MORENCI – Ryan McDowell steps into the role as the Top Dog for the Morenci Bulldogs and their 8-man football program this 2025 season.
A 2003 graduate of Morenci, McDowell takes on the head spot once held by Mike McDowell. “My dad coached and taught here for over 30 years,” McDowell said of his dad, who coached two stints for the Bulldogs during the late 1990s and early 2010s.
But he is not daunted in taking over a role his dad once held. The first-year coach is relying on the help of others as he takes over a Morenci squad that went 4-5 and 0-3 in the Southern Central Athletic Association White Division in 2024.
The first task involved recruiting his brother Brett McDowell, who also served on their dad’s staff, back to the sidelines after a brief hiatus.
“He’s really a cerebral guy,” said McDowell of his brother Brett, who serves as his offensive coordinator. “He sees the game well. He’s able to look at the film and see things that sometimes I can’t see.”
Besides his on-staff brother Brett and Travis Kruse, another assistant coach on this year’s staff, McDowell is fortunate to rely on former Morenci coach Dan Hoffman – his coach during his senior campaign in 2002, his dad Mike, and his other brother Travis, who coached at Goodrich High School near Flint.
“I just feel I have a lot of people I can ask for help and get help from,” McDowell said of the branches on his Morenci coaching tree.
Last season, departures throughout the regular season derailed the 2024 team. McDowell and his staff worked to create an environment during two-a-day practices that forged toughness and a willingness to outwork their opponents.
“We’re light in numbers,” McDowell said, noting four student-athletes represent each class. “But the sixteen we have are working their butts off. We have a really solid core of players moving forward.”
Senior Talan Kruse returns for Morenci. Kruse, a 6-foot-1, 195-pound quarterback, spearheads a team that will rely on its running game throughout the season. Junior Skyler Trent, a 5-foot-11, 175-pound running back, joins Kruse in the backfield and will attract the attention of opposing defenders.
“We want to run the ball more than we pass it, but at the same time, some of that will be dictated by who we’re going against,” McDowell said.
Sophomore Drew Joughin, a 5-foot-8, 185-pound quarterback, throws an accurate football, according to McDowell, and will step into the role if the Bulldogs need a change of pace in the offensive backfield.
Senior offensive and defensive linemen Emmanuel “Manny” DePalma (5-foot-11, 215 pounds) and Evan Gould (5-foot-9, 190 pounds) return for McDowell and will anchor the offensive and defensive lines for Morenci. DePalma and Gould have put in the work in the gym for the Bulldogs during the offseason in preparation for this season, McDowell said.
Sophomore Brennen Harsh, a 6-foot-2, 225-pound tight end and defensive lineman, and Joughin, who will also play linebacker, have impressed throughout preseason camp.
Harsh is a big, strong kid who has really been putting in the work, while Joughin has shone at linebacker, seeing the defense and making sure his teammates line up in their proper spots, McDowell said.
Britton Deerfield is the top program in the SCAA White Division, McDowell said. Concord and Lenawee Christian round out the 4-team division. The Bulldogs had close games with them last fall, but fell just short against the Yellowjackets and Cougars.
“We think we can be competitive,” said McDowell, who added his team must avoid injuries to be successful in 2025. “We look at all of them as pretty tough games.”
Morenci travels to Marcellus and opens its season on Thursday, Aug. 28, at 7 p.m.