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Starting over — but with experience: Modeltowners return to varsity status with a season of JV under their belts

Modeltowners return to varsity status with a season of JV under their belts

By Steve Brownlee 6 min read

GWINN -- It's like a breath of fresh spring air in Gwinn nowadays.

And it's almost autumn on the calendar for 2026.

But that has to be the feeling around the "model town" in southern Marquette County with the return of high school varsity football this fall.

Mind you, the sport didn't go into hibernation here, just a bit of a slumber while high school players toiled away in a junior varsity program in 2025.

"We definitely wanted to have a varsity team last year, but we were so 'bottom heavy' with underclassmen," said Derek Nyquist, who will coach the varsity for the fourth season since taking the reins in 2022. "We had something like only seven juniors and seniors total.

"It just made more sense to field a JV team and work to build our numbers back up for this year."

Michigan High School Athletic Association rules allow JV teams to use juniors, but not seniors, as long as opponents consent.

"We didn't have any problem with that, but the opponent then can have a chance to also play juniors on their JV for that game," the coach continued.

"Overall, I'd say we can be just as competitive as any team this year. The seniors may be 'underexperienced' as far as the varsity goes, but they've still played JV ball for three years.

"And the younger players are right where they would've been in program that had both JV and varsity teams."

Asked if his goals are lower this season, Nyquist wasn't sure.

"Yes and no," he said. "Our goals may be modest, but at the start, everyone is 0-0, and I feel we have a lot of young talent."

Enough to be able to boast 36 players over both the varsity and JV teams, numbers that are probably better than some or even many other MHSAA Division 8 teams like them.

That may include most of the other six members of Gwinn's West PAC Iron Division, each of course being on the Modeltowners' schedule.

GHS opens with one of its largest opponents enrollment-wise, hosting Gladstone at 7 p.m. Thursday.

That's considered a nonconference game as the Braves are in the West PAC's large-school group, the Copper Division.

Then comes six straight Iron Division games vs. Bark River-Harris on the road, West Iron County at home, Hancock at home, L'Anse on the road, Iron Mountain on the road and Manistique at home.

Copper Division foe Westwood and a repeat nonconference meet-up with WIC finish off the season on the road.

"I would like to set a foundation this fall," Nyquist said, "and I fully expect us to be in a position to make the playoffs."

He noted that a .500 record of even below can get a team in the postseason in Division 8. Looking at the MHSAA website, there were two 4-5 teams and another at 4-4 statewide that got in the D-8 playoffs last fall.

Helping that cause is playing "up," meaning facing -- and usually having to defeat -- teams from a higher division. In Gwinn's case, there's three opponents of that description, Division 6 Gladstone and Westwood and Division 5 Hancock, which is a co-operative of four Copper Country schools.

Win those and your playoff points will probably zoom to the point that other schools may think you play in a different division.

Working on getting those wins by putting up significant points is an offense to be quarterbacked by junior Peyton Bell. With measurables of 6-foot-1 and 160 pounds, Nyquist likes his signal caller.

"He's got a good arm and good legs," the coach said.

But it may be sophomore Evan Armatti that the offense revolves around.

"He's phenomenal," Nyquist said. "He's undoubtedly our best player, and on both sides of the ball."

The coach added Armatti will be an end on defense.

Junior Gage Jones can also run the ball, even if his primary position will be receiver.

Senior Quade Weiland and junior Levi Melka will be "H" backs, primarily concentrating on blocking, with Weiland also a tight end at times and getting rushing carries, too.

True to his word, Nyquist sees Jones as an important wide receiver.

"He may only be 5-7 and 150, but he's got that rare combination of speed and quickness," the coach said. "He's just another phenomenal athlete."

Also expected to start out wide are senior Ean Prahm and sophomore Evan Stachewicz.

"Ean has been in our program for three years in high school," Nyquist said of the slender 5-10, 130-pounder. "Evan is a similar build, but he was third in the state in wrestling and brings those moves to the football field. He's our best tackler."

Right now, he sees senior Drake Sharkey as a starter at tight end.

And for a smaller-enrollment school, Nyquist likes the bulk he has among his offensive line starters.

"I'm figuring that we average 225 to 230 pounds across the line," he said, which includes a 300- and 250-pounder.

Senior center Ethan Jandreau will be joined by four juniors -- guards Brayden Couture and Tristan Cordes and tackles Cooper Derouin and Jackson Cote.

"Considering our lack of varsity experience, when we went to our scrimmage (last week), that group of linemen looked a lot better than I expected," Nyquist said.

On defense, the coach expects his Week 1 starters on the line to be Armatti and Couture as ends and Cote and Derouin at tackles.

"I'd like to rotate people in and out, as the D-line is a tough place to play," Nyquist said.

At linebacker, he expects to employ Cordes and Weiland on the inside and Jones and the solid-tackling Stachewicz on the outside.

In the secondary, expect to see Prahm and Bell at cornerback and Sharkey at safety.

On special teams, he's penciled in Stachewicz as kicker and Jones as punter, though he expected one final competition after this interview to gel those positions.

Kick returning could be done by any of at least a half dozen backs and receivers, led by Jones and Armatti.

Story contents based on a telephone interview with Gwinn head football coach Derek Nyquist. Journal Sports Editor Steve Brownlee's email address is sbrownlee@miningjournal.net.

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