Canton High School announces new varsity football coach

Here’s the first thing you should know about Canton High School’s recently-hired head football coach Eric Newton: He’s a Warrior, both literally and figuratively.

Officially hired Friday morning to succeed Casey Bess, the 43-year-old Newton was a stellar three-sport student-athlete at Redford Union before graduating in 1999.

As a walk-on football player at Wayne State University, he earned a starting fullback role as a freshman for the Warriors. Derailed temporarily by a torn anterior cruciate ligament, he was switched to defense his senior year and held his own as an undersized, 240-pound defensive lineman.

Originally planning to teach physical education after he earned a bachelor’s degree in education, Newton found his true calling was working with students with extreme special needs. He is currently a teacher at Plymouth High School, working with higher-functioning special-education students.

In summation, Newton doesn’t back away from challenges. He embraces them.

‘Leader of young men’

“As long as I’ve played football and coached football, I’ve always dreamed of being a head coach, a leader of young men,” Newton said Friday afternoon. “So to get the call that I had been chosen to lead Canton’s football program is very exciting.”

Among his impressive coaching resume listings are assistant coaching positions at Livonia Stevenson High School and Plymouth High School.

Among his coaching mentors he listed former RU Head Coach Miles Tomasaitis and former NFL player and high school head coach Matt Giordano, who Newton coached under when he lived in California.

“Eric is a true instructional leader,” said Canton Athletic Director Kristen Farkas. “His vision for the program aligns with the needs of student athletes.

“His passion for football, caring nature and organizational skills are exactly what Canton football needs to succeed.”

Bring stability to program

The third head coach at Canton in the past three years, Newton said his first priority is to begin building a stable foundation for the program.

“I know we have some talented players returning,” Newton said, “although I haven’t watched a ton of tape up until this point.”

Newton said he would love to retain assistant coaches from last year’s team.

“After Spring Break, I want to talk to all of them who are interested in returning and see if their philosophies align with mine,” he said.

As far as an offensive philosophy — Canton switched from its longtime run-heavy tight-T offense to a spread formation that emphasized passing last year under former head coach Casey Bess — Newton said he will consider multiple options based on the players he has to work with.

“What I will say in regards to that,” Newton said, smiling, “is based on Michigan weather in the fall, we probably won’t be throwing the ball 80 times a game.”

Newton and his wife, Brandi, reside in Livonia. Ultimately, he would like to secure a position at Canton High School, but admitted teaching at Plymouth is the next best thing given “the dynamics of the (three-school Plymouth-Canton Educational) Park.”

“I’m ready to get to work,” he concluded. “I couldn’t be any more excited to start this new adventure.”

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