Summerfield Bulldogs: 2024 Team Preview

By Frank Vajcner

The Summerfield Bulldogs have quietly become one of the more consistent Division 8 programs in Southeast Michigan, as they have finished with a winning record in 13 of the last 16 seasons, and no season less than four wins in the last 16 seasons. Can they continue the trend?

Head Coach: Dylan Szegedi is 5-4 entering his second season as the Bulldogs’ head coach.

Assistants

Geoff Skibinski- Offensive Coordinator/Assistant Head Coach.

Steve Bolster- Special Teams Coordinator, Running Backs, Defensive Line- Head JV Coach.

Levi Ladd- Inside Linebackers, Wide Receivers- Assistant JV Coach. 

LeRoy Wood- Offensive and Defensive Line. 

Randy Boisselle- Tight Ends and Defensive Backs

RETURNING STARTERS:

Offense- Hayden Dusseau, OL, Charles Baldridge, OL, Brenden Myshock, TE, Tyler Dafoe, WR, Hayden Noland, WR, Nate Wadsworth OL, Trace Secor QB, Eli VanHuysen RB. 

Defense- Brenden Myshock, DE, Mitchell Gomulinski, LB, Hayden Noland, DB, Tyler Dafoe, DB. Nate Wadsworth DL, Charles Baldridge DL, Hayden Dusseau DL, Eli VanHysen DB.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

1. Brenden Myshock, Senior, Tight End, Defensive End. Brenden is returning as a third year starter. Brenden is a very versatile player, allowing us to use him in many different ways, making him very valuable to us. Both offensively and defensively, we depend on Brenden quite a bit. He is a great athlete and has the potential to have an outstanding Senior season. We are very excited to see him excel this year.

1. Trace Secor, Senior, Quarterback and Free Safety. Trace will be returning for his second year as our starting Quarterback. Trace has shown great work ethic and leadership skills throughout the offseason. He has worked very hard and put himself in a position to have a great Senior year. Defensively, he will be in the rotation in our secondary. He sees the field very well, he has a high football IQ.  He is a student of the game and we will lean on Trace a lot this season.

1. Mitchell Gomulinski, Senior, Running Back and Linebacker. Mitchell returns as our team’s leading tackler from last season. He played incredibly well for us defensively last season, and we are expecting the same thing this year. He also led our team in sacks last season. Offensively, he will be our featured running back. Defensively, he will be the leader of our defense this season. Mitchell works incredibly hard during the off season, and he has positioned himself for a very successful Senior season.

1. Hayden Noland, Senior, Wide Receiver and Defensive Back. Hayden will be returning as a three year starter, coming off a very productive Junior season. Offensively, he will be featured in both the run and pass game. He is a very quick and smooth route runner, we look for him to give us a spark offensively, when needed. Defensively, he will be our free safety this season. He will be responsible for making all of the calls, and he will be the leader of our secondary. He is a great athlete and we are very excited to see what he can do.

1. Tyler Dafoe, Senior, Wide Receiver and Defensive Back. Tyler is returning as a three year starter. Offensively, he will be our go-to receiver, he is a very smart and talented athlete. He is very good at finding the open areas and using his body to shield defenders. Defensively, he will be responsible for the short side of the field, often being left on an island, in man coverage. He sees the field very well and uses his football knowledge to make himself very effective, defensively. We are expecting big things from Tyler and I am looking forward to watching him succeed as a senior.

COACH’S FINAL WORD

In my second season as the head coach at Summerfield, we expect to compete each and every week. We have a lot of starters back from last year’s team.  I am very excited at the potential I see in our team, and I am very excited to see what this season holds for our football team.

FNV Outlook: There’s no question that the Bulldogs have the talent to get to 5-4 at least. The schedule doesn’t appear to be overly daunting, and with Whiteford moving up to Division 7, that should help in terms of bonus points. Moving from the veer to more of a spread attack will also be a benefit.