2-0 Salem stonewalls Novi following rocky start

The 2026 version of the Salem High School football team isn’t going to wow you with their size when they walk off the bus.

But the savvy Rocks proved last Thursday night against Novi that size doesn’t matter if you can compensate with execution and proficiency.

After yielding a 66-yard TD pass from  Cody Walker to Johnny Woytowich on the first play from scrimmage, Salem bounced back to post a 26-14 victory in its home opener on the P-CEP North Turf Field.

Rivalry game on deck

Now 2-0, the Rocks will host cross-campus rival Plymouth Friday night on Senior Night.

Plymouth is just a one-point loss to Dearborn Fordson from equaling Salem’s 2-0 start.

“For us this season, we have a lot of talent but not a lot of size,” said Salem Head Coach Landon Garrett. “Our senior class (18 players) is very talented and our junior class is probably the toughest class I’ve seen here. We lost 23 seniors to graduation from last year’s team, which is a lot.

“We have seven kids playing both ways, so there was a lot of cramping tonight. Adversity hit us this week as we weren’t able to practice the past couple days due to the heat, but the kids overcame everything because they played as a family.”

Best, Fraley bolster Salem’s defense

The size-doesn’t-matter principle is exemplified by the Rocks’ two starting senior linebackers: Ryan Best and Beau Fraley, both of whom stand about 6 foot and weigh 185 (Fraley) and 190 (Best).

“Both Beau and Ryan played great,” Garrett said. “I think we had five fourth-down stops, and both of them were right in the middle of the stops.”

Salem’s offense was engineered by running-back-turned-quarterback Braylen Bowie, who was solid in just his second career varsity start at the position.

A 22-yard Bowie keeper preceded Nate Kava’s 40-yard TD burst that knotted the score at 7-7 after Caleb Chinyadza’s extra point.

Novi’s second possession ended in a punt. The Wildcats halted the Rocks’ second possession with a leaping interception by 6-foot-4 safety Alex Abler.

Long TD run negated, but no worries

After Salem registered its first fourth-down stop of the night, the Rocks appeared to seize the lead on an electric  57-yard TD run by Chinyadza, who does a lot more than just kick extra points. However, a holding penalty negated the play.

No worries, though, as Salem marched down the field mostly on the legs of sophomore running back Payton Myles before Bowie capped the drive with a 4-yard TD run with 9:37 remaining in the first half, putting the Rocks ahead for good, 14-7.

Salem owned a 20-7 lead at the half thanks to a 14-yard scoring pass from Bowie to first-year senior receiver Mitch Paspal, who used his 6-6 frame to out-jump a Novi defensive back at the 2-yard line and stroll into the end zone. The extra point was no good.

6-foot-6 Paspal a difference-maker

“Mitch hasn’t played football since he was in seventh or eighth grade when he was injured,” Garrett said. “Basketball has been his sport, but I’ve been trying to get him to come out for football every year because I promised him it would make him faster and stronger for football. He played great tonight.

“Before the season started, Mitch approached me and said, ‘Coach, there’s no way I can miss playing football my senior year.’ He made some nice catches and he had at least one sack.”

The Wildcats sliced their deficit to 20-14 with 2:02 left in the third quarter when Walker tossed a 65-yard touchdown pass to 5-6, 135-pound Cam Ellison (another example that size is, at times, overrated on the gridiron), who sliced and diced the final 30 yards through the Salem secondary.

Salem all but cemented its second victory of the season late in the fourth quarter on a clock-devouring 60-yard drive that was capped by Cava’s 2-yard TD run.

“That last drive was what we’re all about,” Garrett said. “We came into tonight with a goal of winning the first half, then going 2-0. I’m very proud of this team.”

Ed Wright can be reached at 734-664-4657 or edwright@socialhousenews.com.