Whitehorn running his way to SVSU
Liken him to a white squall of a sea storm. The damage he leaves in his wake is widespread.
North Farmington football star Justin Whitehorn didn’t spend a ton of time in Oakland County rushing the rock, but in the time he’s been here, he’s more than made it count. You can just ask all the opposing tacklers he’s left eating dirt since arriving.
It ultimately propelled him to the next level.
Whitehorn (5-9, 185), who is in the midst of an utterly smashing senior campaign, committed to Saginaw Valley State University earlier this week. He’s rushed for 1,025 yards and 12 touchdowns in eight games of action. For the last three years, he played in the PSL at Detroit Renaissance before moving with his family to Farmington Hills last summer.
To spur North Farmington (7-2) to its first playoff win in 42 years, Whitehorn went wild against Waterford Kettering in a Division 2 district opener and gashed the Captains defense for 315 yards and 3 touchdowns in a 44-7. He followed that up with a 165-yard, 3-score affair against Flint Metro champ Fenton in a 44-28 win in the second round.
“Justin is a very hard worker and that is evident when you see how he responds on the football field and the classroom,” North Farmington head coach Jon Herstein. “We’ve asked a good deal of him responsibility wise this year and he’s carried the load, showed his toughness. He gets the tough yards and he’s really coming alive
in the playoffs.”
The Raiders are on their deepest playoff run in over four decades and will travel to Traverse City Central (8-1) for a shot at a regional championship on Jan. 9 as part of the MHSAA’s playoff reboot.
The postseason was put on a COVID-19-related pause after district play in November.
Score two for the WB ‘D’
West Bloomfield’s defense saw two of their most important pieces find places to play in college last week, sending senior captain and middle linebacker Jordan Hoskins to Missouri State and defensive end Niles King to Grand Valley State.
Hoskins (6-1, 205) fuels the Lakers’ defense with his high motor and intelligence. He averages 10 tackles per game.
King (6- 4, 250) has had a breakout campaign in 2020, being a consistent disruptive presence in the opposition’s backfield all season long. This was his first season of varsity ball and he recorded eight sacks.
“Niles just got better, better and better and the next thing you know, he’s a college football player, that’s how fast it happened,” West Bloomfield head coach Ron Bellamy said.
Missouri State is an FCS program that competes in the Missouri Valley Conference. The Bears are coached by former Louisville and Arkansas sideline skipper Bobby Petrino. Grand Valley State is an elite Division II GLIAC program that has used West Bloomfield as a breeding ground for talent in the past (see NFL AllPro Matt Judon).
West Bloomfield (8-1) will square off with Romeo (5- 4) in the Division 1 regionals when the playoffs resume on January 9. The Lakers are the No. 1 team in Oakland County.
Tweet of the Week
“I made it out, I beat the odds,” — North Farmington tailback Justin Whitehorn on his scholarship from SVSU