New Coach, New Era, Big Expectations

Mustangs buying into Brent Luplow’s football philosophy

By Brad Emons |

by Bryan Mitchell

Northville High football isn’t undergoing a complete makeover heading into the 2023 season, but under the guidance of first-year coach Brent Luplow, there will be at least some cosmetic changes.

After spending the past four seasons as Brighton’s offensive coordinator, the 29-year-old Luplow is bringing a different look to the Mustangs, especially on the offensive side of the ball.

“We’re going be more personnel-based,” Luplow said. “We’re going to play out of a handful of different personnel packages with different types of kids coming into the game depending on what kind of formation we’re in. We’re going to be more formation heavy and we’re going to try to be and look very complex to a defense, but be basic and have our base plays that we run out of different formations.”

Matt Ladach, who stepped down after an 8-3 season and second-place finish in the KLAA West Division in 2022, finished his Northville coaching career with an 89-56 overall record. It included nine playoff berths and four KLAA Central Division titles. And in passing the torch, he left Luplow a cupboard well-stocked with returning and experienced players.

“I think it’s a transition,” Luplow said, “but the best thing about them is that they’re willing to see change through and willing to trust us and understand that we’re trying to put them in the best position to be successful, and win in this league, a tough league where you have to be doing multiple things. You just can’t do your own thing. They’ve bought in really well and we’ve been very pleased with that.”

All-KLAA selection

Graham Gilmartin, a 6-foot-1, 244-pound senior, anchors the offensive line. And it’s been a learning curve as far as getting up to speed with the new techniques in the offense.

“I don’t want to get into too much detail, but this year we’re doing a lot more quick hitting run plays than last year and I think we’ll be more of a running team this year,” said Gilmartin, who has had interest from Carnegie Mellon University (Pa.). “That’s coach Luplow’s scheme. It doesn’t change a lot, but we get to be more aggressive that’s for sure. It’s fun.”

Junior defensive back/ running back Drew Rankin also returns after starting his sophomore year on the varsity.

“It’s just going to take coming more together as a team and buying in to the new philosophy,” said the 5-10, 175-pound Rankin of the offense. “On the defensive side it hasn’t been a huge adjustment. We’re bringing back all of our coaches and then we have a new defensive coordinator. On the defensive side, not too big of a deal, but on the offensive side, totally new scheme, totally different. It’s been a lot of learning.”

Other key returnees on offense include seniors Caleb Moore (running back), Nick Helner (wide receiver), Caden Besco (tight end) and Robbie Schuckel (offensive line), along with junior Colin Charles (wide receiver).

The triggerman at quarterback will be 5-10, 155-pound senior Isaac Pace, who takes over for the graduated Luca Prior (Calvin University).

“We’ll be under center and we will be in the shotgun,” said Luplow, who brought Ed Dreslinski over from Brighton to be his offensive coordinator. “We’ll mix it up depending on the game and we’ll take what they give us and we’ll put an emphasis running the ball physically and take what they give us through the air.”

And if there’s a reason the defense is ahead of the offense heading into the season opener Aug. 25 against Clarkston at the Battle of the Big House (Michigan Stadium), it’s because the Mustangs return a slew of experience.

Among the returnees on the defensive side of the ball include Gilmartin (end), Besco (outside linebacker), seniors Owen Ross (middle linebacker), Evan Deak (outside linebacker), Cooper Hoffman (middle linebacker), Ferris Jordan (line), Cullen Murphy (secondary), Sonny Rentz (secondary) along with junior Hassan Elzayat. (Rentz will also handle the kicking duties.)

“It really hasn’t changed a whole lot,” Luplow said. “We thought they were really good last year there and we wanted to kind of keep those pieces together as much as possible. A new defensive coordinator (Matthew Sexton) -- came from Canton High School -- he ran their defense the last few years

Continued on Page 20

Continued from Page 19 at Canton. The philosophy and the scheme has stayed very similar to what it was last year.”

Among the promising newcomers for Luplow include juniors Cole Attanasio (linebacker/tight end) and Kaden Kuban (linebacker/ running back), along with sophomore Max DeFore (running back).

“I think this team can be one of the best we’ve seen in a long time here at this school for sure,” Gilmartin said. “I know. I was on this team two years ago. It was kind of the same mindset that we had and we were just kind overconfident coming into the year. We went 3-6, so it didn’t turn out good at all. I know this team. We have the same attitude, but we’re willing to go and do the stuff that we need to do and become a good team this year.”

Meanwhile, reviews have been positive for the new head coach from the players’ perspective.

“I like him a lot,” Rankin said. “He’s a great guy, great coach, super smart. He knows a ton about schemes, everything like that, super good.”

Northville opens its season Aug. 25 against Division 1 state semifinalist Clarkston in the Battle of the Big House at U-M Stadium.

“There’s nothing better than the Big House,” Luplow said. “I’ve coached there twice as a coach at Brighton, so I’m kind of familiar with the day and what’s going to happen there. It’s your first event and here you go. Expecting a huge turnout from the community and the kids are excited.”

Luplow believes he’s found the right program to embark on during his first season as a varsity head coach.

“It’s been really good, enjoy the community and I think it’s a good fit so far,” he said.

“I’m very pleased with the type of kid, the type of family, the type of community member I’ve encountered since I got the job. It’s been really good. We’ve enjoyed it here and we’re excited to see what the next few months hold.”

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Coed Mountain Biking

On the face of it, the small creek flowing near a walking path adjacent to the Northville Ridge subdivision is nothing to get worked up about.

“It’s a tributary to Johnson Creek and the creek was likely hand-dug many, many years ago to drain the landfill property,” said David Drinan, vicepresident of watchdog advocacy group The Conservancy Initiative. “It’s just a perfectly straight creek. I can jump it. It can’t be but two feet wide.”

Into that unnamed tributary which stretches from Napier to Ridge roads flows landfill runoff, which moves down the side of the mountainous landfill into a culvert system, then a retention basin and – eventually – into Johnson Creek, the area’s last remaining cold-water trout stream.

But according to anyone taking a deeper dive, the tributary in Northville Township is a definite danger zone – not only to the Rouge River watershed, but to its fish habitat and even to human beings.

That creek is relatively close to Arbor Hills Landfill, which apparently is the source of stormwater laden with PFAS – part of a concerning group of what Drinan called “forever chemicals.” Even more specifically, it is the compound PFOS (one of many PFAS chemicals) which was found in the Arbor Hills stormwater.

The Conservancy Initiative is pushing for Arbor Hills Landfill (operated by Green For Life) to begin sampling and analyzing the stormwater on a monthly basis and enable prompt PFAS remediation.

Spearheading such an effort were it to come to fruition would be the Michigan