Written Tuesday August 30th at 9:40 PM
Hello to everyone and welcome to the 2022 football season. We will be doing our weekly picks this season so here are the people to get to know.
Sammy Taormina-Host OAA Now, Last Three Brain Cells Podcast, known as SANDY DUNES
Scott Burnstein-State Champs host and MIPrepZone writer, known as BURNEY
Keith Dunlap-Special writer at WDIV, known as DUNLAP
Tim English- High School Sports historian, known as TIM
Dan Stickradt-Writer for North Oakland Sports, known as STICK
Sean Cotter-North Farmington Boys Basketball and Walled Lake Western film guy, known as COTTER
We’ll get STICK's picks when we get them
SANDY DUNES 10-10
BURNEY 8-12
DUNLAP 9-11
TIM 11-9
STICK 10-10
COTTER 13-7
4. Harper Woods at 1. West Bloomfield: This is the first ever meeting between the two schools. It’s a very interesting matchup between the Lakers and Pioneers. Harper Woods is coming off a forfeit win over Harper Woods Chandler Park Academy last week. West Bloomfield sent a statement when they blew out Sterling Heights Stevenson 47-7 at Wayne State last week. Quarterback and running back are major concerns with Harper Woods. There should be plenty of proven Division One talent at the Swamp this week.
SANDY DUNES: WEST BLOOMFIELD 42, HARPER WOODS 21.
BURNEY: WEST BLOOMFIELD 33, HARPER WOODS 24.
DUNLAP: WEST BLOOMFIELD 31, HARPER WOODS 27.
TIM: WEST BLOOMFIELD 49, HARPER WOODS 14.
STICK: WEST BLOOMFIELD over HARPER WOODS.
COTTER: WEST BLOOMFIELD 49, HARPER WOODS 7.
2. Adams at Rochester: The Falcon Frenzy game is set. They do a ton of awesome and wonderful things before kickoff. I really don’t understand why the Rochester administration put this wonderful event during the week of the Adams game. The history of this rivalry favors the Highlanders. Adams has won 24 straight meetings over their city rivals and hasn’t lost to Rochester since 1996. The Highlanders won 42-14 over Orchard Lake St. Marys last week. The Falcons fell 27-24 on the last play of the game that went for a touchdown against Utica last week. Rochester led for most of the game which made this loss hurt worse. Adams is rolling right now. It could be a long night for the Falcons.
SANDY DUNES: ADAMS 42, ROCHESTER 14.
BURNEY: ADAMS 36, ROCHESTER 13.
DUNLAP: ADAMS 35, ROCHESTER 14.
TIM: ADAMS 56, ROCHESTER 7.
STICK: ADAMS over ROCHESTER.
COTTER: ADAMS 49, ROCHESTER 14.
3. Southfield Arts and Tech at 5. Clarkston: This might be the best game around the league this week. The Wolves fell 28-21 to Davison in Ann Arbor last week. Clarkston’s run defense really struggled against the Cardinals misdirection and ground game. Davison ran the football 49 times for 260 yards and three rushing touchdowns. They should be tested against quarterback Isiah Marshall and the high octane Southfield Arts and Tech offense. The Warriors had to overcome so much against Detroit Cass Tech. Marshall had eight touchdowns, six passing and two rushing and scored the winning two point conversion in a 56-54 victory over the Technicians. This should be a shootout in the making at Clarkston.
SANDY DUNES: CLARKSTON 54, SOUTHFIELD ARTS AND TECH 48.
BURNEY: CLARKSTON 32, SOUTHFIELD ARTS AND TECH 28.
DUNLAP: CLARKSTON 24, SOUTHFIELD ARTS AND TECH 23.
TIM: CLARKSTON 42, SOUTHFIELD ARTS AND TECH 14.
STICK: CLARKSTON over SOUTHFIELD ARTS AND TECH.
COTTER: CLARKSTON 45, SOUTHFIELD ARTS AND TECH 40.
Detroit University-Detroit Jesuit at 6. Seaholm: This is a very interesting matchup in the Maple Forest. The Maples are coming off a 38-21 victory over Bloomfield Hills last week. Seaholm will play a Detroit University-Detroit Jesuit program that has been rolling as of late. The Cubs won 20-0 over Oak Park in Knight Valley last week. These are two programs that run different styles so this should be a very interesting matchup.
SANDY DUNES: DETROIT UNIVERSITY-DETROIT JESUIT 24, SEAHOLM 21.
BURNEY: DETROIT UNIVERSITY-DETROIT JESUIT 31, SEAHOLM 30.
DUNLAP: DETROIT UNIVERSITY-DETROIT JESUIT 20, SEAHOLM 10.
TIM: DETROIT UNIVERSITY-DETROIT JESUIT 49, SEAHOLM 14.
STICK: DETROIT UNIVERSITY-DETROIT JESUIT over SEAHOLM.
COTTER: DETROIT UNIVERSITY-DETROIT JESUIT 28, SEAHOLM 7.
7. Groves at Oxford: There is a ton of emotion heading into this game. This is the Wildcats first home game since the tragedy and this game is on Bally Sports Detroit. Oxford is coming off a tough 34-7 loss to Romeo last week. The Falcons picked up a huge 34-19 victory over North Farmington last week. There should be a ton of emotion expected a charged up atmosphere.
SANDY DUNES: OXFORD 21, GROVES 17.
BURNEY: GROVES 34, OXFORD 22.
DUNLAP: OXFORD 21, GROVES 20.
TIM: OXFORD 42, GROVES 21.
STICK: OXFORD over GROVES.
COTTER: OXFORD 21, GROVES 7.
Berkley at 8. Troy Athens: This should be a very interesting matchup of two teams that have had close games recently. The Red Hawks are coming off a 28-21 road victory at Fraser last week. The Bears were blown out 47-0 by Milan at Hurley Field last week. The battle up front should be very interesting to see. Troy Athens has found some talented players last week. This should be a very good game at Red Hawk Stadium.
SANDY DUNES: BERKLEY 24, TROY ATHENS 21.
BURNEY: BERKLEY 29, TROY ATHENS 26.
DUNLAP: TROY ATHENS 14, BERKLEY 10.
TIM: BERKLEY 28, TROY ATHENS 24.
STICK: BERKLEY over TROY ATHENS.
COTTER: TROY ATHENS 35, BERKLEY 7.
Bloomfield Hills at 9. Stoney Creek: These are two teams that are heading in opposite directions. The Cougars came off a 70-0 blowout win over Detroit Mumford last week. The Blackhawks are coming off a very disappointing 38-21 home loss to Seaholm last week. This should be a very interesting quarterback/defensive coordinator matchup between Coach Gary Griffith and quarterback CJ Jackson. Depth could be the deciding factor in this game.
SANDY DUNES: STONEY CREEK 42, BLOOMFIELD HILLS 7.
BURNEY: BLOOMFIELD HILLS 28, STONEY CREEK 27.
DUNLAP: STONEY CREEK 17, BLOOMFIELD HILLS 10.
TIM: STONEY CREEK 21, BLOOMFIELD HILLS 7.
STICK: STONEY CREEK over BLOOMFIELD HILLS.
COTTER: STONEY CREEK 42, BLOOMFIELD HILLS 14.
Oak Park at 10. Lake Orion: These are two teams that need a win in the worst way. The Knights are coming off a 20-0 loss to Detroit University-Detroit Jesuit last week. Oak Park heads into Lake Orion to take on a Dragons squad that saw everything change in two plays in a 34-17 loss to Utica Eisenhower last week. This should be a very interesting matchup to watch at Lake Orion this week.
SANDY DUNES: LAKE ORION 42, OAK PARK 14.
BURNEY: LAKE ORION 25, OAK PARK 23.
DUNLAP: LAKE ORION 28, OAK PARK 7.
TIM: OAK PARK 35, LAKE ORION 21.
STICK: LAKE ORION over OAK PARK.
COTTER: LAKE ORION 24, OAK PARK 6.
Holly at Avondale: This is a rematch of last season’s 23-0 Holly victory over Avondale. This season both teams are coming off wins in week one. The Bronchos have a new coaching staff with former Berkley and Troy Athens coach Billy Keenest. The Yellow Jackets have Coach Corey Bell leading the program. Avondale won 36-6 over Warren Cousino last week. Holly beat Royal Oak 49-0 last week at home. This should be a very good game.
SANDY DUNES: HOLLY 28, AVONDALE 21.
BURNEY: HOLLY 27, AVONDALE 24.
DUNLAP: HOLLY 24, AVONDALE 21.
TIM: HOLLY 35, AVONDALE 14.
STICK: AVONDALE over HOLLY.
COTTER: HOLLY 21, AVONDALE 14.
Farmington at Royal Oak: These are two teams that are coming off very disappointing losses in week one. The Falcons fell 20-14 to Ypsilanti Lincoln at home last week. The Ravens are coming off a very disappointing 49-0 loss to Holly on the road last week. The battle between quarterback Dominic Peshi and running back/defensive back Mechi Jenkins should be very interesting to watch. Someone will get a win this week.
SANDY DUNES: FARMINGTON 28, ROYAL OAK 0.
BURNEY: FARMINGTON 32, ROYAL OAK 21.
DUNLAP: FARMINGTON 21, ROYAL OAK 14.
TIM: FARMINGTON 42, ROYAL OAK 14.
STICK: FARMINGTON over ROYAL OAK.
COTTER: FARMINGTON 35, ROYAL OAK 7.
Caledonia at North Farmington: When talking to Raiders Coach Jon Herstein at Media Day, I talked about why Caledonia??? He said that they wanted to play a tough schedule and Caledonia is one of the best teams in the State. The Fighting Scotts won 35-0 over Lansing Holt last week. North Farmington is still without quarterback Ryan Shelby as he is still recovering from an ACL injury he suffered back in November. The Raiders fell 34-19 to Groves on the road last week. This is going to be a very difficult matchup for North Farmington against a very proven program.
SANDY DUNES: CALEDONIA 56, NORTH FARMINGTON 7.
BURNEY: CALEDONIA 34, NORTH FARMINGTON 24.
DUNLAP: CALEDONIA 35, NORTH FARMINGTON 7.
TIM: CALEDONIA 28, NORTH FARMINGTON 21.
STICK: NORTH FARMINGTON over CALEDONIA.
COTTER: CALEDONIA 49, NORTH FARMINGTON 7.
Mount Clemens at Pontiac: Could this be the game that the Phoenix snap the longest losing streak in the State??? Pontiac fell 57-12 to Madison Heights Bishop Foley at home last week. Mount Clemens fell 36-6 to Warren Lincoln last week. The Bathers have struggled just like the Phoenix. This should be a very interesting game.
SANDY DUNES: PONTIAC 28, MOUNT CLEMENS 12.
BURNEY: MOUNT CLEMENS 23, PONTIAC 20.
DUNLAP: MOUNT CLEMENS 28, PONTIAC 6.
TIM: PONTIAC 2, MOUNT CLEMENS 0.
STICK: PONTIAC over MOUNT CLEMENS.
COTTER: PONTIAC 12, MOUNT CLEMENS 7.
Troy at Detroit Mumford: These are two teams that are heading in opposite directions. The Colts are coming off a 14-3 victory over Macomb L’Anse Creuse North on the road. Troy heads to Detroit to take on Detroit Mumford for a 5 PM kickoff. The Mustangs were blown out by Stoney Creek 70-0 at home last week. Detroit Mumford has really struggled and playing another OAA opponent is going to be a tough chore to say the least.
SANDY DUNES: TROY 49, DETROIT MUMFORD 0.
BURNEY: TROY 28, DETROIT MUMFORD 20.
DUNLAP: TROY 42, DETROIT MUMFORD 6.
TIM: TROY 70, DETROIT MUMFORD 0.
STICK: TROY over DETROIT MUMFORD.
COTTER: TROY 35, DETROIT MUMFORD 6.
Grand Rapids West Catholic at Ferndale: This is going to be a very tough game for the Eagles. Ferndale played better despite falling 27-26 to Macomb L’Anse Creuse last week. Grand Rapids West Catholic earned a hard fought 28-20 victory over Edwardsburg last week. This should be a very good game at Ferndale.
SANDY DUNES: GRAND RAPIDS WEST CATHOLIC 35, FERNDALE 21.
BURNEY: GRAND RAPIDS WEST CATHOLIC 35, FERNDALE 14.
DUNLAP: GRAND RAPIDS WEST CATHOLIC 31, FERNDALE 10.
TIM: GRAND RAPIDS WEST CATHOLIC 35, FERNDALE 7.
STICK: GRAND RAPIDS WEST CATHOLIC over FERNDALE.
COTTER: GRAND RAPIDS WEST CATHOLIC 42, FERNDALE 12.
