Grosse Ile finished 6-4 in 2020 after advancing to the Division 5 Regional Championship game last season. John Bodner returns for his 15th season on the island and must replace numerous starters including All-FNV RB Joey Pizzo.
Head Coach: John Bodner (72-63, 15th year)
Offense: The Red Devils return 3 starters on offense and much will run through junior WR Tyler Swick who had 30 catches for 619 yards and 9 TD’s in 2020. Junior Travis Symons will get the call at QB for Bodner’s team. Junior Tyler Fraczek will most likely start at RB. Junior Jake Brown and senior Jake Reno return as starters and will anchor the offensive line along with senior Aiden Pullen.
Defense: The defense returns 4 starters that include; Swick (2 Int), Brown and Reno (38 tackles) along with senior DB Zach Luh (38 tackles). Colin Howard and Hunter Proctor will get time in the defensive backfield along with sophomore Matt Pizzo. Junior Eian Rush is expected to start at LB while sophomore’s Carson Pace and Aiden Rush will get time on the defensive line.
Coaches Thoughts: The Huron League is brutal. Every week is a battle and a tough game. We are very young and need to get better every week.
FNV Outlook: After an impressive run that saw the Islanders win 4 straight before falling to Lansing Catholic last season, Grosse Ile may be in rebuilding mode. While there are some solid seniors in the line-up, the bulk of the starters are sophomores and juniors. The early-season schedule is brutal, the Red Devils will travel to Riverview Gabriel Richard and SMCC while hosting Milan in week 3. If GI can escape with a week 1 win and get better each and every week, they may find themselves possibly in the Division 5 playoffs again.