Written Thursday August 18th at 5:30 PM
Updated Saturday August 20th at 2:45 PM
Here is the division preview for the Blue. The preview show will be updated on the blog as well.
Podcast with Coach Corless
https://soundcloud.com/user-539915961/oaa-08-08-22
Preview Show
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fUo4p1pXi1s
DIVISION OUTLOOK: This is a balanced division. Anyone can win this division if things go right. Seaholm has a lot of proven experience coming back and an offense that not a ton of teams have seen before. Farmington has their starting quarterback coming back and a team that is ready to break out. North Farmington has some talent coming back but depth is a question mark. Troy Athens has a new coach and he has to replace his quarterback and running back. Troy made the postseason last season. They have a really talented player but they have to replace several key areas. Overall this is a balanced division as mentioned, probably the most balanced in a long while.
DREAM SCHEDULE: Troy. The Colts won eight games which was the most wins since 2017. However they were embarrassed on regional television by Chippewa Valley in the postseason last season. They have four of their first five games at Don Colt Stadium with their only road trip being at Ron Holland Field in that span. They have Troy Athens heading to Don Colt Stadium as well. They have to go to the Maple Forest along with Royal Oak and Fraser. All of them appear to be winnable.
NIGHTMARE SCHEDULE: North Farmington. The Raiders have most of their tough opponents heading to Ron Holland Field which includes games against Caledonia, Groves, Troy, Seaholm, Bloomfield Hills, and Lake Orion. North Farmington has Farmington which is very tricky along with Troy Athens, and Avondale on the road. The Raiders need to be very careful with this schedule but they could be in the best position in the Blue to make the postseason.
TEAM THAT’S IN TROUBLE: Seaholm. The Maples start the season with four home games but they are against Bloomfield Hills, Detroit University-Detroit Jesuit, Avondale, and Troy Athens. Then they hit the road to Ron Holland Field before playing Troy in the Maple Forest. That’s not mentioning their final three games which sees them heading to Hurley Field, Falcon Field, and to Beverly Hills. This has the makings of a great season but also a disaster one as well.
TOP FIVE GAMES:
Caledonia at North Farmington: First meeting ever between the Raiders and the Fighting Scots. Caledonia is a powerhouse and was a regional finalist last season.
Detroit University-Detroit Jesuit at Seaholm: First meeting since 2017 between the Maples and the Cubs with Detroit University-Detroit Jesuit winning 20-17. This is a make or break game for Seaholm if they want to make some noise this season.
North Farmington at Farmington: The Raiders have dominated the Farmington Cup since Coach John Herstein has taken over at North Farmington. The Falcons have more experience coming into this game and wants the Farmington Cup back really bad.
Seaholm at North Farmington: Maples have won 15 straight games over the Raiders but this is a different North Farmington team that Seaholm is used to seeing.
Troy at North Farmington: We’ll see if the Colts are for real or not. Troy made the playoffs last season but they are nowhere playing the schedule that North Farmington is.
SEAHOLM MAPLES
LAST SEASON RECORD: 1-8, 1-4 White. Didn’t make Postseason
POINTS SCORED: 136 (15.1 ppg), 74 White (14.8 ppg)
POINTS ALLOWED: 309 (34.3 ppg), 151 White (30.2 ppg)
STRENGTHS: Quarterback, Proven Wide Receivers, Linebackers.
WEAKNESS: Proven Linemen, Rushing Attack, Defensive Secondary, Depth.
OFFENSE: Veer
DEFENSE: 4-3
GAME OF THE YEAR: August 26th vs Bloomfield Hills
PLAYER TO WATCH: Colton Kinnie-Quarterback
PROJECTED RECORD: 6-3, 3-1 Blue
STORYLINE: Will the Maples add more depth now that they are in the Blue???
It was a very rough year for Coach Jim DeWald and his program where they won one game last season. The Maples have a lot of experience coming back. Seaholm really struggled defensively last season. They need to address this area and get more time for their veer offense to operate. If they can do this then they can turn things around really quickly.
OUTLOOK: The Maples have ten starters coming back. The defense had things very rough last season. "We have had a very good summer in the weight room and at a couple of camps we attended. We had very energetic two a days that led into our scrimmage (against Birmingham Brother Rice) said DeWald. Seaholm has Andrew LaBarge, Jack Hulgrave, and Granden Kinnie coming back at linebacker. DeWald has Kaz Villarire, Sean Emerson, and Kyle Robbins coming back in the defensive secondary. The offensive and defensive lines should be much improved. They have John Jokish, Ben Rosenfield, Dylan Buese, Brendan Barrett, and Zach Miketa coming back on the offensive and defensive lines. The Maples offense should be much improved. DeWald has Colton Kinnie coming back at quarterback. Kinnie had a nice year last season. He should have proven pass catchers in Jackson Langford, Hugrave, Emerson, and Robbins coming back at wide receiver. Seaholm has Kinnie and Brock Hartwig coming back at running back. Depth is a serious concern and they have a ton of areas that they need to address coming into the season. "We expect to compete for the conference title and earn a playoff berth" DeWald added despite the concerns.
WHY 6-3: The Maples could be in line for a bounce back season. Seaholm has five of their first six games in front of the Maple Forest. They have Bloomfield Hills, Detroit University-Detroit Jesuit, Avondale, Troy, and Troy Athens. The Maples close out the season with four of five on the road which includes North Farmington, Farmington, Berkley, and Groves. Seaholm is more than capable of being a postseason team but they need to prove it this season. "There are no games circled but we really will only focus on each day. Everyday we try and focus on execution that is the only thing we can control" DeWald concluded.
NORTH FARMINGTON RAIDERS
LAST SEASON RECORD: 3-6, 1-4 White. Didn’t make Postseason
POINTS SCORED: 264 (29.3 ppg), 155 White (31 ppg)
POINTS ALLOWED: 245 (27.2 ppg), 131 White (26.2 ppg)
STRENGTHS: Quarterback, Rushing Attack.
WEAKNESS: Linemen, Proven Wide Receivers, Defense, Depth.
OFFENSE: Multiple
DEFENSE: 5-2
GAME OF THE YEAR: September 2nd vs Caledonia
PLAYER TO WATCH: Ryan Shelby-Quarterback
PROJECTED RECORD: 5-4, 2-2 Blue
STORYLINE: Can the Herstein/Herrington magic continue to work at North Farmington???
It was a very odd season for Coach Jon Herstein and the Raiders. They missed the postseason for the first time in three years and lost six straight games with four by seven points or less. "Last year was very disappointing, I thought we had a good team, lost a lot of really close games, that's been kind of our model this season is finish" said Herstein. North Farmington will look to get back in the thick of it this season and make the postseason.
OUTLOOK: If the Raiders want to make it back to the postseason and win the close games they really need to shore up their defense. They have six returning starters. North Farmington has Brendon Rice and DJ Green coming back on the offensive and defensive lines. The back end is a concern coming into the season. They have Thomas Thakady coming back at linebacker. The Raiders have Mill Coleman III and PJ Gardner coming back in the defensive secondary. The offense was very good especially early last season. They have Ryan Shelby coming back at quarterback. Shelby had a great year despite the struggles during the second half of last season when they lost a lot of close games. If Shelby gets injured again they have another solid quarterback in Thomas Balazovic coming back. Herstein said that Shelby could miss a few games recovering from a knee injury back in November. "Ryan has been coming along, he should be back near the beginning or in the middle of the season. We have Thomas Balaxovic coming back so we might have a quarterback competition when Ryan gets back" Herstein added. North Farmington has Rayshawn Matthews at running back coming back. Matthews could also play linebacker alongside Anderson Sculati Shelby has Quinn Parpart, Coleman, and Jayden Taylor coming back at wide receiver. They have Vinnie Lee handling the kicking duties. The Raiders are not a deep team which is a concern for Herstein. Depth and program strength could be a big problem this season for North Farmington.
WHY 5-4: The Raiders have a really tough but very manageable schedule. North Farmington has Groves, Caledonia, Troy, Seaholm, Lake Orion, and Bloomfield Hills coming to Ron Holland Field. They have Farmington, Troy Athens, and Avondale on the road. "I think it's a good schedule, a lot of good competition" Herstein added about the schedule. The Raiders have the talent to overachieve and win more games. They should be a team to keep an eye on this season.
TROY ATHENS RED HAWKS
LAST SEASON RECORD: 5-4, 4-4 Blue. Didn’t make Postseason
POINTS SCORED: 298 (33.1 ppg), 257 Blue (32.1 ppg)
POINTS ALLOWED: 205 (22.7 ppg), 199 Blue (24.8 ppg)
STRENGTHS: Proven Wide Receivers, Proven Linemen, Linebackers.
WEAKNESS: Quarterback, Rushing Attack, Defensive Secondary, Depth.
OFFENSE: Spread
DEFENSE: 4-4
GAME OF THE YEAR: September 2nd at Berkley
PLAYER TO WATCH: Anthony Ashor-Running Back
PROJECTED RECORD: 7-2, 3-1 Blue
STORYLINE: How will the proven players adjust to a new system???
It was a very interesting offseason for the Red Hawks. They saw Coach Billy Keenest leave Troy Athens for Holly this past spring. Longtime assistant Tom Cook takes over the program. Cook takes over a program that is 12-64 since 2012 with two postseason appearances. The Red Hawks have a ton of work ahead of them if they want to get back to the postseason for the second time since 2011.
OUTLOOK: Cook is in a very interesting spot. He inherits a very good but very young offense but the defense is the question mark. They have 11 starters coming back. He lost some experience from last season. "Overall we were successful offensively, we made some mistakes that we want to fix and these guys have been working hard to fix them and play mentally tough in big spots" said Cook. The Red Hawks will have a new quarterback this season. Parker Ciuria could be someone to watch. Cook mentioned in the interview that it is down to two players for the starting position. "Overall during the summer its been going well, we'll see who make strides to win that spot" Cook added. Whoever the new quarterback is will have a new running back with Anthony Ashor likely taking over. Ashor could be in line for a monster season. They also have Charles Robinson whom is very versatile. He could play almost anywhere on offense and could see time in the defensive secondary this season. The new quarterback should have Austin Pokley, Noah Vivian, Kyree Harper, and Noah Vivian coming back at wide receiver. They Alex Afhan, Aidan Burtch, and Luke Summerhill coming back on the offensive and defensive lines. The back end should have some proven experience. They have Nick Ashor, Vivian, Douglas Mersier, and Jaden Najm coming back at linebacker. Troy Athens has Elliot Booth, Evan Watson, Harper, and Josh Lalik coming back in defensive secondary. They have Joe Neubecker handling the kicking duties. Depth is a big concern for Troy Athens. There are big question marks heading into the season for the Red Hawks.
WHY 7-2: The Red Hawks have a very favorable schedule. They have Macomb Area Conference foes Fraser and Utica Ford II which looks very winnable while several games are toss ups. They have Seaholm, Berkley, Fraser, Pontiac, and Troy on the road. Troy Athens has Utica Ford II, Royal Oak, North Farmington, and Farmington coming to Troy. If Cook can find his quarterback and build on program strength then there is no reason why the Red Hawks can be a player in the division and maybe the postseason.
FARMINGTON FALCONS
LAST SEASON RECORD: 4-5, 4-4 Blue. Didn’t make Postseason
POINTS SCORED: 208 (23.1 ppg), 202 Blue (25.2 ppg)
POINTS ALLOWED: 204 (22.6 ppg), 155 Blue (19.3 ppg)
STRENGTHS: Quarterback, Proven Linemen, Proven Experience especially on Defense
WEAKNESS: Wide Receivers, Depth
OFFENSE: Pistol
DEFENSE: 3-4
GAME OF THE YEAR: September 9th at Troy Athens
PLAYER TO WATCH: Michael Woods-Wide Receiver/Defensive Back
PROJECTED RECORD: 6-3, 1-3 Blue
STORYLINE: Can the Falcons replace some key players to keep the momentum going???
It was a tale of two seasons for Coach Jason Albrecht in his first season. The Falcons started 0-5 but closed the season out strong going 4-0. Despite the record Farmington scored more than they allowed last season. Albrecht’s program is on the rise.
OUTLOOK: The Falcons are in a very interesting spot this season. They have eight returning starters. "It's been great, we've had a really good offseason but the building was closed so we couldn't use our weight room so we got the best out of it like the dumbells, the sleds, medicine balls, tires, and everything like that" said Albrecht. Farmington has their quarterback in Dominic Peshi coming back. Peshi has really improved in the last four games from last season. He has Michael Woods along with Owen Madison coming back at wide receiver. Farmington lost Jacob Sanders to graduation but in talking to Albrecht on the podcast. He has two proven players that can play running back in Cam Pettaway and Keshawn Wilson coming back. One could play wide receiver while the other as their running back. The Falcons should be very talented on the offensive and defensive lines. They have a ton of proven linemen in Jacob Braswell, Steven Kreger, Gavin Miller, and Sammy Ramsey coming back. The Falcons linebackers and defensive secondary should be solid. They have Cooper Williams, Trenton Dardon, Pettaway, and Josh Walker at linebacker coming back at linebacker. Farmington has Cam Hughes, Aaron McCrea, and Madison in the defensive secondary coming back. The Falcons have a ton of proven experience especially on defense. This should be a team to watch for sure this season.
WHY 6-3: The schedule looks very manageable and interesting. Farmington has Ypsilanti Lincoln and Utica which should be wins. They have the Farmington Cup, Seaholm, and Pontiac at Falcon Field as well. The Falcons have Troy Athens, Royal Oak, Troy, and Ferndale on the road. "We want to engage early to see where we are at" Albrecht added. If things go right for Albrecht six wins and a trip to the postseason looks very possible.
Farmington Podcast:
https://soundcloud.com/user-539915961/oaa-now-07-11-22
TROY COLTS
LAST SEASON RECORD: 8-2, 7-1 Blue. Lost 33-0 to Chippewa Valley in First Round
POINTS SCORED: 152 (15.2 ppg), 138 Blue (17.2 ppg)
POINTS ALLOWED: 100 (10 ppg), 67 Blue (8.3 ppg)
STRENGTHS: Proven Wide Receivers, Kicking Game, Defensive Secondary.
WEAKNESS: Proven Linemen, Quarterback, Linebackers, Depth.
OFFENSE: Pistol
DEFENSE: Multiple
GAME OF THE YEAR: September 9th at North Farmington
PLAYER TO WATCH: Noah Oury- Quarterback
PROJECTED RECORD: 6-3, 2-2 Blue
STORYLINE: Will the Colts make the postseason again???
The Colts were a proven powerhouse in the 1990’s but they have really struggled as a program since 2000. They turned things around by winning eight games which was the most wins since 2016. Troy would enter week nine unbeaten but fell to Bloomfield Hills in the final week of the season which ended up costing them the Blue crown. The Colts were a postseason team but they were embarrassed on regional television falling 33-0 to Chippewa Valley at Don Colt Stadium last season. "We had a great senior class that led us to an 8-0 start but we ran into Bloomfield in week nine and they kind of took it to us and then we host a playoff game which is on cable TV. That experience that win at Berkley it was one of those seasons to remember and obviously in the playoffs Chippewa was better than us and we got beat. I got nothing bad to say about last year and good memories" said Frasier. The question for the Colts will be is can they make the postseason again this season???
OUTLOOK: The Colts have eight starters coming back from a program that won eight straight games for Coach Chris Frasier. Troy has to find a quarterback. Frasier said that there were two guys that were in the conversation to be the starting quarterback. According to outside sources it could be that Noah Oury would be the starting quarterback. "We got some young kids competing for it. As a high school coach every two or three years we have to replace the quarterback which is tough, someone will win it and take the first snaps, we'll see how it goes from there" Frasier added. Whoever the quarterback is will have Darius Whiteside coming back at wide receiver. The offensive and defensive lines should be very interesting. The Colts have Nick Hayden, Francisco Zavala, Adrian Officer, Marcus Boles, Nick Stromberg, Tim Weaks, Andrew Armin, CJ Black, Amman Khawaja, Tristian Ludeman, and Connor Miller coming back on the offensive and defensive lines. Troy has Nolan Block coming back at running back. Block had a great year at running back last season. The back end should be solid especially in the defensive secondary. The Colts have Darius Whiteside, Jalen Peacock and Nicholas Frienzen coming back in the defensive secondary. Troy has Ray Mazreku, Nicholas Given, along with Block coming back at linebacker. The kicking game should be solid with Zach Penoza handling the kicking duties. Troy has some talent coming back but can they sustain the success??? Program strength is another concern coming into the season for Frazier.
WHY 6-3: The schedule looks very interesting for the Colts. Troy has three really tough road games at Macomb L’Anse Creuse North, Detroit Mumford, and North Farmington to start the season. They have Ferndale and Farmington along with Troy Athens and Fraser coming to Don Colt Stadium. Seaholm and Royal Oak are tricky road games. "We want to compete in every game just like we did in the last couple of years" Frasier concluded. If they don’t win six games then their postseason hopes could take a major hit. Playoffs with the strength of schedule is very questionable right now.
No comments:
Post a Comment