Struggle Transforming Into Success as Loy Norrix Builds Best Season since 1990s
By
Pam Shebest
Special for MHSAA.com
October 22, 2024
KALAMAZOO — Over Lorenzo Robertson’s first three years as head coach, the Kalamazoo Loy Norrix football team won a total of three games.
His patience and guidance have paid off this year, leading to the Knights' first five-win season since 1998.
A win against crosstown Southwest Michigan Athletic Conference East foe Kalamazoo Central in Friday’s regular-season finale would clinch an outright league championship for the Knights and potentially provide enough boost to get them back into the MHSAA Playoffs for the second time in school history – and first since 1997, when Loy Norrix featured future pros (Todd) T.J. Duckett and Little John Flowers.
Both Loy Norrix and Kalamazoo Central are 5-3 overall and 3-0 in SMAC East play heading into this weekend. The Knights finished 1-7 a year ago and entering this fall had won a combined 10 games over the last 12 – but they’ve guaranteed their first winning regular season in 26 years.
“We turned it around with a new commitment to the classroom,” Robertson said. “A lot of our kids are (now academically) eligible whereas when I got here, a lot of our kids struggled to keep the lower levels eligible. Those kids are now seniors, and they’re all doing well.”
Robertson said when he was hired, athletic director Andrew Laboe told him one of the key focuses was to get the players stronger.
When the new coach realized there was no weight training program, he started one.
“Where I come from (Bloomfield Hills Lahser, Pontiac and Dearborn Heights Robichaud), weights were very important to the point that we had a class for it during the school day for the football team and those that wanted to take the class that weren’t football,” Robertson said.
Robertson also implemented offseason training, and during the second summer camp this year he realized this could be the turnaround season.
“I knew the boys were getting it quickly, and we were able to move fast through the summer,” he said. “Because they had it down through the summer, when the season started, we hit the ground running.
“During our scrimmages, we were miles ahead of the teams we scrimmaged, though they were good teams. I could tell we were ready to go; we were moving fast. I knew that would carry over, just watching them in the summertime.”
Robertson also makes sure the players know the team’s history.
“Our coaches do a good job of researching,” he said. “Every team we play, we give (players) stats on when was the last time we beat ’em, how many times through the years, what’s our record down through the years. We teach these kids history of the Norrix program before we play.”
Before Robertson, things got so bad that in 2020 the football team, struggling to field players, left the SMAC and played as an independent.
This year, after four seasons away, the Knights are back in the conference.
“After our first SMAC game (we felt more competitive) because people were saying you won’t survive in the SMAC – and we come to the SMAC and it’s our best year,” said senior wide receiver/safety Rashad Waller. “That was really when I knew, oh yeah, I know this is it.”
A four-year varsity player, Waller said he stuck it out through the lean seasons because he knew things were bound to improve.
As a freshman, “watching behind the older guys and realizing they don’t have the time (to improve), I don’t want to be that guy,” he said. “I had to make my team lock in.
“Everybody in my class was tired of losing, so we just locked in and got it done. Coaching got a lot better, and guys really wanted it bad and made it happen.”
Waller already owns two school records. He returned two kickoffs for touchdowns to set a single-game record Sept. 20 against Mattawan. Both TD returns went for 99 yards, another all-time Norrix best and long enough to tie the MHSAA 11-player record for kickoff return distance as well.
Another senior, left guard/defensive tackle Will Dominianni, also weathered the previous three dismal varsity years.
“We were a young program with a new head coach, so all of us kind of grew into our roles when it comes to the coaching staff and players as well,” he said. “That was a big thing.
“We’ve really become a tight-knit group over the past couple years with all of us freshmen getting moved up on varsity our freshman year, so it was a bit like baptism by fire. We’ve all embraced the struggle together.”
Dominianni is one of the team’s rotating captains.
“Will Dominianni has probably been captain most of the year,” Robertson said. “David Jones is also having a great season.”
Jones, a junior running back/safety, is a second-year varsity player.
“The new guys we have are more dedicated (than previous years),” he said. “We’re coming together as a team. I knew it could change, and it did.”
Robertson said the success is a total team effort.
“We have a three-headed monster, sometimes a four-headed monster, at running back with David Jones, Maddox Pirochta, Christian Euceda. They have great per-carry averages.
“Whenever we get in trouble, we can give the ball to any of those three. Our running backs coach (Kierre Stinnette) does a great job rotating them in games.”
Robertson also credited his new defensive coordinator, Damion West, brought up from the junior varsity. “We promote from within,” Robertson said. “He’s pitched a couple shutouts with our defense. That will always keep you in games.”
Robertson added that the offensive line also has been a big improvement.
“This could be the best line I’ve had since being here, and we’re young with only two seniors in that group,” he said.
The quarterback position is shared by senior Jalen Evans and junior Jonavan Hare.
Besides working with players, Robertson also is building a rapport with parents, another key to the program’s success.
“When I came here, there was no parent booster program,” he said. “I’ve always known a parent booster group anywhere I’ve coached.
“We started that from scratch, and since that’s got rolling with our first group of parents, all the way to now has grown. Volunteerism has grown, and I always think that’s key to growing programs.”
He said he’s also thankful the administration stuck with him during the lean years.
“I think they saw the change in the boys through the years; that kept me here,” he said. “The boys are doing better in school, better citizens and that’s also important.
“Sometimes wins and losses are put on the back burner to what kind of young man you are bringing into the world. Football is such a life-teaching sport.”
Robertson is steeped in life-teaching skills.
A retired minister, he currently commutes to Detroit for his job as captain in the Detroit Fire Department.
“(The fire department job) helps me not take anything for granted with all the tragedy I see and everything else that goes on,” he said. “It helps me care on a personal level, on a human level, for the boys.
"They see a working man, they see somebody who’s a family man that’s dedicated to them. I’ve got common sense, no-nonsense and I think that’s what attracts them.”
Once those players are attracted to the program, Waller has some advice for them.
“A lot of the younger guys complain about playing time, but coach is watching, so just keep your head on and keep grinding,” he said. “You’re gonna get your chance. Other than that, don’t worry about all the offers and all that stuff. It will come eventually.
“The first two years just work on getting your body right, getting fast and keep your grades up – and it will be the best two years of your life.”
Pam Shebest served as a sportswriter at the Kalamazoo Gazette from 1985-2009 after 11 years part-time with the Gazette while teaching French and English at White Pigeon High School. She can be reached at [email protected] with story ideas for Calhoun, Kalamazoo and Van Buren counties.
PHOTOS (Top) Kalamazoo Loy Norrix’s David Jones (6) sprints down the sideline during a Week 6 win over Battle Creek Lakeview. (2) Clockwise from top left: Knights coach Lorenzo Robertson, Will Dominianni, Rashad Waller and Jones. (3) Dominianni (64) helps protect his backfield against Grand Rapids Ottawa Hills. (4) Waller gets to the edge against St. Joseph. (Action photos by Steve Andrie; headshots by Pam Shebest.)
D-Coach Stratton, QB Son Leaving Family Mark on Whitehall's Undefeated Run
By
Tom Kendra
Special for MHSAA.com
November 2, 2022
Keith Stratton may be an assistant coach, but that doesn’t necessarily mean he has the best vantage point of his son Kyle, Whitehall’s standout junior quarterback.
“I actually miss most of his plays,” explained Keith Stratton, who is in his 10th year as the Vikings’ defensive coordinator.
“I usually have my back to the field, talking to my (defensive) guys. I know he did something good from the roar of the crowd or the PA announcer.”
Kyle Stratton – whose trademark, flowing blonde locks seem to atone for his dad’s bald look – has done plenty of good this fall, leading his team to a West Michigan Conference Lakes title, a No. 2 ranking in Division 4 and a 10-0 record. The Vikings’ closest game since Labor Day was a 42-12 win over Big Rapids in last week’s playoff opener.
Whitehall will face a stiffer challenge in Friday’s Division 4 District title game against Fruitport (8-2), winner of six in a row and tri-champions of the Ottawa-Kent Conference Blue.
“It’s been a great season, but we still have a lot of unfinished business,” said Kyle, 17, who also plays basketball and baseball. “We’re motivated to bring new things to Whitehall which we haven’t had before.”
Whitehall’s longest postseason runs came in 2003 and 2014, both ending in Regional Finals. The goal this year is to sail into uncharted waters – i.e., the Semifinals and then the Finals at Ford Field, for the first time in school history.
Stratton (5-foot-8, 170 pounds) gives the Vikings a great shot with his ability to run and pass out of the veer offense. He has been a great runner since earning the starting QB job as a sophomore, and is the team’s leading rusher with 99 carries for 802 yards and 14 TDs. But his emergence as a highly-accurate passer has elevated Whitehall’s offense to a new level, as he’s completed 72-of-112 passes (64 percent) for 1,362 yards, with 24 TDs and six interceptions.
Stratton uses all of his weapons through the air, including wideouts Trannon Aylor and Camden Thompson and slotbacks Nate Bolley, Malcolm Earvin and Ca’Mar Ready.
“Kyle has worked so hard and essentially doubled his statistics from a year ago,” said 10th-year Whitehall coach Tony Sigmon, a former standout linebacker at DeWitt and Alma College. “He always has the ability to take off and run, but he now has the patience to scramble and still be looking downfield for his receivers.”
Whitehall’s offense, directed by Kyle Stratton and averaging 51 points per game, has received plenty of accolades this fall. But the Vikings’ stingy defense, under the tutelage of Keith Stratton, might be the key to a postseason run.
Keith Stratton, known for his backwards baseball cap and hands-on-his-knees stance before each play, directs an ultra-aggressive unit which has allowed a total of 40 points over the past two months.
“I don’t wear a headset; it clouds my brain,” Keith said with a laugh.
His blue-collar mentality is instilled in his defense, which is led by senior inside linebackers Graycen Shepherd and Jackson Cook.
“People ask me what it’s like to coach my son, but really, I look at all of these kids like my sons,” said Stratton, who is married to Jodi, and the couple has two older sons, Caleb and Andrew. “They are all thinkers. They come up to me and ask questions. They have exceeded my expectations.”
Stratton, a 1990 graduate of Muskegon Catholic Central, walked-on to the football team at Grand Valley State and was one of eight walk-ons out of 50 to earn a spot on the roster, playing backup fullback and on the scout team.
He majored in criminal justice and went on to work for the City of Muskegon Police Department for 25 years, retiring last year. Early in his career as a cop, he coached eight years of junior varsity football at Muskegon Catholic, then started coaching at Whitehall in 2010. When Sigmon took the head coaching job in 2013, one of the first things he did was name Stratton his defensive coordinator.
“We had been coaching defense together (under previous coach Cliff Sandee), and when we would compare notes before practice, it was like looking in a mirror,” said Sigmon, who is also aided by offensive coordinator CJ VanWieren. “So I was very comfortable putting Keith in charge of the defense. We’ve been at it for 10 years now, and he’s done a great job of growing and progressing as a coach.”
Stratton’s defense will be put to the test against a Fruitport offense which features a big offensive line and the senior twin duo of running back Paschal Jolman and quarterback Collin Jolman.
Paschal already has eclipsed 2,000 rushing yards through 10 games, with 146 carries for 2,028 yards (13.8 per carry) and 25 TDs. Collin has completed 65-of-111 passes for 1,284 yards and 14 TDS, while also scrambling 96 times for 825 yards and 17 TDs.
“Fruitport is balanced and tricky and fast and big,” said Keith Stratton, who grew up in Fruitport. “They break a ton of big plays. We need to limit those big plays and make them work for everything.”
Fruitport turned some heads and gained major respect back on Oct. 7, when it upset then-undefeated and Division 6 top-ranked Grand Rapids West Catholic, 28-20. Since that thrilling signature win, the Trojans have been riding high, scoring an average of 56 points over the past three weeks.
The only time Keith Stratton ever puts on a headset is when his son is on the field directing the Vikings’ offense. While he said it would be nice to watch his son live, his time is better used talking to the other coaches in the booth to make defensive adjustments.
Kyle, meanwhile, said he is motivated by his dad and wants to follow in his footsteps as a college football player and then taking up a career in law enforcement.
“I respect him a lot,” said Kyle. “He’s told me a lot of stories about his time as a cop – going out at 2 a.m. and risking his life. That motivates me more than he even knows.
“If he can do that, I can go out there every Friday night and give every ounce of what I have for my town, and my team, and my friends.”
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) Whitehall quarterback Kyle Stratton embraces his father Keith after a game this season. (Middle) Keith Stratton, left, and Kyle man the sidelines during Kyle’s younger years supporting the program. (Photos courtesy of Jodi Stratton.)