This season joining me with doing picks is History Now and Between Taormina's co-host Anthony Taormina, Farmington Video coordinator Sean Cotter, North Oakland Sports and State Farm agent Dan Stickradt, and MIPrepzone Oakland High School Sports coordinator Keith Dunlap. Games will have the Inside the OAA rankings which will change weekly and insight on each game.
You can watch OAA Now on ONTV, OCTV, or on Youtube. Also catch North Oakland Sports.com with Dan Stickradt on coverage of North Oakland County teams and MIPrepzone for the Oakland Press with Keith Dunlap which covers the entire Oakland County. Also follow my blogs for Orion sports coverage with the Dragons Den and this blog Inside the OAA for complete coverage.
Well here are the picks for Week One. Games will be from Thursday until Saturday.
Sammy 0-0
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1. Southfield vs Detroit Cass Tech at Wayne State:
The Blue Jays will be a very
good team heading into 2015 but they will have a stern test to start the season.
Detroit Cass Tech is a very good team and is in a very tough Detroit Public
School League East Division First Division with the likes of Detroit Martin
Luther King, Detroit East English Village Prep, and Detroit Denby Tech. The
Technicians have several college recruits of their own in Donovan
Peoples-Jones, Michael Onweau, Demetric Vance, Donovan Johnson, Jaylen
Kelly-Powell, among others. Southfield has a fast
defense but suffered a massive loss as Matt Falcon is likely done for the season. The key matchup will be Sam Johnson III vs Rodney Hall, both are highly
touted quarterbacks. This could be a low scoring game at Wayne State and whoever
wins this game will be in much better shape than the one who loses this game.
SAMMY PICK: SOUTHFIELD 21, DETROIT CASS TECH 14.
ANT PICK: DETROIT CASS
TECH 24, SOUTHFIELD 23.
SEAN PICK: SOUTHFIELD 22,
DETROIT CASS TECH 20.
KEITH PICK: DETROIT CASS TECH 23, SOUTHFIELD 18.
DAN PICK: DETROIT CASS TECH 27, SOUTHFIELD 21.
2. West Bloomfield at
Dearborn:
The Lakers are trying to ride
the success of last season’s 7-2 record and is expected to do so once again
this season for Coach Ronald Bellamy. West Bloomfield return five Division One
players and is the favorite to win the Red. The Lakers won 35-13 over the
Pioneers at Wayne State in 2014 but now this season’s game is back in Wayne
County but it’s in Dearborn. The defensive line minus Theo Majette and linebackers
are a huge concern for West Bloomfield. The Lakers should be fine in this game
and should have no problems but in Red it could be an issue.
SAMMY PICK: WEST BLOOMFIELD 45, DEARBORN 7.
ANT PICK: WEST BLOOMFIELD 49, DEARBORN 7.
SEAN PICK: WEST BLOOMFIELD 42, DEARBORN 14.
KEITH PICK: WEST BLOOMFIELD 42, DEARBORN 7.
DAN PICK: WEST BLOOMFIELD 28, DEARBORN 14.
Stoney Creek at 3. Adams:
The Cougars trailed 20-7 in
the second quarter and 14-0 early against the Highlanders. Stoney Creek coach
Brad Zube made several adjustments at halftime which led to Adams not scoring
the rest of the game. The Cougars would score three touchdowns and pulled off
the big upset 28-20 last season on Tienken and Sheldon Roads. It was the first loss since 1996 for
the Highlanders to lose to a Rochester school. It was the first loss to a
Rochester school for Coach Tony Patrino and it was the first win for Stoney
Creek over its rival school. This game cost Adams a trip to the playoffs last
season as they would finish 5-4. The Cougars will make the short trip down Tienken
Road and don’t think that the Highlanders would want to get payback for last
season’s debacle.
SAMMY PICK: ADAMS 35, STONEY CREEK 14.
ANT PICK: ADAMS 17, STONEY CREEK 14.
SEAN PICK: ADAMS 28, STONEY CREEK 14.
KEITH PICK: ADAMS 21, STONEY CREEK 10.
DAN PICK: ADAMS 24, STONEY CREEK 17.
East Kentwood at 4.
Harrison:
The Hawks have had a lot of off-season distractions heading into the season with the possible school closure
but this could be an opportunity to get rid of these distractions. Harrison
does have Khalid Kareem back. Kareem is expected to play both ways and make an
impact on the field. The Hawks aren’t the same team after getting screwed by
Muskegon Mona Shores in the State semifinals last season. The Falcons aren’t
the same team either, losing 15 seniors from last season’s Ottawa-Kent Red and
State semifinal team that was blown out by Clarkston. East Kentwood plays in
the same division as Rockford, Hudsonville, and Holland West Ottawa. The
Falcons are favorite to repeat as O-K Red Champions has a lot of versatility,
size, depth, and speed led by Marlon Dorsey and quarterback Evan Maday. Dorsey
is the backup quarterback will play safety this season for Coach Tony Kimbrough.
Maday had a strong sophomore season a year ago and has a great arm as the
starter. The Falcons size, versatility, and great speed has impressed legendary
coach John Herrington. East Kentwood must make the trip the long four and a
half hour drive east from Kent County to Oakland County. Harrison must find a
way at home in this tough matchup to keep that great speed and size of the
Falcons off the field if they want to win its first game of the season.
SAMMY PICK: EAST KENTWOOD 21, HARRISON 14.
ANT PICK: EAST KENTWOOD 10, HARRISON 7.
SEAN PICK: HARRISON 28, EAST KENTWOOD 21.
KEITH PICK: EAST KENTWOOD 13, HARRISON 10.
DAN PICK: EAST KENTWOOD 28, HARRISON 21.
5. Clarkston at Dakota:
The Wolves come into this
game by default with the State’s longest winning streak at 27 games but this
will be a different Clarkston team than one we have been used to seeing though
with the Wolves being two time defending Division One State Champs. The big
concern is quarterback for Coach Kurt Richardson’s team. Anthony Reiter is the
starter replacing DJ Zezula for now but Straton Harris and Jacob Wagner will
see snaps also they must replace all five starters on the offensive line, which
all of them graduated and is playing college football. To make matters worse for Clarkston is that their all state running back Nolan Eriksen is out for this game due to an ankle injury. The Cougars had a disappointing season in 2014 in which
coach Mike Giannonne wants to forget. They lost to the Wolves 24-21 in the first
game of the season on the road. It didn’t get any better for Dakota though once
they got into MAC Red play they was upset by Sterling Heights Stevenson 19-12
but did manage to beat Chippewa Valley and Utica Eisenhower in league play. The
Cougars ended up sharing the MAC Red crown but once they got to the playoffs
they lost to the Big Reds 28-27 in the district finals snapping a 16 game
winning streak to Chippewa Valley on their home field to make matters worse. Dakota
will be deep this season and will give the Wolves everything they can handle on
21 Mile Road in Macomb Township.
SAMMY PICK: DAKOTA 35, CLARKSTON 14.
ANT PICK: DAKOTA 31, CLARKSTON 14.
SEAN PICK: CLARKSTON 38, DAKOTA 35.
KEITH PICK: DAKOTA 24, CLARKSTON 7.
DAN PICK: DAKOTA 21, CLARKSTON 17.
6. Oak Park vs Zeeland
West at Grand Valley State:
The Knights must replace some
key players whom graduated last season. Oak Park has a tough game with a team
that has scored at or near 600 points in the last two seasons in the Dux. Zeeland
West won the Division Three State title in 2013. The Dux runs a Wing T offense which
will be led by three year starting quarterback Casey Brinks and fullback Darius
Perisee, who had 21 touchdowns last season. It will be a very difficult task
for the Knights and their defensive coordinator, head coach, and Athletic
Director Greg Carter to figure out how they will stop this Wing T offense.
Carter has seen Zeeland West play, he has beaten them when he coached at
Inkster 29-22 in 2009. The Wing T of the Dux is a hard offense to stop but
limiting them to 22 points was huge in 2009. I don’t think Oak Park will hold Zeeland
West to 22 points, this game will be a shootout but I think the Knights have
more athletes on the field and will score with Zeeland West in Allendale.
SAMMY PICK: OAK PARK 56, ZEELAND WEST 49.
ANT PICK: ZEELAND WEST 49, OAK PARK 42.
SEAN PICK: OAK PARK 22, ZEELAND WEST 21.
KEITH PICK: ZEELAND WEST 31, OAK PARK 23.
DAN PICK: ZEELAND WEST 42, OAK PARK 35.
7. Orion vs Chippewa
Valley at Wayne State:
The Big Reds will have a lot
of emotion on its side come this season with three tragic events the last two
seasons. The recent death of Duncan Blair will motivate Chippewa Valley in its
big game with the Dragons at Wayne State in which both teams need. Most experts will pick the Big Reds to win this game. Chippewa Valley
besides this game has to go to Macomb Dakota and Sterling Heights Stevenson but
they do host Utica Eisenhower. Orion plays Troy Athens, Oxford and the
crossover but they have trips to West Bloomfield and Clarkston. The Big Reds
returns wide receiver and defensive back Stefan Claiborne and quarterback Patrick
Briningstool. Briningstool did not play in the game last season but threw 27
touchdown passes, which is the most in Chippewa Valley football history and
also threw six touchdowns in one game (against Utica) also most in Chippewa
Valley football history. Claiborne whom is a Division One prospect caught two
touchdowns in last season’s game and went over 100 yards. He will be a huge
focus to the Dragons secondary and defense with Jaylen Wiggins likely drawing
the assignment to defend him. The Big Reds also return two key offensive
lineman as well to go along with their 40 seniors that Coach Scott Merchant has.
Orion returns some key players in the secondary in Drew Casey and Connor O’Dea,
both missed this game last season. In what is expected to be a shootout, the
game will come down to the defense as it was last season in Chippewa Valley’s
38-35 win over Orion.
SAMMY PICK: ORION 45, CHIPPEWA VALLEY 35.
ANT PICK: ORION 35, CHIPPEWA VALLEY 31.
SEAN PICK: ORION 37, CHIPPEWA VALLEY 30.
KEITH PICK: CHIPPEWA VALLEY 24, ORION 21.
DAN PICK: ORION 28, CHIPPEWA VALLEY 21.
8. Groves at Seaholm:
The Falcons have made the
playoffs three of the last four seasons and is the favorite to come out of the
Blue this season. Groves also has a running back threat in Cedric Boswell and
Ernest Allen and also a wide receiver threat as well. The quarterback is a
question heading into this rivalry game for the Falcons. The Maples return
linebacker Troy Hairston to a defense that was bad last season. Justin Newberry
is huge in this game running the football. If quarterback Lee Murray can create
balance for Coach Jim DeWald’s Seaholm team and get the Falcons to bite then
anything is possible in the Maple Forest. This rivalry game will tell whom will
come out and it will be a huge indicator game for both teams. Groves won last
season 42-19 in Beverly Hills but this rivalry has been close historically.
SAMMY PICK: GROVES 28, SEAHOLM 14.
ANT PICK: GROVES 35, SEAHOLM 14.
SEAN PICK: GROVES 35, SEAHOLM 21.
KEITH PICK: GROVES 24, SEAHOLM 14.
DAN PICK: GROVES 21, SEAHOLM 14.
9. Oxford at Romeo:
The Wildcats have made the
playoffs seven of the last 10 seasons will have its hands full with a Bulldogs
team that has also been equally as good as Oxford. Going to Dan Barnabo Field
and competing on grass will be different for the Wildcats. Romeo will be led by
senior quarterback Paul Hurley. Hurley has been huge in games against OAA
teams’ ala Oxford and Orion in 2013. Oxford will be led by quarterback Brendan
Lewis, running back Ben Nuss, fullback John Patrick and wide receivers Devon Davenport and Anson Rowley. These five would need to be big if the Wildcats
have any chance to beat the Bulldogs at Powell Middle School. Oxford won 28-20
over Romeo last season on the blue turf but this matchup like I said will be on
grass. The Wildcats defense must show up if they have any chance of winning in
Macomb County.
SAMMY PICK: OXFORD 14, ROMEO 13.
ANT PICK: OXFORD 21,
ROMEO 20.
SEAN PICK: ROMEO 21, OXFORD 14.
KEITH PICK: ROMEO 21, OXFORD 10.
DAN PICK: OXFORD 17, ROMEO 14.
New Boston Huron at 10.
Avondale:
The Yellow Jackets have
missed the playoffs the last two seasons (10-8 record) but they feel this could
be the season for Coach Steve Deutsch to return to the playoffs. The Chiefs
went to the Division Three State semifinals before losing to Orchard Lake Saint
Mary’s and finished 11-2 last season. New Boston Huron lost a lot of experience
and will be very young heading into this game. This will be a test for the
Yellow Jackets and their big offensive and defensive lines considering that his
players wanted to toughen up the schedule and routine which Deutsch did for the
players. What doesn’t help is that Avondale has a new quarterback in Tyler
Grotz and will have to be huge in his first start. It won’t be an easy matchup
to say the least but Avondale is at home.
SAMMY PICK: AVONDALE 35, NEW BOSTON HURON 21.
ANT PICK: AVONDALE 24, NEW BOSTON HURON 14.
SEAN PICK: AVONDALE 28, NEW BOSTON HURON 21.
KEITH PICK: AVONDALE 17, NEW BOSTON HURON 14.
DAN PICK: AVONDALE 21, NEW BOSTON HURON 7.
Holly at Berkley:
This will be a rematch of two
teams that went in opposite directions in 2014. The Bears made the playoffs for
the first time since 2010 when they finished 9-2. Berkley would finish 6-3 last
season while the Bronchos had their worst season since 2001 going winless (0-9)
and only scoring 86 points. Holly coach Ryan Culloy has changed its staff
around bringing in coaches in Mike Millhouse whom was the head coach, the last
time that Holly made the playoffs in 2011 and Jim Rohen whom was an assistant
for Culloy at Madison Heights Madison. The Bronchos made an even bigger move to
lure Dave Tooley away from Orion as the team’s new defensive coordinator and
brought in his brother Darrin Tooley. Berkley has a strong offensive and
defensive line led by Ian King and the combination of Ashten Wood and Nolan
Given which will give the Bronchos defense problems but they have some
questions at running back for Coach Chris Sikoria. The Bears beat Holly in
Northwest Oakland County 34-7 last season and this season the game will be at
Hurley Field, which is in Berkley. The Bronchos want some revenge after what
happened in that game last season. When looking at this game the presence of
Tooley will be huge in this game but can they solve the quarterback/wide
receiver combo and stop a very good Berkley team at Hurley Field.
SAMMY PICK: BERKLEY 10, HOLLY 7.
ANT PICK: BERKLEY 28, HOLLY 21.
SEAN PICK: BERKLEY 28, HOLLY 27.
KEITH PICK: BERKLEY 38, HOLLY 7.
DAN PICK: BERKLEY 21, HOLLY 20.
Southfield-Lathrup at Detroit University Prep at Detroit Mumford:
The Chargers took a huge step
last season, finishing 4-5 after finishing 2-16 the previous two seasons.
Lathrup lost Coach Keith Stephens whom passed away from cancer last November. Jason
Solloman takes over the reins in Lathrup Village and will debut with a very
tough matchup with the Panthers in the final season of Lathrup as a school
before they merge with Southfield. The Chargers have a lot of experience with
25 seniors back. Detroit University Prep made the playoffs at 6-3 last season
and is 22-9 since 2011. This will be a tough home game to say the least for
Lathrup to go up against a team that has been a playoff power but you can never
count out the Chargers and their big offensive line being at home.
SAMMY PICK: SOUTHFIELD LATHRUP 24, DETROIT UNIVERSITY PREP 21.
ANT PICK: DETROIT UNIVERSITY PREP 14, SOUTHFIELD LATHRUP 12.
SEAN PICK: DETROIT UNIVERSITY PREP 24, SOUTHFIELD LATHRUP 13.
KEITH PICK: SOUTHFIELD LATHRUP 10, DETROIT UNIVERSITY PREP 7.
DAN PICK: SOUTHFIELD LATHRUP 21, DETROIT UNIVERSITY PREP 14.
Ferndale at Garden City:
Eagles coach Eric Royal has
turned Ferndale around after suffering through a combined 9-18 record in three
seasons prior to Royal’s arrival. The Eagles finished 4-5 and could be a
playoff team for the first time since 2008 heading into the season. Ferndale
will be tested on the road early against Garden City whom does return some talent and
experience. The Cougars are hungry to get back to the playoffs. They are 12-15
since 2011 and haven’t made the playoffs since. Prior to that playoff run
Garden City is 21-69 from 2000-2010, which those years they didn’t make the
playoffs either. This will be a good test for Ferndale to see if they are a
playoff team or not.
SAMMY PICK: FERNDALE 28, GARDEN CITY 14.
ANT PICK: FERNDALE 21, GARDEN CITY 7.
SEAN PICK: FERNDALE 35, GARDEN CITY 14.
KEITH PICK: GARDEN CITY 27, FERNDALE 10.
DAN PICK: FERNDALE 14, GARDEN CITY 7.
Pontiac at North
Farmington:
The Phoenix have struggled
mightily with financial problems and inconsistency that has hurt the program.
Pontiac will have its third coach in three seasons with Pete Scott taking over
for John Lloyd whom passed away of a brain aneurysm in November. The Phoenix is
2-24 since Brad Zube left Pontiac for Stoney Creek in 2011. Coach Todd
Schultz’s Raiders are 7-11 in the two seasons being in the White but they have
been very successful against the Blue going 12-7 in that process. North
Farmington leads the series 2-0 with their wins a combined 66-13, which
included a 42-6 win last season for the Raiders. It will be tough for Coach
Scott’s Phoenix but they know their backs are against the wall, it’s how they
will respond to them what counts.
SAMMY PICK: NORTH FARMINGTON 20, PONTIAC 18.
ANT PICK: NORTH FARMINGTON 42, PONTIAC 14.
SEAN PICK: NORTH FARMINGTON 49, PONTIAC 6.
KEITH PICK: NORTH FARMINGTON 45, PONTIAC 6.
DAN PICK: NORTH FARMINGTON 28, PONTIAC 14.
Farmington at Royal Oak:
The Falcons were successful
last season in winning the Blue and its first division crown since 2003 while
the Ravens struggled mightily last season finishing 0-9. Royal Oak is 6-57
since 2008 and it might not get any better for them this season. Ray McMann is
in his first season in the helm but this is not a good matchup to start off
your season. Farmington better be careful not to look ahead to the White because
they have Oak Park and Southfield next. This game may be the easiest game on
its schedule in 2015.
SAMMY PICK: FARMINGTON 49, ROYAL OAK 0.
ANT PICK: FARMINGTON 35,
ROYAL OAK 3.
SEAN PICK: FARMINGTON 49, ROYAL OAK 7.
KEITH PICK: FARMINGTON 42, ROYAL OAK 0.
DAN PICK: FARMINGTON 35, ROYAL OAK 7.
Lapeer at Rochester:
The Falcons have a lot of
optimism coming into the season but the opponent is not a good one for
Rochester to open up with despite the fact that they finished 0-9 last season.
There are several reasons why Rochester fans should look away when looking at
the stats, it was just awful. The Falcons open up with the Lightning in which
they were shattered 42-0 in Lapeer County last season. Since merging Lapeer
East and Lapeer West, Lapeer is a combined 10-1 in one season while Rochester
has won 10 games in three seasons, which is alarming. Odds don’t favor the
Falcons here against a very good Lightning team despite the fact that
they have almost everyone back.
SAMMY PICK: LAPEER 56, ROCHESTER 0.
ANT PICK: LAPEER 42, ROCHESTER 0.
SEAN PICK: LAPEER 49, ROCHESTER 0.
KEITH PICK: LAPEER 42, ROCHESTER 14.
DAN PICK: LAPEER 14, ROCHESTER 10.
Troy Athens at Macomb
L’Anse Creuse North:
The Red Hawks hope the
changes they made will help the team in 2015, especially on defense and hopes to get
back to the playoffs for the first time since 2011. Troy Athens is 6-21 since
their playoff loss to Romeo in the 2011 playoffs and haven’t been back since. The
Red Hawks beat Macomb L’Anse Creuse North 34-31 last season in Troy. The
Crusaders defense was terrible a season ago as they allowed 195 points, and
only scored 74 points. Macomb L’Anse Creuse North plays in the MAC Red and see
teams like Chippewa Valley, Macomb Dakota, Sterling Heights Stevenson, and
Utica Eisenhower. The Crusaders had to forfeit four games due to an ineligible
player last season. Expect the Red Hawks to score points in this game led by
its quarterback Joey Stark and its big offensive line. The question will be is
can they stop someone???
SAMMY PICK: TROY ATHENS 45, MACOMB L’ANSE CREUSE NORTH 42.
ANT PICK: MACOMB L’ANSE CREUSE NORTH 21, TROY ATHENS 20.
SEAN PICK: MACOMB L’ANSE CREUSE NORTH 42, TROY ATHENS 28.
KEITH PICK: MACOMB L’ANSE CREUSE NORTH 24, TROY ATHENS 21.
DAN PICK: TROY ATHENS 21, MACOMB L’ANSE CREUSE NORTH 7.
Sterling Heights Stevenson
at Troy:
The Colts were not an
offensive juggernaut in 2014 as they struggled offensively last season, only
scoring 104 points. Troy will face a Sterling Heights Stevenson team that had a
lot of success, finishing 7-3 in Kevin Fredrick’s first season in
Sterling Heights coming over from Whitmore Prescott (Bay County.) The Titans best win was over Macomb Dakota
19-12 but they did beat Troy 7-3 at Runkel Field. The Colts are a very young
and inexperienced team in 2015 for Coach Gary Griffith. Sterling Heights
Stevenson returns some talent led by quarterback Frankie D’Ascenzo and safety
Jared Cutlip. This looks like a mismatch on paper favoring the Titans.
SAMMY PICK: STERLING HEIGHTS STEVENSON 21, TROY 6.
ANT PICK: TROY 14,
STERLING HEIGHTS STEVENSON 10.
SEAN PICK: STERLING HEIGHTS STEVENSON 28, TROY 13.
KEITH PICK: STERLING HEIGHTS STEVENSON 21, TROY 7.
DAN PICK: STERLING HEIGHTS STEVENSON 14, TROY 7.
Bloomfield Hills at Walled
Lake Northern:
This game will be a huge test
for the Blackhawks defense that has been shattered since merging Lahser and
Andover. Bloomfield Hills has allowed 623 points in the last two seasons which
is not good. They will be tested by a Knights team looking to get back into the
playoffs and an offense that has been very good in the past. Walled Lake
Northern beat Bloomfield Hills 34-12 last season. This looks to be a close game
but got to give the advantage to the Knights being at home and the fact they
can score in bunches.
SAMMY PICK: WALLED LAKE NORTHERN 41, BLOOMFIELD HILLS 14.
ANT PICK: WALLED LAKE NORTHERN 28, BLOOMFIELD HILLS 14.
SEAN PICK: WALLED LAKE NORTHERN 42, BLOOMFIELD HILLS 21.
KEITH PICK: WALLED LAKE NORTHERN 35, BLOOMFIELD HILLS 13.
DAN PICK: WALLED LAKE NORTHERN 17, BLOOMFIELD HILLS 14.
Hazel Park at Warren
Fitzgerald:
The Vikings and Spartans are
no strangers to each other. Warren Fitzgerald beat Hazel Park 44-0 on the
Vikings new football field and Coach Kyle Rowley’s debut. The Spartans finished 6-4
and 3-2 in the MAC silver, they would made the playoffs. Warren Fitzgerald has a lot
experience coming back and could make another playoff appearance this season. This will be a tough matchup for Rowley's Vikings. The key
for Hazel Park is they need Jarred Schultz and Jaylen Adams to play well if the
Vikings have any sort of chance of pulling off the upset in Macomb County.
SAMMY PICK: WARREN FITZGERALD 49, HAZEL PARK 7.
ANT PICK: WARREN FITZGERALD 42, HAZEL PARK 7.
SEAN PICK: WARREN FITZGERALD 49, HAZEL PARK 0.
KEITH PICK: WARREN FITZGERALD 48, HAZEL PARK 3.
DAN PICK: WARREN FITZGERALD 21, HAZEL PARK 14.
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