Sports
Hartland Football Geared Up For Prep Showdown
Young Eagles team to open season against Skyline on Friday at EMU.
The football team is kicking its season off in style Friday night.
The Eagles are among 16 teams participating in the Big Day Prep Showdown at Rynearson Stadium on the campus of Eastern Michigan University in Ypsilanti.
“We’re all really pumped for the first game,” senior captain Brad Maschke said. “Especially since the game is at Eastern. Everyone seems really focused.”
Hartland faces Ann Arbor Skyline at 5 p.m. in the first of two games on Friday night. Novi and Chelsea follow at approximately 8 p.m.
“This is the first year we’re in it,” Hartland coach Marcus Dukes said. “The kids are excited. It should be a fun time. I know the kids are really looking forward to it.”
This is the seventh year of the Big Day Prep Showdown. There are two games Thursday, including Howell and Sterling Heights Stevenson at 8 p.m. Then, there are four games Saturday.
Hartland was one of four teams in the Kensington Lakes Activities Association West Division which finished the regular season 6-3 last year. Six wins makes a team eligible for the postseason. Hartland lost to Holt, 41-16, in the first round of the playoffs.
“A lot of us upperclassmen, we remember what it felt like last year (losing to Holt),” Maschke said. “Now, as seniors, we understand the drive and commitment it takes to get to that level. The ultimate goal is Ford Field.”
Getting to Ford Field for the state finals is going to take a lot of work and that’s not lost on Maschke.
“We’ve been thinking about all the teams we’re going to play,” he said. “Last year, we thought Skyline would be easy and they gave us a good game. This year, no one is going to be easy. We’ve got to go as hard as we can.”
Skyline competed in football for the first time last season and finished 0-9. Hartland opened the season against Skyline and won, 64-26.
The Hartland Eagles have just five returning starters from last season: Korey Boutell, Trey Conner, Maschke, Stephen Milarch and Anthony Villar.
“We’ve got some guys with experience, but we are young,” Dukes said. “There are a lot of fresh faces, but they’re competitors. Hopefully we’ll grow up fast. It’s trial by fire.”
Hartland runs a spread offense and he’s pleased with what he’s seen so far in practice.
“We’ve stayed healthy and the kids have worked hard,” he said.
Milarch, a junior, will lead the offense at quarterback. Asked what the team’s strength is, Milarch said “nothing is stronger than the other, we’re solid all the way through. We can not have any letdowns. We’ve got to finish everything.”
Defense is an area in which Dukes is hoping to see improvement.
“Last year, we were good at times, but we struggled at times, too,” he said. “The key is consistency. We want to be consistent across the board, but especially on defense.”
In addition to the game at EMU, Milarch said the Eagles are looking forward to rivalry games against Howell and Brighton.
“They’re always good competition,” he said.
Hartland hosts Howell on Sept. 9 and Brighton on Sept. 30 for homecoming.
“We’re definitely looking at winning the KLAA,” Milarch said. “And we want to go as far as we can in the playoffs. If we play as a team, we’ll be able to do that.”
Editor's note: This is the third in a series of stories over the coming weeks that will preview fall sports at Hartland High School. Here are our past articles in this series: