ROCHESTER HILLS — Maybe it’s not quite the NBA on Christmas Day, but Stoney Creek’s schedule this season really has the storylines baked in. Sure, there’s the normal dates to circle against Rochester and Adams, but the opening pair of games this fall stand to be more intriguing than they may have been before the hiring of first-year head coach Rick Powell. Replacing Nick Merlo, now the offensive coordinator at Orchard Lake St.
Mary’s, is a figure with deep ties to the Cougars’ first two opponents, Warren Cousino and Lake Orion. Rick was a star quarterback in his playing days for the Patriots, then coached by his dad, Mike, who helmed that program for over two decades. A two-dimensional threat at the position, he combined for over 5,000 yards and 50 touchdowns to help the Patriots to MAC league titles and playoff appearances in every year he was under center.
That includes 2006, when Cousino reached the state semifinals, and his senior season the following year when the Patriots enjoyed an undefeated regular season. Fast forward to more recent times, and Rick, after a handful of years on his dad’s staff at Anchor Bay, took the defensive coordinator gig with the Dragons in 2018. So it’s quite the coincidence that Rick will be leading Stoney Creek up against colors he’s previously dawned more than a time or two.
“That’s the crazy part that I didn’t even schedule any of this,” Rick said. “I think that Friday night will be something special, especially at Cousino, where I kind of started my whole career.” For the first time on Monday, which marked the opening of practice for teams across the states, the roles reversed, though, and it was Mike finally serving under Rick as head coach.
“It’s always been a dream of mine to now work for him, so it’s a huge blessing,” said Mike, who will coordinate the Cougars’ offense. Most recently, Mike was helping out at Sterling Heights Stevenson under Justin Newcomb, who began his own career assisting him at Cousino (and eventually succeeded him there), but Mike joked he had hoped the opportunity to join a staff of Rick’s own would come “before I got too old.” The chance officially became reality for father and son starting Monday.
“It’s an opportunity for me to grow as a coach, because in the long run, I knew I wanted to be a head football coach,” said Rick, who played at Defiance College following his prep days. “I grew up in Rochester, my family lives in Rochester currently, and I love the community. We’ve got great, tough kids, and I’m looking forward to building something special here.
” Coming out of the dead week, sometimes the first day of practice can be grueling in an unappetizing sort of way with the heat that comes with an August afternoon. Not so this year, as temperatures for two-a-days only reached the mid-70s, a welcome sight for some. “It’s beautiful,” Rochester senior running back Jack Lower said.
“Usually, it’s 80 or 90 out here, so we’ll take it. It’s nice. It wasn’t the conditioning that got us (laughs).
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As the adult, you have to be cognizant of (how hard you push). Clawson coach Steve Haney rejoiced in his team’s greater numbers in comparison to the past few years that allow for a more complete JV side, but downplayed the weather factor. “We’ve had great turn out all summer,” he said.
“We’ve been running all summer, so to be honest, the last thing I was worried about was the temperature today because I think my guys are ready to go.”.
