Ludington comes off a “turning the corner” season and retains many of its starters. The Orioles, who went 7-3 last season and finished second in the WMC Lakes Division, welcome back QB1, their top three receivers, and the entire offensive line.
Coaching Staff
HC – Charlie Gunsell (21st season)
OC – Brent Gillett
DC – J.P. Deines
Returning Starters
- Cam Gunsell (QB/S)
- Zach Graham (WR/CB)
- Taj Williams (WR)
- Messiah Himes (WR/S)
- Donavan Salazar (G)
- Connor Chaney (G)
- Colin Shelton (C)
- Blake Nelson (T)
- Louie Salazar (T)
- Walt Autrey (G/T)
- Cooper Holmes (LB)
- Landon Masquada (LB)
Beginning with Cam Gunsell, the senior possesses elite dual-threat abilities and tends to take the ball off-tackle often. In 2024, Gunsell threw for over 2,000 yards with 27 touchdowns and rushed for nearly 1,500 yards, racking up 21 rushing touchdowns. Gunsell currently holds offers from Grand Valley State, Ferris State, and Davenport.
On the perimeter, Taj Williams was tabbed as one of Gunsell’s favorite targets last season. Williams hauled in 24 catches for 512 yards and nine touchdowns. Zach Graham was also heavily in the mix last season, bringing in seven touchdowns.
All-Conference and All-State offensive lineman Walt Autrey leads a deep group of returners. He, along with both Salazars, Shelton, Nelson, and Chaney, offers the Orioles strong depth in the trenches.
Defensively, Ludington returns great athletes in the secondary, starting with Gunsell and Messiah Himes. Gunsell, noted by head coach Charlie Gunsell, says, “Cam is our biggest hitter and can get up to the line of scrimmage in a hurry.” Gunsell accumulated 66 tackles and caused two fumbles from the safety position last season.
Cooper Holmes returns ready to be the captain of the defense from the linebacker position. A year ago, Holmes led the team in tackles with 74 and forced two fumbles in the process.
Breakout Players
According to Charlie Gunsell, the returning starters are not the only ones expected to make plays this season.
Offensive
- Messiah Himes (WR) – Hard-nosed receiver who can be a threat in the backfield as well. “Great athlete that was overshadowed last season as a 10th grader. Has all the tools to have a big impact on our running and passing game,” Gunsell said.
- Mikie Himes (ATH) – Himes comes to the team as a freshman and can play all over the field, from slot to running back and even a little QB action if necessary.
- Connor Chaney (G) – With as much depth as Ludington has on the offensive line, Gunsell stated he has been working out at H-Back this summer to give the offense more flexibility.
- Kyle Himes Jr. (WR)
- J.T. Keith (HB)
Defensive
- Logan Sloan (DE) – The position with the most question marks on this team is the D-line, but with a returner such as Sloan, it could be one of the strongest positions. Sloan comes off an extraordinary week nine and playoff game from last season and has progressed strongly this summer, per Gunsell.
- Walt Autrey (DL) – Autrey is already an All-Stater on the offensive line, but the Orioles will need to rely on him more this season defensively. “He is a big, strong athlete who can make plays. We started playing better run defense when Walt was inserted in the D-line rotation,” Gunsell mentioned.
- Colin Shelton (DE) – “Colin is a very smart young man who should be able to add some stability to our defensive front,” Gunsell added. With these three guys being implemented more in the defensive lineup, Ludington football as a whole will be much more balanced.
With many eyes being put on Ludington this season as one of the favorites to win the division, it also adds pressure to everyone in the program. “We need to win every day at practice! We have some nice pieces, but they all need to learn to play together. We are replacing several players on the defensive side of the ball, and they need to get up to speed quickly,” Gunsell explained. “This group has been working hard since last January. We are going to need that commitment to be successful this season.”
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