By Greg Chrapek
WKTV Contributor
There is plenty of excitement around the East Kentwood football team as fall practice gets underway as a new chapter begins for the Falcon program.
East Kentwood has a new coach this season with the arrival of Tyrone Spencer, who coached at perennial state powerhouse Detroit Martin Luther King High School the past eight years. During that time, the Crusaders were a staple of the high school playoffs including winning back-to-back state championships in 2021 and 2022.
Spencer and his coaches and players are busy preparing for the upcoming season that begins Aug. 30 when the Falcons host Hartland.
So far, Spencer likes what he sees in this Falcon team that returns several key players.
“I’m excited about the work the guys put in,” Spencer said. “I’m excited about getting back to work and getting after it this year playing in the OK Red. I think it’s going to be fun.”
East Kentwood graduated several key players from last year’s squad that turned in a 3-6 overall record, but a number of talented veterans are back.
Running back Elijah Jones is one of the Falcons the team is happy to have returning. Jones is a 5-foot-11, 193-pound senior who rushed for 1,000 yards last season. A team leader as well as a productive running back, Jones likes the effort he is seeing from his teammates at practice and sees effort as being a strong point of this year’s team.
“Effort, especially. 100 percent every play,” Jones said. “Making sure we get hard work. Everybody to the ball on defense and offense executing the plays. Just hard work and effort.”
At quarterback, the Falcons have a pair of talented passers in the mix. Senior Drew Burton (6-2, 200) is back after being injured last season, while junior Kayd Coffman (6-2, 180) is a talented transfer from South Christian.
“Quarterback is looking really good,” Spencer said. “We got two really good guys. We got Drew Burton back from injury. He was going to be the starter last year before he got hurt. We also have Kayd Coffman who transferred from South Christian. Both of those guys have been outstanding, really great leaders. We plan on playing both of them and whoever has the hot hand will keep going, but we plan on playing both of those guys.”
Senior Caiden Holt and junior Ahman Edmonds are a pair of players that will log major minutes on both sides of the line at receiver on offense and in the secondary on defense. Holt and Edmonds are veteran receivers that will be a big part of Kentwood’s passing game.
A senior slotback, Holt likes the look of this year’s team.
“We are definitely looking better than last year,” Holt said. “I feel like especially early, summer season, we’re way more going after it. Trying harder in practice. New offenses, we’re learning them, we’re going quick. We’re getting the defenses down and we are ready for this year.”
Edmonds also is a slotback on offense and lines up at cornerback on defense. Edmonds likes the attitude of the team and how that meshes with their new coach.
“I feel like we are hungry,” Edmonds said. “We got a lot of young dogs coming to work. We have a great coach coming in and helping us all be great.”
One of the strong points of this year’s team looks to be the offensive line where four big, strong and experienced starters return. Junior center Charlie Nichols (5-9, 265) returns to the middle of the line. Senior Nouha Diaite (6-2, 260) is stationed at a tackle, while seniors Andrew Durr (6-2, 300) and Matthias Granderson (6-2, 305) will line up at either tackle or guard.
Several of the Falcons who start on offense will also log major minutes on defense. The Falcon defense also is counting on linebacker Terrence Kabanda, outside linebacker Silas Mitchell (6-2, 195) and sophomore safety Donovon Jones (5-8, 185) to be among the leaders. Kabanda is one of the few returning starters on defense. Mitchell is a talented young player who also is coming back from injury, while Jones is a young player who the Falcons considered moving up to the varsity last season as a freshman.
While the Falcons are young on defense, they have plenty of talented players who are hungry to win.
“The defense is coming around,” Mitchell said. “We’re young, but we have a bunch of studs that are coming up. We’re ready to compete. We’re very hungry. We want to make up for last year.”
Like the offense, the defensive line is shaping up as a strong point for the Falcons. Along with Diaite, Granderson and Durr, the defensive front will be led by senior Syncere Hobson-Washington (6-2, 285), a transfer from Grand Rapids Union who adds more size and strength to the defensive front.
The enthusiasm surrounding the program is evident by the turnout of players for the beginning of practice. The Falcons look to have around 60 players on the varsity team along with 30 on the JV and 45 on the freshman squad.
“We have a strong, cohesive group,” Spencer said. “These guys have been playing together since the seventh grade so I just think them being able to be unified, be together is going to be our strong suit.
The Falcons open the new season on Friday, Aug. 29 when they host Hartland at 7 p.m. Kentwood travels to Byron Center on Sept. 6 and then opens OK Red play on Sept. 13 at Caledonia.
