Football Picks Week Three.

Written Tuesday September 29th at 4:00 PM

Here are the games and records set for week three.

SANDY DUNES: 17-5

LOCKE: 7-15

DUNLAP: 15-7

BURNEY: 18-4

STICK: 16-6

COTTER: 18-4

Farmington at 1. Stoney Creek: The Cougars have been a machine, scoring 79 points in two games. Stoney Creek has two impressive blowout road wins over Seaholm 37-13 and North Farmington 42-14. Cam Buford has been a huge factor scoring nine touchdowns in the last two weeks whether it is from the ground, catching the football, or throwing the football. The Falcons have really struggled in the last two weeks. Farmington has allowed 83 points including last week’s 41-2 blowout loss to Seaholm prior to losing 42-31 to Groves. This could get ugly at Stoney Creek this week and the Cougars are having their “Commitment for a Cause” game in which they will be honoring the Yellow Ribbon Fund by wearing dark blue uniforms with the American flag shoulder yokes.

SANDY DUNES PICK: STONEY CREEK 49, FARMINGTON 0.

LOCKE PICK: STONEY CREEK over FARMINGTON.

DUNLAP PICK: STONEY CREEK 35, FARMINGTON 7.

BURNEY PICK: STONEY CREEK 33, FARMINGTON 23.

STICK PICK: STONEY CREEK 35, FARMINGTON 14.

COTTER PICK: STONEY CREEK 49, FARMINGTON 0.

 

2. West Bloomfield at 3. Clarkston: This has developed into a rivalry which included a Division One State Final in 2017. Both teams are 2-0 coming into this game but they have had very interesting paths. The running back battle is very interesting between Donovan Edwards and Dillion Tatum against Ethan Clark not to mention the quarterback battle between Alex Short and Mike DePillo. The line matchup is very intriguing as well between the combinations of Rocco Splinder, Garrett Dellinger, Owen Foster, Cole Dellinger, and Ben Hass up against Amir Herring, Jordan Hoskins, Jaden Green, and Caidon Haliburton. The coaching matchup is also very interesting between Ron Bellamy and Kurt Richardson. West Bloomfield won 24-0 over Clarkston in the Swamp last season. I can’t trust Alex Boan and Nick Stallworth in this matchup especially going up against Maxwell Hariston and Travis Reece on the other side. I think the Lakers are going to overcome their demons and beat the Wolves for the second straight season.

SANDY DUNES PICK: WEST BLOOMFIELD 24, CLARKSTON 21.

LOCKE PICK: WEST BLOOMFIELD over CLARKSTON.

DUNLAP PICK: CLARKSTON 24, WEST BLOOMFIELD 21.

BURNEY PICK: WEST BLOOMFIELD 23, CLARKSTON 22.

STICK PICK: CLARKSTON 24, WEST BLOOMFIELD 21.

COTTER PICK: WEST BLOOMFIELD 17, CLARKSTON 14.

 

4. Lake Orion at Southfield Arts and Tech: There are some interesting storylines coming into this game. The Warriors have really improved despite having to play Clarkston (24-17) and West Bloomfield (17-15) which resulted in very tough losses by a combined nine points. Southfield Arts and Tech has relied on their proven experience players Robert Army, Jeff Bowens, RaeQuan Lee, and newcomer in quarterback Isiah Marshall. The Warriors will see a Dragons team that really doesn’t have a true star player and played their first game last week. Lake Orion won 38-6 over Oak Park at Dragon Stadium in which there was some good, bad, and ugly. The coordinator matchup is going to be very interesting between Southfield Arts and Tech offensive coordinator Aaron Powell and Dragons defensive coordinator Rick Powell. Whoever wins this coordinating matchup will win this game.

SANDY DUNES PICK: LAKE ORION 28, SOUTHFIELD ARTS AND TECH 14.

LOCKE PICK: LAKE ORION over SOUTHFIELD ARTS AND TECH.

DUNLAP PICK: SOUTHFIELD ARTS AND TECH 28, LAKE ORION 25.

BURNEY PICK: LAKE ORION 30, SOUTHFIELD ARTS AND TECH 20.

STICK PICK:  LAKE ORION 28, SOUTHFIELD ARTS AND TECH 21.

COTTER PICK: LAKE ORION 17, SOUTHFIELD ARTS AND TECH 14.

 

5. Ferndale at Allen Park: This is a rematch of an 8-0 Jaguars win at Ferndale last season. The win by the Jaguars cost the Eagles a trip to the postseason in 2019. Allen Park whom plays in the Downriver League lost 16-8 to Brownstown Woodhaven last week. Ferndale is coming off a 28-23 win over Troy Athens and have won their last two games by a combined 13 points. This game is going to be on grass which favors Allen Park. This should be a very interesting game.

SANDY DUNES PICK: FERNDALE 20, ALLEN PARK 17.

LOCKE PICK: FERNDALE over ALLEN PARK.

DUNLAP PICK: ALLEN PARK 31, FERNDALE 17.

BURNEY PICK: FERNDALE 26, ALLEN PARK 25.

STICK PICK: FERNDALE 20, ALLEN PARK 14.

COTTER PICK: FERNDALE 14, ALLEN PARK 7.

 

6. Adams at Seaholm: This is the battle of the veers and it’s the third home game for the Maples. The Highlanders won 17-6 over Seaholm last season. Adams fell 34-33 to North Farmington two weeks ago in overtime but they bounced back by going to Beverly Hills and beating Groves 31-21. Seaholm was shell shocked two weeks ago against Stoney Creek falling 37-13 but they hammered Farmington 41-2 last week. The Maples have lost eight straight to the Highlanders but the experience in this game along with the system in place. This is shaping up to be a real quick pace game that could go for an hour because both teams run the football. Depth could be a huge factor in this game.

SANDY DUNES PICK: ADAMS 21, SEAHOLM 7.

LOCKE PICK: ADAMS over SEAHOLM.

DUNLAP PICK: ADAMS 27, SEAHOLM 24.

BURNEY PICK: ADAMS 25, SEAHOLM 24.

STICK PICK: ADAMS 23, SEAHOLM 21.

COTTER PICK: SEAHOLM 20, ADAMS 14.

 

7. Berkley at Troy: This has become a developing rivalry as of late which resulted in each team winning twice in the last four meetings. Both teams come in at 2-0 after going through a ton of past struggles (Troy- 2012, Berkley- 2014.) The Bears had no problem with Pontiac blowing them out 49-0 at Hurley Field last week. The Colts survived 13-6 over Walled Lake Central last week at Don Colt Stadium last week. Troy has won their two games by a combined 10 points after not winning a game in almost two years. The quarterback battle is shaping up to be very interesting between Troy’s Max Stromberg and Berkley’s Ian Domzalski. I think that Liam Sarris is the wildcard for the Bears while Darius Whiteside is the wildcard for the Colts. The quarterback/wide receiver battle between Domzalski/Sarris against Stromberg/Whiteside could decide who takes this game at Don Colt Stadium.

SANDY DUNES PICK: BERKLEY 21, TROY 17.

LOCKE PICK: BERKLEY over TROY.

DUNLAP PICK: BERKLEY 14, TROY 10.

BURNEY PICK: TROY 22, BERKLEY 20.

STICK PICK: TROY 14, BERKLEY 13.

COTTER PICK: BERKLEY 14, TROY 10.

 

Oak Park at 8. Oxford: The Knights have had a rough start since entering the Red, all be it was against West Bloomfield and Lake Orion where they have been outscored 77-6 in the last two weeks. Oak Park really misses Rayshawn Benny as he hasn’t played at all this season. The Wildcats should be motivated after getting blown out by Oak Park 35-7 but this is not the same Knights team as last season when they won the White. I think Oxford is a much different team than they were last season. Watch for Trent Muir in this game, he could have a big night for the Wildcats. Oxford will have to deal with Davion Primm as he had 101 yards and a touchdown last week against Lake Orion. This should be an interesting game on the blue turf.

SANDY DUNES PICK: OXFORD 35, OAK PARK 12.

LOCKE PICK: OXFORD over OAK PARK.

DUNLAP PICK: OXFORD 21, OAK PARK 18.

BURNEY PICK: OXFORD 31, OAK PARK 21.

STICK PICK: OXFORD 21, OAK PARK 14.

COTTER PICK: OXFORD 28, OAK PARK 12.

 

Bloomfield Hills at 9. Rochester: These are two 2-0 teams that have found some success in the Blue but they are no strangers to each other. The Blackhawks beat the Falcons 35-14 last season despite both teams missing the postseason. Both teams have their starting quarterbacks back in Tanner Slazinski for Bloomfield Hills and Alex Bueno for Rochester. The Falcons blew out Avondale 41-16 at Dick Bye Field last week while the Blackhawks had no problem with Royal Oak blowing them out 34-7 and using their Victory Bell for a second straight week.

SANDY DUNES PICK: ROCHESTER 31, BLOOMFIELD HILLS 24.

LOCKE PICK: ROCHESTER over BLOOMFIELD HILLS.

DUNLAP PICK: BLOOMFIELD HILLS 28, ROCHESTER 24.

BURNEY PICK: BLOOMFIELD HILLS 28, ROCHESTER 27.

STICK PICK: ROCHESTER 35, BLOOMFIELD HILLS 27.

COTTER PICK: ROCHESTER 27, BLOOMFIELD HILLS 21.

 

10. North Farmington at Groves: This will be the first meeting between North Farmington and Groves since 2016. These are two teams suffered really tough losses last week. The Raiders were blown out at Tom Holland Field by Stoney Creek 42-14 while the Falcons fell to Adams 31-21 in Beverly Hills. Both teams are prone to giving up a ton of yardage especially on the ground which makes this game very interesting. Which run defense shows up will win this game.

SANDY DUNES PICK: NORTH FARMINGTON 24, GROVES 20.

LOCKE PICK: NORTH FARMINGTON over GROVES.

DUNLAP PICK: GROVES 21, NORTH FARMINGTON 20.

BURNEY PICK: GROVES 28, NORTH FARMINGTON 18.

STICK PICK: NORTH FARMINGTON 21, GROVES 20.

COTTER PICK: NORTH FARMINGTON 28, GROVES 21.

 

Avondale at Troy Athens: These are two teams that had high expectations coming into the season but they have really underperformed. This is the third meeting all time between the Yellow Jackets and the Red Hawks with the last time these two met was in 1975. Troy Athens lost 28-23 to Ferndale last week and has lost both of their games by a combined 13 points. Avondale was blown out 41-16 at home by Rochester and has allowed 63 points in the last two weeks. This should be very interesting over on John R Road this week.

SANDY DUNES PICK: TROY ATHENS 24, AVONDALE 16.

LOCKE PICK: TROY ATHENS over AVONDALE.

DUNLAP PICK: TROY ATHENS 21, AVONDALE 17.

BURNEY PICK: TROY ATHENS 23, AVONDALE 21.

STICK PICK: AVONDALE 27, TROY ATHENS 21.

COTTER PICK: TROY ATHENS 31, AVONDALE 14.

 

Pontiac at Royal Oak: These are two struggling teams coming into this game. The Phoenix have lost the last four meetings to the Ravens including last season where they lost 32-6. Pontiac is better than they were despite not scoring a point this season including last week’s 49-0 loss to Berkley. Royal Oak lost 34-7 to Bloomfield Hills. Someone is going to win this game.

SANDY DUNES PICK: ROYAL OAK 9, PONTIAC 6.

LOCKE PICK: ROYAL OAK over PONTIAC.

DUNLAP PICK: ROYAL OAK 28, PONTIAC 6.

BURNEY PICK: ROYAL OAK 24, PONTIAC 10.

STICK PICK: ROYAL OAK 21, PONTIAC 13.

COTTER PICK: ROYAL OAK 42, PONTIAC 0.

 

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Oak Park has a new Boys Basketball Coach.

Written Sunday September 27th at 4:45 PM

The Knights made a huge coaching hire when they named Durand Sheppard as their new boys basketball coach replacing Bobby Thompson who stepped down recently.

Sheppard was an assistant coach for the AAU team "The Family." He was very successful coaching as an assistant and coached at Detroit St. Martin DePorres.

Detroit St. Martin DePorres used to be where current legendary athletic director and coach Greg Carter used to be at before he came to Oak Park in 2011.

The Knights are going to be a very young team in 2020-2021 and they are going to be in the Red with the likes of Clarkston, North Farmington, West Bloomfield, Farmington, and Ferndale. Their district is going to be very challenging with the likes of Detroit University-Detroit Jesuit, Detroit Renaissance, Detroit Mumford, and Berkley which will be at Royal Oak.

It will be very interesting to see what Sheppard brings this season to Oak Park.

Thoughts.

I like this hire, I got to meet Sheppard, he's a good man and a good coach. He will do wonders for the Knights. I don't know if this team will be ready for the Red but they will be competitive.

Stay tuned to OAA Now for the latest on this developing story.

Week Two Thoughts.

Written Friday September 25th at 11:45 PM

Here are my thoughts after week two.

I was very impressed with Stoney Creek and running back Cameron Buford. Buford ran for 220 yards and six total touchdowns (five rushing and one receiving) in a Cougars 42-14 blowout at Tom Holland Field over North Farmington. The Raiders had no answers for the Stoney Creek defense as well. The Cougars are riding on all cylinders right now. North Farmington will need to bounce back heading into next week.

Adams was another team that really impressed me. The Highlanders bounced back after losing 34-33 in overtime to North Farmington. They rallied to beat Groves in Beverly Hills 31-21 on Friday night. Adams is growing up fast and improving as well. The Falcons need to bounce back and quick.

Seaholm blew out Farmington 41-2 on Friday night in the Maple Forest. The Maples bounced back after getting destroyed by Stoney Creek 37-13 last week. The Maples have a huge game with Adams looming this week back at the Maple Forest. The Falcons have to go to Stoney Creek next week which is a brutal matchup.

Rochester took the Jug on Friday afternoon from Avondale beating the Yellow Jackets 41-16 at Dick Bye Field. The Falcons have really surprised me going 2-0 for the first time since 2012. Having a ton of experience and going through the battles in the White have helped Coach Eric Vernon’s team. Avondale has some problems they need to address and quickly if they want to turn things around.

Bloomfield Hills looked very good by blowing out Royal Oak 34-7 at home on Friday night. The test comes for the Blackhawks next week when they go to Rochester to play a Falcons squad that has also been very impressive. The Ravens are struggling mightily which is not a good sign. Royal Oak hosts Pontiac next week but they need to find something and quick.

Berkley is off to a 2-0 start after blowing out Pontiac 49-0 on Friday night. The Bears should be tested next week against Troy. I like the direction that the Bears and Coach Sean Shields are going right now. The Phoenix are struggling right now but they are getting better.

I was surprised when looking at the 17-15 West Bloomfield win over Southfield Arts and Tech at the Swamp on Friday night. Either the Lakers looked bad or the Warriors might be better than people thought especially on the defensive side of the football. West Bloomfield goes to Clarkston while Southfield Arts and Tech hosts Lake Orion next week.

Lake Orion made a statement on Friday night beating Oak Park 38-6. The Dragons really don’t have a true star on their team, it’s a typical Lake Orion style team. The Knights are solid and talented but they got some work to do especially without Rayshawn Benny. Oak Park really needs him in the worst way possible. The Knights head to Oxford while the Dragons heat to Southfield Arts and Tech next week.

Clarkston made a statement on Friday night by beating Oxford 35-14 at the Wolves Den. Ethan Clark had three rushing touchdowns for the Wolves in the game. The Wolves stormed out to a 28-0 lead and never looked back. Clarkston have a big test looming next week with West Bloomfield. The Wildcats took a bit of a step back will host Oak Park next week but brighter days are ahead for Oxford.

I owe an apology to the good folks at Ferndale but I'm not surprised with their 2-0 start. They have two very good wins over Troy Athens and Avondale by a combined 13 points. The Eagles have a huge test looming with Allen Park this week in Wayne County. They are a team to be a recon with.

Week Two Recap.

Written Friday September 25th at 10:45 PM

INSIDE THE OAA TOP 10.

1. Stoney Creek

2. West Bloomfield

3. Clarkston

4. Lake Orion

5. Ferndale

6. Adams

7. Berkley

8. Oxford

9. Rochester

10. North Farmington

 

Week Two Scores

STONEY CREEK 42, NORTH FARMINGTON 14.

CLARKSTON 35, OXFORD 14.

SEAHOLM 41, FARMINGTON 2.

ADAMS 31, GROVES 21.

FERNDALE 28, TROY ATHENS 23.

LAKE ORION 38, OAK PARK 6.

ROCHESTER 41, AVONDALE 16.

WEST BLOOMFIELD 17, SOUTHFIELD ARTS AND TECH 15.

BERKLEY 49, PONTIAC 0.

TROY 13, Walled Lake Central 6.

BLOOMFIELD HILLS 34, ROYAL OAK 7.

 

BIG WIN: Troy: The Colts earned a huge 13-6 victory on Friday night at Don Colt Stadium over Walled Lake Central. Troy is 2-0 for the first time since 2010 which was a far cry from last season’s nightmares. The Colts will host Berkley at Don Colt Stadium next week.

TOUGH LOSS: Troy Athens: The Red Hawks were in it on Friday night in Ferndale but the Eagles found a way to beat Troy Athens 28-23. The Red Hawks have lost both of their games by a combined 13 points. Ferndale will head to Allen Park to battle the Jaguars. Troy Athens hosts Avondale next week.

WHAT HAPPENED? Groves: The Falcons struggled to overcome the veer offense on Friday night in Beverly Hills against a very good Adams team. The Highlanders won 31-21 sending their record to 2-0 on the season. Adams will head to Seaholm next week. Groves will host North Farmington next week.

TEAM THAT MADE A STATEMENT: Stoney Creek: The Cougars made another huge statement on Friday night in Farmington Hills by blowing out North Farmington 42-14. Cam Buford went nuts rushing for 220 yards and six touchdowns The Cougars are the lead cats in the White. They host Farmington next week. The Raiders are going to need to get back on track as they host Groves next week.

ARE YOU KIDDING ME? Avondale: I’m really surprised and disappointed with what happened with the Yellow Jackets. This team has experience but to lose again at Dick Bye Field to Rochester 41-16 is no excuse. Avondale is in a lot of trouble right now. The Falcons will have a huge showdown looming with Bloomfield Hills next week.