Northville football coach Brent Luplow hasn’t been this confident in an offense since helping Brighton reach the 2019 state championship.
That confidence comes from returning seniors Cooper Derkach at quarterback and Max DeFore at running back, both entering their third years on varsity.
The duo helped Northville win six games and reach the playoffs for a second straight year under Luplow. With their offseason growth, they’re ready to make the offense one of the KLAA’s best this fall, both through the air and on the ground.
While Derkach appeared in all 10 games as a junior, he didn’t become the starter until Week 3. In preseason camp, he battled Michael Cygan for the role, but coaches chose Cygan for the opener since he was a year older.
Derkach played only one series in the opener against Lake Orion, but when Cygan suffered a season-ending injury in the first quarter vs. Brighton the next week, Derkach stepped in and showed he was ready to lead in a 29-28 double-overtime loss.
He made his first official start the following week at Canton, throwing for a season-best 261 yards and five touchdowns.
“I made sure I was really prepared,” Derkach said during an Aug. 18 practice. “I worked a lot with the receivers that offseason and pushed myself both in and out of practice, doing 7-on-7s and preparing like I was going to start. When he went down, I just took the opportunity and played my best.”
Derkach finished the season as an all-region selection, completing 75 of 119 passes for 962 yards and 13 touchdowns while rushing for 426 yards and a team-high seven scores. His performance earned him camp invitations and roster spots from several Michigan colleges, including Adrian, Albion, Alma and Hope.
College coaches have told him that at 5-foot-10 and 180 pounds, he has the physical tools and dual-threat skills to play at the next level. But some also said they wanted to see how well he could lead his teammates.
Derkach has taken that challenge to heart. Starting with 7-on-7s and continuing through summer workouts, he held teammates accountable while leading by example.
“Going into this year, I have more confidence and have been working on being more vocal and showing leadership,” Derkach said. “I just want to be a great teammate, play for the guys around me and not be selfish. I want to spread the ball around because, as a team, I know we can do great things.”
That leadership has carried into fall camp, setting the tone for the team on the field.
“Cooper has the poise and leadership of someone who’s seen a lot of action, and that’s where he’s improved most,” Luplow said. “He gets guys lined up and knows the offense better than anyone. Those small things that lead to championships, he’s doing them, and his experience should guide us this year.”
DeFore finished his junior year as an All-KLAA first-team selection, but he didn’t start the season that strongly. Coming off his second ACL tear as a sophomore, he was nervous about reinjuring his left knee.
It took time for him to break out of Northville’s running back rotation and establish himself as the team’s lead ball carrier by season’s end.
“Confidence was a big issue,” the senior said. “I didn’t have much at the start of the season, but as it went on, I started believing in myself more. By the end, I learned that if you put in the work, you can do anything you set your mind to.”
DeFore finished with 124 carries for 755 yards and five TDs, highlighted by a confidence-boosting 209-yard game against rival Novi in Week 8.
Motivated to continue improving, he joined Powerhouse Gym Northville and focused on his diet during the offseason. Since the end of his sophomore year, he’s added 24 pounds of muscle. He’s now 6 feet and 209 pounds.
“That work is going to translate well,” DeFore said. “I’ve always been a tanky running back, but I’ve also always had good footwork. Now that I feel faster and bigger than I’ve ever felt, I think I’m going to be more shifty and quicker than I was in past years, being able to bounce it outside and make a play in the open field.”
DeFore’s goal is to rush for 1,000 yards in a season for the first time. With daily lifts, consuming approximately 200 grams of protein a day and agility work on the field and hills, he has built the strength to reach that milestone.
Luplow expects DeFore to get 15 to 25 carries per game.
“Max has built on the way he finished last year, knowing he’s going to be the guy for us this year,” Luplow said. “For us to be really good, he knows he has to carry the load, be the bell cow and run the ball consistently every game.”
With Derkach’s leadership, DeFore’s power and speed and five other returning starters, Northville’s offense should be one of the most dynamic in recent memory — one they hope can compete for a state championship, like Brighton did with a similar roster six seasons ago.
“Being able to have a multiple attack with both the run and the pass lets us do a lot of different things and get creative with our play calling,” Luplow said. “And we plan to be very creative this year.”
Northville
2024 record: 6-4, 5-2
Season opener: vs. Lake Orion, 7 p.m. Aug 28 (Prep Kickoff Classic at Wayne State)
Offensive starters back: 7
Defensive starters back: 5
Key returners: QB/DB Cooper Derkach, RB Max DeFore, DB Austin McGarrow, DL Trae Hutchinson, OL Anthony Testani and OL/DL Nolan Toomey.
Brandon Folsom covers high school sports in metro Detroit for Hometown Life. Follow him on his new X.com account at @folsomwrites.
This article originally appeared on Hometownlife.com: Derkach, DeFore give Northville football a championship-level offense
Reporting by Brandon Folsom, Hometownlife.com / Hometownlife.com
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
