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Locked and loaded for bear: Or whatever else comes up on the Miners’ football schedule

Or whatever else comes up on the Miners’ football schedule

By Steve Brownlee 7 min read

NEGAUNEE -- You'll have to forgive Negaunee High School football coach Jeff Niemi if he doesn't want to look too far into the future this season.

This perennial Upper Peninsula powerhouse Miners team was snakebit last fall when they lost a heartbreaking 29-28 overtime decision at West Branch Ogemaw Heights in the opening round of the MHSAA Division 5 playoffs.

They're right back there in Division 5 again this fall with an enrollment of 442 students.

A look at the MHSAA website for enrollments in each division shows the upper limit of D-5 being 577 students -- and the lower limit 442.

That's Negaunee number. Which means the Miners are the smallest Division 5 school in the state.

"Another five students less, and we'd be Division 6," Niemi said about a range of enrollments in that smaller division that includes Westwood, Gladstone and Calumet this season.

Instead, they get Kingsford -- which is near the D-5 upper limit at 570 -- Hancock, Houghton and last year's playoff foe Ogemaw Heights, which also pushes the division upper limit like Kingsford does with 566 students.

But drawing an Upper Peninsula opponent in the first round of the playoffs might not be so simple this fall, with the MHSAA combining the old four-team districts into eight-team regionals now, and matchups still being determined solely by playoff seeding, not geography.

All of that is a far-off thought for the second-year head coach who is just the third Miners' varsity coach in the last 58 years dating back to 1968, when the late Richard "Dick" Koski took over until 1999, then was followed by the just-as-legendary Paul Jacobson right through 2024.

Niemi is thinking a lot more right now about game planning for the biggest opponent on Negaunee's schedule, Marquette, at least enrollment-wise.

That plus who he's going to employ as a placekicker in the last few days before the opening game at 7 p.m. Thursday at the Sentinels' home field.

"We're looking to continue with a lot of our traditions," Niemi said by phone on Sunday. "The focus is on good blocking and good tackling. That tends to make the rest of it work out all right.

"Having the traditions we do comes with expectations. We're coming off a tough loss in the playoffs (last year).

"I think a good goal to start off with is trying to win the (West PAC) conference. It's such a good league, really with a lot of good teams."

He's fairly confident at the skill positions, having plenty of depth there. Instead, he's had to work most diligently on his lines. The offensive line, for example, lost all five starters to graduation, though even there he likes what he sees.

"We had some really quality guys up front last fall, all seniors," Niemi said. "Most of the guys we have now didn't see a lot of action last year, but that's mostly because of how good (last year's guys) were and how healthy they remained all season.

"This year's group may not have experience, but they have everything else you need for a good line."

Four seniors will plug right into the O-line -- center Marshall Knapp, tackle Avery Rautiola and guards Mason Sandy and Ben Lewis -- and will be joined by sophomore Jonah Mills.

"We saw something in Jonah," Niemi said. "Heck, he's been lifting (weights) right with our seniors in our summer program. He's a strong kid, but athletic, too."

There's another crop of players waiting behind them, too, most notably junior Tallon Parkinson, who could be split time between the line and fullback.

Speaking of running backs -- and if you're talking Negaunee football, you can't get too far away from running the ball -- Parkinson will be joined by senior Vince Tincknell and junior Ty Niemi at fullback.

At tailback, the more traditional "running" position, are senior Mason Swenor with the most experience. He will be joined by juniors Evan Asikainen and Waylon Harvala.

"It's a little different for us this year," Coach Niemi said about his backs. "We usually have that one 'anchor' back, like a Broc Bonovetz (last year), or maybe a tailback and fullback who combine for a big majority of carries.

"This year, though, we're going to be playing a lot of people in the backfield -- call it 'running by committee.'

"Overall, they might be a bit smaller than usual," he said about the tailbacks, "but these are quick, tough kids, the kind you'd want to take with you into battle."

And with the Miners, the running doesn't end with those backs, and it certainly doesn't with the return of senior quarterback Kyle Waterman, whose campaign was cut short a year ago by injury, a season-ending torn ACL, in the fourth week.

"Kyle was having a really good year, he'd had two touchdowns and a 2-point conversion against Marquette," Niemi said. "With all the prep work he did, I feel like we can kind of call him a second year starter.

"Having that experience should really give him a leg up this year."

He wouldn't characterize Waterman as being stronger either running or throwing the ball.

"Kyle was doing both well last year," his coach said.

Of course, throwing the ball works a lot better when you have someone good to throw to.

Enter senior wide receiver Evan DellAngelo, Mr. All-Everything, including double All-U.P. awards, when it came to offense, defense and especially special teams in 2025.

"He's a pretty special kid," Niemi said. "He might be our main guy among the receivers, but we have a bunch of guys we can throw to."

That includes senior Brayden Gleason, who also missed significant time due to injury last year, senior Max Frustaglio and junior Cole Prusi.

"Those are our top four, but we have seven or eight total that I'd feel comfortable inserting as receivers," Niemi said.

There's also senior starter David Juchemich at tight end, with No. 2 there being junior Aries Korsman, meaning he'll see significant time when a formation calls for a pair of tight ends.

"Juchemich is a tremendous blocker and good athlete; he can do a little bit of everything," his coach said.

Many of the same faces pop up as starters on defense, too, with other players also mixed in.

Rautiola, Sandy, Parkinson and Juchemich are at forefront of the defensive line. Sandy and Parkinson are termed true defensive tackles and Rautiola a true defensive end.

"Juchemich is a hybrid, an edge player, he can be a defensive end or a linebacker," Niemi said.

At inside linebacker, Tincknell, Korsman, Ty Niemi and senior Ethan Juntti all have locked up starter's spots, along with outside linebackers Prusi and Waterman.

In the secondary covering both safety and cornerback positions are Gleason, DellAngelo, Frustaglio and Harvala. At least four more wait in the wings, working on getting their chance come game time.

With DellAngelo covering all kick and punt returns -- "teams wouldn't kick to him the second half of the year," Niemi said in his All-U.P. nomination as a returner last year -- he has Waterman penciled in as punter with the troublesome kicker's position still to be sorted out.

The coach named four seniors, DellAngelo, Waterman, Juchemich and Sandy, as captains this season.

The West PAC Copper Division -- the league's bigger schools -- take up three home and three road games in the middle of the the Miners' schedule, while in nonconference games, Marquette is up first, with the West PAC Iron Division's Hancock in the middle and Iron Mountain at the end of the regular season.

"I really couldn't tell you what the league might look like this year, or any year, until you see how teams start to play, and also what their injury situation is," Niemi said.

Story contents based on a telephone interview with Negaunee football coach Jeff Niemi. Journal Sports Editor Steve Brownlee's email address is sbrownlee@miningjournal.net.

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