Charlevoix football has had a great collection of leaders over the last decade and Sawyer Blaszczyk has one final go-around to keep the program humming.
CHARLEVOIX — Every team finds its identity and leadership in a different place.
It’s kind of obvious watching the Charlevoix football team where that comes from.
Sawyer Blaszczyk jumps out right away.
And if his energy doesn’t, the reigning Defensive MVP of the Northern Michigan Football Conference Leaders Division, will show it in his play.
“I’ve always just kind of learned from the older guys like Landon (Swanson), Brady (Jess) and Hunter (Lemerand),” Blaszczyk said. “I’m just trying to carry on what they did.”
What others have helped build behind him are six consecutive playoff seasons, though he’s been a key part of that run over the last couple seasons.
Blaszczyk shined along both the offensive and defensive lines last season earning the defensive honors in the league after making 47 tackles, six for a loss and four sacks, while being disruptive just about every play.
He also helped the offense churn out more than 3,000 yards, including over 2,200 rushing yards while along the offensive line.
In the offseason, when he’s not helping a successful Charlevoix wrestling team and pinning opponents on the mat, he was leading the charge in getting guys into the weight room. That was part of building a bond before the season, so that it can be strengthened even more so now.
“Here, we’re just working on the family aspect,” he said. “You can’t have a good football team if you’re not playing for your brothers out here. We’re getting better every day, but we’ve still got things to work on.”
What he learned from those that came before him revolved all around effort and that bond that gets built.
“Just always give your best effort every day and trust your teammates,” Blaszczyk said.
Charlevoix will need both pieces to hold together this season, as it gets more and more challenging for a program the size of the Rayders to continuously compete at a high level.
Over the years – particularly those Blaszczyk has been with the program – the expectation is never anything less than the postseason.
It’s a ways off from where the program stood in some seasons before the streak began.
Because of that, Blaszczyk and his teammates are proud of what the program has become and want to do everything they can to keep it there.
“It’s defiantly something to look up to, a lot of good teams,” he said. “I played on a great team a couple years ago and a pretty decent team last year. These younger guys out here, someday they’ll want to be like us. We just need to keep the era going as long as we can.’
The expectations grow and seasons continue because of players like Blaszczyk stepping up to lead, along with others in the current program. They’ve built a trust to keep it there.
“Charlevoix football, we have high expectations,” Blaszczyk added. “We want to be the best we can and I know we’ve got Ian (Moran), Garrison (Sterrett), some seniors, so we expect quite a bit. I’ll do my job and they’ll do theirs.”
Contact or send game stats/info to Sports Editor Drew Kochanny at [email protected]. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @DrewKochanny, and Instagram, @drewkochanny
This article originally appeared on The Petoskey News-Review: Charlevoix football brings back league defensive MVP Blaszczyk in 2025
Category: General Sports
