyn Gillam,” Williams said. “It was just an amazing feat to be able to do this with all of my teammates.”.
Lee stated athletes like Williams don't come around often.
"Lucas is a real special kid. He's matured a great deal and has become a really great teammate this season,” Lee said. “It's tough to be a quarterback with the beatings you take in there sometimes. He makes the game easier for everyone around him, and he's made leaps and bounds."
Senior tailback Elijah Wagoner (6-0, 185) rounded out a balanced Rangers' backfield with 60 carries for 581 yards rushing. "Elijah has been our guy to get those tough yards for us late in the game. He sticks his head in there and does what he has to do," Lee said.
Among Williams' top targets through the air were Pratt, his cousin and a junior this fall. Pratt (5-10, 143) had 26 receptions for 665 yards and 15 TDs. Williams’ brother Mason Nelson, a senior, added 28 catches for 535 yards and nine TDs.
Pratt, also a standout with his speed on special teams, returned three kickoffs for TDs (55, 75, 45 yards) and with an 80-yard punt return for a score. Nelson (6-0, 150) returned a punt 89 yards for another touchdown.
"It's pick your poison. Our receivers have been really good about sharing the load. When one of them has an off night, the others pick up the slack. They block well when we have to run the ball as well. Everyone realizes it’s about we not me," Lee said. "Any time Jamiere hits a seam on kickoff or punt returns, he has a chance to take it to the house. Our offensive line is a selfless unit as well."
Senior Lane Leach, a four-year starter at middle linebacker and on the Rangers' offensive line, has been the catalyst on a stingy defense with 103 tackles, two forced fumbles and a pair of fumble recoveries.
"I'm really good at reading the field, and I feel like I'm pretty physical on defense. Offensively, I just try to do my best to protect our quarterback," Leach said.
The Rangers were known as one of the quicker teams defensively in the SW10 and among schools in Southwestern Michigan. Lee also noted that unit’s versatility and ability to show multiple fronts, and the advantages of having so much speed on that side of the ball.
"We are pretty strong up front, especially on our defensive line. Our safeties and defensive backs have helped us contain opponents to just running the football. We all strive to do our jobs and just go out and execute," Leach added. "It really stunk having to cancel our season early two years ago. But we realized we had to be dedicated and put a lot of hard work in the offseason and had a strong year this fall."
Cassopolis ended the fall allowing just 16.1 points per contest. Wagoner added 59 tackles, one forced fumble and seven pancake blocks to the efforts on both sides of the ball.
"Having that previous varsity experience helped me a great deal this season knowing the plays and having a good connection with a phenomenal quarterback. Our greatest mentality this season has been our will to win and a strong belief in ourselves. It's been a pleasure to be on the field with these guys," Wagoner said. "We like to fly to the ball and hit you hard on defense and let you know we are there."
Mason Pike had 83 tackles, one interception and three fumble recoveries. Trevor Williamson added 78 tackles. Tyson West 44 tackles and 11.5 sacks, Easton Mitchell 56 tackles and one interception, and junior Conner Turnbow totaled 52 stops, two interceptions, one forced fumble and one recovery for the Rangers.
One of several two-way starters for the Rangers, Turnbow (6-0, 185) handled the center's duties as well as playing outside linebacker.
He’s among several players expected to return next fall; Cassopolis will graduate just four seniors off a 34-player roster.
"We've had some past struggles, but we stuck with it and this year we really put it together as a team. It was about loving one another and sticking with it,” Turnbow said. “We are more disciplined and locking down in the weight and film room. There's a lot of brotherhood, we are having fun and we come out expecting to win now.”
Scott Hassinger is a contributing sportswriter for Leader Publications and previously served as the sports editor for the Three Rivers Commercial-News from 1994-2022. He can be reached at [email protected] with story ideas for Berrien, Cass, St. Joseph and Branch counties.
PHOTOS (Top) Cassopolis senior quarterback Lucas Williams receives a necklace signifying his single-season school record for touchdowns. (Middle) Jamiere Pratt (1) returns a kickoff for a touchdown during a Week 9 win over Galesburg-Augusta. (Below) Conner Turnbow (55) recovers a fumble during that 49-18 victory. (Photos by Scott Hassinger.)