BY WENDI REARDON PRICE
Clarkston News Sports Writer
It was less than a week after the Clarkston Varsity Football team won the state championship and senior Michael Fluegel admitted it was a bit strange not to be at practice as he sat down in The Clarkston News office.
But it felt good bringing another state championship home for Clarkston for his second time. He was brought up to varsity as a freshman when the Wolves won in 2014.
“It has always been the goal,” Fluegel said. “I think I speak for the team when I say we are grateful we could bring something home for this community. We have the best fans in the state – always traveling to all of our games. The crowd we had at Ford Field was amazing – running out of that tunnel and seeing everyone from town. It was amazing to see.”

Looking back at the fall season, he said it was everything he could have asked for.
“We had some ups and downs, but in the end we pulled together especially in the playoff run,” he explained. “In the last six games we really got close and grinded it out the best we could and got the championship.”
Fluegel said the low points helped.
“You learn from your failures and after losing to West Bloomfield, then Rochester Adams I think we all took a look in the mirror and knew we could be better,” he added. “I think we all knew we could be a top contender. We just had to figure it out.”
Some personal highlights for him included plays on defense and offense, as he helped out in the running back position a few games including against Grand Blanc when he caught a screen pass which was almost intercepted.
“I zigzagged it in for a touchdown – that was a good play,” he said.
Another highlight was against Detroit Catholic Central in the semifinals when he ran a 71-yard touchdown with 4:21 remaining in the third quarter.
“I have a lot of ties to CC so that one was special to me,” he said, adding he has three uncles who went to the school. “It is a huge CC family. They were rooting for CC but also hoping I had a good game.”
Fluegel began playing tackle football in fourth grade with the Clarkston Chiefs where his dad coached him and he met a lot of his teammates.
“I formed a lot of relationships and friendships that are strong today,” he said. “I remember all the coaches and they all contributed to this.”
He played other sports along the way but stuck with football admitting he didn’t know why.
“For one, I was pretty good at it when I started,” Fluegel said. “I loved having the guys around me I had. I was so lucky to have great coaches, having my dad as a coach was always awesome. The biggest thing is the camaraderie of having the guys around you. We still talk about our old Chiefs stories especially when we were in sixth grade – we made it to the championship. Both Chiefs teams made it to the championship so there are a lot of jokes we throw out about that one.”
Fluegel announced in early November he plans to continue his education and playing football for Columbia University next fall.
He visited Columbia twice with once for camp and another for a visit.
“It was one of the schools I dreamed about going to play football and get an amazing education,” he said. “I couldn’t pass up the opportunity – to go to New York City and graduate from an Ivy League school playing a sport I love. It’s not something a lot of people get to do.”
He added when he started the recruiting process going to an Ivy League school wasn’t his major goal. Then, he began talking schools like Harvard, Penn State and Princeton.
“It opened a door I never thought about,” Fluegel said.
He plans to focus his studies on business or economics.
“I like the business world,” Fluegel explained. “I am just not positive on what I want to do. There are so many opportunities in New York – see what interests me and take it from there.”
Wherever he goes, Clarkston Football taught him a lot to take with him.
“The biggest thing is facing adversity and how to handle it,” Fluegel said. “In the game of football you are going to get hit, you are going to get tackled, you are going to get pushed back – it’s how you handle those things is what defines you as a person and how you can bounce back. You can carry that throughout your life no matter what you are doing.”
Fluegel currently has a 3.8 grade point average and his classes inclued Advance Placement Literature, Forensic Science, Calculus, Accounting, Football Tech and media. His advice to aspiring athletes is to enjoy every second.
“I have been out of it for a week and I miss it,” he shared. “Sometimes it’s not going to be fun going to practice for a while in the hot sun. Playing for this community is something you will take for granted and you will miss it. There’s nothing like playing high school football for your community with Clarkston across your chest. Growing up with your friends is the best – the best time you will ever have. Work hard so when you get to my position you won’t have any regrets.”
When he isn’t studying he is hanging out with friends or is with his family.
“I am a people person,” he smiled.

  AOW, Athlete of the Week