Written Tuesday October 27th at 11:30 PM
Here are the pickers.
Sammy Taormina- host of OAA Now and Between Taorminas is SANDY DUNES
Ian Locke- co-host of OAA Now and ONTV Executive Director is LOCKE
Keith Dunlap- sportswriter at the Detroit Free Press is DUNLAP
Scott Burnstein- MIPrepZone sports writer and State Champs contributor is BURNEY
Dan Stickradt- NorthOaklandSports writer is STICK
Sean Cotter- Ford Worker is COTTER.
Here are the Picks.
SANDY DUNES: 51-15
LOCKE: 43-23
DUNLAP: 49-17
BURNEY: 49-17
STICK: 48-18
COTTER: 57-9
Oxford at Clarkston: The Wolves have been rolling into the playoffs scoring 196 points in six games including a 47-0 blowout over Oak Park last week. Clarkston has seen Oxford this season winning 35-14 at Clarkston a few weeks ago. This is the 39th all time meeting between the two blue and yellow teams. The Wildcats have really struggled lately losing three straight games and the offense looks to be their biggest problem. They have only scored three points in three weeks including last week's 21-0 loss to Southfield Arts and Tech at Wildcat Stadium. The Wolves have won six of the last seven meetings over Oxford. It could be a really tough night for the Wildcats.
SANDY DUNES PICK: CLARKSTON 38, OXFORD 0.
LOCKE PICK: CLARKSTON 42, OXFORD 0.
DUNLAP PICK: CLARKSTON 35, OXFORD 0.
BURNEY PICK: CLARKSTON 24, OXFORD 17.
STICK PICK: CLARKSTON 35, OXFORD 14.
COTTER PICK: CLARKSTON 42, OXFORD 0.
Lake Orion at Grand Blanc: The Dragons have had a
rough few weeks especially offensively against good teams. Lake Orion has
scored seven points against Clarkston and West Bloomfield. Grand Blanc is
looking for respect after pulling off two big wins over Lapeer 34-16 on the road a few weeks ago and over
Saline 14-13 last week. This is the first meeting since 2010 and the fourth meeting
overall with the Dragons holding a 2-1 edge in the season series. The OAA is a much different conference than the Saginaw Valley League. Playing on grass could pose problems for Lake Orion but they have
a defense that has been very good all year and will need to be again this week. This is shaping up to be a very good game.
SANDY DUNES PICK: LAKE ORION 21, GRAND BLANC 14.
LOCKE PICK: GRAND BLANC over LAKE ORION.
DUNLAP PICK: GRAND BLANC 28, LAKE ORION 10.
BURNEY PICK: LAKE ORION 28, GRAND BLANC 27.
STICK PICK: GRAND BLANC 28, LAKE ORION 21.
COTTER PICK: LAKE ORION 17, GRAND BLANC 14.
Adams at Rochester: The Falcons have had a special season going undefeated and winning a league title for the first time since 1993 by beating Berkley 33-7 last week. Rochester was 26-55 since 2010 until this season. They come into this very tough district riding with a ton of confidence after winning the Blue outright and scoring over 30 points in each game. The Falcons want to end a 22 game drought against their arch city rival in their 50th all time meeting. It has been since 1996 that the Falcons have beaten the Highlanders. It has been a very tough year for Adams at 2-4 but they have played a tougher schedule than Rochester. Adams won 20-6 over Farmington last week. Rivalry games always bring the best out of people.
SANDY DUNES PICK: ADAMS 24, ROCHESTER 21.
LOCKE PICK: ROCHESTER over ADAMS.
DUNLAP PICK: ROCHESTER 21, ADAMS 17.
BURNEY PICK: ROCHESTER 24, ADAMS 23.
STICK PICK: ROCHESTER 28, ADAMS 14.
COTTER PICK: ADAMS 26, ROCHESTER 14.
Utica Ford II at West Bloomfield: This is the second ever meeting between Utica Ford II and West Bloomfield. The first time they met was in 2001 when the Lakers earned a 31-21 victory over the Falcons. West Bloomfield has been rolling since losing a 24-21 overtime heartbreaker to Clarkston a few weeks ago. They have shutout their last three opponents by a combined 121-0 all at the Swamp. Utica Ford II has really struggled going 1-5 and 1-4 in the MAC White this season but they have been playing much better lately. The Falcons earned a 36-12 victory over Macomb L'Anse Creuse North and they took Sterling Heights Stevenson to the limit falling 28-25 in the Battle Of Runkel Field last week. I really don’t see any weaknesses with the Lakers. It could be a long evening for Utica Ford II in the Swamp.
SANDY DUNES PICK: WEST BLOOMFIELD 49, UTICA FORD II 0.
LOCKE PICK: WEST BLOOMFIELD over UTICA FORD II.
DUNLAP PICK: WEST BLOOMFIELD 42, UTICA FORD II 0.
BURNEY PICK: WEST BLOOMFIELD 31, UTICA FORD II 15.
STICK PICK: WEST BLOOMFIELD 42, UTICA FORD II 13.
COTTER PICK: WEST BLOOMFIELD 38, UTICA FORD II 0.
Troy Athens at Southfield Arts and Tech: This is the fourth all time meeting between the Red Hawks and Warriors. Southfield Arts and Tech has won all three meetings by blowout margins including a 62-20 blowout at Troy Athens last season. The Red Hawks have improved this season despite having their eighth losing season in nine years. Troy Athens has lost a ton of close games despite being in the Blue. The Warriors have seem to have found their stride a little bit after shutting out Oxford earning a home game despite a 2-3 record and playing in the always difficult Red. It will be interesting to say the least.
SANDY DUNES PICK: SOUTHFIELD ARTS AND TECH 35, TROY ATHENS 14.
LOCKE PICK: SOUTHFIELD ARTS AND TECH 28, TROY ATHENS 21.
DUNLAP PICK: SOUTHFIELD ARTS AND TECH 28, TROY ATHENS 10.
BURNEY PICK: SOUTHFIELD ARTS AND TECH 26, TROY ATHENS 20.
STICK PICK: SOUTHFIELD ARTS AND TECH 27, TROY ATHENS 14.
COTTER PICK: SOUTHFIELD ARTS AND TECH 32, TROY ATHENS 14.
Troy at Bloomfield Hills: This is the fifth meeting between these two Blue rivals with the Blackhawks winning all four matchups including last season’s 63-3 victory over Troy. Bloomfield Hills was blown out at home by Avondale 37-9 last week after winning an emotional 35-34 overtime win over Berkley two weeks ago. The Colts lost 31-0 to Troy Athens in which they have been outscored 104-0 against them. Troy has lost three of four coming into this game and has only scored seven points in their losses. It should be an interesting game to say the least.
SANDY DUNES PICK: BLOOMFIELD HILLS 35, TROY 7.
LOCKE PICK: BLOOMFIELD HILLS over TROY.
DUNLAP PICK: BLOOMFIELD HILLS 35, TROY 0.
BURNEY PICK: BLOOMFIELD HILLS 20, TROY 18.
STICK PICK: BLOOMFIELD HILLS 21, TROY 14.
COTTER PICK: BLOOMFIELD HILLS 35, TROY 0.
Farmington at Sterling Heights Stevenson: This will be the first ever meeting between Farmington and Sterling Heights Stevenson. It has been a challenging season for the Falcons and it’s going to be much harder by going to Runkel Field to take on the Titans. Sterling Heights Stevenson shared the MAC Red with Macomb Dakota but they had to earn a 28-25 victory over Utica Ford last week. Farmington is a very young team but they did make some progress despite falling 20-6 to Adams last week. It’s going to be a very tough task for the Falcons at Runkel Field this week.
SANDY DUNES PICK: STERLING HEIGHTS STEVENSON 42, FARMINGTON 6.
LOCKE PICK: STERLING HEIGHTS STEVENSON over FARMINGTON.
DUNLAP PICK: STERLING HEIGHTS STEVENSON 35, FARMINGTON 0.
BURNEY PICK: STERLING HEIGHTS STEVENSON 40, FARMINGTON 22.
STICK PICK: STERLING HEIGHTS STEVENSON 27, FARMINGTON 20.
COTTER PICK: STERLING HEIGHTS STEVENSON 42, FARMINGTON 0.
Sterling Heights at Seaholm: This will be the second meeting between the Maples and the Stallions and it will be back at Maple Field. These two met in the postseason with Seaholm winning 55-34 in the pre-district last season. Both teams won by forfeits last week with the Stallions over Utica while the Maples over North Farmington. It has been a challenging season for Sterling Heights going 1-5 and not playing in two straight weeks. Seaholm has been playing well and is improving each week at 4-2. It is shaping up to be a very interesting game.
SANDY DUNES PICK: SEAHOLM 66, STERLING HEIGHTS 7.
LOCKE PICK: SEAHOLM over STERLING HEIGHTS.
DUNLAP PICK: SEAHOLM 28, STERLING HEIGHTS 14.
BURNEY PICK: SEAHOLM 33, STERLING HEIGHTS 23.
STICK PICK: SEAHOLM 35, STERLING HEIGHTS 14.
COTTER PICK: SEAHOLM 49, STERLING HEIGHTS 0.
Groves at Avondale: This is the ninth all time meeting between the Yellow Jackets and the Falcons and the first since 2015. Avondale has outscored their last three opponents by a combined 129-21. Groves just lost 40-14 to Stoney Creek last week but they have won four of the last six in the season series. The Falcons have played a much tougher schedule being in the White while the Yellow Jackets were in the Blue but the game is at Dick Bye Field thanks to playoff points (Avondale 40.733, Groves 40.333.) There are going to be a ton of athletes on the field in this game. It is going to be very interesting.
SANDY DUNES PICK: GROVES 21, AVONDALE 17.
LOCKE PICK: GROVES 24, AVONDALE 21.
DUNLAP PICK: GROVES 24, AVONDALE 7.
BURNEY PICK: GROVES 28, AVONDALE 18.
STICK PICK: GROVES 28, AVONDALE 27.
COTTER PICK: GROVES 42, AVONDALE 12.
Royal Oak at Berkley: This will be the seventh all time meeting with Woodward Avenue dividing these two Blue rivals at Hurley Field. The Bears have been reeling a little bit losing two straight home games to Bloomfield Hills and Rochester but what could help Berkley and their players is that they are playing an arch rival in Royal Oak. The Ravens were very competitive in their 34-24 home loss to Fraser last week. They have really struggled this season but playing an arch rival to re energize their team despite going 3-12 in the last two years. Royal Oak has won the last two meetings over Berkley by a combined 54-7. This is shaping up to be a very interesting game at Hurley Field.
SANDY DUNES PICK: BERKLEY 31, ROYAL OAK 14.
LOCKE PICK: BERKLEY over ROYAL OAK.
DUNLAP PICK: BERKLEY 31, ROYAL OAK 10.
BURNEY PICK: BERKLEY 35, ROYAL OAK 25.
STICK PICK: BERKLEY 21, ROYAL OAK 20.
COTTER PICK: BERKLEY 28, ROYAL OAK 0.
Waterford Kettering at North Farmington: This is the tenth all time meeting between North Farmington and Waterford Kettering with the Raiders holding a 8-0-1 edge in the season series. It's a rematch of a 35-30 North Farmington victory over the Captains at Tom Holland Field last season. Both teams were supposed to meet in Waterford for week one however due to the COVID-19 restrictions they couldn't play but the postseason draw brought this together with the four/five matchup. Waterford Kettering has been a very resilient group and are coming off a 34-26 victory over arch rival Waterford Mott. North Farmington did not play last week against Seaholm due to a power outage. This is going to be a very interesting matchup to say the least at Tom Holland Field.
SANDY DUNES PICK: WATERFORD KETTERING 28, NORTH FARMINGTON 20.
LOCKE PICK: WATERFORD KETTERING over NORTH FARMINGTON.
DUNLAP PICK: NORTH FARMINGTON 17, WATERFORD KETTERING 14.
BURNEY PICK: NORTH FARMINGTON 31, WATERFORD KETTERING 26.
STICK PICK: NORTH FARMINGTON 31, WATERFORD KETTERING 14.
COTTER PICK: NORTH FARMINGTON 35, WATERFORD KETTERING 21.
Oak Park at Grosse Pointe South: It has been a really
tough season for the Knights after giving up a ton of points and only scoring 45 points this season. They took blowout losses to Lake Orion, Southfield Arts and Tech, West Bloomfield, and Clarkston but everyone is 0-0 heading into the postseason.
Oak Park will have a very tough task going up against a very good Grosse Pointe South squad. This is the first ever meeting between the two teams.
The Blue Devils play in the tough MAC Red and have wins over Romeo, Utica
Eisenhower, and Chippewa Valley this season. If the Knights want to pull off
the upset they will need to play disciplined football and have everyone on the
same page. This might be a game where the Blue Devils could be on upset alert.
SANDY DUNES PICK: GROSSE POINTE SOUTH 28, OAK PARK 24.
LOCKE PICK: GROSSE POINTE SOUTH over OAK PARK.
DUNLAP PICK: GROSSE POINTE SOUTH 21, OAK PARK 10.
BURNEY PICK: GROSSE POINTE SOUTH 32, OAK PARK 22.
STICK PICK: GROSSE POINTE SOUTH 28, OAK PARK 27.
COTTER PICK: GROSSE POINTE SOUTH 42, OAK PARK 6.
Detroit Renaissance at Ferndale: This is the first ever meeting between the Eagles and the Phoenix. It has been a really tough season for Detroit Renaissance coming in at 2-4. The Phoenix were blown out by River Rouge 46-0 last week. Ferndale have had a strong bounce back season at 4-2 and are coming off a 42-8 victory over Pontiac last week. The Eagles haven’t proven that they can beat a non-league foe in the postseason. Could this be their chance???
SANDY DUNES PICK: FERNDALE 28, DETROIT RENAISSANCE 18.
LOCKE PICK: FERNDALE over DETROIT RENAISSANCE.
DUNLAP PICK: FERNDALE 20, DETROIT RENAISSANCE 17.
BURNEY PICK: FERNDALE 27, DETROIT RENAISSANCE 21.
STICK PICK: FERNDALE 28, DETROIT RENAISSANCE 27.
COTTER PICK: FERNDALE 28, DETROIT RENAISSANCE 14.
Pontiac at Bay City Central: This is the first ever meeting between the Phoenix and the Wolves. Pontiac has really struggled this season at 0-6 but maybe going up north into Bay County could provide them some wonders. Bay City Central beat arch rival Bay City Western 8-7 last week but the Wolves had to forfeit that game because they played with an ineligible player. Bay City Central features a blend of young talent that has made some noise this season. The Phoenix are not a deep team but playing in a much tougher conference could help them in this matchup.
SANDY DUNES PICK: BAY CITY CENTRAL 14, PONTIAC 6.
LOCKE PICK: BAY CITY CENTRAL over PONTIAC.
DUNLAP PICK: BAY CITY CENTRAL 42, PONTIAC 6.
BURNEY PICK: BAY CITY CENTRAL 30, PONTIAC 15.
STICK PICK: BAY CITY CENTRAL 27, PONTIAC 7.
COTTER PICK: BAY CITY CENTRAL 35, PONTIAC 6.
Stoney Creek has a Bye and will play either Utica Eisenhower or Chippewa Valley next week.
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