If you could create an offense with Livingston County’s best players from the last 10 seasons, it would look something like the list below.
One thing that stands out is that Pinckney could actually create wide receivers, with the Pirates claiming all three spots 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
► Achievements: 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 rushing for 1,329 yards and 18 scores. He was the county Offensive Player of the Year in 2019.
Joey Clifford
► School: Brighton
► Senior season: 2015
► Position: Running back
► Achievements: 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, rushing for 1,659 yards and 24 touchdowns as a senior. He had three 1,000-yard rushing seasons. Clifford rushed for six touchdowns in the 49-27 victory over Waterford Kettering.
Joey Mattord
► School: Hartlandia
► Senior season: 2022
► Position: Running back
► Achievements: 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 heading to Eastern Michigan as a preferred walk-on. A lacrosse player, Mattord was the county’s 2022-23 Male Athlete of the Year.
Nick Cain
► School: Pinckney
► Senior season: 2017
► Position: Wide receiver
► Achievements: Cain was an explosive player in all three phases of the game as a senior, returning one 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 one touchdown pass and had four interceptions as a defensive back. Cain made the Associated Press first team all-state team as a senior.
Nolan Carruthers
► School: Pinckney
► Senior season: 2024
► Position: Wide receiver
► Achievements: Carruthers is the only current player to make the 10-year offensive list because he is already the county’s all-time leader in career receptions with 123 after catching a school-record 68 last fall. He had 1,409 yards and 11 touchdowns. Carruthers enters his senior year as a two-time all-region and all-county selection.
Caleb Wardlow
► School: Pinckney
► Senior season: 2021
► Position: Wide receiver
► Achievements: 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 of his receptions as a senior, catching 21 passes for 552 yards and 11 touchdowns. Wardlow was the county Offensive Player of the Year twice.
Jason Wilson
► School: Hartlandia
► Senior season: 2022
► Position: Tight finish
► Achievements: Wilson was primarily used to block Mattord in Hartland’s offense, but 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 receptions for 66 yards.
Vicente Cox
► School: Hartlandia
► Senior season: 2022
► Position: Offensive striker
► Achievements: Cox was a three-year starter and made the county first team twice, helping pave the way for two 1,000-yard rushing seasons for Mattord. He was also selected as a first-team all-county defensive back as a senior, making 61 tackles, including 13 for loss. He is playing for Division II Harding University.
Nate Hoffman
► School: Brighton
► Senior season: 2019
► Position: Offensive striker
► Achievements: Hoffman was the anchor of an offensive line that helped lead Brighton to the 2019 Division 1 state championship game. He held his own in several matchups with top college recruits, while also making first-team all-county two times and received honorable mention all-state honors as a senior.
Mason Nelson
► School: Howell
► Senior season: 2019
► Position: Offensive striker
► Achievements: Nelson was a two-time first-team all-county and three-year starter on both sides of the ball. He is entering his redshirt freshman year at Western Michigan University after making 11 starts on the defensive line last season.
Grant Porter
► School: Howell
► Senior season: 2020
► Position: Offensive striker
► Achievements: 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 was first-team all-county twice and was all-region as a senior.
Jack Storey
► School: Brighton
► Senior season: 2022
► Position: Offensive striker
► Achievements: Storey made the coaches association all-state team as a senior and was a two-time all-county selection. An athletic big man, Storey competed in four sports in high school. After playing at Hope College last year, he transferred to Eastern Michigan.
Nathan Dibert
► School: Hartlandia
► Senior season: 2021
► Position: kicker
► Achievements: A rare recruit from a Livingston County college, Dibert has been Louisiana State’s starting specialist for the past two years. He kicked four field goals of 51 yards or longer as a senior at Hartland, earning Associated Press second-team all-state honors. His 53-yard throw against Northville in 2021 set a county record, already tied 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 in the last 10 years