Meet the 2023 All-Livingston County football defense

Based on the 2023 All-Livingston County football defensive selections, there is much to look forward to on that side of the ball next season.

Brighton put three juniors on the first team and two on the second team.

Howell will bring back a first-team pick, two second-teamers and five players from the honorable mention list.

Hartland has the only sophomore first-teamer, as well as three second-teamers.

Maybe the down season for Livingston County football is a temporary blip.

Bobby Kanka

Howell, defensive lineman, Jr.

►Accomplishments: Kanka led Livingston County in sacks with eight and tackles for losses with 17, despite missing three games. The University of Michigan commit had 38 total tackles, making the all-region team.

►Coach Brian Lewis: “When he was out there, he had some real dominant moments. The Brighton game was his dominant game. Now, we’ve just got to be dominant consistently game in and game out. That’s the next step for Bob. He’s a difference maker. He’s more athletic, bigger, stronger. He’s only going to improve in his skill.”

Gavin Nastevski

Howell, defensive lineman, Sr.

►Accomplishments: Nastevski didn’t have a tackle as a junior, but was one of the most dominant defensive linemen in the county. He ranked second in sacks with six, second in tackles for losses with 15, tied for first with three forced fumbles and was second among defensive linemen with 49 tackles.

►Coach Brian Lewis: “Another unheralded guy who really worked. He was really trying to be a wide receiver and we moved him to defensive end. It was the best move for him as an athlete. It gave him an opportunity to showcase his skillset. He really wreaked havoc in the backfield.”

Sean O'Keefe

Brighton, defensive lineman, Jr.

►Accomplishments: O’Keefe had 30 tackles, including eight for losses and three sacks in his first varsity season. He tied for third in the county in tackles for losses and sacks.

►Coach Brian Lemons: “Sean came in as a linebacker and we moved him to D-line. He was probably our best defensive lineman this season. Really athletic, really strong, tough kid. He’s going to anchor that spot for us next year, as well.”

Jaden Rogers

Brighton, defensive lineman, Jr.

►Accomplishments: Rogers was the leading tackler among defensive linemen in the county with 58, ranking eighth overall. He tied for first with three forced fumbles. He tied for third with three sacks and eight tackles for losses, earning all-region honors.

►Coach Brian Lemons: “We’ve had a lot of guys in that position who have done really well over the years; most recently (2020 graduate) Luke Stanton is probably the closest I can compare him to. Jaden does a really good job of working hard and being coachable. I think he can be one of the more dominant players in our league next year.”

Reed Blake-Thomas

Brighton, linebacker, Jr.

►Accomplishments: Blake-Thomas moved from defensive tackle to his natural position at linebacker, earning all-region recognition. He had 57 tackles in seven games, intercepting a pass and recovering a fumble.

►Coach Brian Lemons: “Reed made a great transition to linebacker. He got a little banged up with an ankle injury midseason. He still produced great numbers back there. He’s a real physical, real intelligent football player. Without him in the lineup, it looks a lot different.”

Blake Juopperi

Fowlerville, linebacker, Sr.

►Accomplishments: Juopperi was fifth in the county with 63 tackles, including four for losses and two sacks. He was also Fowlerville’s leading rusher, gaining 400 yards and scoring four touchdowns on 108 carries.

►Coach Matt Copeland: “He’s just an old-school, tough kid, hard-nosed. He had that edge you need out of that running back and middle linebacker. Growing up with smash-mouth football, the Jack Wallace style, pound-the-rock kind of thing, to have him in the backfield and middle of our defense was huge for us.”

Ethan Keider

Howell, linebacker, Sr.

►Accomplishments: In only his third year of organized football, Keider was second in the county with 95 tackles and was an all-region selection. His biggest play was a fourth-and-two stop with 1:31 left in a 28-21 victory at Plymouth. He also ran 34 times for 205 yards and three touchdowns.

►Coach Brian Lewis: “He really solidified that linebacker spot for us. He could run and tackle. He was around the ball a lot. He brought guys down. He gave us an identity from a physicality standpoint and running standpoint in the middle of that defense.”

Jacob Ross

Hartland, linebacker, Sr.

►Accomplishments: Ross led the county in tackles with 96, the biggest of which forced a fumble near the goal line in a victory over Howell. He had one interception, two fumble recoveries and one forced fumble.

►Coach Thomas Stevenson: “We relied on him to be a leader after losing so much the previous two years. He was the guy who carried over and understood what we were about defensively. He’s a great athlete, great kid to be around. He definitely plays with an edge.”

Adam Aeschliman

Fowlerville, defensive back, Sr.

►Accomplishments: Aeschliman hit his stride late in the season, intercepting a pass in each of Fowlerville’s last four games. He led the county with five picks. His last interception was returned for a touchdown to seal a victory over Charlotte. He had 31 tackles and two touchdowns on kick returns.

►Coach Matt Copeland: “He has such athleticism, such speed, great hops. He got himself in a position to make plays. Out of his five interceptions, two of them came off tipped balls he made it to that other people might not. On two others, he made plays on passes that when the ball was thrown I thought, ‘Oh, man, they’re going to complete that pass,’ and all of a sudden he intercepted it.”

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Brady Carruthers

Brighton, defensive back, Sr.

►Accomplishments: Carruthers didn’t have an interception, but was a strong cover corner who often defended the opponent’s top receiver. He broke up seven passes and had 21 tackles.

►Coach Brian Lemons: “Really quiet as far as interceptions and things like that, but very steady. He came in every week and did a really good job of handling his business. He’s a perfect example of a guy who does the extra little things to get prepared and he really showed out this year.”

Saleem Jackson

Hartland, defensive back, Sr.

►Accomplishments: Jackson made the all-region team in his first season as a starter. He had 28 tackles and two interceptions.

►Coach Thomas Stevenson: “His strongest suit was his willingness to compete and his short memory. When you’re a defensive back, you have to have a short memory, because you’re going to give up plays. He gave up plays, but always bounced back. I never had to worry about him. His mentality was when the next play started, he was always ready to go.”

Jack Lansing

Hartland, defensive back, Soph.

►Accomplishments: Lansing is the only sophomore to make first-team all-county on offense or defense. He ranked fourth in the county with 75 tackles, bouncing between linebacker and safety.

►Coach Thomas Stevenson: “Jack is a guy we definitely had high hopes for. He played a little bit of varsity as a freshman. He worked extremely hard in the offseason to prepare himself. The biggest thing to figure out was if he would be a linebacker or safety; he played a little bit of both. I’m excited for the next two years and how he continues to progress.”

Grant Hetherton

Brighton, punter, Sr.

►Accomplishments: Having a starting quarterback at punter gave Brighton the opportunity to occasionally run successful fakes, as Hetherton did in a playoff game against Northville. In addition to leading the county in passing and rushing touchdowns, Hetherton’s average of 43.3 yards per punt ranked first.

►Coach Brian Lemons: “It was a nice added bonus for us to have a really athletic kid back there punting for us. He converted a few fake punts. When we needed, he was able to get a good foot on it and pin teams deep.”

SECOND TEAM

DL, Evan Brown, Hartland, Jr.

DL, Jacob Esch, Fowlerville, Sr.

DL, Kyle McDaniel, Hartland, Jr.

DL, Jacob Miner, Pinckney, Jr.

LB, Alex Criscuolo, Hartland, Jr.

LB, Evan McGlothin, Pinckney, Jr.

LB, Brayden Packer, Fowlerville, Soph.

LB, Gavin Unsworth, Brighton, Jr.

DB, Jason Eisinger, Brighton, Jr.

DB, Brandon Hamilton, Howell, Sr.

DB, Drew Lynn, Howell, Soph.

DB, Justice Wojcik, Fowlerville, Jr.

P, Brady Robison, Howell, Jr.

HONORABLE MENTION

Brighton: Parker Aten (Sr.), Luke Brower (Sr.), Luke Whittaker (Sr.).

Hartland: Vinnie Abbey (Sr.),Landon Brown (Sr.), Lucas Frack (Jr.), Brett Karwowski (Jr.), Cooper Pyle (Jr.), William Tobin (Fr.).

Howell: Ben Brown (Sr.), Lucas Deuink (Sr.),Aiden Horvath (Jr.), Justin Jones (Jr.), Tyler Mira (Jr.), Dylan Southworth (Jr.), Gavigan Walraven (Soph.).

Pinckney: Travis Budnik (Jr.), Levi Podhola (Sr.).

Contact Bill Khan at wkhan@gannett.com. Follow him on X @BillKhan

This article originally appeared on Livingston Daily: Meet the 2023 All-Livingston County football defense