Familiar Name Home Again for Mona Shores
September 23, 2020
By Tom Kendra
Special for Second Half
One of the biggest names in Muskegon Mona Shores football history is back at quarterback – after a 40-year hiatus.
Mark Konecny, who went on to Alma College and then became the first Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association player to make it to the NFL, moved back home from Colorado in 2017. Now it’s his son (same name) who is connecting with receivers for the reigning Division 2 champion Sailors.
“It’s kind of cool to be here playing on the same field and practicing on the same field as him,” said Konecny, a 6-foot, 190-pound junior who wears No. 10, while his dad wore No. 11 at Shores. “I came here for a veer camp in the summer before my 8th-grade year and I liked Coach Koziak and the kids and thought it would be a good fit for me, and it has been.”
Konecny is the backup to senior Brady Rose (5-7, 172), a state Player of the Year candidate who powered the Sailors to a 35-26 upset of Detroit Martin Luther King in last year’s MHSAA Division 2 Final. But that doesn’t mean Konecny won’t play a key role in Friday’s showdown at crosstown rival Muskegon High.
Konecny threw a pair of first-half touchdown passes Friday as Shores picked up right where it left off with a 55-0 pounding of Muskegon Reeths-Puffer in an Ottawa-Kent Conference Green game.
While the explosive Rose is a magician running the veer offense, Koziak said having a backup like Konecny with a rocket arm adds another dimension to the attack.
“We want to get our best players on the field, but there can only be one quarterback, so it’s kind of a problem,” said Koziak, who led Mona Shores to its first-ever playoff berth in 2013 and then to the Finals three times in the past six years. “Brady is an amazing leader and high school football player, while Mark is more of a prototypical QB who can really spin it. So we’ll try to find unique ways to get them on the field at the same time.”
One of those unique ways came in the first quarter Friday, when Konecny lined up as a slot receiver and received a backwards toss from Rose. Konecny then fired his first-ever varsity pass, which a wide-open Elijah Farnum took 59 yards for a touchdown.
On the next possession, Konecny took over at quarterback and Rose moved to the slot, the position he played last year before stepping in for injured starting quarterback Caden Broersma early in the Semifinal against Walled Lake Western. With the Puffer defense focused on Rose, Konecny gunned a four-yard scoring pass to a sliding Keondre Pierce on a seam route.
The two-quarterback attack might be required Friday at Muskegon, as Shores managed just 15 rushing yards and three first downs in last year’s humbling 53-0 loss to the Big Reds.
Muskegon holds a 32-7 all-time edge over Mona Shores, and had won 14 in a row before the Sailors broke through with back-to-back regular-season wins in 2014 and 2015. The Big Reds have since won five straight in the series, including a playoff victory in 2015.
Friday’s game will be the first on the new synthetic field turf at renovated Hackley Stadium, where the Big Reds have been playing since 1927.
Muskegon coach Shane Fairfield hinted before Monday’s practice that the Big Reds could also use multiple quarterbacks in Friday’s game. Projected starter Amari Crowley did not play in Muskegon’s 59-14 opening win at Holland, but is expected to be back Friday. Junior Myles Walton stepped in last week and rushed for 133 yards and completed 4-of-5 passes for 52 yards.
Konecny’s dad remembers classic battles against Muskegon back during his era, and leading the Sailors to a 20-7 win over Muskegon his senior year in 1980 before suffering a season-ending broken collarbone the following week at Traverse City.
He was converted to running back at Alma College, where he became the first in school history to rush for more than 1,000 yards in a season with 1,059 in 1984 in earning all-MIAA honors. He played two years in the Canadian Football League, before realizing his dream of playing in the NFL in 1987 with the Miami Dolphins.
Konecny’s best NFL season came with the Philadelphia Eagles in 1988, when he returned 17 kickoffs for 276 yards and 32 punts for 226 yards.
After football, he worked as a fireman in Littleton, Colo., for 25 years, but fate led him back home to Mona Shores when Koziak invited him to speak at a team fundraiser in 2017. Later that year, the younger Konecny took part in the school’s veer camp and the family decided to come home for good.
Things have fallen into place ever since. Konecny got a job with the Norton Shores Fire Department; his wife, Lauri, landed a kindergarten teaching job at Campbell Elementary in the Mona Shores district; and their only child, Mark, quarterbacked the Sailors freshmen to a 7-1-1 record two years ago and the junior varsity to an 8-1 record last fall.
The elder Konecny coached the Shores special teams the past two years, but stepped aside during the offseason to give his son some space and just be another dad in the stands.
“I want these next two years to be all about him and the work that he has put in,” said Konecny, who was inducted into the Muskegon Area Sports Hall of Fame in 2007. “I just want to be an advocate for him and do whatever I can, lend whatever knowledge or experience I can, to help him achieve his goals.”
The younger Konecny is always trying to learn – soaking in lessons from Koziak and offensive coordinator Aaron James about the nuances of the veer offense and working with his father and former MSU quarterback Ryan Van Dyke on the mechanics of quarterback play. But perhaps the best lessons of all come from Rose.
“We compete with each other, but we also encourage each other,” explained Konecny, who has played hockey in the past but plans to powerlift and play baseball this school year. “What Brady does on the field just logistically doesn’t make sense for someone his size. But you see him in the weight room and around our teammates, and he’s such a leader. He’s a great influence on me.”
Koziak said he has no doubt Konecny will be a college quarterback in a couple of years.
“One of the things I really like about Mark is that he has a very inquisitive football mind,” said Koziak. “He wants to know why we do certain things we do in terms of motion or blocking on a particular play – not just what he has to do, but why.”
Konecny also has an incredible work ethic, never missing a chance to throw with his teammates or to hit the weight room. He recently became a rare junior skill athlete to join the Mona Shores 1,000-pound club – meaning his combined best lift in the bench, squat and dead lift tops that weight.
And when he’s not doing one of those things, he can often be spotted at his dad’s old favorite workout spot: the giant Lake Michigan sand dunes at Lake Harbor Park.
“Every so often, we’ll be sitting around the house and he’ll be restless and go run the dunes,” the elder Konecny said with a smile. “Those are the same dunes that I used to run when I played at Shores, so that’s kind of neat. Like father, like son, I guess.”
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) Mona Shores junior quarterback Mark Konecny drops back to pass during Friday's game at Muskegon Reeths-Puffer. (Middle) Konecny warms up Friday. (Below) The elder Mark Konecny. (Mona Shores photos by Eric Sturr and Mike Meekhof, respectively. Head shot courtesy of the Muskegon Area Sports Hall of Fame.)
Gorham Rewriting Record Book as Mendon Pursues Superior Dome Return
By
Scott Hassinger
Special for MHSAA.com
November 4, 2025
MENDON – Mendon football star Owen Gorham finds enjoyment in being a mentor for younger kids in his community – so much so that he one day aspires to have his own classroom and pursue a career as an elementary teacher.
If his success on the football field the last four years is any indication, the 5-foot-10, 180-pound senior tailback should be a smashing hit in the education field as well.
Gorham has made a significant impact in 8-Player Division 2 football as top-ranked Mendon (10-0) prepares to travel and face No. 3 Portland St. Patrick this weekend in a Regional championship matchup.
The three-sport athlete already owns MHSAA 8-player career records for scoring with 696 points and touchdowns with 97. Both records were previously held by Bridgman's Reid Haskins (2019-22).
Gorham broke Haskins' career scoring mark in Mendon's 62-0 win over Battle Creek St. Philip in Week 7 before adding the TD record to his resume in a 76-43 victory over Adrian Lenawee Christian to end the regular season.
"I was able to put up pretty good numbers last year as a junior thanks to a good offensive line and a really good team,” said Gorham, who also has lettered in basketball and track & field. “I feel my speed is one of my biggest strengths. Reaching some of these records was among my goals when this season started. I couldn't have done it though without the support of my family, my twin brother Ryder at quarterback, JT Lux my fullback and the guys on my offensive line.”
Owen Gorham has run 471 times for 4,905 career yards and needs just 122 more yards to surpass Haskins as the state's all-time leading rusher. As a senior, Gorham has churned out 1,569 yards – 13.53 per carry – with 27 rushing TDs and two more on receptions.
"Owen works his tail off. We never question his work ethic. I always tell him he's his own worst critic. The time that he puts into the game, like watching film and lifting weights, makes him the player he is," said Mendon head coach Bobby Kretschman, an all-state linebacker during his playing days at Mendon and currently the high school’s principal as well.
"What you see out of Owen on Friday nights is just a small part of what he does. He's got good speed, power, makes good cuts and choices on the field. He's carried the ball close to 500 times for us in his career. That's a testament to his durability to be able to run for that much yardage. Defensively, he has a good nose for the football and his speed allows him to post up on tight ends and cover well out in space. That's huge in 8-man football because of the multiple offenses you see out of opposing teams.”
Mendon has scored 502 points this fall, an average of 55.8 per game. A great deal of that production has come on the ground, where the Hornets have rolled up 3,439 yards – 11.2 yards per carry and 382.1 per contest.
Directing Mendon's offense is Owen's twin brother Ryder, the Hornets' three-year starting quarterback, with Owen at halfback and Lux at fullback. Halfback Xavior Zinsmaster has 32 carries for 512 yards and seven TDs.
"Ryder is my biggest influence. We're twins so we do everything together, and he pushes me in everything I do and I try to do the same for him," Owen Gorham said.
Lux has run for 444 yards on 60 carries, with eight TDs.
"I think Owen and I bring two different types of running styles to the game and complement each other well. You have Owen's speed and my strength. I love blocking for him, and our offense has been very explosive this year," Lux said.
Senior tight end Brayden Crites (6-3, 200) is Mendon's top receiver with 10 catches for 249 yards and seven TDs.
Mendon's standouts on the offensive line, along with Crites, include seniors Adain McCall and Jayden Haigh, big sophomore center Jorden Palmer (5-10, 260) and junior guard Tristan Wood.
"Adain and Brayden do a lot of the dirty work for us. Our offensive line was a big question mark coming in this season. But the kids up there understand their roles well and do a good job staying on blocks for the most part.” Kretschman said. “Ryder runs the offense smoothly and is a good coverage kid, along with Xavior on defense."
Ryder Gorham is Mendon's third-leading rusher with 38 carries for 372 yards and seven TDs, while completing 21-of-43 passes worth 445 yards and eight TDs with just two interceptions. He's also a starter in the Hornets' secondary, where he has 23 tackles and one interception.
Defensively, Mendon is led in tackles by junior linebacker Zak Iobe (5-10, 165) with 77, followed by Zinsmaster and Wood with 57 stops apiece. Lux (5-10, 195) has 16 tackles, a sack and one fumble recovery at defensive tackle.
Mendon's seven seniors and their teammates are primed for the biggest game of their careers after receiving a 1-0 forfeit win over No. 7-ranked Grand Rapids Sacred Heart last week.
Mendon won 12 state championships during its era in 11-Player football, including 10 titles under legendary coach John Schwartz.
Mendon lost 66-26 to Powers North Central in the 2022 8-Player Division 1 championship game, which concluded the Hornets’ second season playing the new format. They look to return to the Finals this month at the Superior Dome in Marquette after losing 49-32 to eventual champion Deckerville in a Division 1 Semifinal last season.
Deckerville also is in Division 2 this season and a possible opponent if Mendon wins this week.
"That game didn't go as well as we wanted. Our goal is to get another shot at them and hopefully we do," Owen Gorham said.
He said he and his Mendon teammates spent the offseason working to achieve bigger things this fall.
"We were out here three days a week in the summer lifting weights, running and doing agility drills. During the season we lift on Wednesday and Saturdays and watch film,” Gorham said. “We never stop working hard to keep our season going. We all want it really bad. Losing to Deckerville last year just gave us more fire coming into this season.”
He also feels a great sense of pride whenever he steps onto the field.
Dan Kennedy, Owen's grandfather, was an all-state player at Mendon during the mid-1970s, and cousins Greg Bingaman and Clint Wagner both played on Hornets teams that claimed state titles.
"It's a tremendous honor to put on the Green and White jersey. I've had many family members who have played at Mendon on state title teams. I just feel honored to have a chance to repeat history with what they've done here in the past," Gorham said.
A starter at outside linebacker as well, he also plays a critical role on a Hornets' defensive unit that has allowed just 14.7 points per contest. He has 32 tackles, including four for loss of yardage, to go with 3.5 sacks, one interception and one caused fumble. Rarely does Gorham leave the field as he is also Mendon's punter, averaging 42 yards per attempt.
While Gorham's success has generated interest from college coaches, he has already made a decision to end his football career after Mendon's final game this season.
"I thought about playing college football but decided not to. I want to go to Western Michigan and study elementary education,” Gorham said. “Every Friday I go to our elementary school and help mentor kids. I love volunteering to help little kids get a good future just like where I'm at right now. That has really sparked my interest in having my own classroom some day and helping kids.”
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) Mendon senior tailback Owen Gorham (20) nears the end zone during a 46-20 win over Climax-Scotts this fall. (Middle) Pictured at practice last week, from left: Gorham, Mendon head coach Bobby Kretschman and JT Lux. (Below) Lux (23) pursues a ballcarrier during a practice drill. (Top photo by Brandon Watson/Sturgis Journal. Practice photos by Scott Hassinger.)