With Help, Football Returns to Carney
August 25, 2016
By Dennis Grall
Special to Second Half
CARNEY — The football players dutifully go through their drills in blistering heat, showing energy and enthusiasm as they tackle what is basically a brand new sport.
Carney-Nadeau High School returns to the high school gridiron tonight for the first time since 1973, with an assist from some Upper Peninsula schools and another team known for its green and gold colors, the Green Bay Packers.
The 8-player team visits Ewen-Trout Creek for the first of eight road games this season. The small northern Menominee County school does not have a football field.
Actually, until around Thanksgiving 2015, the school did not have a team. Some parents approached the school about instituting football last fall, with the recent inception of the 8-player game playing a big role.
Helping fuel that fire was neighboring Powers North Central, which switched from 11-player to 8-player for the 2015 season and romped to the division’s MHSAA championship to complete a 13-0 season.
Jim Belec, who helped bring the football idea to school officials, became head coach and quickly picked up Dan Koffman as an assistant for the self-funded program.
Then the work began. And as the pieces started falling together, C-N students began showing interest in playing the sport.
Belec, who coached the youth football Sharks in nearby Stephenson, said, “You’ve got to have a lot of patience” working with players who have little or no experience. “You have to remember it is their first time out here, but at the same time you’ve got to remember you have to catch them up.”
He installed a basic offense and defense. “If you can’t do the basics, you don’t have much to stand on,” said Belec as he watched his players run through various drills. “They’ve got the want-to.”
He said basic drills included safety features such as keeping the head up while going in for a tackle and reminding defenders to wrap their arms around the ball carrier. “You can definitely tell the kids who have played in the past and who haven’t,” he said.
About half of the 17 players have some experience, including three who played at North Central under a co-op arrangement.
“I’m realistic. Starting off we have a lot to learn,” said Belec. “I hope we are far enough along to be competitive right off the bat.”
That wasn’t the case when the Wolves played 11-player football from 1970-73, when they posted only one win before dropping the sport. They played the 8-player game for a couple of years before that period, before those opponents also moved to 11-player football.
“Our first goal is to have fun,” said Belec, noting some players expressed playoff hopes while some hoped for perhaps two wins. “There are wins on the schedule to be had as long we work hard.”
The hard work and dedication have been on display since preseason practice began, but it will take live action to see how much progress has been made. At the outset Belec said, “They would come off the ball and they would all stand up right away. Little things like that can be taught.”
The Wolves received some equipment and uniforms from nearby Menominee High School and from Rock Mid Peninsula High School, which dropped 8-player football after the 2013 season.
Most obvious is the equipment and gear donated by the NFL’s Green Bay Packers. Brand new gloves bearing names like Randall Cobb arrived along with shoes, shoulder pads, pants, thigh pads, knee pads, girdles and state-of-art helmets. “The ones (pants) with blood stains were valuable,” said Koffman.
The items were arranged for by Belec’s wife Cindy, who attended school in Stephenson with Sandy Roubal, who is the corporate giving coordinator for the Packers.
“It’s been motivating and exciting to have the Packers involved,” said Koffman. “They gave us sizes that would fit our kids (along with some shoes that were much too large).”
The self-funded program has hooked up with Donors Choose, a fund-raising operation that enables people to make donations toward specific areas. Sixteen new helmets were paid for right off the bat from those donations.
“Financially we are viable,” said Koffman, noting everything on their wish list has been donated. “We didn’t have to do anything. We’re still in awe. Everybody has been outfitted. We have just been thrilled.”
C-N superintendent Adam Cocco was sporting a huge grin while watching his new squad practice recently. His dad, Robert, was quarterback of the school’s last team.
He said it “seemed insurmountable” when Belec first asked about fielding a team last fall. “The more we looked at it, the more we chipped away. It kind of came together. It is all self-funded. That speaks to the level of support from the community.”
Tight end John Berg, one of the seniors, figured, “I might as well go for it because it is my last year of school.”
Tailback Dylan Kuehl said, “It was hard at first but we’ve pulled together, and the practices have gotten a whole lot easier.” A wrestler with the Bark River-Harris High School team as part of another co-op, Kuehl added, “We are setting high expectations for each other. It would be pretty cool if we could win four games.”
Fullback-linebacker Kyle Hammerberg played Pop Warner and junior varsity football at North Central. “I like helping everyone on the line fire off the ball,” he said. “I tell them to look at the ball and not listen to the count. If you watch football you feel it is a lot easier, but once you’re in the game it is a lot harder than you think.”
Denny Grall retired in 2012 after 39 years at the Escanaba Daily Press and four at the Green Bay Press-Gazette, plus 15 months for WLST radio in Escanaba; he served as the Daily Press sports editor from 1970-80 and again from 1984-2012. Grall was inducted into the Upper Peninsula Sports Hall of Fame in 2002 and serves as its executive secretary. E-mail him at [email protected] with story ideas for the Upper Peninsula.
PHOTO: (Top) Carney-Nadeau work on agility during a recent practice. (Middle) Assistant coach Dan Koffman shows some of the donated equipment provided by the Green Bay Packers. (Below) The first Carney-Nadeau football team since 1974 will take the field this season as a self-funded program. The team includes: front row from left, Hunter DuPont, David Green, Alex Rhode, Bryce Montague, Arturo Rangel and Dylan Kuehl; middle, assistant coach Dan Koffman, Kyle Hammerberg, Brett LaFord, Norman Collins, head coach Jim Belec; back, James Imhoff, Jordan Belec, Calvin Haddock, John Berg and Jordan Lindstrom. (Photos by Dennis Grall.)
1st & Goal: 2025 Week 9 Preview
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
October 23, 2025
This is it – the final football weekend for more than half of Michigan’s high school teams, and also the final opportunity for a few hundred playoff hopefuls to earn their way into this year’s playoffs – or affect who they might play and where on their MHSAA championship drives.
A pair of late Saturday games will conclude this fall’s regular-season schedule. Follow the ever-changing playoff picture as scores are reported on the Football Playoff Point Summary page, which includes playoff-point averages and how teams rank as they hope to reach the fields of 32 teams in 11-player divisions and 16 teams in the 8-player brackets.
The announcement of the qualifiers and first-round pairings for both will take place at 5 p.m. Sunday on the “Selection Sunday Show” on the NFHS Network (no subscription required). The playoff qualifiers and pairings will be posted to the MHSAA Website following the show, and times and dates will be added Monday.
Below are several games this weekend that surely will impact where teams will land.
Bay & Thumb
Harbor Beach (8-0) at Millington (7-1) WATCH
This is a meeting of Big Thumb Conference champions with aspirations for more trophies next month. Harbor Beach won the BTC Black and hasn’t ranked lower that sixth on the Division 8 playoff list since at least Week 3. The Pirates also haven’t given up more than 14 points in a game and 62 total over eight, making for an intriguing matchup for the Cardinals – last season’s Division 7 champion, who shared the BTC White title this fall and have scored more than 50 three times but also 14 three times.
Keep an eye on these FRIDAY Midland (4-4) at Midland Dow (7-1) WATCH, Detroit Edison (7-1) at Almont (8-0) WATCH, Saginaw Valley Lutheran (8-0) at Unionville-Sebewaing (6-2) WATCH, Marysville (6-2) at Marine City (6-2).
Greater Detroit
Detroit Catholic Central (8-0) vs. Detroit Martin Luther King (5-3) at Ford Field, Saturday WATCH
The final kickoff of the 2025 regular season features a pair of teams facing off at Ford Field and hoping to return there for Thanksgiving weekend. This Catholic High School League Prep Bowl matchup will actually be King’s second-straight game on the Detroit Lions’ home field, as they fell in last week’s Detroit Public School League Blue city championship game to Cass Tech – the only in-state team to defeat King this season, and a possible playoff opponent for DCC at some point in the Division 1 bracket. The Shamrocks’ closest games this season have been a pair decided by 13 points.
Keep an eye on these FRIDAY Howell (7-1) at Belleville (7-1) WATCH, Birmingham Groves (5-3) at Birmingham Seaholm (5-3) WATCH, Utica Eisenhower (5-3) at Clarkston (7-1) WATCH, Grand Blanc (8-0) at Romeo (6-2) WATCH.
Mid-Michigan
DeWitt (8-0) at Lansing Everett (5-3) WATCH
The Capital Area Activities Conference Blue is one of the final leagues still deciding its champion(s) for this season, and DeWitt already has clinched a share as it looks to extend its winning streak over the Vikings to five. Grand Ledge is in second place and would benefit from an Everett upset, but the challenge will be mighty as the Panthers have scored 50 or more points in every league game and given up 14 total over their last five. Everett did break a three-game losing streak last week with a 28-21 win over Holt, and has faced another still-undefeated contender in Grand Blanc.
Keep an eye on these FRIDAY Durand (6-2) at Bath (4-4) WATCH, McBain (6-2) at Fowler (6-2) WATCH, Beal City (8-0) at Ithaca (6-2) WATCH, White Pigeon (6-2) at Stockbridge (4-4) WATCH.
Northern Lower Peninsula
Charlevoix (8-0) at Kingsley (6-2) WATCH
This should be an excellent playoff primer for both. Charlevoix has won two straight games by three points or fewer to keep its perfect regular season hopes alive and is third on the Division 7 playoff list. Kingsley, with losses only to undefeated Gaylord and rival Traverse City St. Francis by a point, sits 10th on the Division 6 list and one spot ahead of the Gladiators – meaning a home game if they can maintain that advantage and meet again in the playoffs. The Stags won 47-28 when these two met in Week 9 a year ago.
Keep an eye on these FRIDAY Kalkaska (5-3) at Boyne City (5-3) WATCH, Elk Rapids (4-4) at East Jordan (5-3) WATCH, Maple City Glen Lake (6-1) at Mancelona (5-3) WATCH, Traverse City Central (5-3) at Traverse City West (4-4).
Southeast & Border
Ann Arbor Father Gabriel Richard (8-0) vs. Allen Park Cabrini (8-0) at Ford Field, Saturday WATCH
For the second week in a row, FGR will puts its perfect record on the line against another undefeated opponent – this time as part of the Prep Bowl at Ford Field. The Irish clinched the CHSL Intersectional 1 championship last week by handing Macomb Lutheran North its lone defeat, 44-19. Cabrini is the champion from the Intersectional 2 and aspiring to complete its first perfect regular season since 1967, when it finished 7-0-1 according the Michigan-Football.com. The Monarchs finished 5-5 a year ago and already have their most wins since 2007.
Keep an eye on these FRIDAY Linden (6-2) at Chelsea (7-1) WATCH, Bronson (7-1) at Springport (8-0) WATCH. SATURDAY Hanover-Horton (6-2) at Michigan Center (8-0) WATCH, Jackson Lumen Christi (5-3) vs. Center Line (7-1) at Ford Field.
Southwest Corridor
Portage Central (8-0) at St. Joseph (5-3) WATCH
The Southwestern Michigan Athletic Conference West also is finishing up league play, with Portage Central owning a share of the title but a St. Joseph win tonight creating a three-team share with these two and Portage Northern. The Mustangs may have the most impressive defense in the state with seven shutouts and only 10 points allowed. That said, St. Joseph won last year’s meeting 15-0 to create a shared league title between the two, and has scored 35 points or more every game since a Week 1 loss to last season’s Division 4 runner-up and still-undefeated Niles.
Keep an eye on these FRIDAY Hudson (8-0) at Berrien Springs (5-1) WATCH, Lawton (6-2) at Constantine (6-2) WATCH, Niles (8-0) at Edwardsburg (6-2) WATCH, Kalamazoo United (6-2) at Schoolcraft (7-1) WATCH.
Upper Peninsula
Kingsford (6-2) at Marquette (5-3) WATCH
These two are now three years removed from being longtime league rivals in the Great Northern Conference, but this game continues to carry significant weight and especially when it comes to Marquette’s playoff future. Kingsford has won the last three meetings, and last year’s 27-17 victory contributed to keeping the Sentinels out of the postseason. Marquette sits No. 27 on the Division 3 list this week with losses to opponents that are a combined 20-4. The Flivvers are No. 16 in Division 5 but coming off a tough league-deciding defeat against Menominee.
Keep an eye on these THURSDAY Iron Mountain (5-2) at Negaunee (5-3) WATCH. FRIDAY Gladstone (3-5) at Escanaba (7-1) WATCH, Calumet (6-2) at L’Anse (5-3) WATCH, Hancock (1-7) at West Iron County (3-4) WATCH.
West Michigan
Wyoming Godwin Heights (7-1) at Belding (7-1)
This is a winner-take-all for the Ottawa-Kent Conference Silver title, as Belding looks to extend its league championship streak to four and Godwin Heights seeks to add a historic accomplishment to what also will be its first playoff season since 2018 (not counting COVID-shortened 2020, when nearly all teams qualified). Although Belding has won the last three meetings between these two, Godwin did claim it as recently as 2021 – the last time the Black Knights didn’t win the Silver.
Keep an eye on these FRIDAY Grand Rapids South Christian (4-4) at Grand Rapids Catholic Central (8-0) WATCH, Zeeland West (6-2) at Grand Rapids West Catholic (7-1), Pontiac Notre Dame Prep (6-2) at Hudsonville Unity Christian (8-0) WATCH, North Muskegon (6-2) at Muskegon Oakridge (5-3) WATCH.
8-Player
Indian River Inland Lakes (8-0) at Gaylord St. Mary (7-1)
The Ski Valley Conference title is at stake, and Inland Lakes has won all four of those since joining the league in 2021 – with St. Mary finishing runner-up the last three seasons. They played one-score games against each other in 2022 and 2023 before the Bulldogs won big a year ago. Inland Lakes also has an argument for most impressive defense in the state this season, with its 14 points allowed to Hillman in Week 5 the only points the team has surrendered all fall. The Snowbirds have three shutouts in league play and their only loss came two weeks ago to a likely playoff team in Breckenridge.
Keep an eye on these FRIDAY Blanchard Montabella (8-0) at Portland St. Patrick (8-0), Marion (6-2) at Kingston (7-1) WATCH, Bridgman (7-1) at Brown City (6-2) WATCH, Climax-Scotts (6-2) at Pittsford (7-1) WATCH.
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PHOTO Detroit Martin Luther King and Cass Tech players contend for a pass in the end zone during last week's PSL Blue city championship game. (Photo by Olivia B. Photography.)