South Lyon East linebacker Dante DeGrazia’s season got derailed in less than a half during the Cougars 22-12 loss to White Lake Lakeland in The Battle at the Big House game at Michigan Stadium. He injured his left knee during a mad capped scramble in the end zone after a blocked punt.
DeGrazia quickly displayed the spirit of high school football while being helped from the field.
“It (the left knee cap) popped out,” he said while grimacing in pain. “I’ll be good.”
He could barely move. Trainers and assistant coaches said he’d miss two weeks with the injury, but in DeGrazia’s mind he was going to return to that game and help his team win.
“He’s a team captain. He’s a three-year starter. He’s a key player for us,” said East Coach Jacob Topp. “I am not surprised at all that he wanted to come back in.”
DeGrazia is expected to miss games against much-improved Milford this week and Walled Lake Northern the following week. The guess here is he finds a way to make an appearance in one of those games.
## Fenton (1-0) showed some toughness during the Tigers opening-season victory over Midland Dow. They played without All League players Jake Nichols and Kaiden Long, but still hung on for a 28-26 victory.
The Tigers face Haslett this week.

## Hartland football has a reputation it wants to embrace. It is possible to win games at Hartland, but not without a huge fight. The Eagles are like a bunch of pit bulls. They might be small, but they are nasty.
WHMI travels to Hartland Thursday night (7 p.m.) as it plays host to Novi. Novi coach Jim Sparks compared playing Hartland to a grueling 15-round championship boxing match. You might win, but you are likely to emerge from the fight with missing teeth and a black eye.