Week Eleven Recap.

Written Saturday November 5th at 11:45 PM

Scores:

CLARKSTON 24, Davison 7.

GROVES 24, Birmingham Brother Rice 0.

SOUTHFIELD ARTS AND TECH 41, WEST BLOOMFIELD 6.

Detroit Martin Luther King 34, OAK PARK 7.

Next Week Playoff Games:

Romeo at CLARKSTON

SOUTHFIELD ARTS AND TECH at Utica Eisenhower

Grosse Pointe South at GROVES

Standings:

Red:

Clarkston 5-1, 9-2

Southfield Arts and Tech: 5-1, 8-3

Orion:  4-2, 5-5

West Bloomfield: 4-2, 6-5

Oxford 2-4, 4-5

Stoney Creek 1-5, 2-7

Troy Athens 0-6, 2-7

White:

Groves 6-0, 10-1

Oak Park 5-1, 7-4

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: Clarkston: You know what going into Davison, playing in the grass is never an easy thing but winning 24-7 in Genesee County, and ruining a perfect season is a pretty big deal for the Wolves. JT King and Michael Fluegel had big games and shut down Tariq Reid and Brendan McRill, despite McRill scoring two touchdowns. Clarkston will now host the regional final against Romeo next week.

ANOTHER BIG WIN: Groves: For the first time since 1963 the Falcons can say they have beaten Brother Rice, well to make things better they shut the Warriors out 24-0. Now they will get Grosse Pointe South at home next week. Things are looking up for Groves so far.

TOUGH LOSS: West Bloomfield: The Lakers ran into the wall that was the Warriors of Southfield Arts and Tech with a 41-6 beat down at Southfield. West Bloomfield couldn’t stop the zone read of the Warriors nor their quarterback John Darby. Darby has taken over the quarterback spot from Sam Johnson III. The Lakers end their season at 6-5 while Southfield Arts and Tech has to go to Swinehart Field and back into Macomb County to take on Utica Eisenhower.

WHAT HAPPENED: Oak Park: The Knights did not look good on Saturday afternoon in Detroit against Detroit Martin Luther King and it showed as Oak Park was destroyed 34-7 by the Crusaders. The Detroit Martin Luther King defense shut down the Knights offense most of the day and its offense got going in the second quarter and the rest of the second half. Oak Park finishes the season at 7-4.

Volleyball Regional Preview.

Written Saturday November 5th at 11:00 AM

There are only two OAA teams left for Girls Volleyball in Clarkston and Troy Athens. Anyway here is the outlook affecting both teams.


Region 6 @ Troy

Grosse Pointe North vs Birmingham Marian

Sterling Heights Stevenson vs TROY ATHENS

When looking at this Regional: This regional will be tough for the Red Hawks as they will see a solid team in Sterling Heights Stevenson. If Troy Athens can get past the Titans, then they will have a collision course with Birmingham Marian in the regional final. Birmingham Marian is the best team in this regional and they will go up against Grosse Pointe North, a team that was under 500 this season.

Projection: I see it being a Sterling Heights Stevenson/Birmingham Marian regional final. The Mustangs will move onto the State Quarterfinals and be on a collision course with Novi. PICK: Birmingham Marian.

Region 7 @ Anchor Bay

Macomb Dakota vs CLARKSTON

Utica Eisenhower vs Fenton

When looking at this Regional: This is an interesting regional. Both Clarkston and Utica Eisenhower are riding high after two emotional five set district crowns on the road. Fenton had no problem getting here as they are ready for a rematch with the Eagles. The Wolves will play an emotional Macomb Dakota team that is dealing with tragedy that has affected the school this week.

Projection: I see the Cougars and Wolves going five games. I see the Eagles and Tigers going five games but it will be a Clarkston/Utica Eisenhower regional final and the Wolves will move onto Midland Dow. PICK: Clarkston.

 

It maybe time for the MHSAA to go more to a regional format.

Written Saturday November 5th at 12:30 AM

Well district finals in volleyball and other sports have brought teams such as Orion/Clarkston, Birmingham Marian/Bloomfield Hills, Utica Eisenhower/Stoney Creek, and etc.

Those are all great matches, all likelihood State quarterfinal or State semifinals but to put it in districts is not right. Is it time to include every team and put them in a regional format???

It’s a strong possibility.

The MHSAA has been considering the regional format for some time. It’s worked in Boys Lacrosse to strong success. The idea of going regional is to base the assignments off a regional format to include every team and use the overall record from the regular season as where you will be seeded instead of a draw of a hat.

So many schools have complained about being paired with a team that is to the equal or better than you are and also that one team will move on while the other goes home.

I think it’s time to look into this, now yes it will eliminate the district concept but records have to mean something. It would be awesome to see an Orion/Clarkston, or a Utica Eisenhower/Stoney Creek, or a Birmingham Marian/Bloomfield Hills regional wouldn’t it???

Hopefully next season the MHSAA looks into making this a regional format and not a district format, there are too many good matchups and top teams in the same district. If it were a regional format, it would be more interesting.

OAA Picks Week Eleven.

Written Wednesday November 2nd at 11:45 PM

SAMMY 94-46

ANT 100-40

KEITH 101-39

SEAN 101-39

DAN 97-43

BURNEY 103-37

Games are Friday at 7 PM unless named.

Birmingham Brother Rice at Groves:

The Warriors are back in the playoffs after missing out last season. Birmingham Brother Rice is 8-2 all-time against Groves and have won four straight games. This maybe the biggest game in the Falcons history as Groves is having one of their strongest seasons. The Falcons are a tough team at home and expect them to give it everything they have. The Warriors haven’t been to Beverly Hills in a while despite these two schools being close. Expect this one to be a low scoring game as both teams have stout defenses.

SAMMY PICK: GROVES 14, BIRMINGHAM BROTHER RICE 10.

ANT PICK: BIRMINGHAM BROTHER RICE 17, GROVES 10.

KEITH PICK: GROVES 17, BIRMINGHAM BROTHER RICE 14.

DAN PICK: GROVES 21, BIRMINGHAM BROTHER RICE 14.

SEAN PICK: GROVES 17, BIRMINGHAM BROTHER RICE 14.

BURNEY PICK: BIRMINGHAM BROTHER RICE 20, GROVES 17.

Oak Park at Detroit Martin Luther King: (Saturday 3 PM)

This will be the first meeting between the Knights and Crusaders on Saturday afternoon in Detroit. Oak Park has not been afraid to play anyone and this will be no different. Detroit Martin Luther King is very talented led by their top wide receiver Amory Thomas. The Crusaders have lost twice this season, both to Detroit Cass Tech but beat Southfield Arts and Tech which in by part beat Oak Park. This one will be a good one to watch, it will be who controls the game.

SAMMY PICK: OAK PARK 34, DETROIT MARTIN LUTHER KING 27.

ANT PICK: DETROIT MARTIN LUTHER KING 35, OAK PARK 21.

KEITH PICK: DETROIT MARTIN LUTHER KING 27, OAK PARK 23.

DAN PICK: DETROIT MARTIN LUTHER KING 35, OAK PARK 28.

SEAN PICK: DETROIT MARTIN LUTHER KING 28, OAK PARK 14.

BURNEY PICK: DETROIT MARTIN LUTHER KING 31, OAK PARK 24.

West Bloomfield at Southfield Arts and Tech: (Friday 5:30 PM)

The Warriors and Lakers have played each other once this season with Southfield Arts and Tech winning 33-14 at West Bloomfield in wake of the shocking death of Kara Allen in Week Six. The Warriors have gone through a ton of emotions as of late especially making the playoffs. The Lakers feature quarterback Bryce Veasley whom came over from Southfield-Lathrup while Southfield Arts and Tech has a quarterback controversy as either John Darby or Sam Johnson III but they still have the talent to match up with anyone. Someone in the Red will advance to either have a home game or go into Macomb County for the regional.

SAMMY PICK: SOUTHFIELD ARTS AND TECH 28, WEST BLOOMFIELD 21.

ANT PICK: WEST BLOOMFIELD 21, SOUTHFIELD ARTS AND TECH 20.

KEITH PICK: SOUTHFIELD ARTS AND TECH 28, WEST BLOOMFIELD 24.

DAN PICK: WEST BLOOMFIELD 27, SOUTHFIELD ARTS AND TECH 21.

SEAN PICK: SOUTHFIELD ARTS AND TECH 28, WEST BLOOMFIELD 21.

BURNEY PICK: SOUTHFIELD ARTS AND TECH 27, WEST BLOOMFIELD 23.

Clarkston at Davison:

This will be the second all-time meeting between Davison and Clarkston that is only separated by M-15 which is Ortonville Road in Oakland County. They met in 2012 with the Wolves winning that one but this time the meeting will be in Genesee County. The Cardinals have been rolling going 10-0 on the season. They are coached by former Pontiac Notre Dame Prep coach Kyle Zimmerman. Davison features a star running back in Tariq Reid and quarterback Brenden McRill and both of them have had special seasons. Davison will see their toughest challenge this week in Clarkston. The Wolves have played a brutal schedule and do have quarterback JT King and running back Michael Fleugel. Clarkston though hasn’t played a game on grass this season, which could be a concern. It will be a battle up front and which running back can control the game and tempo but in the end I see the Wolves moving onto the next round.

SAMMY PICK: CLARKSTON 28, DAVISON 21.

ANT PICK: CLARKSTON 42, DAVISON 14.

KEITH PICK: DAVISON 24, CLARKSTON 17.

DAN PICK: DAVISON 28, CLARKSTON 21.

SEAN PICK: CLARKSTON 31, DAVISON 28.

BURNEY PICK: DAVISON 28, CLARKSTON 21.