Written Friday August 16th at 3:05 PM
ONTV News Story
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OoMLYqQF3g8
Podcasts
Tyler Kieft
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H5H0mhi6z1E
Scott Burnstein and Doug Corless
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qKw-ZcIj474&t=82s
Civic Center TV Interview
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X_K1oE4Eq3A
GOLD:
Preview Show
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XWxatAYBnN8
DIVISION RECAP/STORYLINES:
There are a ton of questions coming into this season in the Gold. Avondale won the division and was the only team to make the postseason from this division. Ferndale returns a boatload of experience but they do not have a ton of postseason experience. Pontiac is coming off a three win season, what will they do for an encore??? Berkley has a new coach and the Revenge Tour but can that turn the program around quickly. Royal Oak has a ton of questions heading into the season.
Who will the quarterback be at Avondale???
What will Royal Oak do in year two under Campbell???
What will Ferndale look like???
Can Berkley turn things around???
Can Pontiac become a postseason team???
COMBINED SCHEDULES WITH LAST SEASON'S RECORDS WITH THIS SEASON'S SCHEDULES:
Ferndale 52-40
Avondale 45-44
Pontiac 42-48
Royal Oak 41-45
Berkley 40-44
MANAGEABLE SCHEDULE: Berkley: It’s hard to believe but the Bears have a really manageable schedule this season facing teams that went 40-44 last season. They have a new coach along with a new field this season. Berkley has Walled Lake Central, Jackson Northwest, and Madison Heights Lamphere which seems very doable with the Rams being the toughest of the three non-conference games. They have Pontiac, Royal Oak, and Rochester coming to Hurley Field even though they have to go Auburn Hills and Ferndale which won’t be fun games. If Berkley wants to turn things around it starts with heading to Walled Lake week one. “It’s always tough to open the season on the road and what we were dealt with, we got to take it head on, we got to rebrand ourselves in the hole, this year we’re attacking the game plan whole, we know what they want to do, we want to over prepare, making sure we’re ready to go, that’s going to be a dog fight” said Coach Casey Humes on the podcast.
NIGHTMARE SCHEDULE: Ferndale: I know that Ferndale Coach Eric Royal wanted to play a tough non-conference schedule but this looks really tough this season. They are playing teams that went 52-40 last season. The Eagles have Madison Heights Lamphere to start the year then they head to Ron Holland Field the following week to play North Farmington. They have Southfield Arts and Tech, Utica Ford II, Avondale, and Berkley coming to the Eagles nest. Ferndale has Pontiac Notre Dame Prep, Pontiac, and Royal Oak on the road as well. It’s a tall task for the Eagles but they’ve been here before.
TEAM ON THE RISE: Avondale: The Yellow Jackets have been a team on the rise. Avondale has a tough schedule in Stoney Creek and Carleton Airport the last two weeks to close the season. They have Pontiac, Ferndale, and Seaholm on the road but those games seem to be manageable along with Cedar Springs, Macomb Lutheran North, Berkley, and Royal Oak coming to Dick Bye Field. “So when you’re at the dance and the lights start to come up and there’s not a whole lot of attractive women sitting there, beggars can’t be choosers, I’ve been around a long time, when your struggling everyone wants a spot in your dance card, when your good nobody wants to be with you, and that’s the byproducts of last season, that tells you to a degree that Avondale football has arrived that nobody wants to play, everybody wants the easy win especially as a Division Three football team and I pass you know, one, two, three, four, five when you’re in the three, four, or even five category it’s tough to get a game because you’re not bringing the (playoff) points based on your size for the ones and the twos so they don’t want to play you, the threes are looking for an easy win, they want somebody above them because it’s bigger playoff points, we’re not a playoff piñata for anybody unless their d-five, d-six, or d-seven” said Meyer. If Meyer wants to take the next step then he needs to win a district crown but that task might be tough if they have to play teams like Walled Lake Western, Mason, and Birmingham Brother Rice in Division Three.
TEAM THAT’S IN TROUBLE: Royal Oak: The Ravens seen some improvement after winning three games which included getting the Battle of Woodward sign last season. Royal Oak is facing teams that had a combined 41-48 last season this season. They had a tough 38-37 overtime loss to Troy Athens which cost them a trip to the postseason last season. The schedule looks really daunting with Oak Park, Livonia Clarenceville, Berkley, Avondale, and Clawson on the road. They have Groves, Pontiac, and Ferndale coming to the Ravens nest. That schedule spells trouble for Coach Colin Campbell and the Ravens especially with the competition they have to deal with this season.
AVONDALE YELLOW JACKETS:
LAST SEASON’S RECORD: 9-2, 4-0 Gold. Lost 50-22 to Walled Lake Western in Division Three District Finals.
POINTS SCORED: 332 (30.1 ppg.) 163 Gold (40.7 ppg.)
POINTS AGAINST: 189 (17.1 ppg.) 31 Gold (7.7 ppg.)
KEY PLAYER: Justin Greer-Sykes-Wide Receiver/Defensive Back.
STRENGTHS: Skill Players, Defense
CONCERNS: Quarterback, Program Strength
GAME OF THE YEAR: September 13 vs Macomb Lutheran North.
PROJECTED RECORD: 8-1. 4-0 Gold.
PLAYOFF TEAM: Yes.
The Yellow Jackets had a really great year in Coach Bob Meyer’s first season in Auburn Hills. They won the Gold and their first postseason game since 2012 winning 34-24 over Holly in the first round but had a really tough 50-22 loss to Walled Lake Western in the district finals. “It was a whirlwind tour, I was hired in March and we got right after it with the kids and us as a staff looked at the talent level of what we had and we felt what we had could do with them was a big change from what they’ve done in the past and it definitely took buy in from the kids and the kids without question, yes coach whatever you think it’s going to take to have for us to have a season of our dreams and that’s what got us going and it was a really good season, you know to come in and install a new offense, new defense, change the special teams perspective with kids that have had some success but was a senior dominant team it was a lot and it went very well. The goal was qualify for the playoffs, get a home playoff game and hopefully having a deep run in the playoffs so we achieved almost everything on there but the deep run didn’t materialize, we ran into an excellent Walled Lake Western program and that’s what we want to stride to become you know a team that is consistent year in and year out, achieving the goals we were talking about” Meyer said. It’s going to be a different that Meyer has to replace Tyler Herzog at quarterback after Herzog graduated. It will be very interesting to see who Meyer goes with at quarterback. Meyer mentioned that the quarterback battle is down to three guys. “We’ve had a good offseason, with seven on sevens, there has been development and progress, we got a senior, junior, and a sophomore all battling for it and they’ve all gotten better, we need to continue to improve, the weight isn’t going to be at that position so you might say that Coach Meyer wants to get 20 touchdowns out of whoever the next quarterback is which is not the case, the case I want is don’t turn the football over and that’s what impressed me about Tyler was zero interceptions, he protected the football and the strength of our team this year is going to be our defense so if we as an offensive unit can protect the football and be efficient between special teams and the defense, we’ll be in every game which is all we can hope for” Meyer said about the quarterback competition. Whoever the new quarterback is will have some proven playmakers in wide receiver and defensive backs Justin Greer-Sykes, Copper Voeffray, and Marquan Robinson coming back. “We have Cooper and Justin, they are three year starters” Meyer said about both players. Meyer changed this program from a spread offense into a Wing T offense which paid big time dividends for Avondale’s proven athletes. “Last year we were a senior dominant team as a head coach you win with seniors but your goal is to get the juniors as much playing time to the point at the end of the season due to the natural percentage of injuries and things like that you’re playing as much as the junior class as you are the senior class so I don’t feel like we’re reloading, we’re bringing kids back with a lot of experience and the thing that excites me the most is that we’ve got kids that have bought in like coach whatever it takes I want to be on the field, I never want to leave the field so if I’m playing a position that might not be as sexy and appealing to a lot of kids, I don’t care, I want to win, and I just want to play and in that regard I think we’re going to become a better football team this year than last” Meyer said. They also have Alijah Grigsby coming back at running back. Grigsby had a monster year on the ground in Meyer’s Wing T offense which was really run heavy. “We got a lot of high hopes for him” Meyer mentioned about Grigsby. They also have Justin Cooper as well at running back. The defense should be in line for another strong year to which Meyer called this unit the strength of the team. They have the three mentioned wide receivers in Greer-Sykes, Voeffray, and Robinson coming back in the defensive secondary. They have Bryce Thomas, Earl Arrington, Brandon McCaulay, and Cooper Manley coming back at linebacker. “They’re coming downhill, they’ve been really impressive this offseason and I think that we have a really athletic secondary with Justin, Cooper, and Anthony Burton, Jordan Bush, and Marquan Robinson worked really hard in the secondary so the secondary is going to be talented and aggressive. Brian Greene, they have experience and they know what they are doing so you know the defense is going to set the tone. The D-Line has returned, we got a couple of big boys in the middle there in Cam Washington and Raymond Clark, we’re not going to get pushed around, we got experience” Meyer said about his proven linemen. The offensive and defensive lines could be very interesting to watch this season. The Yellow Jackets have proven offensive and defensive lineman Charlie Killian, DeMarion Floy, Daniel Robertson, Raymond Clark and Cameron Washington coming back especially on the offensive line but Meyer is really high on Bryce Collins an incoming freshmen coming into the program. Collins was fifth in the Oakland County Middle School Track meet last spring and he has gotten a ton of praise from Meyer that he will be joining Killian and Washington on the offensive and defensive lines this season. “He’s a varsity player, he’s a starter, we’re going to get him out there because he’s someone special, we’re not going to waste anytime we have with him, he’s going to be on that field and he’s going to produce” Meyer said about Collins. Tim Paull handles the kicking duties. Meyer has envisioned program strength and has done a wonderful job putting program strength into the program. They have a strong pipeline with their sub varsity programs and Avondale Middle School. “Our Middle school program has come in line with us, we’ve made some really good strides so we’re excited about that, we are running 50 kids on the varsity on paper right now and on JV/freshmen are in the 30’s so our plan is to run a freshmen team for some of the season, not a nine week freshmen season probably more like a four game season and the rest of the games they’ll be rolled back in with the JV especially with the fifth quarter rule which allows us to do that so our goal ultimately will be run three full levels and we’re working in that direction but we’re not there yet for a full slate of games but things are going in the right direction, we’re growing” Meyer said. Avondale should be a team to watch despite questions at quarterback. “We’re going to be very athletic, last season is over, we’re not looking back” Meyer concluded. They should be in the mix again.
BEST CASE: The Yellow Jackets find a quarterback, the defense is stout and everyone stays healthy, a deep postseason run is very likely.
WORSE CASE: The Yellow Jackets don't find a quarterback, injuries mount, and the defense gets exposed that spells trouble.
Avondale Podcast (Second Segment)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0aSQVvOwPNc&t=3100s
FERNDALE EAGLES:
LAST SEASON’S RECORD: 4-5, 3-1 Gold. Didn’t make Postseason.
POINTS SCORED: 181 (20.1 ppg.) 108 Gold (27 ppg.)
POINTS AGAINST: 204 (22.6 ppg.) 59 Gold (14.7 ppg)
KEY PLAYER: Cullen Hock-Quarterback.
STRENGTHS: Quarterback, Skill Players, Proven Experience
CONCERNS: Depth, Program Strength
GAME OF THE YEAR: August 29 vs Madison Heights Lamphere.
PROJECTED RECORD: 7-2. 3-1 Gold.
PLAYOFF TEAM: Yes.
It was a really disappointing year for Coach Eric Royal and the Eagles which seen them get off to a really rough start despite the league record, the non-conference losses were the difference in them missing out on the postseason. The defense was the problem for Royal despite being very young last season. Ferndale will look to turn things around and get back to the postseason this season. The Eagles have quarterback Cullen Hock coming back. Hock was up and down in his first year as a full time starter last season. Hock has proven pass catchers in El’Yonate London, Khamarey Thomas, Antonio Jones, and Jaden Mills at wide receiver along with running back Dakari Smith coming back. The offensive and defensive lines will be key for Ferndale this season. They have DeAndre Miller, Kadynce Williams, Jeremiah Jones, Tyler Boyd, Dereon Sturkey, and Randy Royal coming back on offensive and defensive lines. The back end of the defense should be much improved for Royal. They have Bryce Ferguson and Leonard Hines at linebacker while Darnell Lee and Gary Maxwell are in the defensive secondary coming back. "We got a lot of experience, we got 23 seniors with 11 on both sides of the ball" Royal said. They will have a new offensive coordinator this season as Mike LeGrow left Ferndale to become the offensive coordinator at Bay City John Glenn this offseason. "The terminology will be the same but I'll be calling the plays" Royal mentioned he's taking over the play calling this season. Program strength is another serious concern for Royal heading into the season despite having the Co-Op between Ferndale and Ferndale University. "We want to win the Gold" Royal concluded. Despite the concerns the Eagles could be one of those teams that makes a big jump with their proven experience this season.
BEST CASE: The Eagles make the postseason and give their very large senior class a chance to make some noise.
WORSE CASE: Injuries mount and the Eagles miss the postseason then the what if's begin.
BERKLEY BEARS:
LAST SEASON’S RECORD: 0-9, 0-4 Gold. Didn’t make Postseason.
POINTS SCORED: 46 (5.1 ppg.) 36 Gold (9 ppg.)
POINTS AGAINST: 382 (42.1 ppg.) 167 Gold (41.7 ppg.)
KEY PLAYER: Ben Bullock-Linebacker.
STRENGTHS: Quarterback, Rushing Attack
CONCERNS: Mental Mindset, Wide Receivers, Defense, Depth
GAME OF THE YEAR: September 6 at Troy Athens.
PROJECTED RECORD: 5-4. 2-2 Gold.
PLAYOFF TEAM: No.
Something has been a miss in Berkley. The Bears have not been the same program in the last two years. Berkley is 2-16 since 2022 which is something new Coach Casey Humes has to fix if they want to get back to the program when they went 12-6 with two postseason appearances in 2020 and 2021. “I think for the last two years we’ve been kind of dealing with the residuals of COVID, we had a large population of players before COVID and then after COVID we still had a core group of players, a nice group of kids but we did still lose a lot of kids and in the years following COVID just kind of finding that stability amongst the players and continuity amongst the players and just being focused on doing things and doing things the right way kind of got away a little bit from us and that kind of reflected a little bit on the field” said Humes. Berkley was just awful on both sides of the football last season which is something Humes wants to correct and attack hard this season. “The transition has been pretty solid, we did go in a different direction to get all new coaches, we didn’t retain any coaches from the previous regime getting the new guys in and getting them acclimated with the players has been a good transition for us, we’ve had a very strong weight room this offseason and that followed right into the spring season lifting and doing some light conditioning and now we’re into the summer and getting to these seven on sevens and we’re getting to install some of our passing game and the basic of our run game as well” Humes added. Humes who played at Berkley and was on then Coach Sean Shields staff last season has put an emphasis on holding his players accountable especially from the last two years where commitment and showing up was a big issue. “I think the players have done a lot of offseason work outside the school which is something a lot of our players were doing in previous years but we’ve also raised the standard here and we’ve decided to up the standard and kind of hold these guys to a completely different norm than what they’re used too so in that you’ll have some people who are that are slower to react but I think for the most part I think the guys have kind of hit the ground running, taking those challenges head on, kind of answer the call” Humes said. He mentioned that they will play to the strengths of his team which is running the football and being efficient on offense along with installing a four-two-five look on defense. They have Connor Bushey who is projected to be the starter at quarterback. Bushey played a ton on defense and could be asked to play on defense again this season but they also have a backup in Noah Lambertson who could also see time at wide receiver if need be. “Connor has been working himself with his quarterback coaches over the winter and getting in the weight room with us and to keep his physique right, making sure he’s got the reads, he’s studying coverages and fronts and making sure he’s mentally prepared for what he’s going to see this season, his first year as the varsity quarterback and with that we are bringing our backup quarterback (Lambertson) up to speed as well, he wasn’t fortunate enough to have any offseason quarterback coaching but with the coaches on staff, we’ll be able to bring him up to speed and I think he’ll be a very good compliment to what we have in our guy in Connor Bushey” Humes said. They have Caleb Collins, Parker Hadfield, Collin Richardson, Jack Rittenbury, and Anthony Anderson coming back on the offensive and defensive lines. Collins, Hadfield, and Richardson have been on varsity since they were sophomores. “Having those guys get put into the fire early has solidified these guys to take on a bigger role and kind of be extra pieces on the offensive line to get us moving and do what we want to do up front” Humes said about his offensive and defensive linemen and also Rittenbury and Anderson. They have Blake Bridges, William Allen, Eli Khoury, and Lucas Schween in the defensive secondary coming back. Humes made mention that Khoury could see some time at linebacker alongside side Ben Bullock and Kyle Gabriel coming back at linebacker as well. Blake Bridges handles the kicking duties. Program strength looks to be coming back for Humes. “It’s going good right now we our JV is about 37-38 kids in the summer so I anticipate we’ll get more and then that may open the door for us to host our own freshmen team this year, I know our middle school program is growing, I think 28 kids from our middle school program is coming over to the high school and will be playing at the high school all the way down to the Steelers (Berkley Steelers), we’ve had a fairly small Steelers class this past year but I know that the Bears being involved with the Steelers at the youth level, our numbers will continue to grow, that was also another reason why I wanted be here at Berkley is because the community is behind the football team from the high school down to the middle school and down to the Steelers and that was something that this program is very unique where they have a youth team that feeds into the high school and they have a middle school team that can feed into the high school and to have those guys on the same page and you know understanding and reaching toward the same goals it speaks to the program integrity as a whole that we’re setting ourselves up that can have continued success because we are constantly getting bigger and adding more and more pieces to the puzzle” said Humes. The numbers are looking really good with 82 kids in the program but Humes expects more once they get into August. Berkley looks like a much different team heading into the season as what they are calling a “Revenge Tour.” “We’re not taking nothing off, we know what the expectation is at Berkley and what people think you know that we won’t be able to recover but we’re here to let people know, we’re back on the horse and we coming for business” Humes concluded.
BEST CASE: The Bears complete the Revenge Tour, win over Royal Oak, and somehow make the postseason in Humes first season.
WORSE CASE: The Bears struggle throughout the season to find consistency and the rebuild is longer than anticipated.
Berkley Podcast (First Segment)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ChMHD9tjnI
ROYAL OAK RAVENS:
LAST SEASON’S RECORD: 3-6, 2-2 Gold. Didn’t make Postseason
POINTS SCORED: 142 (15.7 ppg.) 91 Gold (22.7 ppg.)
POINTS AGAINST: 209 (23.2 ppg.) 89 Gold (22.5 ppg.)
KEY PLAYER: Julien Burns-Wide Receiver/Defensive Back.
STRENGTHS: Wide Receivers, Defensive Secondary
CONCERNS: Both Lines, Rushing Attack
GAME OF THE YEAR: September 20 at Livonia Clarenceville.
PROJECTED RECORD: 3-6. 1-3 Gold.
PLAYOFF TEAM: No.
The Ravens seen some improvement despite the record especially on the defensive side of the football but this is still a run heavy first team on the offensive side of the football. Royal Oak had some really tough losses (38-37 overtime loss to Troy Athens) but they got the Battle of Woodward street sign after a blowout 37-0 win over arch rival Berkley which ended up being their best win last season. The Ravens will look to keep making strides after going 9-34 since 2019 for Coach Colin Campbell. Campbell has the majority of his players when they were in junior varsity when they went 7-2 under Campbell. "We've had a really good offseason, were excited with what we're building, they are buying into our process" said Campbell. Royal Oak has a proven play maker in Julien Burns coming back. Burns is very versatile for Campbell. He could play some quarterback but was listed as a wide receiver and could also play in the defensive secondary. Campbell has Peyden Morrison coming back at quarterback. Morrison should be heavily relied upon after they graduated their quarterbacks last season. Morrison will have Andrew Wattleworth, Blaze Jefferies, and Blake Machiniak coming back at wide receiver for Campbell. Wattleworth is expected to be in the defensive secondary along with Jefferies who is also expected to be on special teams. The rushing attack is a serious question mark for Campbell especially after losing the majority of their production last season. The offensive and defensive lines should be really interesting. They have Corey Johnson and Dakota Kelly on both sides of the football coming back. Royal Oak has Devin Mills, Morrison, and Frank Minnick coming back at linebacker for Campbell. Program strength is very interesting and concerning for Campbell. There is Royal Oak Middle School and the Royal Oak Titans youth program that feeds into the program. "Our expectation is to compete, we want to prove that this is different" Campbell concluded. The stats weren’t pretty at times for the Ravens last season. You could tell the tide is starting to turn a little bit for Campbell and Royal Oak.
BEST CASE: The Ravens find balance and develop a rushing attack and the defense also develops into a force.
WORSE CASE: The Ravens take a step back if certain position groups don't develop and the competition is too much for them.
PONTIAC PHOENIX:
LAST SEASON’S RECORD: 3-6, 1-3 Gold. Didn’t make Postseason
POINTS SCORED: 192 (21.3 ppg.) 67 Gold (16.7 ppg.)
POINTS AGAINST: 324 (36 ppg.) 119 Gold (29.7 ppg.)
KEY PLAYER: Kayne Donaldson-Quarterback.
STRENGTHS: Quarterback
CONCERNS: Depth
GAME OF THE YEAR: September 13 at Berkley.
PROJECTED RECORD: 3-6. 0-4 Gold.
PLAYOFF TEAM: No.
The Phoenix seen a major improvement last season for Coach Wendell Jefferson winning three games after going 5-97 since 2011. Things turned around for the program since winning 52-22 at Madison Heights Bishop Foley last season. “We didn’t know what was going to happen, we put in a lot of hard work and we did the best we could to prepare these guys for the season, it just happened for us that first game, all the hard work paid off and the guys performed well, we got a couple of key performances from our veterans, our key guys that really propelled us to the win. I think it was an energy that these guys fed off of each other and led us to victory on that day. We continued that streak and won two more games, we continued to play hard and play well together and then as the season went on we kind of reverted to a few bad habits but we also went up against some really good competition so overall I’m really pleased with what we accomplished and we always, always want to accomplish more, I’m not going to be satisfied until we have an undefeated season or at least until we win a championship but the season went as good as we expected to where we were coming from” Jefferson said. Jefferson will look on taking the next step at Pontiac which is getting this program into the postseason for the first time since 2011 but Jefferson said that he wants to take things one at a time. The Phoenix have some proven experience in quarterback Kayne Donaldson coming back. Donaldson has been really good in the last two years and has been their most consistent athlete. “Kayne has been developing as a player but he’s been developing as a leader, I don’t know if it’s the realization that it’s his last season but his leadership has stepped up leaps and bounds, I think he’s more comfortable with me as his head coach and understanding what I want and what I expect out of him and he’s stepped up to the plate on that. He’s looking really good, he’s been in the weight room as has the other guys, we have a new weight room, I’m thankful for that and these guys been utilizing it and none more than Kayne, I’m looking for a big season from him” Jefferson said of his quarterback. The offense has a set of brothers in Faheim and Fa’Marzay Jeffery coming back at wide receiver. “They’ve both been working really hard, been in the weight room. Faheim is skinny but he’s been working and has a lot of speed and their hands have improved, they’ve been putting a lot of work so I’m looking forward to Kayne utilizing both of them this season. The defense has improved despite the numbers being where they are. Pontiac has Mario Rocha, Deshawn Johnson, and DeAndre Johnson at linebacker coming back along with Bryce Brown, Terrell Chapman, Uwakonye Onyebuchi, Dallas Coleman, and Marcus McCray coming back on the offensive and defensive lines. Jefferson mentioned that they are transitioning Brown to become a linebacker. Depth remains an issue for the Phoenix but having the type of year last season is a start. “We have quite a few basketball players who are joining us this season so you know what type of athletes they are but as always you like to have 50-60 guys out there but we’re more like 25 to 30 which is more than what we had last year at this time last year” Jefferson mentioned. Program strength in the middle school levels have been improving with Pontiac Middle School next door. It will be very important for Jefferson to keep this program heading in the right direction.
BEST CASE: If the Phoenix can stay healthy and keep growing as a program then success will come sooner than later.
WORSE CASE: The Phoenix don't stay healthy and the injuries pile up then depth becomes a serious issue.
Pontiac Podcast (First Segment)
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