CARTER EICHMEIER (80), LUKE GORZINSKI (11)

POWERS — In what has been a season full of ups and few downs, North Central was given a resounding up Monday with the release of the 2020 Associated Press Michigan 8-Player Football All-State honors.

Jets sophomore quarterback Luke Gorzinski and senior lineman Carter Eichmeier were named to the first team while Rapid River’s Max Lenaker — with 35 receptions for 581 yards, nine touchdowns and eight two-point conversions while dealing with injuries — earned an honorable mention.

“It feels good. It makes everything you’ve done in the past and all this waiting and everything worth it,” said Eichmeier. “But in the end, we’re looking for a championship. So all of my individual accolades — and Luke can attest to the same thing — we don’t really care about individual things at NC. We’re just about the end goal. We want a championship.”

Eichmeier, so far, has totaled 30 tackles — 10 of those for a loss — three sacks, two touchdowns and four fumble recoveries.

Despite his stats, Eichmeier still points to the team rather than himself.

“I just want to say thanks to my teammates and coaches,” he said. “My All-State is just as valuable to me as it is being on a team with them. I hope we can win a state championship together because, in the end, that means more to me than All-State.”

Prior to the most recent MHSAA delay of fall sports practices Tuesday evening, the Jets returned to a snowy field. A new experience for the team.

“We had new experiences this whole year with the COVID(-19) stuff and everything, but six inches of snow is definitely something new to play in,” Eichmeier said. “I think it cheered everyone up. It was fun, we were just happy to be out there.”

However, more fun in the snow will have to wait until at least Dec. 30 due to the testing system the MHSAA looks to implement.

“It sucks extremely. We had our hopes up and broken so many times this year,” Eichmeier said. “There’s two games left, and all we want to do is go out and play our last two games with zero interruptions. But this year, it seems like we have every interruption ever.

“This is another bump in the road, and hopefully, with God’s blessing, each and every person on our wonderful team can get out there and do what they love — play football.”

Eichmeier also spoke on the impact the new delay has had on the mental health of some of his teammates.

“Football is an outlet for them, and currently, we haven’t been able to have that,” he said.

When the time comes to step back on the field, Eichmeier believes his team will be prepared.

“I think we’re going into it very confident but level headed. You never want to overlook anybody, especially in playoffs,” he said. “I think we’re where we need to be, and I think if we do everything right and play the way we play, we should come out on top, but you never know.”

Just as Eichmeier had predicted, Gorzinski had the same mindset about the All-State honors.

“I think you always try to get as many accomplishments as you can. But ultimately, the biggest goal is winning and being in the position our team was in this year with a chance for a state championship,” said Gorzinski. “It’s always nice to know someone’s watching and appreciating what you do. I think most of all, it’s kind of an award for everyone on my team, especially just being a sophomore. What people don’t see is all my teammates that have gotten me along this way. It’s an award for all of them. I wouldn’t be there without them.”

Gorzinski also took a moment to give praise to Eichmeier.

“I couldn’t think of a more deserving guy for these awards. He’s been the emotional leader, and I’ve had the honor of playing with him for the last two years,” he said. “I know he didn’t talk about himself like that, so I wanted to make sure someone did.”

Gorzinski currently sits at 1,253 passing yards with 20 touchdowns through the air. In addition to no interceptions, he has an impressive 72% completion rate. On the ground, he’s rushed for 811 yards with 17 touchdowns, averaging 9.9 yards per carry.

He did all of this while taking virtually zero second half snaps.

With two years left in his high school career, Gorzinski hopes to use this year’s performance to grow.

“I’ll just keep building off what I’ve already done,” he said. “Now that I’ve gotten to go against competition at this level, I know what I need to be working on.”

The multi-sport Gorzinski — who also plays basketball, runs track and cross country and plans to play baseball this upcoming season — says sports are just what he loves. That love extends to those he takes the field with.

“I love these guys to death. To be playing the game I love with them and, exactly like everything we’ve been through this year, it’s such a story,” he said. “It’s an experience that will live on, and we’ll know for the rest of our lives.”

Like his teammates, Gorzinski was elated to be back at practice and equally as disappointed to see it come to a halt again.

“It’s hard,” he said. “We understand, but it’s very difficult because this means so much to us. For many of my teammates, this is their last season and they just want to leave it all on the field. I really feel for them, but all we can do is keep praying and hoping.”

Like Eichmeier, the delay doesn’t shake Gorzinski’s confidence in the Jets.

“I believe in this team. I think it’s one of the better teams we’ve had over the years,” he said. “I wouldn’t want to be on any other team or against us in this situation.”