Connor McKenna doesn’t smile.
He has serious business this week: His Grosse Pointe South football team hosts cross-town rival Grosse Pointe North on Friday, and there’s no time to be nice.
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“I’m buddies with a couple of them,” McKenna said. “But we’re not friends this week.”
McKenna is a junior running back for Grosse Pointe South, and he’s helped the Blue Devils to a 3-1 start this season.
But no game means more than the one against the Norsemen.
“It’s great,” McKenna said. “There’s nothing better. The whole week during school everyone’s going crazy. All the teachers know it’s North week. Everyone knows what’s going on. Everyone hypes you up. It’s a great week.”
The two schools, located just five miles from each other, have played each other in football since 1969.
“It’s a situation where you never have to talk to the team about focus and preparation,” said Grosse Pointe North’s Frank Sumbera, who has been involved with the rivalry from the beginning, first as an assistant and then as the head coach since 1980.
“They’re all ears and eyes,” Sumbera said.
It’s a community event. Before the game Friday, the Grosse Pointe Chamber of Commerce will hold a tailgate party on the front lawn of the South campus.
“It’s just a different game altogether,” Grosse Pointe South coach Tim Brandon said. “It’s hard to explain because you can’t feel it until you’re down there in it. But I think it’s the greatest rivalry in the state, a tight-knit community in a big metropolitan area. The kids love each other but they get after each other. Then they hug and shake hands afterward.”
Brandon has seen the rivalry from both sidelines. He served as an assistant at Grosse Pointe North from 1990-2000 and 2002-06 before taking over as South’s head coach.
“The kids know each other well, and the coaching staffs know each other well,” Sumbera said.
Last year, North and South played twice. North defeated South 8-4 in the regular season, but the Blue Devils upended the Norsemen 24-14 when they met again in the state playoffs.
Of course, every year is different.
This season, the Blue Devils enter on a three-game winning streak after defeating Henry Ford II 21-16 last week.
McKenna rushed for 143 yards, including 91 in the fourth quarter as South sealed the win. He also threw a 23-yard touchdown pass to Alexander Saurbier on a halfback option.
“The line did a great job blocking for him,” Brandon said. “But he’s a tenacious little runner. He runs hard, he runs weight forward. He never quits, he never gives up.”
Senior quarterback Davis Graham and senior running back Jermaine Young rushed for touchdowns against Ford.
Defensively, senior Jacob Hinkle leads Grosse Pointe South in interceptions. Junior linebacker Miles Dearing and senior defensive end Steven Weidman, who blocked a punt last week, also have made major contributions.
Senior kicker Cameron Shook, a Navy recruit, paces the special teams.
“We’re a very young, inexperienced team,” Brandon said. “We’re getting better. We’re progressing. That’s what our goal was in the preseason, is to get better each week. And I think we’ve been doing that.”
Grosse Pointe North is 1-2 after losing to Port Huron 16-13 on a field goal in the final seconds last week.
“We have some strengths,” Sumbera said. “But we haven’t really played up to our potential.”
Despite last week’s setback, Sumbera remains optimistic and believes a playoff appearance is still a possibility.
North has had five consecutive winning seasons and made the playoffs in three of the last four years.
To continue that success, the Norsemen look to a trio of seniors: wide receiver Pete Ciaravino, quarterback Bjorn Bjornsson and running back Sheldon Cage.
“He’s got great speed,” Sumbera said of the 6-foot-3, 205-pound Cage. “He’s tough to bring down.”
Senior wide receiver Tyler Hill and senior tight end John Lizza are other contributors on offense. Lizza also plays linebacker and handles kicking duties.
Defensive tackle Erickson Glayzard and defensive end Taylor Purnell, who played linebacker last year, spearhead the North defense.
And come Friday night, the Grosse Pointe community will turn its eyes and ears to the football game. That’s when serious business will take place.
“We know they’ve got a big offense,” McKenna said. “They have a big line, a big back. But they’re not scaring us.”
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