Elliot Uzelac knows quite a lot about college football even though he's now the head football coach at St. Joseph High School in southwest Michigan. He has two standout players on a 4-1 Bears team that could have bright futures in the college ranks, as far as Uzelac is concerned.
The Bears lost 40-27 at Marshall in the opening week, as 6-foot-3, 216-pound senior quarterback Sean Guinane was out with mononucleosis. He has recently returned to health, and is 18-of-21 passing for 264 yards and two touchdowns with no interceptions.
"He has all the ability to be an outstanding quarterback," Uzelac said. "He has a gun for an arm. He totally understands how to do a job with touch. He can throw the long ball, or short and intermediate. He can put heat on it or zip it into the corner."
Guinane, who passed for more than 1,000 yards as a junior, opened the year with recruiting interest from Michigan State and Northwestern, among other Big Ten and Mid-American conference schools, although having to miss time due to the mononucleosis slowed the process.
Uzelac, formerly the offensive coordinator at Georgetown University who has also coached at Kentucky, Colorado, Ohio State, Western Michigan, Michigan and Navy, is confident Guinane has what it takes to be a successful college signal-caller.
Devonte Jones is another Division I prospect that Uzelac has been raving about. A 5-9, 165-pound senior defensive back and receiver, Jones has returned a kickoff and a punt for a touchdown. As a junior, he was clocked in the 100-meter dash at 10.7 seconds.
"He is the real deal," Uzelac said. "Everyone is concerned about his height. But I tell guys if you don't want him as a corner because you're worried about the tall receivers, just line him up as a receiver and put him on the inside and you're going to have a lot of mismatches because he can run. He can cut and he has great hands."
A 600-yard game
Walled Lake Northern knocked off Walled Lake Western for the first time recently while setting a school record for points scored for the second time this year. The Knights outlasted the Warriors 50-39 on the road, marking Northern's first victory against Western in six meetings.
Northern's 50 points scored also broke its two-week-old school record of 42 points scored against Plymouth Salem. Quarterback Jason Tucker completed 19-of-32 passes for 415 yards and four touchdowns while rushing for 186 yards and three touchdowns on 16 carries. Northern coach Brett Moore said he has never seen an individual compile 600 yards in a game as Tucker did against Western.
"It was a rivalry game," Tucker said. "I did everything I could. The pass was there and the run was there. Everything went our way. During the game, I wasn't thinking about it. After the game, it just all added up.
"We're trying to change everyone's attitude. The work ethic has been better."
Standouts last week
• Dearborn Fordson quarterback Ali Baidoun tossed four touchdown passes and ran for another in his team's 35-10 victory over crosstown rival Dearborn.
• Hamtramck quarterback Omar Thabet was 21-for-34 for 225 yards and two touchdowns in his team's 30-27 win over Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook.
• Quarterback Robert Bolden accounted for 185 total yards in sparking Orchard Lake St. Mary's 25-16 victory over Warren De La Salle.
• Ecorse freshman quarterback Kyle Dinkins went 14-of-19 for 288 yards and two touchdowns and Eddie Dancy had eight receptions for 150 yards and two touchdowns for Ecorse (4-0) in a 40-3 win over Adrian Lenawee Christian.
