Lelito's Work Helps St Clair Athletes Play

By Paul Costanzo
Special for MHSAA.com

May 31, 2017

If not for sports, Tim Lelito isn’t sure he would have finished high school.

Now that he’s entering his fifth season in the National Football League, Lelito is doing what he can to make sure kids in St. Clair County don’t have to worry about that.

The Lelito Legacy Foundation has teamed with the Community Foundation of St. Clair County to grant $9,000 for county schools to cover athletic participation fees for students in need.

“I used sports as a vehicle for where I am now – to get to college and get through high school,” the 2007 St. Clair High School graduate said. “If I didn’t have sports, I don’t think I would have graduated high school at all. School wasn’t a priority; the horses that my grandparents raised were the priority, because that was our livelihood.

“Making it to college and being the first one in my family to graduate with a degree, sports was that vehicle for me to get that degree, and that really hit home with me.”

Five St. Clair County community partners were able to raise $4,500, and Lelito’s foundation matched. The funds will be able to cover participation fees for 116 students at St. Clair County high schools and middle schools during the 2017-18 school year.

The Port Huron Schools Endowment Fund, East China School District Athletic Boosters and PTOs, the Community Foundation of St. Clair County’s Youth Advisory Council and its Marysville Community Fund, and the Capac Adolescents Preventing Abuse and Crime (CAPAC) Fund were the five partners.

“It’s exciting to see someone who is not only successful and has come back to help his hometown, but he’s so humble about it,” Community Foundation Vice President Jackie Hanton said. “When we were in our meetings, it’s not about Tim. It’s that he has this vision to help kids who are like him.”

Lelito was a mauling all-state offensive lineman at St. Clair, paving the way for the team’s option attack. He was also an all-state thrower on the Saints’ track & field team.

Playing sports required a participation fee, something Lelito’s grandparents handled, even if they struggled to do so.

“When I was younger, my grandparents raised racehorses, and money was tight for a while,” Lelito said. “My grandparents put my brother and I in sports, and we always played sports. I didn’t realize how bad it was until I was older. They were pinching pennies together and taking care of us before taking care of their needs.”

Lelito earned a scholarship to Grand Valley State University, where – after redshirting as a freshman and being forced to take a medical redshirt his second year – he started 45 straight games and was named Offensive Lineman of the Year by the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference in 2012.

He was signed by the New Orleans Saints as an undrafted free agent in 2013, and worked his way into the rotation almost immediately, seeing action in 63 games during his four years in New Orleans and starting 24 games, including 13 in 2015.

This past offseason, Lelito signed a free-agent deal with the Tennessee Titans.

Throughout his NFL career, Lelito has given back, both to his hometown and his professional town. He has conducted free football camps for St. Clair County kids for the past few years.

“He’s just a young man that I’ve continued to be impressed with how grounded he’s remained,” Bill Nesbitt, Lelito’s football coach at St. Clair, said. “He understands the big picture. His success is not just in playing at that level, but in helping others. That’s his great success.”

Funds for the participation fees will be given to the school districts in St. Clair County, and the schools will be tasked with selecting students most in need. In future years, Lelito hopes to help schools purchase equipment for kids in need, and eventually he wants his foundation to reach more than just athletes.

“My foundation isn’t just for kids in sports, it’s for underprivileged youth,” Lelito said. “I think moving forward, in the next five years, I want to be able to take care of a lot of kids in a very broad spectrum – in sports and arts and other extracurricular activities.”

That will take funding, but Lelito said he has found generous donors in St. Clair County.

“That’s why I bought a house here,” he said. “I love it here. I love the people; they’ll give you the shirt off their back. That’s why I wanted to put roots down here.”

With his efforts, Lelito is doing all he can to make it an even better place to call home. Nesbitt believes the funds could be the difference in playing sports as opposed to sitting out for some students, which he hopes will have a lasting effect.

“I think it definitely can have a positive impact that way,” Nesbitt said. “Hopefully, in a larger, greater, grander sense, these kids who are participants could one day give back themselves. If they are able to go on and have some success, maybe they could remember that somebody had helped them out and do the same.”

Paul Costanzo served as a sportswriter at The Port Huron Times Herald from 2006-15, including three years as lead sportswriter, and prior to that as sports editor at the Hillsdale Daily News from 2005-06. He can be reached at [email protected] with story ideas for Genesee, Lapeer, St. Clair, Sanilac, Huron, Tuscola, Saginaw, Bay, Arenac, Midland and Gladwin counties.

PHOTOS: (Top) Tennessee Titans offensive lineman Tim Lelito watches an athlete work out during a camp he conducts in the St. Clair area. (Middle) Lelito during his high school career at St. Clair. (Below) Lelito, middle, has worked this offseason to help pay participation fees for athletes in need of financial assistance. (Top and below photos courtesy of the Port Huron Times Herald.)

Zeeland West Reigns Again as Hendricks Sets Pace with Record-Setting Day

By Paul Costanzo
Special for MHSAA.com

November 30, 2024

DETROIT – Keaton Hendricks put his name atop the MHSAA Football Finals record book Saturday, scoring six touchdowns to lead Zeeland West to a 42-22 Division 3 victory against Detroit Martin Luther King.

But following his record-setting performance, the senior back made sure to rattle off the names of as many teammates as he could while dispersing the credit.

“The performance couldn’t have gone without my offensive line, they blocked things up perfectly,” Hendricks said. “Even the backs, Isaac (VanderZwaag), Jonah (Leslie), Brody (Maas) or Brandon (Holman), they carried out their fakes tremendously, and that’s what led to the scores. Also Trey (Sloothaak) on those beautiful throws. He just dropped it right in there.”

Hendricks finished with 129 yards and three TDs on the ground, and had three catches for 25 yards and three scores.

He passed Chelsea’s Lucas Hanifan (Division 4, 2021), Grand Rapids Catholic Central’s Nolan Fugate (Division 4, 2017), Saginaw Nouvel’s Bennett Lewis (Division 7, 2011) and Ithaca’s Alex Niznak (Division 6, 2010) who had shared the record with five total touchdowns in a Finals game. 

The Dux’ Brody Maas (8) closes in on a tackle.His three receiving TDs are tied for second most in a Finals game with 10 others.

“Honestly, I had no idea until everyone started coming up and screaming at me,” Hendricks said. “I was like, ‘What’s going on?’ When they told me, I was just in shock. But once again, shout out to everybody.”

The title is the fifth in program history for Zeeland West, and first since 2015.

“It’s good to be 5-for-5,” Zeeland West coach John Shillito said. “Before I got here, I was 0-for-3. It’s been good in Zeeland for me. I’m just real proud of these guys. The five is big, but for this group of kids, it’s theirs.”

The Dux (13-1) never trailed, and held at least a two-score lead for much of the game. That had a lot to do with an opportunistic defense, which forced three turnovers, including two in the red zone. But anytime King did break through, it couldn’t find a way to back it up by stopping Zeeland West’s powerful T-formation run game. 

“It was very difficult to prepare for that style of offense in four days,” King coach Terel Patrick said. “We have not seen it in probably six years. We went back and looked at some things, I wish we would have had a little bit more time, but nevertheless, hats off. They executed the (heck) out of that offense today. We also had two turnovers in the red zone, and you have to be able to match them possession for possession.”

Zeeland West rushed for 327 yards in the game, averaging seven per carry. It wasn’t just Hendricks, as Sloothaak added 124 yards on 12 carries, and VanderZwaag had 54 yards on his 10 carries.

Much of the damage was done in the first half, as the Dux rushed for 194 yards during the opening 24 minutes. Hendricks had 104 yards and three touchdowns (49, 14 and 30 yards) on nine carries in the first half.

He also had a six-yard touchdown reception on a play that wasn’t designed for him. Sloothaak, the quarterback, rolled and looked to his left, but with all options covered, he made a last-second glance to his right, where Hendricks was all alone. The senior then sprinted untouched into the end zone.

Hendricks pulls away as King’s Kyle Ruff (30) pursues.Hendricks scored on a very similar play early in the third quarter, this one coming from 11 yards out and stretching the lead to three scores at 34-14.

“They were supposed to go to Isaac,” Sloothaak said with a laugh. “Coach has been telling us in practice for a few weeks now, we have to be prepared for that, and Keaton executed that well.

The final score was on purpose, as Hendricks set the record with an eight-yard reception from Sloothaak midway through the third quarter.

“I thought I had the film on fast forward, because he’s got some speed,” Patrick said. “Speed is speed. That kid is fast in every league. He outran some angles today and proved he’s a really good football player. I would like to see kids like him get more chances at the next level. That kid’s a ballplayer. I’m glad he was able to get that exposure today on a really big stage, and hopefully he can parlay that into a college scholarship.”

Despite Hendricks’ heroics and its own mistakes, King managed to remain in shouting distance thanks to a pair of second-quarter touchdowns.

The first was set up by a fumble recovery deep in Zeeland West territory, as Michael Dukes scored on a five-yard run.

The second came as the first half clock expired, with Daryl Flemister finding David Calmese for a 10-yard score. Flemister’s two-point conversion run made the score 28-14 heading into the second half.

But shouting distance was as close as King would get. Dukes would score again, on a 14-yard run midway through the third quarter.

He finished with 93 yards rushing on 14 carries. Flemister rushed for 77 yards and was 10-of-18 for 111 yards through the air. Kristian Wheeler led the King defense with nine tackles, while Gregory Keller had eight.

Sloothaak and Tyler Bauman each had six tackles to lead Zeeland West, with Sloothaak also forcing a fumble near the goal line. Hendricks also forced a fumble, while Maas had an interception. 

Click for the full box score.

PHOTOS (Top) Zeeland West’s Keaton Hendricks (1) breaks into the open field during his team’s Division 3 championship win. (Middle) The Dux’ Brody Maas (8) closes in on a tackle. (Below) Hendricks pulls away as King’s Kyle Ruff (30) pursues. (Photos by Hockey Weekly Action Photos.)