Long Losing Streak Becoming Distant Memory as Adrian Football Re-Emerges
By
Doug Donnelly
Special for MHSAA.com
October 10, 2023
It’s hard to point to one particular move that led to the resurgence of the Adrian High School football program, but there’s no doubt the Maples are back.
Just a few years ago, they were in the throngs of a 30-game losing streak, had a difficult time fielding a junior varsity team and the school’s administration conducted a survey about possibly leaving the Southeastern Conference.
Now, Adrian is 6-1, finished just a game out of first place in the SEC White and is primed for a Division 4 playoff run.
“There are a lot of really good things going on with the football program, the school and athletic program,” said second-year varsity football coach Joel Przygodski. “We have great kids who love to work hard. I’m glad to see them being successful because they work so hard.”
Przygodski is part of an overhaul at Adrian, which has seen a new superintendent, high school principal and athletic director over the last couple of years.
“The leadership is all in line with a similar point of view about how high school athletics should be a positive experience for kids,” Przygodski said. “It’s really fun to be a part of a school district like Adrian when everybody is rowing in the same direction.”
Historically, Adrian has had success on the football field. From 1999 to 2011, the Maples missed the playoffs just twice. Then came a series of 2-7 and 3-6 years, but a bounce-back 7-5 in 2016.
The program took a downturn after that.
Adrian didn’t win a game during the 2018, 2019 and 2020 seasons. The Maples lost 30 straight in all before defeating Brooklyn Columbia Central in Week 2 of the 2021 season. Those losses included the Maples forfeiting a 2020 playoff game – when almost all teams made the postseason due to COVID-19 – due to a lack of available players.
Przygodski was one of the Adrian assistants during the playoff years, then left to become an assistant coach at Saline. He remained a teacher in the district, however.
When the Adrian head coaching job opened after the 2021 season, Przygodski didn’t hesitate to throw his name into the candidate pool.
“I taught the same kids who are playing now in middle school, so it’s not like I had to meet these kids for the first time,” he said. “It was more of a re-introduction to them. They only knew me as Mr. P, not as Coach P.
“The kids wanted to win, they wanted that discipline and structure, and they just hadn’t had it for one reason or another.”
Chad O’Brien, in his third year as the Adrian athletic director, is pleased with the progress of the athletic program. The baseball team won an SEC title last year, and the basketball team has had success as well.
“I think we have a lot of good people in good positions right now, and that makes a huge difference,” he said. “The continuity of the staff is huge. We have everyone on the same page. We discuss it as a group. We interact a ton. We aren’t separated. Everyone is moving in the same direction.
“There are still things that need to be addressed, but it’s definitely different than it was two years ago.”
The biggest turnaround has been in the football program. With some of the same players who were part of the 30-game losing streak, the Maples went 5-5 last year and are 6-1 this fall.
The Maples opened the season with four straight wins before falling 28-18 to Chelsea, the only blemish on a great season so far. They followed up the loss to the Bulldogs with back-to-back conference wins over Jackson and Pinckney to finish 4-1 in the SEC White. They have two nonleague games left to get ready for the postseason.
Quarterback Sean Parker is the unquestioned leader of the team. A four-year starter, Parker has thrown for 1,147 yards and 13 touchdowns this season while completing 65 percent of his passes. He has also rushed for 356 yards.
“He’s one of the smartest kids I’ve ever coached,” Przygodski said. “He has 4.1 GPA. He’s a very intelligent young man who works very hard. He’s kind of a silent leader, but a fun kid to be around. He’s gotten better each and every day.”
Chase Henline is the rushing leader with 780 yards and eight touchdowns. Five Maples have more than 100 yards receiving and are in double digits for catches.
Parker is one of 15 seniors.
“The majority of them have played all four years, and a handful of them are four-year starters,” Przygodski said. “When you have kids who have been battle-tested and have endured some of the things they did as freshmen and sophomores, then having a pretty decent year as juniors, it sets the stage for a pretty good senior campaign with everything falling in line.”
Przygodski is an Ann Arbor native who was head coach at his alma mater – Ann Arbor Huron – for four years before coming to Adrian in 2010. He served time as an assistant with the Maples under Phil Jacobs and was in Milan for a year. He then worked under Joe Palka at Saline for four years.
“I learned a lifetime of football working for Joe for those four years,” he said. “I think the biggest thing I got from him is how he organized. Everything was down to the details. If you put our practice plan and their practice plan next to each other, it would probably look similar. That’s probably the thing I learned the most.”
Przygodski isn’t worried about an encore just yet, but praised Adrian for its facilities and strength and conditioning program under Toby Ernst, now in his second year.
“They check all of the boxes of what you need to be competitive and successful in high school sports,” Przygodski said. “The community support has been phenomenal. It’s a place where you can compete and win.”
O’Brien said Adrian will continue to move forward with its athletic program.
“We’ve always had good kids here. We just had to have the right people directing them,” O’Brien said. “The biggest thing is we are going to do what’s right for kids, do what’s right for our district and do what’s right for our league. Every decision we make, we make sure we are following that.”
Doug Donnelly has served as a sports and news reporter and city editor over 25 years, writing for the Daily Chief-Union in Upper Sandusky, Ohio from 1992-1995, the Monroe Evening News from 1995-2012 and the Adrian Daily Telegram since 2013. He's also written a book on high school basketball in Monroe County and compiles record books for various schools in southeast Michigan. E-mail him at [email protected] with story ideas for Jackson, Washtenaw, Hillsdale, Lenawee and Monroe counties.
PHOTOS (Top) Adrian’s Carson DeKeyser (7) and Thomas Dayharsh celebrate a touchdown during Friday’s 34-0 win over Pinckney. (Middle) Maples quarterback Sean Parker rolls right behind the protection of Antonio Brown. (Photos by Deloris Clark-Osborne.)
1st & Goal: 2025 Week 4 Preview
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
September 19, 2025
Could Week 4 be the one we look back on as the most important this regular season?
It’s certainly possible.
The two biggest games this weekend might take place about 35 miles apart, as likely league title favorites in both the Detroit Public School League Blue and Catholic High School League Central face off. And several more conferences also eventually may recall tonight as the one that decided which schools add a trophy in October.
Scores for every game across the state this weekend will be posted on the MHSAA Scores page as they conclude. Tune into several on the NFHS Network, including those with “WATCH” linked below.
Bay & Thumb
Richmond (3-0) at Armada (3-0) WATCH
This decade has seen Armada join the contenders in the Blue Water Area Conference; the Tigers finished second last season with only a one-point loss to champion Almont. Richmond could be on its way to becoming a factor again. The Blue Devils last week defeated Croswell-Lexington, avenging last year’s 41-10 loss in defeating the Pioneers for the first time since 2019. Richmond also opened this season by avenging a 2024 loss to St. Clair – and hasn’t defeated Armada since 2019 as well.
Keep an eye on these FRIDAY Saginaw Swan Valley (2-1) at Bay City John Glenn (3-0) WATCH, Owosso (3-0) at Clio (3-0) WATCH, Holly (2-1) at Linden (3-0) WATCH, Bay City Western (2-1) at Midland Dow (2-1) WATCH.
Greater Detroit
Orchard Lake St. Mary’s (3-0) at Detroit Catholic Central (3-0)
Cass Tech/King this week should be another classic, but this is a rare instance when another Metro Detroit game carries similar clout. St. Mary’s is the reigning Division 2 champion but lost three Catholic High School League Central games last season including 27-22 to eventual champion DCC. The Shamrocks already have a win this fall over 2024 CHSL Central runner-up Toledo Central Catholic, but OLSM already has avenged last year’s loss to Warren De La Salle Collegiate – rebounding from a 10-point loss for a 39-point victory.
Keep an eye on these FRIDAY Detroit Cass Tech (3-0) at Detroit Martin Luther King (2-1), Sterling Heights Stevenson (3-0) at Macomb Dakota (3-0) WATCH, Gibraltar Carlson (3-0) at Trenton (2-1) WATCH, Dearborn Heights Robichaud (3-0) at Redford Union (2-1) WATCH.
Mid-Michigan
Grand Ledge (3-0) at Holt (2-1) WATCH
Grand Ledge has won three straight in this rivalry, starting with its Division 1 District Final matchup in 2022. But the Rams can make a nice statement to kick off the Capital Area Activities Conference Blue schedule, especially as they are seeking their first playoff berth since that fall. The Comets opened league play last week by downing East Lansing 45-27 after having fallen to the Trojans the last two seasons. Holt’s loss came in its season opener to reigning CAAC Red champion Mason.
Keep an eye on these FRIDAY Ovid-Elsie (2-1) at Durand (2-1) WATCH, Haslett (2-1) at Mason (1-2), Kalkaska (3-0) at Mount Pleasant Sacred Heart (2-1), Fowlerville (2-1) at Williamston (3-0) WATCH.
Northern Lower Peninsula
Kingsley (2-1) at Boyne City (3-0)
These two and Traverse City St. Francis shared the Northern Michigan Football League Legends championship last season, and all of that started with Kingsley’s 26-20 win over Boyne City. The Stags have won four straight against the Ramblers, including the last two with both back in the same NMFL division, but Boyne City last year didn’t lose again until the Division 6 Semifinals and has given up only 27 points total over its first three games this fall. Kingsley took a Week 2 loss to much-improved Gaylord but bounced back big last week against Grayling.
Keep an eye on these FRIDAY Mount Pleasant (3-0) at Traverse City Central (2-1), East Jordan (2-1) at Maple City Glen Lake (2-1) WATCH, Beal City (3-0) at McBain (2-1) WATCH, Shepherd (3-0) at Ogemaw Heights (2-1) WATCH.
Southeast & Border
Dexter (3-0) at Saline (3-0) WATCH
This matchup has played a major role in deciding the Southeastern Conference Red title the last three seasons. Dexter has scored at least 48 points in all three of its games so far this fall, including during a 50-27 opening win over Brighton. Saline started this season with a 37-28 win over Rockford and then has reached 50 points the last two weeks – while not allowing any.
Keep an eye on these FRIDAY Michigan Center (3-0) at Manchester (2-1) WATCH, Riverview (2-1) at Monroe Jefferson (3-0), Hastings (2-1) at Parma Western (1-2), Chelsea (3-0) at Tecumseh (2-1) WATCH.
Southwest Corridor
Battle Creek Pennfield (2-1) at Battle Creek Harper Creek (2-1)
Pennfield is 2-1 for the first time since 2021 and after winning one game all of last season, and last week’s 23-20 victory came over a Buchanan team that made the playoffs a year ago. A win over Harper Creek would be the Panthers’ first since 2020. The Beavers are reigning Interstate 8 Athletic Conference champions and bounced back from a Week 2 loss to Cedar Springs by downing Coldwater in a league opener.
Keep an eye on these FRIDAY Portage Central (3-0) at Battle Creek Central (2-1), Marshall (2-1) at Dowagiac (2-1), Plainwell (2-1) at Three Rivers (3-0) WATCH, Centreville (2-1) at White Pigeon (3-0) WATCH.
Upper Peninsula
Menominee (3-0) at Calumet (3-0) WATCH
The Maroons are marching again and looking to extend a winning streak over Calumet to four, with the last two wins coming in Western Peninsula Athletic Conference Copper play. Those two victories both came by at least 40 points, but the Copper Kings should make this a much closer game, off to their best start since 2019 and riding the momentum of a 33-18 win last week over Negaunee.
Keep an eye on these FRIDAY Kingsford (2-1) at Negaunee (2-1) WATCH, L’Anse (3-0) at Manistique (1-2) WATCH, Escanaba (3-0) at Sault Ste. Marie (0-3) WATCH, Houghton (1-2) at Ishpeming Westwood (0-3) WATCH.
West Michigan
Grand Rapids Northview (3-0) at Holland Christian (3-0) WATCH
It would be easy to argue East Kentwood/Rockford is a bigger game area-wide. But the Ottawa-Kent Conference Red looks full of those this season, and this O-K Black matchup may end up having larger league title implications. These two and Grand Rapids Catholic Central all have started 3-0, with two more teams 2-1. Northview defeated the Maroons last season 35-20 on the way to winning the league and finishing the regular season undefeated.
Keep an eye on these FRIDAY East Kentwood (3-0) at Rockford (2-1) WATCH, Muskegon Oakridge (3-0) at Ludington (3-0), Zeeland East (3-0) at Hudsonville Unity Christian (3-0), Cedar Springs (3-0) at Grand Rapids Kenowa Hills (3-0) WATCH.
8-Player
Martin (3-0) at Gobles (3-0) WATCH
This has become one of the most intriguing rivalries in all of 8-player over the last two seasons, with Gobles winning regular-season matchups both times but Martin then winning playoff rematches. The Tigers have continued their offensive surge of the last two seasons, putting up nearly 52 per game over their first three including 54 in a 22-point win over Climax-Scotts. Martin has averaged 55 points per over its first three games, but perhaps more notably hasn’t given up more than 20 in any contest.
Keep an eye on these FRIDAY Brown City (3-0) at Deckerville (3-0) WATCH, Fulton (3-0) at Portland St. Patrick (3-0), Colon (2-1) at Climax-Scotts (2-1), Britton Deerfield (2-1) at Concord (2-1) WATCH.
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PHOTO East Kentwood's Ahman Edmonds bursts into the open during his team's Week 3 win over Jenison. (Click for more from High School Sports Scene.)