TEAM OUTLOOK

Danny Brown enters his sixth season with the South Christian Sailors, and the S.C. coach is looking to guide his team to a third straight trip to Ford Field. They were champions in 2022 and fell in a last-second heartbreaker to Harper Woods in ‘23. The Sailors lose a lot of key pieces to the next level again this season, but also have some major returners and exciting young players filling spots.

Carson Vis had arguably the greatest game for a QB in the history of title games at Ford Field despite the loss in 2023, throwing for nearly 500 yards against a stout Harper Woods secondary. The senior, now committed to play basketball at Western Michigan is back, and he says that he’s improved at his ability to stay in the pocket and find open targets this offseason, along with his great play-making outside of the pocket. Importantly, the Sailors also return center Cam Veltman this season to continue working with Vis. Ty Brinks will be one player stepping up on offense, as after he was focused on the defensive side of the ball in 2023 Brinks will likely be one of Vis’ favorite targets as a big TE, along with junior WR Owen Burgess, who will step into the spot that Jake VerMaas starred in the past several seasons.

On defense, Brinks will again be a key player leading the defense as well as an outside linebacker. After being called up as a freshman, Grayson Hunderman will be back as an inside linebacker again this season, and Rowan DeKam alongside him is expected to again be a key part in the middle of the defense. Charlie ‘Chuck’ DeHaan started in 2022 as a sophomore at cornerback, but missed 2023 with an injury, he’ll lead the way in the secondary for his senior season. And up front, there will be plenty of fresh names and moving pieces, as the group will bring in several new players with what coach Brown calls a ‘feisty’ and ‘old-school’ group.

INTERVIEW WITH HC DANNY BROWN & QB CARSON VIS