Football Districts are Out.

Written Friday September 25th at 2:00 PM

I can't believe I'm writing this blog entry out. I never thought of the day that the MHSAA would do football districts but that's the world we are living in right now. The MHSAA released the playoff brackets on Friday afternoon making eight or seven team brackets for all eight divisions. There will be three district rounds followed by the regional finals then the state semifinals and then finals. I will post the releases from the MHSAA and the brackets for this blog and in the ONTV blog as well. Anyway here are the districts surrounding the OAA schools. We will have more on this on the podcast next week.

Division One. 

District 4 (Region 2)

CLARKSTON

LAKE ORION

OXFORD

ROCHESTER

ADAMS

Lapeer

Grand Blanc

Davison

THOUGHTS: I really feel for Rochester. The Falcons could have to go up to Davison for a first round district game, that’s scary. Lake Orion and Oxford could possibly meet each other in the first round. Davison and Clarkston looks to be the favorites coming out but watch for Oxford, Lake Orion, and Lapeer. Adams could be in the mix as well but right now this district is going to be absolutely brutal.

 

District 7 (Region 4)

BLOOMFIELD HILLS

FARMINGTON

SOUTHFIELD ARTS AND TECH

WEST BLOOMFIELD

TROY

TROY ATHENS

Sterling Heights Stevenson

Utica Ford

THOUGHTS: This district is looking like it could be a West Bloomfield vs Sterling Heights Stevenson district final. I would expect both the Lakers and Titans to get top seeds in this district but there are some wildcards when looking at Southfield Arts and Tech possibly being one. Whoever has to play the Warriors could have a dangerous time. I see this district being a West Bloomfield vs Sterling Heights Stevenson clash.

 

District 8 (Region 4)

STONEY CREEK

Chippewa Valley

Macomb Dakota

Macomb L’Anse Creuse North

Romeo

Utica

Utica Eisenhower

New Baltimore Anchor Bay

THOUGHTS: The Cougars are going to be an honorary member of the Macomb Area Conference. Stoney Creek’s road into Macomb County is going to be challenging especially if they have to play the Macomb Area Conference Red in Utica Eisenhower, Chippewa Valley, Romeo, and Macomb Dakota. I think the Cougars have a shot to win this tough district even though the four teams as mentioned will present tough challenges. New Baltimore Anchor Bay is a wildcard as they are coached by former Macomb Dakota and Warren De LaSalle coach Mike Gionnine. I’ll bet you Zach and Zack on their podcast (The MAC Attack with Zach and Zack) will go deeper but if they want anything on Stoney Creek just ask me.

 

Division Two.

District 12 (Region 6)

NORTH FARMINGTON

Fenton

Milford

South Lyon

Walled Lake Central

Walled Lake Western

Waterford Kettering

Waterford Mott

THOUGHTS: The Raiders became an honorary member of the Lakes Valley Conference along with Fenton. North Farmington could be the number two seed in this district. Walled Lake Western is very good and they could run away with the Lakes Valley Crown. I think Fenton is the wildcard, the Tigers are solid and could pose problems to anyone. I’m not sold on Waterford Mott after losing to Milford in week one. South Lyon is very young. Milford and Waterford Kettering could present problems as well but I’m seeing this district as a three team district.

 

District 14 (Region 7)

OAK PARK

FERNDALE

Detroit Renaissance

Detroit University-Detroit Jesuit

Grosse Pointe North

Grosse Pointe South

Lincoln Park

Wyandotte Roosevelt

THOUGHTS: This looks to be a very interesting especially with the proven programs that are in this district. Oak Park, Detroit University-Detroit Jesuit, Wyandotte Roosevelt, Detroit Renaissance, and Grosse Pointe South have great chances to win this district but there are going to be some great first round games to say the least. Ferndale is a possible sleeper along with Grosse Pointe North. This district is going to be wide open, anybody can win this district on any given day.

 

District 15 (Region 8)

AVONDALE

BERKLEY

GROVES

SEAHOLM

ROYAL OAK

Sterling Heights

Warren Cousino

Warren Mott

THOUGHTS: This could be a very interesting district when looking at the teams. Groves and Seaholm should be deemed the favorites but keep an eye on Avondale, Berkley, and Warren Mott. Sterling Heights is my wildcard in this district. The Falcons and Maples look to be on a collision course after last season’s stunning blowout by Seaholm in Beverly Hills. I think this district could have some fireworks written all over it.

 

Division Three.

District 21 (Region 11)

PONTIAC

Bay City Central

Bay City Western

Clio

Flint Kearsley

Holly

Linden

THOUGHTS: It’s going to be a tough challenge for the Phoenix. They could have to go to Flint to play Flint Kearsley or go to Holly or Linden. I think playing in the OAA will help Pontiac going forward but it’s going to be tough to say the least as mentioned for the Phoenix.

 

MHSAA District Brackets

https://www.mhsaa.com/portals/0/documents/FB/2020/2020%20Districts%2009-25-2020.pdf

 

My Podcast

https://soundcloud.com/user-539915961/oaa-now-09-28-20 

Football Picks Week Two.

Written Wednesday September 23rd at 11:10 AM

Here are the games and picks set for Week Two.

We'll get Ian's picks ASAP.

SANDY DUNES: 7-4

LOCKE: 7-4

DUNLAP: 9-2

BURNEY: 10-1

STICK: 8-3

COTTER: 9-2

Southfield Arts and Tech at 1. West Bloomfield: The Lakers rolled last week by blowing out Oak Park 39-0. The Warriors lost 24-17 to Clarkston at home last week. The last time Southfield Arts and Tech went into the Swamp, they won a wild one behind the play of former West Bloomfield quarterback Anthony Romphf. The Warriors and especially Isiah Marshall could have a very long day against a Lakers defense that is as stout as anyone.

SANDY DUNES PICK: WEST BLOOMFIELD 56, SOUTHFIELD ARTS AND TECH 6.

LOCKE PICK:

DUNLAP PICK: WEST BLOOMFIELD 35, SOUTHFIELD ARTS AND TECH 10.

BURNEY PICK: WEST BLOOMFIELD 33, SOUTHFIELD ARTS AND TECH 23.

STICK PICK: WEST BLOOMFIELD 28, SOUTHFIELD ARTS AND TECH 20.

COTTER PICK: WEST BLOOMFIELD 31, SOUTHFIELD ARTS AND TECH 14.

 

2. Stoney Creek at 5. North Farmington: If there are any doubters that were still doubting the Cougars after making the playoffs and winning five games last season please look at what Stoney Creek did to Seaholm, a state semifinalist. They sent a message blowing out the Maples 37-13 in Birmingham last week. The Cougars may have found a replacement for Zach Dehna in Jon Fogel. Fogel had two rushing touchdowns along with Cameron Buford. Buford had two rushing touchdowns and a passing touchdown as well. The Raiders had to comeback from 27-20 to force overtime. They had to survive Adams 34-33 in overtime last week at Rochester after the Highlanders went for the win but they couldn’t get it. The key matchup should be the quarterbacks between Ryan Echout and Jacob Bousamara. Both of them are solid and talented. I’ll be curious how Bousamara will go up against a Gary Griffith type defense. Also I'm curious how Echout will go up against a very good and North Farmington defense. The coaching matchup is also interesting between Nick Merlo and Jon Herstein. It’s going to be a good matchup at Tom Holland Field.

SANDY DUNES PICK: STONEY CREEK 38, NORTH FARMINGTON 14.

LOCKE PICK:

DUNLAP PICK: STONEY CREEK 31, NORTH FARMINGTON 17.

BURNEY PICK: STONEY CREEK 34, NORTH FARMINGTON 32.

STICK PICK: STONEY CREEK 35, NORTH FARMINGTON 31.

COTTER PICK: STONEY CREEK 28, NORTH FARMINGTON 21.

 

4. Oxford at 3. Clarkston: This is going to be a very interesting matchup as both teams have nearly everyone back from Clarkston’s 33-28 victory at Oxford last season. The individual matchups are going to be very interesting starting with the quarterback duel between Mike DePillo and Brady Carpenter. The running back battle is also interesting between Ethan Clark and Trent Muir along with the coaching matchup between Kurt Richardson and Zach Line. The lines are going to be interesting even though the Wolves have an edge over the Wildcats in that department but that was pretty much a wash last season. This should be a close game between the two blue and yellow teams.

SANDY DUNES PICK: CLARKSTON 24, OXFORD 21.

LOCKE PICK:

DUNLAP PICK: CLARKSTON 24, OXFORD 10.

BURNEY PICK: CLARKSTON 28, OXFORD 26.

STICK PICK: CLARKSTON 28, OXFORD 21.

COTTER PICK: CLARKSTON 34, OXFORD 21.

 

Oak Park at 6. Lake Orion: The Knights had a very tough game with West Bloomfield but I didn’t expect them to get blown out 39-0 in Knight Valley last week. Oak Park did not have Rayshawn Benny whom could be back for this game or seven other starters as well. The Dragons did not play last week as they had two COVID-19 cases within the program. Lake Orion has questions at quarterback and on defense. The Knights depth could be an issue in this game and also the travel as well could be a factor.

SANDY DUNES PICK: LAKE ORION 31, OAK PARK 17.

LOCKE PICK:

DUNLAP PICK: OAK PARK 28, LAKE ORION 17.

BURNEY PICK: LAKE ORION 24, OAK PARK 20.

STICK PICK: LAKE ORION 21, OAK PARK 20.

COTTER PICK: LAKE ORION 21, OAK PARK 12.

 

9. Adams at 7. Groves: This shapes up to be a very interesting game between two different styles of play. I was impressed with the Highlanders as they went overtime with North Farmington even though they fell 34-33 at home. It looks like they have found an identity with a young group, could they be in the mix??? It’s possible. The Falcons were going to have a down year after a disappointing postseason blowout loss to Seaholm but maybe they could be back in the mix with the performance they had last week in Farmington. Groves found themselves a quarterback in Jack Woods and he had a huge game against Farmington in a 42-31 victory last week. Adams is looking better than experts thought. This should be a very close football game.

SANDY DUNES PICK: ADAMS 31, GROVES 28.

LOCKE PICK:

DUNLAP PICK: GROVES 27, ADAMS 24.

BURNEY PICK: GROVES 30, ADAMS 26.

STICK PICK: ADAMS 28, GROVES 21.

COTTER PICK: GROVES 28, ADAMS 24.

 

Troy Athens at 8. Ferndale: This will be the second all time meeting between the Eagles and the Red Hawks with the first being played in 1979 when Troy Athens beat Ferndale 21-20. I expect this game to be tight as both teams have experience but it could come down to who has the football last. It’s also an interesting coaching matchup as well between Eric Royal and Billy Keenest. This should be a very good game.

SANDY DUNES PICK: FERNDALE 24, TROY ATHENS 21.

LOCKE PICK:

DUNLAP PICK: TROY ATHENS 20, FERNDALE 17.

BURNEY PICK: TROY ATHENS 22, FERNDALE 20.

STICK PICK: TROY ATHENS 24, FERNDALE 21.

COTTER PICK: TROY ATHENS 34, FERNDALE 22.

 

Pontiac at 10. Berkley: The Bears are expected to be better in 2020. Program strength is up under Coach Sean Shields and they have a ton of depth at the varsity level. Berkley showed it by beating Lincoln Park 20-6 last week behind two touchdowns from Liam Sarris. The Phoenix lost 57-0 to Rochester at home last week. This looks to be a mismatch on paper and it could get ugly at Hurley Field.

SANDY DUNES PICK: BERKLEY 42, PONTIAC 6.

LOCKE PICK:

DUNLAP PICK: BERKLEY 31, PONTIAC 6.

BURNEY PICK: BERKLEY 35, PONTIAC 15.

STICK PICK: BERKLEY 21, PONTIAC 14.

COTTER PICK: BERKLEY 49, PONTIAC 6.

 

Rochester at Avondale (4 PM): This is a neighborhood rivalry between the Falcons and Yellow Jackets even though they haven’t played in a while. It will be the 31^st meeting all time between the two teams and the first meeting since 1986. Avondale is coming off a 22-14 overtime loss to Ferndale last week at Dick Bye Field. Rochester is coming off a 57-0 victory over Pontiac at Wisner Stadium. This is a game of two different styles which makes this game very interesting.

SANDY DUNES PICK: ROCHESTER 24, AVONDALE 21.

LOCKE PICK:

DUNLAP PICK: AVONDALE 24, ROCHESTER 23.

BURNEY PICK: AVONDALE 23, ROCHESTER 22.

STICK PICK: ROCHESTER 35, AVONDALE 28.

COTTER PICK: ROCHESTER 28, AVONDALE 6.

 

Royal Oak at Bloomfield Hills: The Blackhawks went down two divisions this offseason and they have seemed to benefit from being in the Blue along with going back to all black. Bloomfield Hills picked up an emotional 21-13 win over Troy Athens last week. The Blackhawks will take on a Royal Oak team that has really struggled with producing results. The Ravens turned the football over six times which resulted in a 20-17 loss to Troy last week. This game looks like a true Tanner Slazinski game where he could be in line to dominate.

SANDY DUNES PICK: BLOOMFIELD HILLS 21, ROYAL OAK 7.

LOCKE PICK:

DUNLAP PICK: BLOOMFIELD HILLS 28, ROYAL OAK 13.

BURNEY PICK: BLOOMFIELD HILLS 29, ROYAL OAK 28.

STICK PICK: BLOOMFIELD HILLS 20, ROYAL OAK 14.

COTTER PICK: BLOOMFIELD HILLS 35, ROYAL OAK 10.

 

Walled Lake Central at Troy: This should a very interesting game when looking at these two teams in this non-league matchup between the OAA and the Lakes Valley Conference. This is the first matchup since 2016 when Walled Lake Central beat Troy 13-10. The Vikings were blown out by South Lyon East 35-3 last week. The Colts came back from 17-9 to stun Royal Oak 20-17. Troy is very young but so is Walled Lake Central. This looks to be a very interesting matchup.

SANDY DUNES PICK: TROY 20, WALLED LAKE CENTRAL 10.

LOCKE PICK:

DUNLAP PICK: WALLED LAKE CENTRAL 21, TROY 17.

BURNEY PICK: TROY 36, WALLED LAKE CENTRAL 21.

STICK PICK: WALLED LAKE CENTRAL 27, TROY 21.

COTTER PICK: TROY 27, WALLED LAKE CENTRAL 3.

 

Farmington at Seaholm: This should be a very interesting game to keep an eye on in the Maple Forest. Both teams suffered tough home losses last week. Farmington fell to Groves 42-31 while Seaholm was humiliated by Stoney Creek 37-13. The Maples have more experience than the Falcons but Farmington is playing with nothing to lose. If Seaholm falls to 0-2, that’s not a good sign moving forward.

SANDY DUNES PICK: FARMINGTON 31, SEAHOLM 24.

LOCKE PICK:

DUNLAP PICK: SEAHOLM 20, FARMINGTON 13.

BURNEY PICK: SEAHOLM 27, FARMINGTON 25.

STICK PICK: FARMINGTON 24, SEAHOLM 21.

COTTER PICK: SEAHOLM 28, FARMINGTON 17.

Top Ten Football "Pipe Dream" Matchups.

Written Monday September 21st at 11:10 AM

People ask me about what if, what if there were matchups that were nuts but could possibly happen in the future??? Well here are some of the what if matchups if they were to happen.

Stoney Creek vs Lapeer: This would be a great matchup between the Lightning and Cougars. Lapeer and Stoney Creek also have program strength as well which helps. It would be a great game to say the least.

West Bloomfield vs Rockford: The Lakers and Rams would be very interesting. Both teams are deep, talented, and proven powerhouses. Rockford has done very well historically. It would be very interesting if these teams would play each other.

Lake Orion vs Midland: These two teams played in Girls Basketball and other sports so why not put the Dragons and Chemics on the grid iron. Both teams are consistent powers and have had deep playoff runs. Lake Orion has a State Championship along with three State Semifinals appearances. This would be a great matchup to see.

Clarkston vs Traverse City West: This would be interesting because both teams have a ton of history of traveling far away. Clarkston went west in the postseason to Holland West Ottawa. Traverse City West travels south a ton in the postseason

Oxford vs Mount Pleasant: This would be a classic matchup of two blue and gold teams. The Oilers have been building a solid program and is one of those classic contending teams in the Saginaw Valley Red. So put them with a power in Oxford who is very similar to Mount Pleasant. I would pay money to see this matchup take place whether if it’s Oxford going north on I-75 or Mount Pleasant coming south from I-75 to I-69 down to M-24.

North Farmington vs Ithaca: Ithaca is one of the most perianal state powers we have. The Raiders have a great coaching staff that came from Harrison. Harrison and Ithaca would have been a very interesting matchup. Now bring North Farmington to the mix and you have a classic matchup between two powerhouse programs.

Oak Park vs Davison: Hmm this would be a very interesting matchup if this happens. Davison is a physical football team going up against Oak Park. The Knights have had deep playoff runs while the Cardinals won the Division One State Championship last season. I think it will be close between these two if they played.

Pontiac vs Caseville: The Phoenix have had it rough but have the Caseville Eagles. The Eagles are in an eight man football conference. I think from a numbers perspective this could work and it would be a heck of a game between these two teams.

Adams vs Flint Carman Ainsworth: This would be an interesting matchup between the Highlanders and the Cavaliers. Adams runs a veer which should give Flint Carman Ainsworth some problems. It would be a good contest between two teams that have different styles.

Avondale vs Carsonville-Port Sanilac: This would be an interesting matchup if it were to take place. Avondale hasn’t really went up to the Thumb area that much and a matchup with Carsonville-Port Sanilac would be very interesting between two teams with different styles.

Week One Thoughts.

Written Saturday September 19th at 4:45 PM

It was very unfortunate with what happened to Lake Orion when it came to the COVID-19 case and that we did not see the Dragons play Oxford on Friday night but that’s the world right now we are living in in dealing with this virus.

Speaking of Oxford, the Wildcats found an opponent in Macomb L’Anse Creuse North and they played on Friday night. The Crusaders also had an opening after Utica and Birmingham Detroit Country Day had COVID 19 cases surrounding their programs. Oxford looked very impressive in new coach Zach Line debut after balancing the offense in a 34-0 victory. I was impressed with Trent Muir’s two score performance and Brady Carpenter looks more comfortable under center. What helps is that the Wildcats have a boatload of varsity experience and they look more comfortable with a balanced attack that was lacking a year ago. Oxford has a big one looming with Clarkston this week.

Clarkston had to survive on Friday night in Southfield beating the Warriors 24-17. Ethan Clark had two rushing touchdowns while Mike DePillo scored the winning score. I’ve known about Clark since his days in playing youth football for the Clarkston Chiefs. Clark reminds me of Brayden McKienna whom plays running back at Lapeer, both are very similar backs. DePillo, I thought wasn’t as accurate when watching the film but he did just enough and the Wolves defense held strong stopping two potentially winning drives but they still have some issues and questions to address. I was not impressed with Isiah Marshall despite throwing for two touchdowns but when Marshall is under duress he struggles. I thought RaeQuan Lee and Jeff Bowens looked very good for Coach Tim Conley’s crew but the defense could be a struggling point for the Warriors moving forward.

West Bloomfield looked very good after a stunning 39-0 blowout in week one in Knight Valley. I knew there would be some challenges for the Knights going to the Red despite not having Rayshawn Benny in the lineup as he was hurt. Donovan Edwards looked really good for the Lakers along with Alex Short. I liked how West Bloomfield played in that game, they looked crisp and sharp.

People said to me that Stoney Creek was going to be a surprise team and make some noise this season well there is a reason why that I have the Cougars number two in the rankings. Stoney Creek made a statement by blowing out Seaholm 37-13 on Thursday night. I knew about Cameron Buford at running back and Ryan Echout at quarterback but Jon Fogel is a name to keep an eye on. He is basically playing the Zach Dehna roll on the Cougars attack. I and my co-host Ian Locke along with Coach Doug Corless have been saying about Stoney Creek, this team is scary and they are already making an impact. On the Maples side, I was very disappointed in their performance, anytime you make the State Semifinals and have a veteran team back you’re supposed to make the next step but they did not. It will be interesting to see how Seaholm responds going forward.

North Farmington had to survive against Adams 34-33 on Thursday night. I can’t say that Coach Tony Patritto made the right decision to go for the win but they went for it and couldn’t get it which resulted in a victory for Coach Jon Herstein and his team. The Highlanders are better than what I thought prior to the season. I thought they would struggle scoring along with their inexperience but it looks like they haven’t lost a beat. The Raiders have some issues defensively and depth wise going forward despite having Jacob Bousamara at quarterback. I think both of these teams are fine though.

Groves might have found themselves a quarterback in Jack Woods. Woods played very well in the Falcons 42-31 win on Thursday night over Farmington. The Falcons scoring 42 points is a great start but the defense is still a problem for Groves. In the last three games they have allowed over 30 points, that’s a huge problem. Farmington showed some growth and improvement. I like where Coach Kory Cicroch has his team going right now.

Liam Sarris looks to be the real deal for Berkley catching two touchdowns in a 20-6 win over Lincoln Park on Thursday night. Coach Sean Shields went with Ian Domzalski at quarterback which was a head scratcher for me but it worked out well for Shields squad. I didn’t think Lincoln Park was that good though but we’ll see what happens with the Bears moving forward.

I think the best game of the night was at Auburn Hills with Ferndale earned their fourth win in five years over Avondale stunning the Yellow Jackets in overtime 22-14 on Friday night at Dick Bye Stadium. This is a huge win for Coach Eric Royal and the Eagles. It could prove that Ferndale is back. This is a tough loss for Coach Corey Bell and Avondale. It will be very interesting to see how the Yellow Jackets respond going forward.

Rochester looked good shutting out Pontiac 57-0 on Friday night at Wisner Stadium. The Falcons and quarterback Alex Bueno looked comfortable and the rest of Coach Eric Vernon’s team did as well. The Phoenix struggled but I think they are light years better than they were a few years ago.

Bloomfield Hills made a huge statement by going back to the all-black uniforms and then by beating a very good Troy Athens team 21-13 on Thursday night. The Blackhawks defense looks to be better than thought by holding back the Red Hawks twice at the goal line. The Red Hawks are also better than people thought as well. Look for these two teams to make some noise going forward.

Troy got their first win in 23 months needing a Ryan Peluso field goal to beat Royal Oak 20-17 on Friday night. The Colts despite wearing horrendous Adidas road uniforms trailed by eight points found a way to win that game and have managed to impress me a little bit especially with the play of Darius Whiteside.. Troy looks better than they were last season and they might have found a nucleus a little bit. With Royal Oak, I don’t know what to say, they turned the ball over six times, you can’t do that. On the bright side for the Ravens they have found a quarterback in Hudson Siddle but they have a lot of work to do going forward.