Whiteford Returns to Familiar, but Differently
By
Doug Donnelly
Special for MHSAA.com
August 10, 2020
OTTAWA LAKE – Jason Mensing believes high school football can happen this year safely.
Monday was the first official practice of the 2020 high school football season across Michigan. Thousands of athletes put helmets on and started the journey, including Mensing’s Ottawa Lake Whiteford Bobcats.
Like any other year, Mensing said early-season practices are about finding out the personality of his team and what motivates them.
“Every year is different, without question,” Mensing said. “Every year is a new challenge.”
The start of practice this year is certainly unlike any other. While welcoming players, Mensing was busy going through MHSAA safety protocols, including asking a series of health questions and taking the temperature of every player and every assistant coach. With Covid-19 and the worldwide pandemic on everyone’s mind, the football season still started.
“I think the kids just want to be together,” Mensing said. “That’s the biggest thing. A lot of their travel teams that they played on this summer in other sports, those kids might be friends, but those aren’t their classmates. It’s different.”
While practice started Monday, there are still some questions about the upcoming season. For one, teams won’t be able to put on shoulder pads and equipment other than helmets until Aug. 17. In normal years, shoulder pads and then full pads are added gradually during the first week.
Week 1 games this season are scheduled for the final weekend of August, but the MHSAA has not announced yet if competition is cleared to resume. That announcement will be made by Aug. 20.
As a member of the MHSAA’s Representative Council, Mensing has been part of this summer's discussions about Fall sports moving ahead. He’s also part of the Michigan High School Football Coaches Association, serving as its awards chairperson.
He’s a firm believer in football happening this fall.
“It extends beyond football practice,” Mensing said. “It extends to the school experience, to school sports. We know from the last six months that socially and emotionally kids need this outlet. They need to connect. They need to be with one another and with people for their development.”
Mensing points to research that suggests two-thirds of youth today are depressed.
“That’s not acceptable in my world and I think a lot of others,” he said. “We can address that with outlets like arts and athletic programs.”
Playing high school sports, he said, can help teach student-athletes to be safe, to wash their hands, to wear masks during a pandemic and to social distance – in other words, to take the necessary steps to stop the spread of the virus.
“It’s been very, very apparent to me that our young people, out of their need to socialize and engage with one another, are going to,” he said. “What’s concerning me when it comes to the virus and the transmission of it, is that it’s our job to mitigate that and reduce it so it doesn’t get spread. When there isn’t structure and protocols in place and there isn’t an education about why those structures are necessary, the spread is only going to get worse.
“Through sports and our arts programs, we can establish safe routines to educate people on why we need these protocols and why we need to mitigate and slow the spread of the disease.”
Coaches have a unique opportunity to instill the message into their team members.
“It’s a challenge every day because it’s not what they are doing outside of this,” he said. “It’s definitely a challenge. It’s not natural for people to stay six feet apart or wear a facial mask.”
The Tecumseh native played college football at Adrian College, coached for one year at both Adrian College and Siena Heights University and has been a head coach at Addison, Grayling, Owosso, Tecumseh and is starting his ninth year at Whiteford. His Bobcats won the 2017 Division 8 championship after finishing runners-up the season before.
Among changes to this preseason is the elimination of the scrimmage at the end of the second week of practice. Mensing was fine with that move, he said, because it gives the coaching staff a little more teaching time.
“From an instructional standpoint, I think we can have a little more patience,” he said. “We’re not in such a hurry. Our pace can be a little more reserved. We are three weeks out from playing anyone.”
The Bobcats will be young this season after finishing 5-5 a year ago and making the playoffs for the eighth straight season. They do return three of their top four rushers from last season in senior Devon Shaw (883 yards) and juniors Cole Giesige (668 yards) and Levi Hillard (132 yards). Other returning starters include sophomore quarterback Shea Ruddy, tight end Luke Masserant and all-state offensive lineman Noah Bauman.
“We have a long way to go,” Mensing said.
Returning starters and numbers aside, Mensing is optimistic the season will go forward.
“As long as it’s driven by the science and it’s based around us making sure we are following protocols, yes,” he said. “Ultimately if teams aren’t having transmission of the virus, we will have a safer society. Can it happen? Sure.”
PHOTOS: (Top) Ottawa Lake Whiteford football coach Jason Mensing, right, takes the temperature of Cole Giesige prior to the start of Monday’s first practice of the 2020 season. (Middle) Mensing fills in a questionnaire with Devon Shaw. (Photos by Doug Donnelly.)
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.)