Written Wednesday August 20th at 10:25 PM
ONTV News Media Day:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vWzOpeZgLQg
OAA Now Football Podcast:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PpjDfF-Rjpo
Civic Center TV Interview:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zDCOEkZGzfY
AROUND THE OAA STATS FROM LAST SEASON (Top Five on points per game):
TOP OFFENSE:
1. Groves 35.4 ppg (461)
2. Harper Woods 33.7 ppg (431)
3. West Bloomfield 31 ppg (341)
4. Clarkston 27.2 ppg (300)
5. Avondale 26.3 ppg (290)
WORST DEFENSE:
1. Bloomfield Hills 33.8 ppg (305)
2. Pontiac 32.5 ppg (293)
3. Southfield Arts and Tech 31.3 ppg (282)
4. Royal Oak 25.4 ppg (229)
5. Berkley 25 ppg (225)
BEST DEFENSE:
1. Groves 10.6 ppg (138)
2. Adams 14.3 ppg (187)
3. Avondale 15.9 ppg (175)
4. Clarkston 16.8 ppg (185)
5. Harper Woods 17.8 ppg (232)
WORST OFFENSE:
1. Pontiac 7.1 ppg (64)
2. Bloomfield Hills 10.3 ppg (93)
3. Berkley 11.2 ppg (101)
4. Royal Oak 12.7 ppg (115)
5. Southfield Arts and Tech 13.7 ppg (124)
RED DIVISION OVERALL STATS
OFFENSE
1. West Bloomfield 31 ppg (341)
2. Clarkston 27.2 ppg (300)
3. Adams 25.6 ppg (334)
4. Lake Orion 25.2 ppg (252)
5. Oxford 22.8 ppg (251)
DEFENSE
1. Adams 14.3 ppg (187)
2. Clarkston 16.8 ppg (185)
3. Oxford 18.1 ppg (200)
4. Lake Orion 18.2 ppg (182)
5. West Bloomfield 24.6 ppg (271)
COACHES POLL
Clarkston (4)
Lake Orion
West Bloomfield
Adams
Oxford
Red Division Preview Show:
Will Be Released Soon.
DIVISION RECAPS/STORYLINES:
In
what is dubbed the toughest division in the State, the Red delivered with all five teams in the division making the postseason with
Oxford winning the division crown last season but at least everyone in this division has at least won it st least once. The strange stat is the Red division winner has lost in the district finals the last two
years. Adams went the furthest in the division making it to the Division One State Semifinals and
has had multiple years of having deep postseason runs. It wouldn't surprise anyone if
all five teams make the postseason again this season. These are some
storylines to watch for.
Clarkston: The defense will be the story
to watch despite being the fourth best in the OAA last season, 69 of the 185 points allowed was against Adams. The Wolves lost both games to the Highlanders by a combined 69-10 last season. Clarkston has the offense to compete
with anyone despite the uniform changes which I wasn't a fan of
personally. The Wolves will ride their star twins along with a proven quarterback. If Clarkston wants to have a deep postseason run it's not the offense they
need to shore up, it's the defense that they need to improve on despite the optimism from their coaching staff and players there are some doubts.
Adams: The Highlanders have the balk of their team
along with a returning Ryland Watters coming back. Depth, running back, and both lines are question marks for Adams. The Highlanders depth
will be the story to watch going forward.
Lake
Orion: The mindset will be the story when talking about the Dragons.
There was something off with this team last season when it came to
overconfidence and entitlement. If Lake Orion can change these two
things and become more humble, driven, and hungry better results will
come for this team.
Oxford: It was a special year for the Wildcats
last season but they have a completely new team and a new coach. Oxford
does have their quarterback coming back along with a few proven pass
catchers. It will be how everyone gels will tell what the Wildcats will
have this season.
West Bloomfield: The Lakers made the postseason
despite a losing record. There are questions with it comes to program
strength. Also chemistry will be something to watch with West
Bloomfield. Both lines will be really interesting to watch as well.
There are a lot of questions with the Lakers this season.
TOP FIVE GAMES:
1.
Adams at Clarkston: Highlanders got the best of the Wolves twice
outscoring them 69-10 in the two meetings played last season.
2. Oxford at Lake Orion: Dragons have had the Wildcats number but Oxford has the Double O Trophy heading south.
3. West Bloomfield at Lake Orion: Dragons and Lakers seem to play shootout games, this season could be one again.
4.
Lake Orion at Clarkston: Dragons and Wolves have split the last two
years, Lake Orion won the regular season but Clarkston in the playoffs.
It wouldn't surprise anyone if these two meet again twice.
5. Adams at West Bloomfield: Highlanders and Lakers have had some classics over the years, don't expect anything different.
COMBINED RECORDS WITH LAST SEASON'S SCHEDULES (NON LEAGUE):
Clarkston: 38-18
Lake Orion: 26-23 (29-20 Saline's forfeits)
Adams: 24-25
West Bloomfield: 27-24
Oxford: 35-19
Easiest
Schedule: Clarkston: Everyone in the Red has a tough schedule when they
have to beat each other up but looking at the non conference slate the
Wolves schedule looks the rosiest out of the five teams in the Red. Clarkston has Adams, Harper Woods,
Lake Orion, Farmington, and Utica Eisenhower coming to the Wolves Den.
They have tricky games against Oxford and West Bloomfield on the road.
The non conference slate features a very interesting matchup with Belleville at Wayne
State and Troy who could be in for a long season. Looking at this
schedule more than six wins is highly likely.
Nightmare
Schedule: Lake Orion: The Dragons have been used to playing a really tough schedule as of late. The schedule got Lake Orion into the playoffs in 2022 getting just enough points to make the field. The Dragons schedule is challenging with Northville at Wayne State to start. They have Stoney Creek, Oxford, West Bloomfield, and Oak Park coming to Dragon Stadium. Lake Orion has to go to Rochester, Adams, Clarkston, and Saline which are going to be really tough games. "Our league is really tough but we always say this if we can compete in our league, our goal is to win the OAA Red, I steal that from Bo Schembeckler, his goal every year is to win the Big Ten, our goal every year is to win the OAA Red because if we can win the Red, we know that we're playing good football and it's going to set us up for a good playoff run, district championships, regional championships, and onward so lets win the Red, that's goal number one" said Coach Chris Bell on the Lake Orion Football Preview Show. There is no days off with this schedule.
Team that's in Trouble: West Bloomfield: Tyler Kieft at
Civic Center Television is going to hate me for this but looking at the
Lakers schedule it's daunting. West Bloomfield should be 2-0 heading
into their showdown with Adams but the rest of the schedule is scary.
The Lakers have to go to Oxford and Lake Orion while Clarkston and Adams
come to the Swamp. The non conference is not that rosy either with a
new look Dearborn Fordson and what should be an improved Southfield Arts and Tech
squad coming to the Swamp. They have rival Bloomfield Hills and Roseville in the final two weeks
of the season with the Panthers game in the Swamp. Laker fans want to get back at the Panthers after falling to Roseville 49-48 in Macomb County last
season. "The schedule is always tough, it's not unique to us, or anybody in the OAA Red who we play in the league or the crossovers and what not and we thought we competed with a lot of teams but we didn't come out in the right end and unfortunately you know like this is a results business, we all deeply care about the process becoming better people, better players and better individuals but we want those results just like anyone else does so our main focus is competing but also ending up on the other side of those" said Coach Zach Hilbers on Media Day. There could be a ton of nerves in Laker land this season.
ADAMS HIGHLANDERS:
LAST
SEASON: 10-3, 2-2 Red. Lost 27-7 to Hudsonville in Division One state
semifinals. 334 points scored (25.6 ppg,) 187 points allowed (14.3 ppg.)
MAKE OR BREAK: September 19th at Clarkston
STRENGTHS: Quarterback, Proven Receivers, Linebackers.
CONCERNS: Both Lines, Rushing Attack, Depth.
PLAYER ON THE SPOT: Nolan Farris- Quarterback/Wide Receiver/Linebacker
BOLD PREDICTION: Ryland Watters has 20 rushing touchdowns this season.
PROJECTED RECORD: 9-0, 4-0 Red. PLAYOFFS YES
INSIGHT:
The Highlanders had a year where they overcame a ton of adversity with
injuries and tough losses which was really similar to the movie "Return of the Titans." They returned to the Division One State
Semifinals after having a season no one expected and their team explains
a lot heading into this season there theme is "Privilege of Pressure."
Adams lost quarterback Ryland Watters to an leg injury in their loss to
Lake Orion and went on a two game losing streak after losing to Oxford
but behind Nolan Farris they bounced back and went on a deep run beating
Stoney Creek, Clarkston, and Grand Blanc making it to the Division One
State Semifinals before falling 27-7 to Hudsonville. "Rhino (Ryland Watters) got hurt against Lake Orion in the second quarter and we're just figuring it out a little bit and Nolan Farris was his backup, he was a junior last year and the entire team rallied around him and what changed for us as the season progressed the belief system and the selflessness, a bunch of guys change positions because of injuries and the kids really bought in and in high school football when you have chemistry and selflessness, you can accomplish a lot, so it was a great team effort, it was kind of an uncommon focus for a high school team and we made it to the semis" said Coach Tony Patritto. Patritto brought the veer offense into the OAA in 2003 which included a Division Two State
Championship in his first season in Rochester and has continued ever since. "It started way back in
the late 80's when I was coaching at U-D Jesuit, I coached a guy name
Ron Rice who went to Eastern (Michigan) and played for the Detroit
Lions, he was a sophomore quarterback, he was 15 years old and we were
playing in the Central division of the Catholic League at that time so
Catholic Central, DeLaSalle, Brother Rice, St. Marys so we didn't have a
lot of linemen so what gave us an opportunity to get us some first
downs and move the ball and keep possession against those great teams
was running triple (option) so that's where it all started. I learned
most of it from Tony Annese who is now the head coach at Ferris State
University and his brother coached many years for me and that's where I
learned most of the fundamentals you know I studied the academies (Army,
Navy, Air Force) and everyone who does their own little wrinkle on it,
and when I went to Bishop Foley (Madison Heights) before I came to Adams
(2002) we were in the same boat, you know we had a 22 man varsity
roster playing DeLaSalle, Brother Rice, St. Marys, and those schools,
DePorres back in the day and for us to be successful we had to double at
the point of attack, read somebody and that we were only having to
block 10 guys instead of 11 so that is the premise. Clearly what we do
now is much more diversified with the spread option, we're still running
elements of triple that people have to prepare for but with people
loading the box, we can do some other things now" said Patritto on last
season's podcast. Adams has a ton of lofty goals and expectations heading into this season but Patritto likes to keep his team more of the hunters role than the hunted. "We talk about this for a long time, the rat poison of entitlement, nobody cares that we went to the semis in fact people are annoyed by it, the people we play don't want to read about it, they hate us in many ways and I know they want to end us, we talk about all the time and if you have a sense of entitlement, there is no carryover in high school football it doesn't help you and often at times it's a hindrance to success if you were good the previous year so we know if we're not at our best, we're not going to win." Patritto added. Academics is another important element to the Highlanders success. "It's about the overall development of these young men, I kind of say what I think, people talk about this new generation of kids, how they're different, they're not, parents are different. Kids want to be disciplined, they want to be coached, they want to be challenged and they want to be great, you got to give them that opportunity and that means not only on the football field but also in the classroom and also in terms of character and how do you talk to girls, how do you talk at parties, how are you acting in society because that's what defines you is how you act and who you are and where you are at that time so for us it's a huge priority, Adams has a competitive academic environment across the board for all of our students so that's kind of the innate of the culture of our building and building our leadership, it starts with our principal and it works down to our teachers and I'm proud of that whole process" Patritto said about the culture of Adams.
Adams loves to play with a chip on their shoulder which was proven last season and it's something that Patritto looks for with this Highlanders team. "They wanted to prove to everyone that they belonged where they were, when your playing with a chip on your shoulder like that and your trying to earn the respect of your opponent you're going to really excel and I think especially against Clarkston that was the case because they've had our number in the playoffs, so we were pretty motivated" said Patritto. It's going to be different for Adams for offensive coordinator Mark Patritto who Tony
gives credit to for helping him call the offense even though he's called the offense for a long time but handed off play calling to his son Mark. "I have to give credit
to my son Mark who's helping me call the offense now and helping me
kind of expand my thought process on the offensive side" Patritto added from last year's podcast. Patritto made more mentions about his son Mark on what he means to this program. "I trust Mark, he puts in the time in, he puts the studies and he does a great job morphing what we do to match the strength of our personnel, he had to completely change our mindset and our scheme after the Lake Orion game because we didn't have Rhino anymore, we had a different style of quarterback and that's hard to do when your the head coach, I'm a little more stubborn, I don't know if I would have done as good of a job so I'm excited for what he's done, we've worked as a staff to fix some of our problems, I know there were some things that we had to repair especially in special teams and situational football, specially we didn't do a good job in some of these areas, Mark is very critical of himself and I have absolute faith that he's going to get the most out of our guys offensively and I'm hoping we're going to be tough to stop." Patritto said. Adams has the skill players along with a strong senior class to make a deep postseason run. Watters comes back from injury at quarterback along with
Farris likely moving back to wide receiver will help but there are
question marks at running back after losing Matteo Humbert to
graduation. Watters has a proven arm as a lefty along with his running
ability where he had over 600 yards rushing and 10 touchdowns from the
ground before the injury last season but this could be more balanced
than in years past which is scary and this was the fifth best offense in
the OAA last season."I have such respect for him because when he got hurt you know a lot of guys they kind of sorry for themselves and go into the tank, that dude invested in being a signal for us on offense, he made an investment in helping Nolan prepare for games and he was mentally involved in the long run for him to not play for a great athlete like him to not play, it's frustrating so he's very motivated by that and I think that his physical gifts of being 6.3, 225 and his desire to be a great teammate make him a special player, we have so much faith in Nolan and his backup Brady Lindstrom who's
going to be a junior, we feel comfortable playing Rhino on defense (linebacker,) he's going to lead us to success" Patritto said about the Ferris State commit. They lost Lachlan Tillotson to graduation which is
a huge loss on both sides of the football it's possible that Adams
could use Cam DaWood at running back but there are others who could be there as well. "For us to be successful there's got to be balance, we can't know that this guy is going to get the ball, because they are going to take that guy away, last year we had Matteo Humbert who was a three year fullback, he was a 1300 yard rusher and is playing at Northwood, he was a great player, he was a great after contact runner, one of the stronger guys in the conference, there is other guys that carried the ball down the stretch, Cam Dawood was a really important player in both the run and the pass game last year, he ended up being our top receiver by the end of the year, he had more yards and receptions than Tillotson did so he's back, we're excited for him. There is a whole laundry list of guys that will pick up the slack but for us to be really good and for Adams to be at our best we got to have balance so people can't load up the box against a particular person" Patritto said of Dawood and his rushing attack. Watters will have proven pass
catchers in Connor Helferich, Jessie Geoddes, TasRay Copeland, Farris, and Dawood coming back. Patritto credited Farris for what he did last season and is a big part of their team. He feels confident if have too move Watters to play defense full time even though not likely but he has confidence in Farris and the third string quarterback Brady Lindstrom. "Nolan is an amazing young man and when you talk to people about the team concept, it's hard being a backup and a great athlete, your just playing behind a great player. Josh Renall who played for us in 2007 spoke to our team during our camp and he was out west at Stanford and Steve Young (former San Fransisco 49ers quarterback) spoke about playing behind Joe Montana, he had kind of a victims mentality for a while and then he ended up figuring out, I need to be the best backup I can be so we can learn from that I think as coaches and as players that you never know when your number is going to be called. I think what Nolan did was an example of the ultimate team concept which what we emphasize at Adams, I think he's going to have a lot of fun this year whether it's playing quarterback in certain situations or in the slot (wide receiver) or if he's playing outside backer, he's an important part of our future." Patritto said of Farris. The lines are big concerns with not a lot of size
but for Patritto despite having Henry Little and Noah Reynolds coming
back. "That's the situation we got to figure out, Rowan Kawa and Liam Kenya were experienced guys, Rowan was one of the better linemen in the State playing right tackle for us and we had a senior who never started a game for us in Michael Konjarky and James Tsamadis both undersized guys, neither of them weighed under 200 pounds, and they were really good and they communicated and did their job with a lot of success, Henry Little is the only starter we have coming back so those other guys on our roster have to be ready to elevate and communicate, know their job and play the Adams way, even though they aren't the biggest guys in the world but they know they are blocking some of the best defensive linemen the State has to offer so they got to be really good with their technique, so I'm not sure who those guys are going to be yet, there are some guys battling, we got some good dudes, we just got to find the top five or six that's got to help us win." Patritto said. He mentioned Drew Shapner who could be a player to watch on both sides of the football. The defense could be a concern for Patritto and defensive
coordinator Mike McFarland despite finishing with the second best
defense in the OAA allowing 14.3 points per game last season. "That's
where it begins and ends you know it's like Mark McFarland he's the best
defensive coordinator around, not offending anyone else but if you look
at what he's done with us at Adams over the last 22 years, you know
really we do not have a competitive defense, he puts our guys in the
best position to be successful, we've obviously changed a little bit
over the years from a little over under 4-3 to more of an Oki front but
one thing I always trust Coach McFarland with complete autonomy is to
give our kids the best chance to get our defense off the field and our
offense back onto the field" Patritto said about his defensive
coordinator. The linebackers should be the strength for McFarland's
defense with Watters, Farris, along with Matt Toeppner, and Dominic
Backari coming back. "We have Matt Toeppner, he's a linebacker, he's really good on the edge both as a runner, as a receiver and as a mesh fullback." Patritto added about Toeppner. The defensive secondary is a concern despite having Dawood, Geoddes, Copeland, Helferich, and Landon Grenier coming back. "We have our leading tackler in Dominic Backari coming back, he was one of our linebackers, when your captain of the defense is coming back that helps. We have Drew Sismansky starting at defensive end and I'm really excited to have him back for another year. There are some great pieces but when you have a great senior class and you lose guys like Liam Kenya, Tommy Offer, and Paxton Battershall and Matteo Humbert and those guys, it's hard, it's kind of a morning period when those guys you trusted aren't there and really defense is about trust and I'm hoping we build and galvanize around our returning starters and younger guys that have to come up and play and be trusted are going to be those guys." Patritto said. Flip Watters could
be a name to watch in the future of Adams football. Watters is a very talented baseball player but Patritto doesn't know where to play him at yet. Patritto mentioned the theme POP which "Pride of Pressure" crediting Rochester time keeper Mike Williams "He's a close friend of mine, he played at Albion, we talked philosophy and talk about excellence and about commitment for young people and he sent me something which made complete sense because of where we are and what kind of season we're coming off of, I'm not going to hide from the fact that people think we're going to be good but it doesn't mean we are, so that happens kind of organically each year sometimes it hits me, sometimes a TV show, sometimes it's a movie. Like over the last 35 years I come up with these motto's it's kind of like God's will it kind of dawns on me and we go with it and it's up to the kids to fulfill it" Patritto said about the mantra of the program.
Program
strength looks to be solid for Patritto especially with the Rochester
Raiders youth program which spreads kids among the Rochester School
District (Adams, Rochester, and Stoney Creek.) They get kids from West
Middle School where they share kids with Rochester while Van Hoosen
Middle School feeds kids into Adams since they are next door to one
another. "We get kids from two different middle schools (West and Van
Hoosen) and our local club team (Rochester Raiders formerly the
Rochester Redskins) I've never paid attention to anybody in the middle
school so I have no idea what they are doing when they show up as
freshman I coach them" Patritto said on last season's podcast. When talking to Patritto he still doesn't pay too much attention to the youth and middle school programs but when talking about his freshman he notices that ninth grade teams have a really difficult time preparing for the veer because they haven't seen it before. "Our freshmen was 8-1 (loss to Stoney Creek), their quarterback got hurt by the third game so that's a really good job by the staff and those kids because freshman football in the OAA Red is no joke, Our JV was 7-2 and we taken a couple of the better sophomores up to varsity so that staff did a great job. I'm proud that those kids showed up and grind all summer with us when we did volunteer workouts, we averaged 100 kids a day coming every single day to learn and how we do things and I hope it pays off, the hard thing is we run triple (veer) and for younger kids that's a hard offense to execute and when they do it well it's hard for freshman teams and JV teams to defense but they need experience of struggling before they get to us if we're going to have a chance to be successful. I feel really good of our low level coaches because we've had the same guys forever, that kind of continuity gives you a chance of being good, I'm blessed to have the same 12 guys coaching at all three levels as 2003 when I started and there is not a lot of high school programs that can brag, why are we successful, it's the staff we have and the focus they put into the players that makes us competitive, they are blindly loyal not in it for themselves. It's hard to find assistant coaches so I feel really lucky in that area" Patritto said. Things
are looking rosy for the Highlanders but they have some issues to address before the season starts but Patritto believes that nothing should bother his program when it comes to current time and the preseason polls, they don't matter to him. "I just hope we're competitive enough to get in" Patritto concluded.
BEST CASE: The Highlanders
don't miss a beat and they can play any fashion of football and come
back if the deficit is 21 points or less. Watters stays healthy and has a
monster season. The lines grow and stay healthy while Dawood and Copeland have big
receiving seasons while Farris can be used anywhere. They find a proven
running back to go along with depth. Adams could be a State title
contender.
WORST CASE: Injuries especially to Watters again and
Farris at the same time would be devastating. The veer struggles and
they are trailing by more than 21 points in each game. The lines
struggle and they don't have a clear cut running back in the veer
offense. The defense is on the field way too long and struggles. Also
postseason dreams could be in jeopardy if this scenario pans out.
SAMMY OUTLOOK: The Highlanders despite concerns on the lines and running back could be in line for a strong season especially with Ryland Watters coming back. They are better prepared if Watters gets hurt. Adams if they can get the depth and their issues in order, there is no reason why they should be in the division conversation and if Watters is healthy, then look out.
Adams Podcast (August 4th-Third Segment)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qs36c7R5gMU
Adams Podcast from last season
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nlbXDIDaYi8
CLARKSTON WOLVES:
LAST
SEASON: 7-4, 2-2 Red. Lost 41-0 to Adams in Division One district
finals. 300 points scored (27.2 ppg,) 185 points allowed (16.8 ppg.)
MAKE OR BREAK: September 5th vs Harper Woods
STRENGTHS: Skill Positions.
CONCERNS: Defense, Both Lines.
PLAYER ON THE SPOT: Hayden Flavin- Offensive/Defensive Lineman
BOLD PREDICTION: Clarkston's defense allows 10 points per game this season.
PROJECTED RECORD: 8-1, 3-1 Red. PLAYOFFS YES.
INSIGHT:
The Wolves had a really interesting year which seen a lot of ups and
downs. Clarkston had moments where they looked really good and moments
where they did not look so good (Adams lost 41-0 in the district finals)
last season. The Wolves have a lot of proven players coming back for
Coach Justin Pintar. Pintar credits Clarkston legends in former football
coach Kurt Richardson along with the late boys basketball coach Dan Fife. "So
when I first got hired in here, it was like the end of September, early
October, the assistant principal who had just been hired and I was
taking his spot actually introduced me to Coach Fife on one of my first
days here and I sat with him and talked and I'd be interested in
coaching seventh grade basketball so I got involved with that right away
and then the following year KR (Kurt Richardson) had asked me if I
would get involved in coaching seventh grade football and to walk into a
situation to where I always knew that I wanted to coach, I got
extremely lucky to be hired at Clarkston when I did, the job market was
awful at that time, in the fall to have this kind of fall into my lap
and to have two Hall of Fame Coaches in Coach Fife and KR it's pretty
remarkable and so, it's extremely fortunate that those guys were around
and I think the thing that both of those guys did is that they set a
standard and they held everybody to it whether that was the players or
the assistant coaches, those guys set the standard and that standard
that they set is something they made sure everybody was going to meet. I
think both guys did a phenomenal job throughout their careers of
getting everything they could out of kids. If you look at the Clarkston
basketball teams or the Clarkston football teams that we've had, there's
been many games that we've had, if you look at the two teams on paper
yet they wouldn't matchup but yet Clarkston has been able to compete and
again that's what those two guys were able to do and that's the kind of
legacy that they both left" Pintar said about Fife and Richardson.
The
Clarkston defense comes into this season with a lot of questions
despite having a ton of proven experience but still there are some
serious questions with the Wolves. They allowed 41 against Adams in the
district finals despite finishing fourth in points allowed 16.8 points per game and 185 points allowed in the OAA
last season."It's a tough schedule coming into the year the OAA Red is a
grind every single year, our non conference games, we're opening up
with Belleville and ending with Eisenhower, we knew it was going to be a
challenging schedule but I felt like that gets us ready for the
postseason, in terms of the year there were certainly some ups and
downs, we could have been a little bit more consistent in our play but
we were playing really good football, I thought at the end of the year
and then we ran into Adams again and they had our number for sure last
year so you know it was a very disappointing finish because I think the
team was playing really well at the end of the season, to go out and
lose is one thing but to lose the way we did was certainly not a great
feeling especially for the seniors who don't get another opportunity but
I don't think that takes away for what was a really good year for us"
Pintar said. The Wolves have a lot of proven experience on offense which was the fourth best in the OAA scoring 300 points which was 27.2 points per game last season.
Clarkston has Alex Waszczenko at quarterback along with the Boman twins
Griffin and Lukas at running back coming back. Waszczenko had a strong sophomore season despite inconsistencies but really shined in the
postseason against bitter rival Lake Orion in their stunning 34-16 win
over the Dragons. "Alex had a great year for us, he came into a
difficult spot being kind of thrown in there to when he was and being a
sophomore with not a lot of varsity experience at all that point, it was
difficult but he handles himself really well, he's got great composure,
he's a great competitor which you know at anytime you have a kid who
likes to compete that makes a big difference because that guy is going
to go down swinging and you feel good when you got a guy like that, in
terms of his development, I think from last year to this year, the
amount of zip he has on the football, the ability to move on his feet on
the run, all those things has gotten much better and he's already good
at it at moving and throwing on the run last year but I think that's a
strength of his right now" Pintar said on his quarterback. The Boman
twins should get the most attention like they should but there is
balance to this Clarkston offense which was fourth in scoring in the OAA
last season. "They've been around, they know our system, those guys are
ultra competitive and they give you everything they have, that's what
we always appreciate. When the games are going we never have to question
whether or not those guys are going to give you 100 percent so having
those guys in their fourth year, they know our system in and out, they
have the ability now just to go out there and play but they can coach
the other guys around them so it's a nice luxury to have them back one
more year" Pintar said about the Boman twins. The Wolves have proven
pass catchers in Colton Williams, Hank Hornung, Cameron Love, and Wendell
Childs coming back along with Brooks Kosin who could make some noise at
tight end. "We feel really good about our skill guys and what we have,
we got a number of guys that we feel really good about going and
catching the football, our tight end position we're going to be not
undersized but we don't have the 6.5, 6.6 guy like we had with Brody
Kosin but we feel good about our tight ends. We have quite a few guys
that can spread the football around, the twins can get out there and
catch some passes, I think that will make us tough to defend is that
there is not one guy you can key on, there is going to be multiple guys.
We feel really good throwing the ball to six, seven, eight, nine guys,
we feel really good letting them create in space" Pintar said about his
pass catchers. The offensive and defensive lines should be solid with
Hayden Flavin, Bodie St. Amour, and Zack Radlick coming back but they
have some concerns as well on both lines. "We got three starters coming back which is
key for us but we have to replace our right tackle and right guard but
we got some seniors that are coming back that can fill that role, Kyle
Orilo was the guy we kind of sent in there so we're really bringing back
four of our top six from last year but we feel really good even though
we don't have the significant amount of depth but we feel good about the
guys we have coming back. Defensively we may be undersized but we got
good athletes that can compete and create some problems and stuff and
that's kind of how we have to be on defense" Pintar added. The defense
is the major concern for Pintar but it really hasn't phased the Wolves on their outlook. "We're excited about our defense, we got some new faces up front but the back half of the secondary and our linebackers are going to be our returners, we'll have four overhang linebacker positions and that played a lot for us last year and should be key pieces of this team and in our secondary we replace a couple of guys but we really like the talent we have there and feel good about our skill positions on both sides of the ball really" Pintar said at Media Day. Clarkston has Lukas Boman, Tyson Scott,
Brody Denver, and Trey Setters coming back at linebacker along with Griffin
Boman, Williams, Nick Mahaffy (backup quarterback,) Love, and Childs are
coming back in the defensive secondary. "Our skill guys are really
strong, our linebackers are really good, we got a lot of experience back
at the linebacker spot, I think it's about creating havoc up front, you
know it's not about putting 300 pound linemen and stuff holes, it's
going to be about creating havoc and make plays" Pintar said. Clarkston
has Aiden O'Neil handling the kicking duties. The Wolves have a lot of proven experience but can they put it together is the question.
Program strength
looks to be solid for Pintar in the freshman, junior varsity, middle
school, and youth levels wit the Clarkston Chiefs having three teams.
"We've been really fortunate here this goes back to when KR (legendary
coach Kurt Richardson) was coach and he built this thing and got it to
where it's at and fortunately we've been able to kind of maintain that
at our lower levels, our numbers across the board have been very good,
our varsity is looking at 80 plus kids, that's up from last year, we
should be at the 40's and 50's in the JV and freshmen level and we won't
know until a little bit later in the seventh and eighth grade levels
(Clarkston Jr. High and Sashabaw) but we've been consistency at about 70
at those levels and the other part is that our coaching staff, we have
guys that really wants to be involved, that want to be a part of the
program, we don't have a lot of turnover, if you have turnover its
usually circumstances that are typically out of their hands and they
can't do it anymore for some reason but I think we've had to replace two
or three coaches in our seven through 12 program, that continuity and
having the number of kids have been key to our success and we want to
make sure of it" Pintar concluded. The Wolves will score points but
stopping people will be the biggest question mark.
BEST CASE: The
Wolves stay healthy while the Boman twins have monster seasons on both
sides of the football and Waszczenko has a career season. The offensive
line is healthy and the defense has a strong year proving doubters
wrong. If this happens Clarkston is a serious State title contender.
WORST
CASE: Injuries to their top stars would be devastating for the Wolves.
Also if Waszczenko does too much and their offensive line can't hold up
that would spell trouble, there has been moments that has not held up.
Also the defense gets exposed like they did against Adams. With all the
potential Clarkston has this season the warning signs are there.
SAMMY OUTLOOK: There is no doubt the Wolves are going to be very good especially on offense. The defense is the warning sign as I said made very frequent. It wouldn't surprise anyone if Clarkston went unbeaten but like I said on my podcast there are some serious warning signs with the Wolves coming into the season.
Clarkston Podcast (July 8th-Second Segment)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xF_wX6-LhMY
LAKE ORION DRAGONS:
LAST
SEASON: 6-4, 2-2 Red. Lost 34-16 to Clarkston in Division One first
round. 252 points scored (25.2 ppg,) 182 points allowed (18.2 ppg.)
MAKE OR BREAK: September 5th vs Stoney Creek
STRENGTHS: Rushing Attack, Offensive Line.
CONCERNS: Mental Mindset, Pass Rush, Depth.
PLAYER ON THE SPOT: Brody Thompson- Quarterback/Defensive Back
BOLD PREDICTION: Jayden Borrero and James Bambard have 30 rushing touchdowns combined.
PROJECTED RECORD: 6-3, 2-2 Red. PLAYOFFS YES.
INSIGHT:
The Dragons have been a postseason team seven of the last eight years
but haven't made it past the district finals in each of those years and
that's coming off a stretch of making the postseason after making the
postseason 15 out of the last 16 years from 1998-2013 which included
three Division One State Semifinal appearances and a Division One State
Crown in 2010. Lake Orion has been very consistent under Coach Chris
Bell and a few years under his assistant Coach John Blackstock with a ton of proven multi sport athletes that is in this program. Two losses and one play
really described the Dragons season. They had a really tough loss to Saline to close the season. "I was talking to Mick McCabe after the game, he said that you came out and dominated the game and you have won it by two scores but in the red zone, we had dumb mistakes, dumb things that kept us off the board, we had them fourth and long and the quarterback scrambles (Tommy Carr) and found the tight end who is going to Georgia (Lincoln Keys) who made a great play, they score and go for two and beat us 8-7 but that's football, it was a great game" Bell said. The following week in the postseason, it was the touchdown by the Wolves
Griffin Boman who went by five defensive tackles and went 50 yards to
score and close the first half which sealed their fate in a 34-16
postseason loss to Clarkston which they fell to the Wolves for the
second straight year. "Clarkston came in and put it to us, no excuses there they were the better team that night, they physically took it to us and ended our season" Bell added. Lake Orion played well early but struggled late last season. "You know we were senior heavy, I want to say the first eight weeks we played really well, I was really proud of our kids even though we had a couple of losses, in that Oxford game we spotted them a big lead in the first half (21-3), we made some adjustments and came up short and obviously played that game without Tristan (Hill) our starting quarterback, our young guys stepped in and did a great job keeping us in the game, that was a tough one and then the following week to come back and beat a very good Rochester Adams team and that was important, we put it together and Adams was very good so to beat Adams at home and then West Bloomfield, third quarter we're up a couple of scores and we're driving with a chance to really put the game away and we didn't finish the drive, we ended up turning the ball over on downs and they hit a big play, then we ran out of gas which was unusual, then we beat Clarkston at home, big rivalry win, homecoming game so that was a big win for us, Farmington blue collar win. It was a good year for us but we couldn't take that final step whether it's putting away West Bloomfield or putting away Saline it could have been a great year but we didn't finish" said Bell. Lake Orion needs to completely different team
mentally, they have to be and possibly the scheme might have to change. "We got different kids and we have to adjust to fit our talent we have and we've done that in the offseason, which we're excited for" Bell said. The Dragons have a couple of themes this season to watch. "As coaches we grabbed onto and we stole this from AJ Hinch (Detroit Tigers manager), this is actually from our players, our players asked you know what were some of the characteristics of great teams that we had, and it's a really hard question to answer because we've had so many good teams and they're all different but the thing that kept coming back to me and it hit me was an interview with AJ Hinch said about how he coaches the Tigers and it's a motto that everything matters and so that's our motto for the kids is everything matters and we have shirts that say "Everything Matters"but really if you want to know what it takes to be great, everything, you don't take a day off, you don't get to cut corners here, if you want to be a champ, being a champion is an all time thing not a sometime thing so everything matters so you know those are things that our kids probably hear the most and you know I think as long as, you know they've passed every test, they've had a great offseason, they've worked very hard. Now it's a little bit harder when you get into practice and you know it's 90 degrees and you're practicing five hours a day and you start getting bumps and bruises, and your getting banged up, you're fighting through injuries and coaches are driving you, you know we have two and a half weeks, we got to play a game and you think about it you got established football players who have two weeks of training camp, so basically they got eight weeks of football before they go and play a game, you get to college and colleges have a full month, first they have spring football and then they have a full month to practice before they play a game and then you take high school football you have kids with the least football knowledge, the least football skill and they tell you okay you got two and half weeks, you got to get ready and go play a game so that's our challenge, we got to push them to get ready and we do a lot, that's why we do a lot during the summer but it's a lot different when you can't block and tackle and those are the skills we are working on once we put the pads on so we don't get pads until the Friday of the first week so it's really a sprint to get your kids ready to play" Bell said about preseason preparedness.
The
Dragons will
need more from their jet motion offense if they want to have success this
season after scoring 252 points last season which is 25.2 points per game. "We were senior heavy, we return some good players, they're really excited to make a name for themselves" Bell said. Lake Orion lost TR Hill and Jackson Vasquez (running back) to
graduation along with other top play makers. The quarterback spot is
really interesting for Bell. He has two quarterbacks battling in Brody
Thompson and Anderson Adams competing to be the starter. "We got two quarterbacks battling for the job both of them took some snaps on the varsity level last year" Bell said about his quarterback battle. Thompson has
had varsity game experience as a starter (played when Hill got hurt
against Troy and had two touchdowns, he started against Oxford last
season) for Bell. Thompson can also play on defense in the defensive
secondary. Adams has had a strong camp as has Thompson, it
will be a really interesting decision to see who starts week one against
Northville at Wayne State. "I don't know if we necessary have questions, we got two really good ones in Brody Thompson, has played well for us and he's been in there and then we have Anderson Adams coming so we look at we got two great options and it maybe a combination of both of them so they both do some things well, we can win with both of them, we'll let those guys battle it out in camp so we look at it, it's a blessing and a curse, we got two great ones and it's hard at times because you got to pick one and they're both great kids, great leaders so we're going to be in good shape with either one" Bell said at Media Day. The rushing attack should be very strong
with it being the strength of the team. Lake Orion has Jayden Borrero, Wesley Pratt, James Bambard coming back at running back. They could be options in the passing game as well. Whoever the
quarterback is will have proven pass catchers in Ryan Rocheleau, AJ
Cattenacci, and Peyton Lyles coming back. They have an emerging prospect JuJu Vining to watch as he could be a wildcard for this offense. It is very interesting that
each quarterback has their favorite target to throw too.
(Thompson/Rocheleau-Scripps connection, Adams/Cattenacci-Oakview
connection.) The lines particularly the offensive line should be a
strength to go along with their rushing attack with Leo Cassell, Ryker
Griffith, Jack Stiller, Brecken Powers, Lawrence Yoder, Lorenzo Polsinelli, Drew McKay, Garrett Sheffield, and Brayden
Blackstock coming back. "We're big up front, we got depth on both sides of the ball" Bell added about both lines. The defense is in need of a bounce back after allowing 182 points which is 18.2 points per game. They had two really bad games against Clarkston (postseason) and West Bloomfield
(allowed 49 points in a 49-41 loss.) The pass rush has been a huge
problem for Bell and defensive coordinator Russ Purdy. When Lake Orion has a pass rush everything takes care of itself
but if they don't that's where problems occur and big plays happen
against them, this team needs to have a pass rush if they want to be
successful. The Dragons have a few up and comers that could make some noise coming up as juniors. The linebackers should be solid having
proven players in Alex Hensley, Luke Diliberti, and Nick Frantz coming
back. The defensive secondary has some question marks despite having Max Neering, Malek Pulford coming back along with an emerging freshman in Jackson
Pochmara that could move up to varsity at some point this season. Lake Orion has a foreign exchange student in Jan Ludvik
handling the kicking duties. "We like to one way our guys as much as possible to keep us fresh in the league" Bell said about his roster. This is a hard working group that Bell loves to see with his teams from the past. "This is a hard working group, great group of kids, they're very close, a tight nit group, they love to practice, they love to play, the challenge is staying healthy, we worry about our depth a little bit if we get an injury and learning to be great and be great at what we do" Bell said. Lake Orion has a theme that the players have that drives them heading into the season. "There is a couple, the kids have adopted "Leave No Doubt" and "Leave No
Doubt is a little arrogant, you know they say hey we want to make sure
that when we leave the stadium that we left no doubt who the better team
was but it also translates that when you walk off the practice field
and gave it everything you had, everyday that you're working hard to get
better, "Leave No Doubt" that you're doing a great job in the
classroom, "Leave No Doubt" that you're representing Lake Orion as a
student athlete" Bell said about the team's mantra.
Program strength will be something
to watch with Lake Orion now and also in the future. "If you want to win championships you have to do it the right way" Bell said. The freshman and JV programs always have
talent and are well coached with the JV program coached by Bell's nephew
in former Avondale Coach Corey Bell with the numbers of the three programs in great shape. "We got good people who've been around, they know the system, and all of our kids are in good hands" Bell said. The Dragons have a strong youth
program but they changed leagues to more of a tackle football and with
three teams. "The youth leagues have exploded, they've been phenomenal, they not only have their JV program, they also have rookie tackle, I give John Blackstock all the credit for bringing this in, rookie tackle is where they play with seven players on the field, shorter fields but there is a lot more passing, it's a step up from flag football, there is always a progression, football is the same way. We have a monster flag football program in our district then they move into rookie tackle before they play full fledged football, I think it helps, it gets the kids more involved, there is more passing, shorter fields and that's what it should be at that age, football is meant to be fun at that age but football is hard our youth leagues have already started and it's 85 degrees and your wearing equipment, your running into people and they are blocking and tackling it's hard, you got to keep it fun" Bell said about the youth levels. They combined the middle school programs even though they
get kids from three different middle schools (Oakview, Scripps, and
Waldon) but they changed the program to Lake Orion Green and Lake Orion White. "We got a good crew of coaches, Dave McKay (Scripps Middle School Principal) does a really good job helping head that program, we got a bunch of good coaches that the kids are learning to learn the game of football, it's their first shot at playing for the school, we went from the three middle schools to consolidating the teams to two seventh grade and two eighth grade teams, I think that helps with numbers because you don't want to have future wide receivers having to play tackle because of the numbers, it's not bad for them but you want them to play the position going to be. We divide the teams as equal as possible, they'll be able to practice together so it's been a really good thing for us" Bell said. Lake Orion has a really tough schedule which has Northville, Stoney Creek, Rochester, Oak Park, and Saline and some holes to fill. This
should be a more focused and hungry group this season but the warning
signs when it comes to mental mindset. "It's about fundamentals, ball security, tackling that's it, it's about
how good we can become. We got a great group, we're more than excited
more than anything" Bell said about his program.
BEST
CASE: Everyone stays healthy, upbeat, hungry, and on the same page.
Adams and or Thompson become stars and have a proven passing attack to
go along with a strong rushing attack. The lines really perform to
standards. Lake Orion has a pass rush and their secondary is
very strong. This happens, the Dragons could be a State title
contender.
WORST CASE: 2024 happens all over again. Quarterback
hasn't been settled, injuries mount. Defense has no pass rush while the
lines and secondary struggle especially the big play. This could be where trouble mounts.
SAMMY OUTLOOK: This Dragons squad reminds me of my senior year when I was in High School (2005.) When you don't have a true star and have a workman like mindset that goes well when it comes to success. They don't have true weaknesses besides depth. The emotional mindset is a concern but if they overcome this then they could make some serious noise. If there is a team that is a very dangerous team in the division, this is it.
Lake Orion Football Preview Show (August 6th)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r2BIXZi3H0s
OXFORD WILDCATS:
LAST
SEASON: 7-4, 4-0 Red. Lost 29-7 to Grand Blanc in Division One district
finals. 251 points scored (22.8 ppg,) 200 points allowed (18.1 ppg.)
MAKE OR BREAK: September 5th at Groves
STRENGTHS: Quarterback, Proven Pass Catchers.
CONCERNS: Both Lines, Not a lot of Experience.
PLAYER ON THE SPOT: Mack Dentry- Fullback/Linebacker
BOLD PREDICTION: Mack Dentry becomes a household name.
PROJECTED RECORD: 5-4, 1-3 Red. PLAYOFFS YES.
INSIGHT:
2024 was a special season for the Wildcats. They won the Red for
the first time ever and upset Davison 21-14 in the first round but
Oxford fell 29-7 to Grand Blanc in the district finals. "Last year was a
culmination of four years of ups and downs and trials and tribulations
and you know that group of kids as seniors really came through ans
stepped up for our program for our program big time, just had a lot of
awesome relationships with that group of kids and just excited to see
them have some success" said new Wildcats coach Trevor Potts. Potts
takes over for Coach Zach Line who went back into the NFL with the Denver
Broncos. "There was a lot there, a lot of emotions there, this will be
my fifth year in Oxford, we've been part of this community now for about
14 years, I didn't grow up here, I grew up in Rochester but this is
definitely home, the number of people who have been supportive and
congratulations and just I couldn't just ask for anything more and more
important is our football program and families, one of the reasons that
it made it easily to put my hat in the ring was I knew I would be able
to keep our coaching staff together, keep the program consistent,
continue with our Oxford identification and continue to build on what
we're so proud of building over the past few years" Potts said about Oxford. Potts
was the defensive coordinator under Line and brings experience from his
days as an assistant at Adams. "Tony (Patritto) and Mark McFarland
(Adams defensive coordinator) and that staff is some of my best friends,
we've spent a ton of time together, it wasn't just about football it
was about the people and the people there are first class people but I
learned about how to treat players and organize practices and prepare
and put in work and develop the right kinds of relationships with
friends and families and to be honest it's similar to Oxford, we had a
few assistant coaches over the years that have come from Adams to Oxford
so there is a lot of similarities between the two programs but I'll
forever be grateful for my time at Adams but it's a great place" Potts
said about his time at Adams. Potts talked about his relationship with
Line when taking this job. "Zach and I not just from a football
perspective but we built a strong friendship and you know that's been
the toughest part of him heading to Denver is just you know a person I
would talk too almost daily or see daily, he's off doing something
awesome and I couldn't be more excited for him but you know that
friendship is defiantly something I will miss, he's been around a little
bit this summer so it's been good to kind of catch up and check in on
his family but yeah he's helped mentor me, we've spent a ton of time
together in the last couple of years, building our scheme and kind of
getting down to who we want to be defensively as a football team and
just grateful for Zach" Potts said about Line.
The Wildcats lost a
ton of talent from that team but they have a proven quarterback in three year starter Jack
Hendrix coming back. Hendrix had a monster year last season and will
look to have another big season. "Jack is a great baseball player, you
know he's had a great baseball season but he's been putting time in with
quarterback coaches, a little bit of seven on seven work and the
progression for Jack as a senior is to continue as a leader, building up
those skills and knowing the ins and outs of our playbook, he's spent a
lot of time with Coach Grotel going through the playbook and really
kind of personalizing it to him and his strengths where in the past
couple of years it was just trying to teach Jack the basics and the
concepts so he understood what he's doing now, now it's about him owning
the offense and really setting the tone for us" Potts said about
Hendrix. Hendrix has proven pass catchers in Cameron Moore and
tight end Brady Hasselbring coming back. "There is probably six or seven
guys that we're looking for to contribute and that includes our tight
ends, so we're excited about a lot of the young guys, the junior class
and to continue to help Jack along in the passing game and make big
plays" Potts said about the pass catchers. The Wildcats have questions
on both lines despite being bigger on the lines with Liam Samborski,
Aiden Ryan, Nolan Cumbey, and Brady Pruetz coming back. The running back
situation will be very interesting for Potts after losing Luke
Johnson to graduation."We've had a few good ones over the past several
years (Zach Line, Prescott Line, Tate Myre, and Johnson) and Luke is one
of the best not just from a running back perspective but from a
leadership perspective, I think we got three or four guys who we can see
running the ball really well, Seth Tabert is probably the leader of
that pack but you know in the end we got guys who are going to play a
little bit of offense and a little bit of defense, we're still trying to
figure out how they are going to contribute on both sides of the ball
so I don't see somebody getting 90 percent of the carries like Luke did
for us last year and grinding the way he did but I'm really excited for
the guys who are running the ball and that will continue to be a part of
our ID in this upcoming season" Potts said about the rushing attack.
They have Seth Tabert coming back at running back along with Mack Dentry and Colin Crosby who both could make some noise as a fullback and Connor Hickey is a player
to watch with his versatility. The defense has some question marks for
Potts this season especially with the experience they lost from last season.
The Wildcats have Hasselbring at defensive end along with Dentry and AJ
Krupa at linebacker along with Moore, Keegan Pociask, Chase Cardona, Crosby, and Tabert in the
defensive secondary coming back. "AJ Krupa is a hard nose linebacker,
tough nosed, athletic, leader for us defensively. We're going to put a
lot of weight on his shoulders as you know the middle linebackers have
taken on a lot over the last several years and this will be the fifth
year and he will shoulder a lot of the leadership and the communication
that we're expecting out of that group" Potts said about Krupa who was honored of wearing the number 42 jersey in honor of Tate Myre this season. Oxford will be really interesting to watch this season.
Program
strength looks solid especially with the program Line had developed
within the youth levels and beyond. "Excitement around Oxford football
is high, Zach has done a great job of laying the foundation but you know
historically the one thing people know about Oxford is that they love
their football, the freshman and JV numbers have been good, we've been
between the 80's to 90's between those two levels. Our middle school
numbers have been great, we just had our middle school staff up to go
through our scheme and join us for practice. Our OJW (Oxford Junior
Wildcats) program does a tremendous job building kids and building
character and teaching kids the basics so yeah football is strong in
Oxford" Potts concluded about program strength. The Wildcats will be
going through a transition period which has to happen during the season
and they have a tough schedule looming as well.
BEST CASE: The
Wildcats not miss a beat. Hendrix has a Glacier Wellington like year
running and throwing the football. Krupa is that star linebacker, Potts
is looking for, Hasselbring has a big year catching the football, while
Tabert, Dentry, and Cardona share the wealth carrying the football. The
offensive line stays healthy and the defense plays their tails off. A
deep postseason run could be in the future.
WORST CASE: Injuries
mount especially if Hendrix, Tabert, or Krupa goes down. The lines under
perform. The skill players struggle and the defense gets exposed. The
schedule might be too tough for the Wildcats.
SAMMY OUTLOOK: When I spoke to Chicago Brothers Pizza owner Dan Brown, the transition period could be more smoother than most for the Wildcats. Everything starts with Jack Hendrix on the offensive side of the ball and AJ Krupa on the defensive side of the football. If either one of them gets hurt that spells trouble. The rushing attack will be the key for Coach Trevor Potts. Oxford has a lot of questions despite having a strong JV program last season but JV doesn't always translate to varsity. The Wildcats are more than capable even with a tough schedule but staying healthy is the key.
Oxford Podcast (June 30th-Second Segment)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3iFK2O6KAH0
WEST BLOOMFIELD LAKERS:
LAST
SEASON: 5-6, 1-3 Red. Lost 41-14 to Novi Detroit Catholic Central in
Division One district finals. 341 points scored (31 ppg,) 271 points
allowed (24.6 ppg.)
MAKE OR BREAK: September 12th vs Adams
STRENGTHS: Proven Pass Catchers, Defensive Secondary.
CONCERNS: Rushing Attack, Quarterback, Linebackers, Depth on Both Lines, Program Strength.
PLAYER ON THE SPOT: Jamal Shakesphear- Quarterback/Wide Receiver/Defensive Back
BOLD PREDICTION: Jackson Carter becomes the next great quarterback at West Bloomfield.
PROJECTED RECORD: 5-4, 0-4 Red. PLAYOFFS YES
INSIGHT:
The Lakers had a really unusual 2024 despite making the postseason for
the 11th straight season, there was something off about them despite
making the postseason, they finished with an under 500 record in which
they oddly had the sixth worst defense in the OAA last allowing 271
points which was 24.6 points per game."We weren't happy with our
results, football can be tough and weird in a lot of ways, all those OAA
games we led at some point and we found ways, you know if some teams
like if they do things the right way, find ways to win games and clutch
moments, we were kind of the opposite and that was disappointing and
frustrating but, we think we kind of grown from it, learned from it, we
think we're a little bit more resilient because of that" said Coach Zach
Hilbers after having a really unusual 2024 season.
West
Bloomfield was up and down as mentioned. They had a two quarterback
system which usually never works but Hilbers made it somehow work with
Beau Jackson and Jamal Shakespear which they had the third most points
(341) based on points per game in the OAA (31 points per game) last
season. Jackson graduated so experts would think that this will be
Shakespear's job to lose but the Lakers have another quarterback in
Jaxson Carver that could get a shot and make Shakespear with his
athleticism and versatility to play different positions."Jamal's a great
player, it's kind of unfair to label him as a quarterback, it's
probably a disservice to him, he will play there and take snaps there
but he'll also play running back and wide receiver, free safety, and
outside backer. His strengths lie in his physically and versatility.
He's taken kind of an ownership in the offseason" Hilbers said of
Shakespear. The Lakers have been known for their athleticism and
versatility and Hilbers mentioned them. "We got a handful of other guys
returning on our team that are going to be leaders for us, have really
taken ownership" Hilbers added about his team. West Bloomfield will have
a ton of talent again but lessons learned beside that proven talent.
"We're blessed to be very talented in the past and you know we were
talented again last season and talent is nice and very helpful but it's
not the only thing that determines wins and losses as I think last year
showed in a lot of ways, you got to go out there and do things the right
way because the sport will humble you really quickly if you don't"
Hilbers said. The Lakers have Solomon Elam, Obi Duru, Christian Banks,
Kam Hall, and Zach Jones coming back as proven pass catchers. Both lines
look to be solid with Travis Robertson, Kamari Pittman, Joel Evans, Tristan
Hunter, and Jeremiah Benson coming back but depth will be something to
watch. The rushing attack looks to be the greatest question mark for
Hilbers but he mentioned that Shakespear could see time at running back
to go along with his other assignments. The defense has some questions
coming into the season especially allowing 271 points (24.6 points per
game) last season. "By the end of the year it got tough, we were banged
up, really injured, that happens in this sport, it's a violent sport, we
had some kids that were playing through it, we had two starting
defensive lineman who were hurt including one who had surgery, played
the entire year with a torn meniscus, when healthy we proved we can play
against good teams and beat a lot of good teams so playing with him is
nice but you got to get the job done and win eventually but he was
really dinged up, played the entire year, Jeremiah Benson he could
barely walk on with a high ankle sprain. You can rotate guys but you get
thinner on both sides of the ball and it defiantly hurt" Hilbers added.
They have Banks along with Shakespear at linebacker coming back. The
defensive secondary should be the strength of West Bloomfield with
proven experience in Will Espy, Malcom Ross, Josh Forest, Bryce
Chandler, and Kaliq Robinson coming back and Omar Myrto handling the kicking duties but as Hilbers mentioned health
will be the key to the Lakers season.
Program strength is a
concern for the Lakers and will be something to watch. "Our middle
schools have been kind of ever changing, our middle schools combined a
few years ago and we still have a middle school program but about half
the kids in middle school are playing like youth football so its really
like were coaching middle school basketball with those guys to try to
meet them at a young age and build relationships as fast as we can with
the kids in our district and it's been beneficial for us, we've been
really lucky with some talented kids in the program. Last year we were
excited about our JV team and our quarterback broke his collar bone week
three against Adams, kind of a fluke thing, not a lot of contact, got
tripped up fell on his shoulder and snapped, that changed their season
quite a bit, usually there's not too much quarterback depth in the lower
levels believe it or not and it kind of had to change the way they play
but Jaxson (Carver) is up with us on Varsity. He looks really good,
he's going to play a lot and he's kind of eager to show everybody what
he can do because he really hasn't had that opportunity yet" Hilbers
said. West Bloomfield should be in the conversation but there are some questions they need to address however the Lakers should be back to where
they should be this season.
BEST CASE: Everyone stays healthy,
Shakespear is a star all over the field. Carver becomes the next great
Lakers signal caller. The defense rises and the athletes break out to go
along with a healthy line on both sides of the football. West
Bloomfield will be back to their normal selves.
WORST CASE: Injuries mount, Shakespear has to play quarterback most of the season, and the defense doesn't have a bounce back year that everyone expects. Almost 2024 happens again.
SAMMY OUTLOOK: The Lakers season depends on what happens with Jamal Shakespear. If he plays quarterback, they are in trouble if anywhere else not so much. The depth on the lines are a concern for West Bloomfield. The defensive secondary is very good. It all depends with Shakespear when it comes with the Lakers.
West Bloomfield Podcast (June 16th-Second Segment)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4cai8P_qBp4&t=1273s
