28 | NOVEMBER 11 • 2021 

SPORTS

A

very Gach has played 
football for only two 
seasons.
But the still-growing 6-foot-5, 
235-pound Birmingham Groves 
High School freshman has 
already made his presence felt.
Gach started at right tackle 
on the Groves offensive line for 
much of the season this fall.
What he did hadn’t been done 
at Groves in at least two-plus 
decades.
Only three freshmen have 
started for Brendan Flaherty 
is his 21 years as the Groves 
football coach. The others were a 
fullback and a defensive end.
“It’s tough for a freshman to 
play on the offensive line on a 
high school varsity team because 
of the physicality involved, but 
Avery is tough and strong,
” 
Flaherty said. “
And he’s fearless. 
He isn’t intimidated.
”
Gach’s first experience with 
football was in the Birmingham 
Patriots club program when he 
was a seventh-grader.
He didn’t play football when 
he was in eighth grade — either 
for Berkshire Middle School 
or in the Southfield Falcons 
club program — because the 
COVID-19 pandemic wiped out 
the season.
With only the one season of 
football experience under his 
belt, Gach played for the Groves 
freshman football team in the 
first week of the season this fall.
That arrangement didn’t last 
long. Flaherty said he brought 
up Gach to the varsity after the 

first week initially to see how he 
would do at practice.
“You could see very quickly 
that he belonged on the varsity 
team,
” Flaherty said.
After getting occasional 
playing time in the next three 
Groves varsity games, Gach was 
promoted to the starting lineup 
Sept. 24 in an overtime victory 
over Oak Park.
He started the Falcons’ final 
five games.
Flaherty said Gach improved 
incrementally during the season 
as he got more reps and played 
more games and learned from 
older players and the team’s two 
offensive line coaches.
“
Avery really clicked in our 
last game of the season, against 
Sterling Heights Stevenson,
” 
Flaherty said. “He was pancaking 
guys with his blocks.
”
Gach said his biggest issue 
when he first joined the varsity 
team was “over-thinking” what 

he was doing because of the 
amount of plays he had to learn.
“So Coach Flaherty told me if I 
wasn’t sure what I was supposed 
to do on a play, just go hit 
someone,
” Gach said. “I always 
tried to be the most aggressive 
player on the field. Keep the 
motor going.
”
Eventually, what Gach was 
supposed to do came to him 
naturally.
“I agree with Coach Flaherty. 
I played well against Sterling 
Heights Stevenson. But I feel I 
actually started playing well in 
our second-to-last game against 
Clarkston,
” he said.
Gach didn’t play defense for 
the Groves varsity team this 
season. But look for him to rack 
up many minutes on that side of 
the ball in the future, probably at 
defensive end.
“
Avery is a future two-way 
starter, no doubt about it,
” 
Flaherty said. “When is up to 
him.
”
Gach feels he’s ready now.
“I want to be a two-way starter 
the next three years,
” he said.
It was a tough season for the 
Groves varsity team. The Falcons 
finished 2-7 against a murderous 
schedule that included several 
state-ranked teams.
While the losses piled up, 

Gach said he piled up valuable 
experience against talented and 
college-bound defensive linemen.
Gach, 15, also is an 
outstanding baseball player who 
has played travel ball since he 
was 10, currently with the North 
Farmington/West Bloomfield 
Cobras. He’s a first baseman, 
catcher and pitcher.
He plans to try out for the 
Groves baseball team in the 
spring.
But first, he may try out this 
month for the Groves boys 
basketball team.
David and Amy Gach are 
Avery’s parents. The family lives 
in Bloomfield Hills.
David Gach played football, 
basketball and baseball at Berkley 
High School and he also was 
on the Berkley wrestling team 
before he graduated in 1996.
He had several offers to play 
college football at Division II 
and Division III schools, but he 
decided to attend Michigan State 
University to study business. He 
didn’t play sports there.
Avery’s brother Eli, 12, is a 
seventh-grader at Berkshire. 
Avery said Eli has a passion for 
acting. 

Please send sports news to 

stevestein502004@yahoo.com.

Avery Gach proved he belonged on 
the Birmingham Groves offensive line 

Fearless 
Freshman

STEVE STEIN CONTRIBUTING WRITER

MURRAY GOLDENBERG/CLASSIC PHOTOGRAPHY

Avery 
Gach

Birmingham Groves 
offensive lineman 
Avery Gach stands 
his ground against 
Southfield A&T.

AMY GACH

