Justin Wozniak is the type of player who has flourished under Michigan City coach Phil Mason.
When Mason arrived before the 2016 season, Wozniak was thinking about giving up football for baseball.
Mason talked Wozniak, a 6-foot-3, 235-pound senior defensive end, into staying in the program.
It was one of the best decisions Wozniak ever made. He finished 2017 with 18 tackles for losses and six sacks. He also played tight end.
Four of those sacks came in a 21-7 win over Concord in a Class 5A regional. That was the first regional title for the Wolves, who finished 9-4 and are ranked No. 2 by the Post-Tribune.
Michigan City had just finished a 2-7 season when Wozniak contemplated leaving the program.
“I was thinking about taking a break after my (freshman) year,” he said. “I just didn’t know what I wanted to do. (Mason) talked me into staying. I don’t regret it. He told me how important I could be and what kind of potential I had.”
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Mason said it was just a matter of reaching out to Wozniak.
“I don’t think he’d been in a place where anyone had taken an initiative with him,” Mason said.
Mason said Wozniak is good enough to play football somewhere after high school. But he’s not sure about what he wants to do.
Wozniak is considering a career in the trades. He said if he pursues that option, he’d like to be an electrician.
Wozniak, for Mason, is refreshing.
“He’s just not sure where he stands with all of it,” Mason said of college. “He could play football at the next level. He’s a big physical tight end and he has great hands. He makes great route adjustments. On defense, he’s a beast. There is nothing wrong with not playing in college. He can have fun playing in high school.”
Wozniak isn’t the only good player the Wolves have on defense.
Chase Triplett, a 6-foot-3 senior linebacker, has verbally committed to Purdue. Triplett finished with 140 tackles last season. Senior linemen Royce Robinson Jr. (nine tackles for losses) and Connor Root also return.
Three starters in the secondary are back: Lyric McFarrin, a senior who finished with 64 tackles, and juniors Brian Walker and Marquan Hurt. Walker and Hurt each had two interceptions last year.
Michigan City will replace quarterback Michael McCullough, the Post-Tribune Offensive Player of the Year, with Bryce Hayman, a 5-9 senior.
Mason has one luxury that he hasn’t had in his first two years with the Wolves.
Five of his top offensive linemen, all seniors, return. Andrue Shanks, John Wilcher, Ryan Stefanko, Collin Kienitz and Jared Brinkman all played significant minutes.
Detrick Merriweather, a 5-6 running back who transferred from LaPorte, will step in and probably start.
Wozniak, who had 10 receptions, will be more involved on offense. Other returning receivers are seniors Zennon Wilhelm (23 receptions) and Tyler Siegmund (10 receptions).
The Wolves have the look of a team that could go deep in the playoffs again.
“I think we could be really good,” Mason said. “We are still an injury or two away from having to shuffle the lineup and we’re still changing the culture, but we have the opportunity to be good again.”