Red Hawks Going to the State Finals.

Written Thursday November 3rd at 12:00 AM

The Troy Athens Red Hawks is heading to the State Finals for Boys Soccer.

Troy Athens had to overcome another set of penalty kicks except this was a different opponent in the Rochester Falcons at Troy on Wednesday night.

Fresh off winning a re-do penalty kick regional final against Macomb Dakota at home, the Red Hawks defeated the Falcons 2-1 in penalties sending them to a matchup with East Kentwood at Grand Rapids Comstock Park at 3 PM on Saturday.

Troy Athens trailed 1-0 until the 30 minute mark in the second half. The Red Hawks got a huge goal sending the game into overtime. The Red Hawks dominated the second half but the Falcons dominated the overtime periods.

Troy Athens defeated Rochester in penalty kicks 5-3.

If the Red Hawks can defeat the East Kentwood Falcons then it would be their first State title since 1997.

The Falcons finished the year at 15-4-5 while the Red Hawks right now sit at 19-4-2.

Shootout to be re-played on Tuesday.

Written Sunday October 30th at 6:00 PM

The MHSAA made a decision that could have a big impact if we have an all Red semifinal or not.

The league said that the Troy Athens/Macomb Dakota regional final shootout will be replayed after Macomb Dakota appealed and won its case so it means that both teams will have to go back to Troy Athens to have their shootout on Tuesday at 4 PM with the winner going to Troy High School to go up against Rochester on that same night in the MHSAA State Semifinals.

Troy Athens, which won 3-2 and 4-3 on penalties celebrated their first regional title in two decades on Friday night but it looks like the Red Hawks will have to try to win it again on Tuesday.

There was a ruling on Saturday night that in their findings league officials said that it’s procedure was incorrectly applied when during the shootout, it was determined that the onsite officials in the game voided a Macomb Dakota soccer player’s goal that was eligible for shooting out of order.

MHSAA Soccer tournament policies doesn’t require that the players shoot in any particular order.

This was an MHSAA tournament policy that was misapplied not a National Federation of State High Associations rule that was violated. If it was a NFSHA rule, then it cannot be changed.

The shootout score will be 3-3 and both teams will have their fourth shooter kicking and the score will be 2-2.

Thoughts:

This is an interesting decision that the MHSAA made but it was the right decision but there will be feelings hurt on both sides especially for the Red Hawks. If Troy Athens loses this shootout, then they would feel they had got robbed by the MHSAA. If the Red Hawks win this shootout, then it would feel like they had won it fairly and move onto playing Rochester at Troy that same night.

We’ll see what happens.

Quarterback Controversy at Southfield Arts and Tech???

Written Saturday October 29th at 10:15 AM

The Warriors could be in the midst of a quarterback controversy???

In their game on Friday night against Warren Mott at Sterling Heights, Southfield Arts and Tech coach Tim Conley made the decision to bench Sam Johnson III and go with John Darby for the rest of the game.

Johnson was ineffective most of the night against a good Warren Mott defense. There were times in the game that the Warriors trailed by 14 on two different occasions.

When Darby played quarterback Southfield Arts and Tech battled back.

Darby led the Warriors to two touchdowns and the drive to set up their game winning field goal sending Southfield Arts and Tech to their first playoff victory 24-23 over the Marauders.

The Warriors will host West Bloomfield next weekend for a district title in a rematch that was won by Southfield Arts and Tech 33-14 in Week Six.

Darby whom is a junior has spent time at wide receiver before switching to quarterback had led Southfield Arts and Tech in the past two weeks with wins over Oxford and Stoney Creek while Johnson has been injured nursing injuries. 

Johnson only a sophomore has gotten a ton of attention since coming to Southfield from Detroit with his YouTube hype and play-making skills. He led Southfield High to the playoffs last season losing to Berkley in the district finals.

The Warriors have a question now heading into next week’s game with West Bloomfield, who will be their starting quarterback, Johnson or Darby. Johnson has been the starter all season until he got hurt then Darby took over and got them into the playoffs.

That decision will be up to Conley and his staff to figure out.

We shall see what happens.

Week Ten Recap.

Written Saturday October 29th at 12:15 AM


Scores:

Romeo 14, ORION 3.

WEST BLOOMFIELD 31, BLOOMFIELD HILLS 14.

CLARKSTON 45, Lapeer 21.

Detroit Martin Luther King 38, FERNDALE 14.

GROVES 56, BERKLEY 15.

SOUTHFIELD ARTS AND TECH 24, Warren Mott 23.

Waterford Mott 28, ADAMS 21.

OAK PARK 26, Detroit University-Detroit Jesuit 17.

Standings:

Red:

Clarkston 5-1, 8-2

Southfield Arts and Tech: 5-1, 7-3

Orion:  4-2, 5-5

West Bloomfield: 4-2, 6-4

Oxford 2-4, 4-5

Stoney Creek 1-5, 2-7

Troy Athens 0-6, 2-7

White:

Groves 6-0, 9-1

Oak Park 5-1, 7-3

Adams 4-2, 6-4

Harrison 3-3, 5-4

Seaholm 2-4, 3-6

Farmington 1-5, 1-8

North Farmington 0-6, 0-9

Blue:

Bloomfield Hills 6-0, 9-1

Ferndale 4-2, 7-3

Rochester 4-2, 5-4

Berkley 4-2, 6-4

Troy 3-3, 3-6

Avondale 2-4, 3-6

Hazel Park 2-4, 2-7

Royal Oak 2-4, 2-7

Pontiac 0-6, 0-9

BIG WIN: Southfield Arts and Tech. The Warriors benched their quarterback Sam Johnson III in favor of John Darby. Darby was huge in throwing two touchdowns and Southfield Arts and Tech needed a field goal to beat Warren Mott 24-23 at Sterling Heights. The Warriors will now get a playoff game at home against West Bloomfield.

TOUGH LOSS: Orion. If you watched the Orion/Chippewa Valley football game, then you might have missed a rerun of that game at Romeo on Friday night. The Bulldogs used the same exact game plan from that week one game at Wayne State on route to a 14-3 win over the Dragons. Orion made the playoffs for the first time after a two-year absence but the offense had three opportunities to score but could not do it. Romeo moves onto meet Waterford Mott while the Dragons have to get ready for next season.

TEAM THAT NEEDS A HUG: Adams. The Highlanders let Keith Fields run wild on them in Rochester on Friday night. Adams though tried to comeback from 28-0 down but they ran out of time in a 28-21 win for Waterford Mott on Friday night. It was the first ever playoff victory for the Corsairs in their school history. The Highlanders lose a ton of experience and will be young next season.

WHAT HAPPENED: Ferndale. Well you might as well want to give the Eagles a pass after they were placed in a tough matchup with Detroit Martin Luther King in the first round of the playoffs 38-14. Ferndale had a successful season and made the playoffs for the first time since 2008. The Eagles hope to continue the stretch heading into next season.

ARE YOU KIDDING ME: Bloomfield Hills. The Blackhawks lost their starting quarterback John Paddock with a concussion and their undefeated record along with it with a 31-14 loss to 5-4 West Bloomfield. The Lakers will move onto to play Southfield Arts and Tech. Bloomfield Hills had it’s best season ever this year and will look to make strides into next season to set their foundation.

Volleyball District Preview.

Written Wednesday October 24th at 12:30 AM

Here are the District Volleyball playoff previews for the State Tournament. District 21, 23, 24, 25, 30, 31 are Class A while District 43 is Class B. The pre-district is at 5:30 and 7 PM on Monday October 31st which is Halloween, the district semifinal at 5:30 PM and 7 PM on Wednesday November 2nd and the Final will take place on Friday November 6th at 7 PM or at a predetermined time, anyway here are the districts.


District 21 @ Farmington:

NORTH FARMINGTON vs WEST BLOOMFIELD

NORTH FARMINGTON/WEST BLOOMFIELD winner vs Farmington Hills Mercy

FARMINGTON vs HARRISON

District Final: Friday 6 PM 

Winner will move onto Region Five at Howell.

Thoughts: When I look at this district, there are some teams that could make a serious challenge to Farmington Hills Mercy, whom lost the Catholic League crown to Ann Arbor Gabriel Richard in four games. The Marlins are the defending district champion. Harrison might have the best shot to make a challenge to Farmington Hills Mercy in this district. The Hawks got a nice draw to the final and won the Farmington Public Schools City championship last week. North Farmington is the wildcard in this matchup as they do own a win over Harrison.

PROJECTION: It will be a Farmington Hills Mercy/Harrison final and if that’s the case give me Loretta Vogel’s team over coach Michael Love’s team. I just don’t see the Hawks whom are led by Stefanie Jankiewicz and Marlins transfer Jenna Khoury not matching up well with her former team. PICK: Farmington Hills Mercy.

District 23 @ Warren Cousino:

TROY ATHENS vs Warren Mott

Sterling Heights vs Warren Cousino

TROY ATHENS/Warren Mott winner vs ROYAL OAK

Sterling Heights/Warren Cousino winner vs Warren Regina

District Final: Friday 6 PM

Winner will move onto Region Six at Troy.

Thoughts: This district is not the greatest when it comes to teams in here. Troy Athens won the White this season and the Red Hawks would like to have a repeat performance of what happened last season when they won the district. Warren Cousino looks to be the next best team here in this district and have been rolling as of late and is the host team. I don’t think anyone besides possibly Warren Mott spoiling things but either way prepare for a rematch of last year’s final at Royal Oak.

PROJECTION: It will be a Troy Athens/Warren Cousino district final from last year. The Patriots will have home court advantage but at the end of the day it will be the same result as last year though. PICK: Troy Athens.

District 24 @ Detroit Renaissance

BERKLEY vs SOUTHFIELD ARTS AND TECH

BERKLEY/SOUTHFIELD ARTS AND TECH winner vs OAK PARK

Warren Fitzgerald vs Detroit Renaissance

District Final: Friday 7 PM

Winner will move onto Region Four at Garden City.

Thoughts: This district draw couldn’t be any more perfect for Berkley. The Bears will have to deal with Southfield Arts and Tech and get Oak Park while the two other top teams have to go up against each other with Warren Fitzgerald taking on the host Detroit Renaissance. The Spartans come from Class B to Class A for this district. If Berkley sees the home team then they could be in for some trouble but don’t count Warren Fitzgerald out.

PROJECTION: I said Warren Fitzgerald would win this district if you see my projections in June but you also got two solid teams in this district in Detroit Renaissance and Berkley as well. I’ve been doing some thinking and looking at the Bears, they have a ton of experience when looking at this team. I believe this will be the Berkley's year to win the district. PICK: Berkley.

District 25 @ Birmingham Marian

TROY vs AVONDALE

SEAHOLM vs GROVES

TROY/AVONDALE winner vs Birmingham Marian

SEAHOLM/GROVES winner vs BLOOMFIELD HILLS

District Final: Friday 7 PM

Winner will move onto Region Six at Troy.

Thoughts: This has the makings of a great semifinal and final showdown on the small gym over on Lahser Road. I can’t wait to see the Seaholm/Bloomfield Hills rematch pending if Seaholm can get past arch rival Groves in the pre-district in which they very well should do. The Maples shocked the Blackhawks on the road in three games the last time they met. The winner will go on to likely play against Birmingham Marian. Both teams have had success against the Mustangs in tournaments this season. This will be interesting on the small court of Birmingham Marian.

PROJECTIONS: I said earlier that this would be Birmingham Marian’s year and it very well could be but I’ve been impressed with both Seaholm and Bloomfield Hills. The Maples have been improving after league play while the Blackhawks have been an honorable mention in the State all season long. Bloomfield Hills can match the Mustangs very well and could very beat them again on small court of Birmingham Marian. We shall see, could it be a repeat??? PICK: Bloomfield Hills.

District 30 @ Stoney Creek

Utica vs ROCHESTER

Utica/ROCHESTER winner vs Utica Eisenhower

STONEY CREEK vs ADAMS

District Final: Friday 6 PM

Winner will move onto Region Seven at New Baltimore Anchor Bay.

Thoughts: Utica Eisenhower and Stoney Creek are on a collision course to the district final. Adams is a dark horse candidate here with the experience they have back. I don’t think the Highlanders match up well with Stoney Creek in their district semifinal matchup. Rochester could surprise some folks as they won the Blue this season and have had a history rising up to the challenge against teams in the upper division. Utica has had an up and down season but can be dangerous and have nothing to lose. The winner of the Falcons/Chieftains game will have to deal with the State ranked Eagles. Utica Eisenhower won the Macomb Area Conference Red crown this season. This will be an interesting district but the top two the Eagles and Cougars are destined to meet each other in the district final.

PROJECTION: Everyone the rematch has to happen between the Cougars and Eagles. So, go get your popcorn ready and enjoy the rematch. The final was at Utica Eisenhower last year but Stoney Creek though is a different team and has a new coach in Ross Talbott will change things around this time compared to last season. This time around I see the Cougars being the team that wins their first ever district crown. PICK: Stoney Creek.

District 31 @ Orion

Waterford Kettering vs PONTIAC

Waterford Mott vs OXFORD

Waterford Mott/OXFORD winner vs CLARKSTON

Waterford Kettering/PONTIAC winner vs ORION

District Final: Friday 7 PM

Winner will move onto Region Seven at New Baltimore Anchor Bay.

Thoughts: This one is interesting especially for Clarkston. The Wolves lost to Orion in five games at home in the regular season costing them the Red. Clarkston could get another shot at the Dragons in the district final pending if the Wolves can get past Oxford in the district semifinal. The Wildcats have given both the Dragons and Clarkston problems and could very well do so again. Either way it will be someone in Blue and Yellow that will play the Green and White.

PROJECTION: If an Orion/Clarkston rematch in the district final can’t get you any excited then I don’t know what will. It also won’t surprise me if Oxford upsets Clarkston, I think it will be Orion and Clarkston in the district finals and it will go five games. PICK: Orion.

District 43 @ Detroit Mumford

FERNDALE vs Detroit Mumford

Ferndale University vs Detroit University Prep

FERNDALE/Detroit Mumford winner vs Detroit Henry Ford Creative of Academic Studies

Ferndale University/Detroit University Prep winner vs HAZEL PARK

District Final: Friday 6 PM

Winner will move onto Region Thirteen at Livonia Clarenceville.

Thoughts: The Eagles have improved considerably this season while Hazel Park has improved as well. The Vikings got a great draw while Ferndale has to play Detroit Mumford first. This isn’t a good district on paper but we could all be in for a surprise.

PROJECTION: I think this will be an all OAA Final and coach Rachel Burnham will have herself another district crown. PICK: Ferndale.

OAA Picks Week Ten.

Written Wednesday October 26th at 12:00 AM

SAMMY 88-44

ANT 94-38

KEITH 96-36

SEAN 95-37

DAN 91-41

BURNEY 97-35

Division Two:

Region Four, District One.

Berkley at Groves:

This will be an interesting battle between the Bears and the Falcons. Groves is 8-5-1 all-time against Berkley. These two teams played in the Blue until this season in which the Bears stayed in the Blue and the Falcons moved up to the White and won the division. Berkley had to survive Royal Oak by scoring a touchdown with four seconds left in a 21-14 victory to send the Bears to the playoffs. We don’t know the sickie of Groves after they were blown out 38-3 by Saline last week. I think the Falcons will get their sickie back and take Berkley out of the playoffs.

SAMMY PICK: GROVES 28, BERKLEY 17.

ANT PICK: GROVES 42, BERKLEY 10.

KEITH PICK: GROVES 35, BERKLEY 0.

DAN PICK: GROVES 21, BERKLEY 14.

SEAN PICK: GROVES 42, BERKLEY 14.

BURNEY PICK: GROVES 31, BERKLEY 18.

Region Three, District Two.

Ferndale at Detroit Martin Luther King:

Ferndale is in the playoffs for the first time since 2008 but because of playoff points they were moved up from Division Three to Division Two. This is going to be a very dangerous matchup for the Eagles as they will travel to Detroit to take on the Crusaders of Detroit Martin Luther King in a 5 PM game. Ferndale will compete in this game like they have against some of the bigger schools in the Blue that they have went up against but this is no ordinary opponent as they will have to deal with Amory Thomas, whom is being recruited by top Division One schools. The Crusaders have played one OAA opponent and that was Southfield Arts and Tech at Wayne State where they crushed the Warriors 39-0 in week one. I don’t see the Eagles moving on after this point against the defending Division Two State Champs.

SAMMY PICK: DETROIT MARTIN LUTHER KING 42, FERNDALE 7.

ANT PICK: DETROIT MARTIN LUTHER KING 42, FERNDALE 7.

KEITH PICK: DETROIT MARTIN LUTHER KING 35, FERNDALE 7.

DAN PICK: DETROIT MARTIN LUTHER KING 35, FERNDALE 14.

SEAN PICK: DETROIT MARTIN LUTHER KING 49, FERNDALE 0.

BURNEY PICK: DETROIT MARTIN LUTHER KING 30, FERNDALE 20.

Oak Park vs. Detroit University-Detroit Jesuit at Hazel Park:

These two neighborhood rivals are separated by seven miles with one public school in Oakland County in Oak Park while the other is a Catholic School in Wayne County in Detroit-University of Detroit Jesuit. The Cubs have won six games while playing an eight-game schedule in the always difficult Catholic League. Detroit-University of Detroit Jesuit will have an all state punt returner in Scotty Nelson and Elijah Collins. The Knights have also won six games while playing a nine-game schedule. Oak Park has a very talented team that can do some damage led by two solid lineman. The key in this game is Dwan Mathis. If Mathis can play well then, the Knights will move on.

SAMMY PICK: OAK PARK 21, DETROIT U-D JESUIT 17.

ANT PICK: OAK PARK 21, DETROIT U-D JESUIT 14.

KEITH PICK: DETROIT U-D JESUIT 28, OAK PARK 21.

DAN PICK: OAK PARK 35, DETROIT U-D JESUIT 27.

SEAN PICK: DETROIT U-D JESUIT 35, OAK PARK 21.

BURNEY PICK: OAK PARK 26, DETROIT U-D JESUIT 23.

Division One:

Region Four, District Two.

West Bloomfield at Bloomfield Hills:

The Lakers last season was the top ranked team in the playoffs and now this season they were the last team to make the playoffs in Division One. The Blackhawks were 1-8 last season but the transfer of John Paddock and a move down to the Blue has the Bloomfield Hills community believing at 9-0. This will be an interesting matchup for the Blackhawks as they will take on a team that has more playoff experience than they do. This will be a tough matchup for Bloomfield Hills despite the fact that they are at home and have a top seed.

SAMMY PICK: WEST BLOOMFIELD 28, BLOOMFIELD HILLS 14.

ANT PICK: WEST BLOOMFIELD 35, BLOOMFIELD HILLS 7.

KEITH PICK: WEST BLOOMFIELD 24, BLOOMFIELD HILLS 20.

DAN PICK: BLOOMFIELD HILLS 28, WEST BLOOMFIELD 27.

SEAN PICK: WEST BLOOMFIELD 28, BLOOMFIELD HILLS 14.

BURNEY PICK: BLOOMFIELD HILLS 28, WEST BLOOMFIELD 27.

Southfield Arts and Tech vs. Warren Mott at Sterling Heights:

The Warriors come into their road trip to Sterling Heights winners of their last two games. To make things more impressive is that coach Tim Conley's team has done this with a backup quarterback in John Darby however they are expected to have Sam Johnson III back against Mike Pond and the Warren Mott Marauders. Warren Mott was outscored 69-14 by Utica Eisenhower and Romeo until they blew out Grosse Pointe South 40-14. Southfield Arts and Tech is a different team, they are a dangerous team despite having to play on grass expect them to adjust. This will be a good game between these two teams that could surprise some folks in Division One.

SAMMY PICK: SOUTHFIELD ARTS AND TECH 28, WARREN MOTT 21.

ANT PICK: SOUTHFIELD ARTS AND TECH 22, WARREN MOTT 14.

KEITH PICK: WARREN MOTT 21, SOUTHFIELD ARTS AND TECH 17.

DAN PICK: SOUTHFIELD ARTS AND TECH 24, WARREN MOTT 21.

SEAN PICK: SOUTHFIELD ARTS AND TECH 21, WARREN MOTT 14.

BURNEY PICK: SOUTHFIELD ARTS AND TECH 33, WARREN MOTT 22.

Region Two, District One.

Lapeer at Clarkston:

The Lightning have made the playoffs each time since they merged Lapeer East and Lapeer West. Lapeer has lost four overall games in its history but two of them were to Clarkston. The Wolves have been the kryptonite of the Lightning, including a 28-7 win in week one in Ann Arbor. Clarkston has had a strong season once again but you never know with Lapeer. The key for the Lightning to pull off an upset is they need to make adjustments on how to play the Wolves and if they don’t then it will be three losses to Clarkston.

SAMMY PICK: CLARKSTON 28, LAPEER 14.

ANT PICK: CLARKSTON 35, LAPEER 14.

KEITH PICK: CLARKSTON 27, LAPEER 20.

DAN PICK: CLARKSTON 28, LAPEER 21.

SEAN PICK: CLARKSTON 35, LAPEER 14.

BURNEY PICK: CLARKSTON 29, LAPEER 21.

Region Two, District Two.

Waterford Mott at Adams:

The Corsairs had to overcome a 3-4 start to win their final two games to make the playoffs. Waterford Mott is very talented led by David McMullan, Keith Fields, and Daylen Baldwin. The Corsairs put up 63 points on Howell last week in a 63-35 win but they will not have the services of their head coach Chris Fahr. Fahr is suspended for this game due to the illegal gatherings he had with his team this summer by the MHSAA. The Corsairs will go into Rochester to take on another set of Highlanders. Adams will have Kyle Wood and Vincent Gray and the veer offense to go along with those two top players. The Highlanders lost 31-14 to Clarkston last week. We don’t know the mental mindset of coach Tony Patrino’s team. This will be a good matchup between two different style type of teams.

SAMMY PICK: ADAMS 42, WATERFORD MOTT 21.

ANT PICK: ADAMS 28, WATERFORD MOTT 14.

KEITH PICK: ADAMS 28, WATERFORD MOTT 25.

DAN PICK: ADAMS 24, WATERFORD MOTT 21.

SEAN PICK: ADAMS 42, WATERFORD MOTT 14.

BURNEY PICK: ADAMS 34, WATERFORD MOTT 23.

Orion at Romeo:

The Dragons come into the playoffs for the first time since 2013 losers of two straight games, getting outscored 66-16 in the process. Orion will play the defending Division One State Champs in Romeo but the Bulldogs are a different team than the team that won it last season. The Bulldogs have two big wins over Chippewa Valley and Warren Mott while the Dragons big win was at Southfield Arts and Tech. This is a rematch of the 2013 pre-district where Orion lost 24-21 to Romeo at home but the Dragons have won the last two games at Dan Barnabo Field in 2005 and 2007. This one should be a good one with both teams miring the same image of each other.

SAMMY PICK: ORION 13, ROMEO 10.

ANT PICK: ORION 14, ROMEO 12.

KEITH PICK: ROMEO 21, ORION 10.

DAN PICK: ROMEO 20, ORION 14.

SEAN PICK: ROMEO 28, ORION 7.

BURNEY PICK: ROMEO 24, ORION 17.

If you want to see this week's OAA Now Podcast here is the link to watch.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RGNyQjbrlJM