Center Leading Big Reds Back for More
September 4, 2019
By Tom Kendra
Special for Second Half
Muskegon High School’s offensive line sustained some BIG losses after last season.
Four of the starting five offensive linemen from that MHSAA Division 3 runner-up team, totaling 1,245 pounds in weight – and including 6-foot-5, 360-pound right tackle Anthony Bradford, who is now playing at Louisiana State University – are gone.
The lone returning starter is senior center D’Andre Mills-Ellis, which makes it all the more impressive the way the Big Reds dominated two-time reigning Division 2 champion Warren De La Salle Collegiate, 41-7, during Friday’s Xenith Prep Kickoff Classic at Wayne State University.
“All summer long, we were hearing that we weren’t going to be anything with all of the big boys gone,” said Mills-Ellis, who is certainly a big boy himself at 6-0 and 305 pounds. “We’re not as big, but we’re more athletic.”
Mills-Ellis and the young Big Reds’ linemen certainly made a statement Friday, posting a 285-94 edge in rushing yards against the Pilots, who feature 6-7, 320-pound senior two-way lineman Grant Toutant, an Ohio State commit.
Muskegon (1-0) has no time to sit back and enjoy its big season-opening win, as the Big Reds face another long road trip and another monumental challenge this Friday night at Detroit Martin Luther King (0-1) – a rematch of last year’s Division 3 championship game, which King won, 41-25.
The Big Reds will be out for revenge, led by senior quarterback and returning MLive Michigan Player of the Year Cameron Martinez (6-0, 190), who also has verbally committed to Ohio State. Martinez carried the ball 21 times for 184 yards and three touchdowns against De La Salle, while completing 6-of-11 passes for 57 yards.
Martinez is the latest of an incredible stretch of quarterbacks at Muskegon – most recently bolstered by Kalil Pimpleton, now a starting slot receiver at Central Michigan, and then La’Darius Jefferson, now a major contributor at running back at Michigan State.
“We’ve been blessed with great quarterbacks here lately, but it all starts with D’Andre getting the ball to them,” said 10th-year Muskegon coach Shane Fairfield, who has guided the Big Reds to MHSAA Finals six times in the past seven years and led them to the Division 3 title in 2017.
Mills-Ellis said it’s an honor to block for such talented runners.
“The thing is, you don’t have to get pancakes with backs like that,” said Mills-Ellis, a college prospect who currently has offers from Judson (Ill.) and Northwood and wants to major in biology. “All those guys need is a little bit of room and they’re gonna go.”
The center always plays a critical role on the offensive line, getting to the ball first, surveying the defense and making sure that everyone up front knows their assignments. Mills-Ellis is used to that job, but he has become much more vocal in it with two sophomores and one junior starting alongside him.
The only other senior up front for the Big Reds is left tackle Billie Roberts (6-3, 255), a converted tight end who Muskegon offensive line coach Matt Bolles says has Division I skills. Starting next to Roberts is junior guard Tayvid Elmore (5-11, 280), while the right side has a pair of sophomores in guard Jamarrius Dickerson (5-10, 295) and tackle Duane Anderson (6-1, 285).
“It’s different for him this year because now he’s our rock, our leader up there,” explained Fairfield. “He’s always kinda been the comedian, but he’s had to scale that back a little, so that when it’s time to get serious the other guys will listen to him.”
The senior is known for his steady snaps, as the Big Reds line up almost exclusively in the pistol formation, with Mills-Ellis initiating every play with a quick snap back to Martinez. While his center is pretty much automatic these days, Muskegon offensive coordinator Brent White said that wasn’t always true.
“We converted him from tackle, and he was a little rocky with his snaps at first,” said White, who gave credit for his improvement to snapping to Jefferson, who is nicknamed ‘Sippy’ because he’s from Mississippi. “Sippy didn’t like bad snaps and he had a way of letting him know that, so he got better in a hurry.”
Mills-Ellis, who is one of the strongest players in West Michigan with a squat of 675 pounds, is also starting for the first time this season at defensive tackle.
Fairfield said during the preseason that he believes his team will be much improved on defense, and it certainly appeared that way in the opener as tackles Mills-Ellis and Roberts completely stuffed any interior running plays.
Muskegon limited De La Salle to just one touchdown, but a bigger defensive challenge awaits this week against a Detroit King team packed with Division I prospects – notably battering-ram running back Peny Boone (committed to Maryland), receiver Rashawn Williams (Indiana) and freshman quarterback Dante Moore, who already has an offer from Michigan.
King shredded Muskegon through the air and on the ground in November’s championship game at Ford Field, but Mills-Ellis said the Big Reds are determined to not let that happen again.
“We couldn’t overlook De La Salle, because they have a great program, but deep down inside, the game we all want and that we’ve been talking about all summer is King,” said Mills-Ellis. “You have to understand, us seniors here aren’t used to losing. This is our chance to make up for that loss.”
Tom Kendra worked 23 years at The Muskegon Chronicle, including five as assistant sports editor and the final six as sports editor through 2011. E-mail him at [email protected] with story ideas for Muskegon, Oceana, Mason, Lake, Oceola, Mecosta and Newaygo counties.
PHOTOS: (Top) Muskegon center D'Andre Mills-Ellis throws the key lead block as quarterback Cameron Martinez scores a touchdown during the Big Reds' 45-22 Division 3 Semifinal victory over Zeeland East last season at Grand Haven High School. (Middle) Mills-Ellis talks to Muskegon offensive line coach Matt Bolles during last year's Division 3 championship game at Ford Field. (Photos by Tim Reilly.)
Stevenson's Travels Following Lake Orion Success Include Space Force, Penn, NYC
By
Keith Dunlap
Special for MHSAA.com
July 17, 2025
It certainly isn’t hard for Marques Stevenson to pause and turn back the clock, even if sometimes it’s in the middle of the night.
Once a star running back at Lake Orion High School, Stevenson was arguably the MVP of what still stands as the only Dragons team to win an MHSAA Finals football championship.
Even though it will be 15 years this fall since that magical run in 2010, the memories remain as fresh as if they happened yesterday.
“I get the nostalgia, and I’ll cut on some highlights of that year,” he said. “I’ll tell my girlfriend at 3 in the morning, ‘Hey watch this, we were so good in high school.’ At least twice a year I’ll find myself cutting on the old game film or watching ‘MHSAA Rewind’ and watch the championship game over again.”
Nobody could blame Stevenson, given he capped off a sensational senior year by rushing for 186 yards and two touchdowns on 27 carries in Lake Orion’s 21-13 win over Plymouth in the Division 1 championship game.
Stevenson also rushed for 288 yards and four touchdowns in a District Final that year against Grand Blanc, and for 190 yards in a Semifinal win over Detroit Cass Tech.
Even more impressive is that late in that playoff run, opponents knew Lake Orion was going to ride its offensive line and Stevenson – and still couldn’t stop them.
Starting quarterback Sean Charette suffered a season-ending injury in their Regional Final, and while backup Cole Schaenzer definitely wasn’t a liability and did a good job filling in, it was no secret Lake Orion’s best route to scoring points was handing the ball to Stevenson.
“When (Charette) went down, it was a tough loss,” Stevenson said. “But we all felt like it was next man up and that we truly trusted each other.”
Stevenson finished the season with 1,966 rushing yards and 25 touchdowns, the former still a Lake Orion record.
"The season was special because going into that year, I don’t think any of us thought that was going to be the outcome,” said Stevenson, adding he vividly remembers the strong support given to the team by the Lake Orion community. “We all, day after day and week after week, started to believe in ourselves more. By the end, it came into fruition. It was a special run.”
After graduating from Lake Orion, Stevenson went on to the Air Force Academy, studying and also playing football there until deciding not to play his senior year.
Following graduation, he served six years in the Air Force, conducting satellite command and control for the U.S. Space Force while stationed in Denver and Los Angeles.
Once he finished his service, Stevenson obtained a master’s degree from the University of Pennsylvania, and he now works as a strategy consultant in New York City.
“I don’t think any of that would have been possible without Lake Orion and that football experience,” Stevenson said. “That got the ball rolling for the journey I’ve been on now. I’ve been able to see the world, moved around a lot and had different experiences. Most of those experiences are attributed to the opportunity I got at Lake Orion.”
Stevenson is listed a few more times in the Lake Orion football record book, ranking third all-time in career yards (3,122) and touchdowns in a season (25).
“His senior year, with his work, his speed, his vision and his knowledge of our offense, it almost looked easy for him,” said current Lake Orion head coach and athletic director Chris Bell, who also was the head coach of the 2010 championship team. “His work and preparation made him one of the best we ever had. He was a 4.0 student, a high-character young man and just a lot of fun to coach and be around.”
Stevenson said he’ll come back into town a couple times every year, but there might be a special reason to do so this fall – a 15-year celebration of the championship season.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, there wasn’t a 10-year reunion in 2020.
“I would love to do a proper reunion of that team,” Stevenson said. “I should probably reach out to Coach Bell and Coach (John) Blackstock and those guys.”
If a reunion does happen, no doubt it will be more reason to get out the clips from that 2010 season again.
“That whole run and experience resonates with me,” Stevenson said. “And I don’t think that’s ever going to change.”
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PHOTOS (Top) At left, Marques Stevenson carries the ball for Lake Orion during his senior season in 2010. At right, Stevenson today. (Middle) Stevenson takes on a Troy defender in 2008. (Action photos courtesy of the Oakland Press; headshot provided by Marques Stevenson.)