If you could create an offense from the best players in Livingston County over the past 10 seasons, it would look something like the list below.
One thing that stands out is that Pinckney could really breed wide receivers, with the Pirates claiming all three slots at that position.
There are 12 players, plus a kicker, on this list instead of 11 players and a kicker, because not every team runs a traditional two-back, two-wide set these days.
Colby Newburg
► School: Brighton
► Senior season: 2019
► Position: Quarterback
► Accomplishments: Newburg is the only quarterback in Livingston County history to lead his team to a state championship game. In his only season as a starter, Newburg was the epitome of a dual-threat quarterback, throwing for 1,587 yards and 20 touchdowns while running for 1,329 yards and 18 scores. He was the county’s Offensive Player of the Year in 2019.
Joey Clifford
► School: Brighton
► Senior season: 2015
► Position: Running back
► Accomplishments: Clifford was the most dominant running back in Livingston County in the last 15 years. He racked up 4,072 yards and 50 touchdowns on the ground, running for 1,659 yards and 24 touchdowns as a senior. He three 1,000-yard rushing seasons. Clifford ran for six touchdowns in a 49-27 victory over Waterford Kettering.
Joey Mattord
► School: Hartland
► Senior season: 2022
► Position: Running back
► Accomplishments: Mattord was the county’s only 1,000-yard rusher in the 2021 and 2022 seasons, rushing for 1,109 yards as a junior and 1,322 as a senior. He finished his career with 2,655 yards and 32 touchdowns on 386 carries before going to Eastern Michigan as a preferred walk-on. A lacrosse all-stater, Mattord was the county’s Male Athlete of the Year for 2022-23.
Nick Cain
► School: Pinckney
► Senior season: 2017
► Position: Wide receiver
► Accomplishments: Cain was an explosive playmaker in all three phases of the game as a senior, returning a kick for a touchdown on Pinckney’s first play as a member of the SEC White. He caught 39 passes for 802 yards and 13 touchdowns, had three touchdowns on returns, threw a touchdown pass and had four interceptions as a defensive back. Cain made The Associated Press all-state first team as a senior.
Nolan Carruthers
► School: Pinckney
► Senior season: 2024
► Position: Wide receiver
► Accomplishments: Carruthers is the only current player to make the 10-year offensive list, because he’s already the county’s all-time leader in career receptions with 123 after grabbing a school-record 68 last fall. He had 1,409 yards and 11 touchdowns. Carruthers heads into his senior year as a two-time all-region and all-county selection.
Caleb Wardlow
► School: Pinckney
► Senior season: 2021
► Position: Wide receiver
► Accomplishments: Wardlow was a rare three-time first-team all-county selection after catching 73 passes for 1,635 yards and 25 touchdowns during his career. He scored on more than half his catches as a senior, grabbing 21 passes for 552 yards and 11 touchdowns. Wardlow was the county Offensive Player of the Year twice.
Jaxson Wilson
► School: Hartland
► Senior season: 2022
► Position: Tight end
► Accomplishments: Wilson was used primarily to block for Mattord in Hartland’s offense, but he occasionally showed surprising big-play ability for a big man who is playing defensive line at Michigan State He caught 18 passes for 270 yards and a touchdown, including two 66-yard catches.
Vincent Cox
► School: Hartland
► Senior season: 2022
► Position: Offensive lineman
► Accomplishments: Cox was a three-year starter who made first-team all-county twice, helping pave the way for two 1,000-yard rushing seasons by Mattord. He was also a first-team all-county pick on defense as a senior, making 61 tackles, including 13 for losses. He’s playing for Division II Harding University.
Nate Hoffman
► School: Brighton
► Senior season: 2019
► Position: Offensive lineman
► Accomplishments: Hoffman was the anchor of an offensive line that helped lead Brighton to the 2019 state Division 1 championship game. He held his own in several matchups with major college recruits while making first-team all-county twice and receiving all-state honorable mention as a senior.
Mason Nelson
► School: Howell
► Senior season: 2019
► Position: Offensive lineman
► Accomplishments: Nelson was a two-time first-team all-county selection and three-year starter on both sides of the ball. He is heading into his redshirt junior year at Western Michigan University after making 11 starts on the defensive line last season.
Grant Porter
► School: Howell
► Senior season: 2020
► Position: Offensive lineman
► Accomplishments: Porter was a three-year starter who protected the quarterback’s blind side at left tackle his senior year and helped Howell average 195 rushing yards per game. He made first-team all-county twice and was all-region as a senior.
Jack Storey
► School: Brighton
► Senior season: 2022
► Position: Offensive lineman
► Accomplishments: Storey made the coaches’ association’s all-state team as a senior, as well as being a two-time first-team all-county selection. An athletic big man, Storey competed in four sports in high school. After playing for Hope College last year, he transferred to Eastern Michigan.
Nathan Dibert
► School: Hartland
► Senior season: 2021
► Position: Kicker
► Accomplishments: A rare major-college recruit out of Livingston County, Dibert has been the kickoff specialist for Louisiana State the last two years. He kicked four field goals of 51 yards or longer as a senior at Hartland, earning second-team all-state from The Associated Press. His 53-yarder against Northville in 2021 set a county record, since matched by Brighton’s Braeden Chiles.
Contact Bill Khan at wkhan@gannett.com. Follow him on X @BillKhan
This article originally appeared on Livingston Daily: Livingston County’s best football offense for the last 10 years
