Portland Football’s Cody Hengesbach and Christopher Battley sign to continue football careers

On Wednesday, Portland High School seniors Cody Hengesbach and Christopher Battley both signed letters of intent to play football at the next level next year. Hengesbach signed with Davenport University and Battley signed with Northern Michigan University.

When asked about his choice to attend Davenport, Hengesbach said, “For a while in my recruiting process I wasn’t sure where I would end up. With a few weeks left before I made my decision, I took a visit to Davenport and immediately felt at home, the coaches were extremely transparent and by the time I left I knew I would be committing there. Staying close to home is a big priority to me and I can’t wait to see a lot of Portland fans at games in the future.”

In his time at PHS, Hengesbach played two years of varsity football as well as two seasons of varsity golf.

In his senior football season, Hengesbach was named All County, All League, All Conference, and All Region awards.  He also received the All-Academic Award from the CAAC.

Hengesbach told the Beacon, “I want to say thank you to all of the coaches that I have had since I started playing football in third grade, they've all made me into the player and man that I am now. I especially want to thank Coach Novara and Coach Brooks for always holding me to a higher standard and pushing me to become a better football player. Without them I wouldn't be where I'm at and I am extremely grateful.”

When asked about his choice to attend Northern, Battley said, “It is a nice campus and they have what I want to study and It has always been my dream to play college football.”

As a Raider, Battley played three years of varsity football, four years of varsity basketball, and two years of track.

His high school athletic honors include All Conference 2022, 2023 and 2024, All State in 2024, and All District.

Battley told the Beacon, “I would like to thank my coach for helping me out every day on and off the field and I want to thank my teammates for all of the good times we had and the family that we become.”

Both the Northern Michigan University Wildcats and the Davenport University Panthers also compete in NCAA Division II and are members of the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC).

When asked about Hengesbach and Battley’s signings, Portland Head Coach John Novara said, “We are excited to see both Christopher and Cody taking their talents to the next level!  Both of the boys had great careers here at Portland High School and were part of a team that was 23 - 2 over the past two seasons. Both were integral parts of our team's success which included two league championships, two district championships, and a regional championship.  Both Christopher and Cody are excellent examples of our Portland High School student athletes, and will have great careers at their new schools.”

Photo courtesy of PHS Athletic Department.  Christopher Battley (left) and Cody Hengesbach (right).