KLAA Football Media Day Video: Hear from Brighton, Hartland, Howell
Hear from Brighton, Hartland and Howell football players and coaches at the annual KLAA Football Media Day on Thursday, August 8, 2024, in Northville.
Three Livingston County football teams began the first week of practice with a solid spot at the quarterback position, while players from the other two compete for a chance to start at the most important position on the field.
Fowlerville and Pinckney return their starters, while Brighton signed a transfer player who played on an Ann Arbor Huron team that reached the state playoffs.
Hartland has three competitors for the job, Howell two.
Here’s a look at the quarterback situation for each county team just two weeks before the season opener:
Brighton
At the start of the offseason, it looked as if Brighton would face a three-way battle to become the likely successor to Grant Hetherton, the county’s Offensive Player of the Year, at quarterback.
That plan changed in the winter when Lawrence Wells transferred from Ann Arbor Huron.
Wells led Huron to the playoffs last season, averaging 28 points per game. Over the summer, he verbally committed to play for Central Michigan University.
A 100-yard sprinter in the track, Wells has the quickness to keep defenses on their toes and the arm to get the ball to a strong group of Brighton pass receivers.
“He’s a very explosive guy,” said Brighton coach Brian Lemons. “He’s going to be difficult for some teams to defend. He shoots the ball excellently. His football IQ is better than average.”
Senior Zach Watkins was the varsity’s backup last season, completing 5 of 8 passes for 38 yards and running eight times for 33 yards and a touchdown. Juniors Owen Burke and Matt Davis were the junior varsity’s starting quarterbacks last year and appeared as five-quarterbacks in varsity games.
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Fowlerville
Senior Wyatt Soli begins his second season as a starter for Fowlerville after making the county’s second team last year.
Fowlerville is excited to see what Soli and his teammates are capable of after finishing last season with a three-game winning streak following a 1-5 start.
Soli was second in the county last season with 1,118 passing yards and 11 touchdown passes, completing 82 of 153 passes. He threw six interceptions. Not known for rushing and running much, he carried the ball 35 times for 55 yards and a touchdown.
“Quarterbacks are often about leadership,” Fowlerville coach Matt Copeland said. “In the first year, they really struggle to learn what to do and how to do it. Now, with a year under his belt, we expect him to be as much of a leader as he is a quarterback.”
Hartland
There is a three-way battle to succeed James Butzier, Hartland’s starting quarterback for the past two seasons.
Seniors Gabe Timpa and Lucas Warr compete for the position along with junior Michael Elliott.
Warr and Timpa were reserve players on the first team last year, with Timpa playing primarily as a wide receiver and being the second-leading player on the team with 13 catches. Elliott was the starter on the junior team.
Timpa completed 4 of 10 passes for 137 yards, one touchdown and one interception last season, while Warr completed 4 of 7 passes for 44 yards. Warr ran for a touchdown against Brighton.
“They’ve been sharing reps all summer,” Hartland coach Thomas Stevenson said. “All three of them have a little different skill sets, so we can do something different with each of them. I like the way they work. When the competition is over, we’ll have a pretty good guy back there commanding our offense.”
Stevenson analyzed the strengths of each quarterback.
“Gabe is a natural leader,” he said. “He can process everything that’s in front of him very well and make good decisions with the football. Lucas probably has the most talent in his arm. When he lets you go, it’s pretty impressive. Michael is very technical; he can make all the throws.”
Howell
Howell had four different quarterbacks start last season due to injuries and illnesses, with two of them returning to compete for the job of leading a run-dominated offense.
Palmer VanDeven became only the third freshman in Livingston County history to start at quarterback in the third game of last season. He was joined a week later by Jax Raymond of Pinckney.
Preston Barb made two starts as a sophomore and threw Howell’s only three touchdown passes of the season.
Barb completed 10 of 21 passes for 186 yards, while VanDeven completed 11 of 19 passes for 128 yards. Senior Justin Jones was the starting quarterback in last year’s season opener, but has since established himself as a running back.
“Their level of competition as teammates has been phenomenal,” Howell coach Brian Lewis said. “They really exemplify what we want in this area as far as sessions go: competing, trying to make each other better and still being great teammates. Both guys fight and do a great job.”
“Their bodies are maturing, their minds are maturing. It’s not just about passing the ball or throwing the football anymore. It’s about playing quarterback, being an emotionally stable being for other people and keeping a clear head in emotional or stressful situations. These kids are developing in those aspects and we’re excited to see what we do with it.”
Pinckney
Raymond begins his second season with more starting experience than expected.
He began his freshman year as a junior starter and quarter-varsity player, and was promoted to starter in his fourth week.
Despite starting only six games, his 1,035 passing yards ranked third in the region and just 83 yards behind second place. He completed 106 of 193 passes and threw seven touchdown passes.
He enters his sophomore year with that experience as a starter and has also played a full season for a varsity baseball team that won the district championship.
Raymond’s task is made easier by the fact that he has senior Nolan Carruthers as his target. Carruthers already holds the county record for most balls caught in a career with 123 in two years.
“He’s going through the reads with confidence,” Pinckney coach Jason Carpenter said. “He’s starting to see the defense the way I do, which is great. He’s really taking ownership of the offense and just asking a lot of good questions. Before the snap, we say, ‘OK, where do you think you should go with the ball?’ He already knows the answer to that question.”
Raymond’s replacement will be junior Jace Carlson, who will play wide receiver after being the JV quarterback for the second half of last season. Carlson started and had Pinckney’s best 3-point shooting percentage during the basketball season.
Contact Bill Khan at [email protected]. Follow him on X @BillKhan
