Football Thoughts After Week Five.

Written Sunday September 29th at 12:40 AM

The OAA Football Season is well underway and in full swing. Here are my thoughts before heading to the Podcast room on Monday to analyze what has happened around the league.

Adams: The Highlanders struggled against Seaholm despite winning 20-7 on Friday night putting themselves at 4-1 on the season. Adams needed a stingy defense to shut the Maples offense down on their home field. The Highlanders will be tested next week when they head to the Swamp to take on West Bloomfield.

Lake Orion: The Dragons are coming off a tough 59-52 loss in four overtimes to West Bloomfield on Saturday night putting their record at 4-1 on the season. Lake Orion’s schedule really lightens up with Bloomfield Hills, Rochester, and Monroe even though Clarkston looks tricky. The Dragons should be fine going forward and with the schedule ahead they could create some more depth going forward.

West Bloomfield: The Lakers are coming off a huge 59-52 four overtime victory at Lake Orion on Saturday night keeping their record at 4-1 on the season. West Bloomfield still has a tough schedule as they see Adams this week and a trip to likely Warren De LaSalle in a few weeks. The Lakers should be in a good spot moving forward.

Clarkston: The Wolves are coming off a huge win by knocking off Oxford 33-28 last week putting their record at 2-3. Clarkston had a freshman running back in Ethan Clark going off in his first varsity game for 102 yards and a touchdown against the Wildcats. Clark and Clarkston will have a tough task looming with Southfield Arts and Tech in a rematch this week. The Wolves also have to see Adams and Lake Orion as well in that stretch.

Oxford: The Wildcats playoff hopes took a hit after losing 33-28 to Clarkston on Friday night sending their record to 1-4. Oxford still has to play West Bloomfield, Southfield Arts and Tech, and Oak Park to conclude the season. They have Stoney Creek this week. It has been rough but things will get better soon for the Wildcats.

Southfield Arts and Tech: The Warriors have been on fire lately outscoring their two opponents 122-32 in two straight weeks. Southfield Arts and Tech sits at 3-2 and will go to Clarkston to take on a Wolves team that is also desperate not to mention having games against Adams, Oxford, and River Rouge looming as well. Should be a team to keep an eye on for sure.

Bloomfield Hills: The Blackhawks are struggling sitting at 0-5 after losing 60-12 to Southfield Arts and Tech on Saturday morning. Bloomfield Hills has Lake Orion next week at home and still have to play West Bloomfield in the process. It has been a long year for the Blackhawks but on the bright side, homecoming is this week.

Groves: The Falcons bounced back by beating Troy Athens 43-10 last week putting themselves at 4-1 on the season. Groves looks to be back to normal after losing 26-14 to Oak Park two weeks ago. They will host Troy this week.

Oak Park: The Knights had some trouble on Friday night with Stoney Creek trailing 7-6 at one point but they managed to win 20-7 over the Cougars on Friday night. Oak Park will have some laps on the season which has proven true since their win over Groves two weeks ago. The Knights need to find a way to keep themselves even keel going forward.

Seaholm: The Maples suffered a tough loss to Adams on Friday night 17-6 that puts them at 4-1 on the season. Seaholm still has to play Oak Park, Avondale, and Groves. The Maples will need to bounce back and beat one of these three teams if they want to get to the playoffs.

Stoney Creek: The Cougars are in an interesting spot sitting at 3-2. Stoney Creek lost 20-7 to Oak Park and still have to play Oxford this week along with Groves, Rochester, and Adams. The Cougars will need to win two of the three just to have a shot at the playoffs. Stoney Creek right now is better but there is always room for improvement.

Troy Athens: The Red Hawks have really struggled since their 2-0 start and they lost 43-10 to Groves on Friday night sitting at 2-3 on the season. Troy Athens has a chance to turn things around as they have Rochester on the road this week however the road is tough as they have Oak Park, Seaholm, and Pontiac Notre Dame Prep to close the season.

Rochester: The Falcons picked up their first victory of the season by beating Troy 37-0 on Friday night putting themselves at 1-4. Rochester needs to use this win as a stepping stone to get ready for Troy Athens. They have Lake Orion and Stoney Creek looming so Friday’s win was huge for the Falcons.

Troy: The Colts still have not scored a point at all this season after a 37-0 loss to Rochester on Friday night putting them at 0-5. Troy has a brutal schedule in the next two weeks with Oak Park and Groves. Points could be hard to come by in the next few weeks for the Colts.

North Farmington: The Raiders sit at 5-0 for the first time since 1988 after beating Avondale 56-20 in Auburn Hills on Saturday morning. North Farmington has a ton of experience along with solid coaching for first year coach Jon Herstein. The Raiders will head to Royal Oak next week.

Farmington: The Falcons had a 1-0 forfeit win over Pontiac to go to 5-0 on the season with playoffs likely a lock. Farmington will be tested at Avondale next week. The Falcons beat the Yellow Jackets twice last season so this sets up to be very interesting. Farmington right now is in a good spot.

Avondale: I was shocked how the Yellow Jackets lost 56-20 to North Farmington on Saturday morning. Avondale who sits at 3-2 on the season will be tested again though with Farmington this week. They still have to play Seaholm and Ferndale but they are in must win mode right now.

Ferndale: The Eagles picked up a huge win to put themselves at 2-3 on the season after beating Berkley 22-0 last week. Ferndale has a big one this week at Allen Park. If the Eagles can get that one and head to 500 it will be a huge confidence booster. They still have Avondale and Birmingham Detroit Country Day on the schedule. It will be interesting to see where coach Eric Royal’s team is at.

Berkley: It has been a long season for the Bears after losing 22-0 to Ferndale on Friday night. Berkley will have a ton of questions this offseason to answer. The Bears sit at 0-5 on the season and will head to Wisner Stadium this week to take on a well-rested Pontiac team.

Royal Oak: The Ravens did not look good for three quarters on Friday night against Southgate Anderson but they did score 14 points however it was not enough as they fell 19-14 to the Titans. Royal Oak’s playoff hopes has likely been dashed at 1-4. They will host North Farmington on their homecoming this week.

Pontiac: It was a tough situation for the Phoenix with the recent events that caused the team to forfeit their game with Farmington last week falling to 0-5 on the season. Pontiac will move onto play Berkley next week.

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