Week One Thoughts.

Written Saturday August 29th at 9:57 PM

Here are my thoughts on each team after week one.

Novi: The Wildcats were going to have it really tough traveling to Thirlby Field to play Traverse City Central, but Novi was no match for the Trojans falling 55-22 on Friday night. The Wildcats fell 46-3 last season in Novi. It was going to be a tall order anyway for the Wildcats. They have Plymouth Salem looming next week.

Northville: The Mustangs had to come back from ten points down to stun Lake Orion 38-31 in double overtime on Thursday night. Northville needed a wild tricky play from Grayson Harris to Cassius Montgomery on a fourth down along with a defensive stop to get the win. The Mustangs looked sloppy with turnovers, but they did just enough and survived. They have Plymouth Canton looming next week.

Grand Blanc: The Bobcats survived a two-point attempt and won 24-23 over Belleville on Thursday night at "The Don." There are some concerns on both sides of the football, but they held on against a Tigers team that was looking for a win. Grand Blanc will have a chance to correct some things when they start Saginaw Valley League South/Red play. They have Flint Carman Ainsworth looming next week.

Davison: The Cardinals got off to a strong start with an impressive 28-8 win over Roseville at Atwood Stadium on Friday night. The game was called with under 4:44 left after three Roseville player ejections. Braylon Green had a strong game on both sides of the ball for Davison who started a new quarterback in Max Persails. He looks to be the quarterback of the future for the Cardinals and Coach Jacob Weingartz. Davison is a young team. They have a really daunting task heading to Novi Detroit Catholic Central next week.

Clawson: The Trojans looked really impressive winning 41-0 over Detroit Pershing on Thursday night. Clawson looked healthy and were dominant against the Doughboys. They have Center Line looming next week. Clawson fell to Center Line 26-14 last season.

Pontiac: The Phoenix had a rough outing at home falling 40-6 to Detroit Community on Thursday night. Pontiac is very young and they struggled on both sides of the football. They have Southfield Arts and Tech looming next week.

Berkley: The Bears had a rough night with Livonia Franklin on Friday night falling 42-0 to the Patriots for the second straight year after falling 34-7 to Livonia Franklin last season. Berkley is going through a transition period under Coach Dan Earls, but this is not a good start. The Bears are going to have it tough with Groves looming next week.

Royal Oak: The Ravens were impressive winning 28-6 over St. Clair Shores Lake Shore on Thursday night. The Royal Oak defense held the St. Clair Shores Lake Shores to six points while the offense was efficient. They have a much tougher test with Seaholm looming next week.

Avondale: The Yellow Jackets have a long way to go falling 48-15 to Walled Lake Northern in Walled Lake on Thursday night. The defense really struggled all night allowing big plays to the Knights. The offense struggled as well. Avondale has a lot of work to do to get this right. They have Waterford Mott looming next week.

Waterford Kettering: The Captains got their first win of the Bob Meyer era with a 20-6 win over Livonia Clarenceville on Thursday night. Waterford Kettering won 14-0 last season over the Trojans but Meyer has this program heading in the right direction. They have Oak Park looming next week.

Ferndale: The Eagles showed they could be for real with an impressive 36-12 win over Madison Heights Lamphere on Thursday night. Ferndale struggled early offensively but found their spark in the second half. The defense was solid all night for the Eagles. They have a tough matchup with Harper Woods looming next week.

Southfield Arts and Tech: It was going to be a tough matchup for the Warriors having to travel to Grand Rapids to play East Kentwood. Southfield Arts and Tech were no match for the Falcons falling 55-0 for the second straight year on Thursday night. The Warriors fell 43-8 to East Kentwood in Southfield last season. They will need to bounce back when they play Pontiac next week.

Seaholm: The Maples had a very interesting game with Milford at Ann Arbor on Saturday afternoon. They didn't have to deal with Mavericks quarterback Hudson Smith as he was out recovering from mono but had to deal with freshman quarterback Bentley Moreno. Will Forberg was solid for Seaholm accounting for a 77-yard punt return for a touchdown while Wesley McPeak had a rushing touchdown from five yards out. The Maples had four turnovers which didn't help, and they had no answer for Milford's passing attack especially Bryce Marszalek who had two receiving touchdowns from Moreno and added a rushing touchdown of his own. Seaholm fell 30-13 to the Mavericks. Milford didn't have their star quarterback, but it didn't matter. They need to bounce back in a hurry, but it won't be easy with Royal Oak looming next week.

Oak Park: The Knights had a tough matchup with Grand Rapids Catholic Central, but they hung tough with them falling 24-12 to the Cougars on Saturday afternoon in Grand Rapids. Ivann Burrow was solid for Oak Park scoring a 40-yard rushing touchdown and they added another rushing touchdown off a draw play for a touchdown, but the defense had trouble with Grand Rapids Catholic Central's attack allowing 24 points. They have Waterford Kettering looming next week.

Groves: The Falcons had everything in control against North Farmington at Wayne State. They had a 75-yard touchdown run from Jeremiah Whitley and a big passing touchdown but didn't convert on the two point try which ended up being costly. I don't know why Coach Brendan Flaherty decided to go for two in the first place. North Farmington quarterback Elijah Cobb took over late in the game and gave the Raiders a 14-13 lead, but Groves had a chance to win the game but missed a 20-yard field goal which hit the left goal post. The Raiders stunned the Falcons 14-13 at Tom Adams Field. It's a big win for Coach Jon Herstein and a tough loss Flaherty. Groves needs to bounce back in a big way. They have Berkley looming next week.

Waterford Mott: The Corsairs had a rough first half against Troy Athens trailing10-7 at halftime but they had a strong half outscoring the Red Hawks 22-9 and earned a 27-19 win on Thursday night. There are some concerns with Waterford Mott especially with the first half, but they had a strong second half. It's a good start for Coach Tra'Jan Seay and the Corsairs who knows they can do better. They have Avondale looming next week.

Harper Woods: The Pioneers were shell shocked by Chelsea 29-20 on Thursday afternoon. Dakota Guerrant and DeAndre Bidden were solid for Harper Woods. The Bulldogs went with an eight-point game plan in which every time they scored a touchdown they would go for two which worked twice in the game along with a time possession misdirection offense that Coach Noel Dean runs when he was at Lowell. The Pioneers defensive line surprisingly really struggled against the misdirection attack of the Bulldogs trailing 14-0 and 20-6 at one point but they came back to tie it at 20-20, but Chelsea answered every time scoring nine unanswered including a field goal that sealed it. This is a really bad loss for Harper Woods. They have to address their defensive line concerns. They have Ferndale looming next week.

Troy: The Colts had a rough one falling 13-6 to Grosse Pointe North at home on Thursday night. The defense was solid for Troy, but they struggled to score. They have a tough matchup with West Bloomfield looming next week

Troy Athens: The Red Hawks had a tough 27-19 loss to Waterford Mott on Thursday night. They led 10-7 at the half only to get outscored 22-9 by the Corsairs in the second half. The defense is a concern for Troy Athens and is something to watch. They have a tough matchup Oxford looming next week

Bloomfield Hills: The Black Hawks really had no issues with Macomb L'Anse Creuse winning 42-0. Bloomfield Hills was in control throughout the game. They'll have a much bigger test with Lake Orion looming next week.

Rochester: The Falcons had some trouble in 21-0 win over Macomb L'Anse Creuse North on Thursday night at Rochester. Rochester looked solid defensively against a young Crusaders squad that has a new coach, but the offense needs to be shored up especially who they have coming up. They have Adams looming next week.

Stoney Creek: The Cougars were impressive in a 34-23 win over Utica Eisenhower on Thursday night. The offense was solid all night against a very good Eagles defense. The defense is a concern for Stoney Creek and something to watch allowing 23 points against a good Eagles offense. They have Clarkston looming next week.

Adams: The Highlanders had a rough start but hung in there falling 17-10 to a determined Romeo squad at Ann Arbor on Saturday night. Adams struggled early against a really good and physical Bulldogs defense, but they did calm down on both sides of the football. They got a field goal and trailed 14-3 at halftime. Romeo added a field goal making it 17-3. Adams did score a touchdown when sophomore quarterback Drew Geottes threw a 25-yard touchdown pass to freshman Nolan Dawood making it 17-10 Romeo. Adams would have another chance with the football, but they were forced to punt. The Bulldogs ran the clock down and made some very timely plays down the stretch, all this without star running Back Troy Smith who was lost due to injury. It was unknown if Brady Lindstrom played for Adams. The Highlanders could be in serious trouble if the offensive line doesn't improve with the schedule ahead. They have Rochester looming next week.

West Bloomfield: The Lakers had a tough loss falling 14-13 to the Tractors in Dearborn on Friday night. West Bloomfield had chances, but Dearborn Fordson's defense was stout. The change of the game was when the Lakers scored their second touchdown but had a bad snap on the extra point in the second quarter which proved to be costly. Dearborn Fordson hung in there and scored a touchdown and got the extra point with 7:28 left in the game. The Tractors defense was tough all night shutting down West Bloomfield's offensive line and the defense couldn't get the ball back as the Tractors ran out the clock. The Lakers will be fine. They have Troy looming next week.

Clarkston: Kierran Riddle made an impact at running back on Friday night in Ann Arbor with 11 carries for 124 yards and scoring two touchdowns including one from 64 yards in an impressive 37-16 win over South Lyon. Clarkston looked very good on both sides of the football shutting down an experienced Lions squad. Ty Duffy had a rushing and receiving touchdown while Alex Waszenzecko was stout in the air and on the ground for the Wolves. They have Stoney Creek looming next week.

Lake Orion: The Dragons had a tough 38-31 double overtime loss to Northville on Thursday night. The offensive line is a concern with injuries, but penalties and turnovers doomed Lake Orion (forced fumble and two interceptions.) The defense despite the 38 points allowed had some moments getting two interceptions along with a blocked field goal to force overtime. The offense despite the mistakes had their moments. Anderson Adams had a 60-yard rushing touchdown in the third quarter and James Bambard looked solid. Lake Orion will be fine. They have a must win situation with Bloomfield Hills looming next week

Oxford: The Wildcats ended the white pants curse with a 28-0 win over Hartland on Thursday night. Michael King looks to be the answer at quarterback for Oxford and they look ready for a run. The defense was stout and the offense was efficient for the Wildcats. They have Troy Athens looming next week.