INDIAN RIVER — If you watched Collin Maves play football last season, you saw a lot of eye-popping plays.
Whether it was imposing himself as a thumping linebacker or sometimes making his presence known as a speedy and physical running back, Maves made it worth the price of admission for Inland Lakes football fans.
As he improved week by week, his confidence only skyrocketed during the 2025 campaign.
A year later, Maves, now a senior, is aiming to rev up his impressive two-way play even more as one of I-L’s standout defensive players and someone who will get more looks in the running game.
“I give it my all,” Maves said. “Everything that’s in the tank, by the time that last play is over, it’s gone.”
As the Bulldogs eye a playoff berth and a title in the Bridge Alliance Conference Straits Division, they’ll be counting on more consistent play from Maves, who ranked third on the team in total tackles (64) and first in sacks (five) as a junior.
Offensively, his numbers were solid, as he rushed for almost 250 yards and four touchdowns in a backfield that consisted of now Alma College player Andre Bradford and current senior teammate Landon Fenstermaker.
“He’s absolutely going to get the opportunity to touch the ball more this year as a senior,” Inland Lakes coach Travis Meyer said. “He progressed last year and got more carries, but he was overshadowed by some explosive athletes.”
As excited as Meyer and the Bulldogs are to have Maves as a running back option, his No. 1 position might just be linebacker, a spot where his speed, energy and knowledge are on full display.
“He reminds me of linebackers when I was a kid when the game was a little bit different,” Meyer said. “He is hard-nosed and he wants to run through things to get to people that have the ball, but what he’s done in the last few years is grow up and realize that’s not always the solution, that there are reads and easy ways to get there, and him putting those two things together has made him scary on defense.”
When you ask Maves about linebacker, he doesn’t pull any punches, especially following a season where he was highly impactful for the Bulldogs, who went a perfect 9-0 in the regular season and won a conference title.
“I love it,” Maves said. “Me at linebacker, it feels like I’m a king sitting on a throne. I want to own that backfield.”
What’s also benefited Maves in his development are those past or present Bulldog standouts — think Grant Blumke, Avery Enos and Fenstermaker — who mentored him and provided plenty of advice during the journey.
“When Grant (Blumke) was here my freshman year, he was a linebacker, and he taught me a lot, and I kind of tried to learn and keep that same energy that those guys brought into the team,” Maves said. “Those guys told me that if you have a bad play, it’s always onto the next play, go get it, and they really taught me how to read the backfield.”
With the intense tone he set on the field last fall, the Bulldogs are confident they’ll get an elite season out of Maves.
“He’s been the kind of kid that’s just gotten better and better and hasn’t reached a plateau, and we don’t really even see that in the near future,” Meyer said. “We’re excited to see what he brings.”
Inland Lakes hosts Hillman in its season opener at 7 p.m., Friday, Aug. 28, at Shanley Field.
Contact sports editor Jared Greenleaf at jgreenleaf@gannett.com. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter @sportsCDT
This article originally appeared on Cheboygan Daily Tribune: Inland Lakes star linebacker Collin Maves eyes big senior season
Reporting by Jared Greenleaf, Cheboygan Daily Tribune / Cheboygan Daily Tribune
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By Jared Greenleaf, Cheboygan Daily Tribune | USA TODAY Network
