By DOUG DONNELLY
From multiple in-state colleges and universities to West Virginia to the United States Naval Academy, this
year’s Michigan High School Football Coaches Association Dream Team selections will be showcasing
their talents around the country next season.
Thirty-five football players from across the state have been chosen to the Dream Team through a process
that begins with football coaches across the state nominating players to a hyper-local, All-Region team.
All-Region, All-State and Dream Team selections are made entirely by prep football coaches from the
state of Michigan.
“The talent assembled on this team shows the remarkable group of athletes we have to celebrate in the
state of Michigan,” said MHSFCA Executive Director Scott Farley. “High school football in Michigan has a
tremendous following and this is a great example of why. We have some outstanding football players
here.”
The team begins with Honorary Captain Tate Myre, an Oxford High School senior and three-year varsity
football player who was slain in a school shooting this month. The honor student was an All-Region
selection at linebacker.
Most of the athletes making the Dream Team are seniors, but not all of them.
Junior Dante Moore of Detroit Martin Luther King is one of the highest-rated quarterback prospects in
the nation. He recently led King to the Division 3 state football championship. The 6-foot-2, 195-pounder
threw for 3,050 yards and 40 touchdowns this season. He’s joined by DeWitt’s Tyler Holtz, who compiled
2,885 passing yards and 41 passing touchdowns and also rushed for more than 800 yards.
Three running backs are on the team – including Christian Stokes of Harper Woods, a West Virginia
commit who rushed for 1,610 yards this season; West Bloomfield’s Dillon Tatum, a Michigan State
commit and Cincear Lewis, who played high school football at Kalamazoo Central and will play defensive
back at Cincinnati.
Five wide receivers made the Dream Team, including Tommy McIntosh of DeWitt, Tayshawn Trent of
Harper Woods, Lynn Wych El of King, Antonio Gates Jr. of Dearborn Fordson and Semaj Morgan of West
Bloomfield. McIntosh will play at the University of Wisconsin and Gates at Michigan State.
The offensive lineman on the team includes Levi Harber of Montrose, a Vanderbilt commit; Johnathan
Slack of Detroit King, who holds multiple offers from Power 5 schools; Cross Watson of Portage Central
who is going to Purdue; Ashton Lepo of Grand Haven, a Michigan State commit; Giuseppe Gottfried of
Saline who will attend Navy and Jackson Pruitt of Detroit Cass Tech, who is headed to Temple. Harber is
the only Division 7 player on the Dream Team.
On the defensive side of the ball, Essexville Garber’s Alex VanSumuren, a Michigan State signee is joined
by Detroit King’s Kenny Merriweather, Malachi Davis of Holt, Deone Walker from Cass Tech and
Devontae Miles of River Rouge.
The five linebackers are Blake Bailiff of Detroit King, Tyler Stolsky of Portage Central, Will Beesley of
Warren DeLaSalle, Aidan Vaughan of Walled Lake Western and Michael Williams from West Bloomfield.
Beesley is headed to Princeton. Vaughan made 103 solo tackles and had 27 tackles for loss this past
season and Williams made 24 sacks.
The defensive backs include Nolan Ziegler of Grand Rapids Catholic Central, a Notre Dame signee; Jameel
Croft of Detroit King; Will Johnson from Grosse Pointe South and Michigan signee; Jaden Mangham of
Birmingham Groves and Cornell Perry from Brownstown-Woodhaven. Perry will play at Syracuse next
year.
Two multi-position players were chosen as athletes on the team – Tyrell Henry of Roseville and Josh
Burnham of Traverse City. Henry is headed to Michigan State and Burnham will play at Notre Dame.
Burnham was one of the finest two-way players in the state, passing for more than 900 yards, rushing for
more than 1,300 yards and being an All-State linebacker.
The specialist on the team is Ann Arbor Huron’s Adam Samaha, who made seven field goals, 30 extra
points and had 30 touchbacks on kickoffs
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