Dakota High School (Macomb, Michigan) is now 3-0 on the 2024 campaign, following a 34-6 victory over Anchor Bay High School.
The Tars, coached by former Dakota head coach Mike Giannone, entered the game with a 2-0 record. However, the Cougars, led by head coach Greg Baur and Michigan State 2025 commits Justin Bell and DiMari Malone, remained undefeated after Friday's showdown.
Bell, a three-star offensive tackle, fulfilled his lifelong dream by committing to MSU in June. Malone, a three-star linebacker, committed during the previous month, pledging to the Spartans in May.
Spartans Illustarted was at Dakota on Friday night to watch the Cougars in action. Following the game, Bell, Malone, Baur and 2027 athlete Elijah Goins provided their thoughts from the victory over Anchor Bay and discussed what's next for them.
Other players who stood out for Dakota on Friday include senior linebacker/running back Brady Hamby, senior quarterback Jadon Ford, senior wide receiver Ryan Petrovitch, sophomore running back Jeremiah Aaron and more.
"It was a great effort," Baur said. "We had, I thought, a good plan coming in, and the kids executed it beautifully. Brady Hamby, DiMari Malone and a lot of guys played like 80 or 90 snaps tonight, so that's tough. That's a really good team over there (in Anchor Bay), and I'm pretty happy with how we played today."
Bell comes from a football family. His dad, Chris Bell, played collegiately at Cincinnati and spent time in the NFL with the Green Bay Packers. A close family friend, who Justin Bell calls his "uncle," David Sucura played for Michigan State in the 1990s and early 2000s.
The younger Bell mentioned that Dakota's preparation throughout the week and game plan coming into the game helped lead to the victory over Anchor Bay.
"We prepared all week," Justin Bell said following the win over the Tars. "We went hard all week at practice. We knew what they were going to come out with. I've just got to give credit to my whole O-line. We were locked in this week. We knew it was going to be a big week. So, we locked in, head down, laser focus, and we came out with a dub."
Malone shared similar sentiments, noting that the focus during the week of practice and the execution on game day lifted to the Cougars to the win.
"It was definitely a great team-effort win," Malone said after the Cougars defeated the Tars. "I'm really proud of the guys. I mean, it just doesn't happen on Fridays, like our coach said, it happens on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays (during the practice week)."
Goins, who plays defensive back and wide receiver for the Cougars, was proud of his team for earning a win and correcting some of the early-season issues Dakota encountered.
"We've been letting scores get put on us (early in the season), and I just feel like the defense really stepped up (against Anchor Bay on Friday)," Goins explained. "Our offense always does their part, and that's just what I love about this team."
Bell and Goins will be at Michigan State on Saturday for the Spartans' Week Three contest against Football Bowl Championship (FCS) opponent Prairie View A&M. Malone noted that he most likely plans to make the trip to East Lansing as well.
While on campus, Justin Bell is looking forward to connecting with Michigan State offensive line coach/run game coordinator Jim Michalczik ("Coach M") and assistant offensive line coach Jacob Lail, along with the current Spartan players.
"I'm hoping to see both O-line coaches, Coach M and Coach Lail, and most of the offensive linemen, and I think I'm gonna see DiMari (Malone) tomorrow there, too," Justin Bell said.
Bell plans to be at as many of Michigan State's home games as possible this season.
Malone, if he makes it to Spartan Stadium this weekend, is looking forward to seeing MSU continue its upward trajectory in the 2024 season.
"Definitely just seeing the guys ball out, do what they do," Malone said about what he wants to see on Saturday if he makes it to East Lansing.
Goins was at Michigan State's Week One contest, a 16-10 win over Florida Atlantic, along with Malone and Bell. He is looking forward to returning on Saturday.
"It was awesome," Goins said about his Week One visit to MSU. "I love how they communicated with me. I just love their love. And I've got two teammates committed there. It's like a family over there."
Early on his recruitment, Goins has two scholarship offers thus far from Miami (OH) and Western Kentucky.
He also visited Michigan during the weekend of Sept. 7, which he said was a "good experience" despite the Wolverines' loss to Texas. Goins also plans to be at Miami (OH) in the coming weeks as well.
Both Malone and Justin Bell plan to enroll at Michigan State early and arrive in January. They are both on track to do so.
Justin Bell knows how beneficial it will be to get to MSU early, go through the strength and conditioning program and participate in spring ball. It will give him a head start on his true freshman campaign.
"I'm just looking forward to learning the techniques from Coach M and Coach Lail," Justin Bell said when discussing why he wants to enroll early. "They're like offensive line masterminds. So, it's just a lot I need to learn. I'm just excited to get there and learn all the stuff I need to know, and just get ready to be a Spartan."
Meanwhile, Michigan State defensive coordinators/linebackers coach Joe Rossi has been built a strong connection with Malone that goes back to before his time in East Lansing. Rossi previously served in he same role at Minnesota and recruited Malone while he was with the Gophers. Once Rossi arrived at MSU, he made Malone a priority and eventually landed the commitment of the talented linebacker.
Malone also knows how beneficial it will be for him to enroll early. He knows it will be a learning process.
"I'm definitely just, when I get there, I'm gonna take it day by day and just let Coach Rossi mentor me and help me find my way through the the threads and needles, and I know he's got me when I need him," Malone said about enrolling early.
Following his commitment to the Spartans, Malone's bond with Rossi continues to get stronger.
"It has grown definitely a lot," Malone said about his relationship with Rossi. "Me and Coach Rossi talk almost every week. He's been on me since he recruited me as a freshman when he was at Minnesota. And then when he got to Michigan State, he recruited me and then he offered me, and our connection has just been really tight."
Similarly, Justin Bell's relationship with Michalczik continues to blossom. Even after he has committed, the offensive line coach stays in constant communication with the young offensive tackle.
"It's been great," Justin Bell said about how his relationship with Michalczik has developed. "He's checking in on me every week, just trying trying to see how I'm doing, (overall) see how I'm doing with the season, and it's just been great!"
So far through Dakota's 3-0 start, Justin Bell feels like his team has worked hard and stayed connected. However, he knows there is still more work to do moving forward.
"We're a laser-focused team, we're always going to put the work no matter what the cost is," the offensive lineman said. "We all just stick together — through the bad, through the good, anything that happens, we stick together. If something happens, a mistake, we all talk to each other, next-play (mentality), and we're on to the next."
While Malone will play on the defensive side of the ball as a linebacker at Michigan State, he showed off his offensive prowess on Friday night as well. Malone had a long touchdown run in which he broke multiple tackles and bounced off of defenders on his way to the end zone.
"I definitely think my all-around game is nice," Malone noted. "I mean, I took a couple reps at tight end last year, I was rotating a lot, but this year, they definitely put me in (on offense), and I've been doing good since. So, I like my versatility."
Of course, the ultimate objective for the Cougars is to win a state title in 2024.
"State championship," Justin Bell said about Dakota's goal this season. "Simple. Just wait for us to (play in) the state championship, baby. That's all I've got to say."
However, Baur cautions that the Cougars must take things one week at a time and cannot look ahead.
Dakota plays in the tough Macomb Area Conference (MAC) — Red football league. The Cougars have another difficult challenge ahead next week in the 3-0 Sterling Heights Stevenson Titans.
"All we're focused on right now is Stevenson next week," Baur said. "You look ahead in the MAC Red, you are gonna lose, I guarantee it."
With that said, Baur did say he likes what he sees from his team thus far, and he wants to see continued improvement.
"I'm really happy with where we are," Baur said. "We're healthy. Last year at this time, our quarterback had a broken collarbone and we had to piece it together. So this year, we're healthy. We're playing good football. Our offensive and defensive lines are playing like we thought they would. They're controlling the tempo of the game, which is what we wanted."
Malone put things more simply when asked what his message is moving forward.
"Go Cougars," he said with excitement.
Baur is relying on his leaders, such as Justin Bell and Malone to get Dakota to where it needs to be to accomplish its goals this season. He praised the way the two seniors continuously work and the job they've done so far.
"When your best players are some of your hardest workers, you're going to have a good season," Baur said. "(Bell and Malone) don't take a play off in practice. They don't take a play off in the game. They're striving to get better, even though they already have their commitment, they're striving to get better, which tells you everything you need to know about them."
As a younger player, Goins is still learning and getting better every day. Baur believes Goins is going to be an excellent playmaker in the near future.
"I mean, he's just a baby, but he's going to be good," Baur said about Goins. "Like I said, he's just green right now, but I'm telling you what, every week, he's getting better and better. He's starting to get smarter and understanding the scheme. He's going to be pretty good soon."
Goins scored a touchdown on Friday night.
"It was a good team win," Goins said.
Malone and Justin Bell have mentored Goins and pushed him to improve. Goins is thankful for them as both teammates and friends.
"DiMari Malone and Justin Bell, I love them," Goins said. "They're my best friends. They push me to be better, they push me to my limit every day, and I just love that."
The two commits also discussed what they've seen from Michigan State so far and what they hope to see from the Spartans as the 2024 campaign continues.
Justin Bell praised the play of sophomore quarterback Aidan Chiles and, of course, has been playing close attention to the performance of the offensive line.
"I think it's a great start," Bell said about Michigan State's 2-0 record in 2024 thus far. "Aidan Chiles has been fighting through some adversity, but in the end, he's a great quarterback, and I can't wait to play with him. And just the whole O-line, just getting better every day (has been great to watch)."
Malone also likes what the Spartans have done to begin the season. He was impressed by Michigan State's come-from-behind 27-24 road victory over Maryland, especially with true freshman wide receiver Nick Marsh.
"That game (against Maryland) was crazy," Malone said. "I made a mistake and fell asleep in like the fourth quarter (when the Spartans were down). I woke up, and they were up. I was like, 'How'd they get up so fast?' And I saw Nick Marsh balled out. So I was definitely proud of that win for them."
The Spartans are off to a promising start in head coach Jonathan Smith's first season at the helm. If Michigan State defeats Prairie View A&M on Saturday, the Spartans will move to 3-0 for the first time since the 2021 season.
In another highlight play on Friday night, Ford found Petrovitch on a long touchdown pass with Bell in pass protection.
In a battle of undefeated teams, Dakota will travel to Sterling Heights Stevenson on Friday, Sept. 20 for a contest at 7 p.m. Eastern Time.
