Written Saturday September 20th at 8:50 AM
Updated Saturday September 20th at 8:25 PM
Here are my week four thoughts.
Waterford Kettering: The Captains had a rough one with South Lyon East falling 51-14 on Friday night. Waterford Kettering’s defense has been a big problem and needs to be corrected quickly if they want to turn things around. The Captains have the talent to turn things around quickly and need to do so but they will have a new coach as Brian Barnes was forced out of Waterford Kettering after accepting the Athletic Director’s role at Madison Heights Bishop Foley.
Waterford Mott: What in the world happened to the Corsairs??? after an emotional 42-34 win at Walled Lake Western last week, Waterford Mott allowed 53 points in a stunning 53-19 blowout loss to Pontiac Notre Dame Prep on Friday night. The defense has been the problem in the last two weeks for Coach Tra’Jan Seay allowing 43.5 points per game in that stretch. The Corsairs control their destiny in the Lakes Valley Conference but the defensive points allowed is very troubling for Waterford Mott.
Pontiac: The Phoenix had a rough one with Avondale falling 34-14 on Saturday afternoon. Pontiac is struggling but they are moving along as Coach Wendall Jefferson said it’s about building a program with the Phoenix.
Avondale: The Yellow Jackets won their first game under new Coach Jim Carlisle with a 34-14 win over Pontiac on Saturday afternoon. Avondale needed this one after a rough three weeks defensively, we’ll see if this starts something or the same story continues after three weeks..
Royal Oak: The Ravens got a measure of revenge against Livonia Clarenceville winning 38-6 over the Trojans on Friday night. Royal Oak was in total control leading 32-0 at one point in the game. As mentioned on previous podcasts, the Ravens are a Scooby Doo team and they still are with their play as of late. It will be very interesting to see what Royal Oak does going forward.
Berkley: Turnovers were the story for the Bears in their 26-14 loss to Ferndale at Hurley Field on Friday night. Berkley moved the ball well and overcame a 12-0 third quarter deficit to take the lead but they had a lot of critical errors in drives that stopped them. The Bears don’t control their destiny right now.
Ferndale: The Eagles are in the drivers seat in the Gold winning 26-14 over Berkley at Hurley Field. Turnovers were the story for Coach Donovan Jackson’s team as they are starting to turn things around after a rough start. Ferndale trailed at the end of the third quarter and found a way. As mentioned they control their own destiny right now.
Troy: The Colts got a dose of reality on Friday night falling to Clarkston 41-0. The Wolves defense was too much for Troy who is still a very young team. They still control their destiny in the Blue but the mental state of the Colts will be tested moving ahead into the season.
Troy Athens: It was a rough homecoming for the Red Hawks falling 38-14 to Farmington on Friday night. Troy Athens defense has been a problem spot this season. I’m not sure if there are any big injuries that is affecting Coach Tom Cook’s team or something. The Red Hawks are in a rough patch right now.
Farmington: The Falcons have seem to have bounced back after their 20-18 loss to Holly a few weeks ago by getting the Farmington Cup back and then winning 38-14 over Troy Athens on Friday night. The offense has been playing really well for Coach Jason Albrecht’s team thus far. Farmington is in a good spot in the Blue right now.
North Farmington: The Raiders had a strong bounce back after their tough 35-22 loss to arch rival Farmington they went and blew out Bloomfield Hills 49-7 at Ron Holland Field on Friday night. North Farmington was in total control the whole night dominating from start to finish, they still have Seaholm looming and could get back in the league race.
Bloomfield Hills: It was a rough night for Coach Scott Merchant and the Black Hawks falling 49-7 to North Farmington at Ron Holland Field. This is a long transition period for Merchant and also for Bloomfield Hills which they need to change the culture but it’s going to take time to do that. It will be very interesting to see what happens going forward.
Seaholm: The Maples had to overcome a 13-3 first quarter deficit to beat Oak Park 21-8 on Friday night. The play of the veer and resilience from quarterback Patrick Hughes was the difference. Coach Jim DeWald has this program in a good spot right now.
Oak Park: The Knights had a rough second, third, and fourth quarters getting outscored 21-8 and falling 24-21 on Friday night. Oak Park had a strong first quarter which led to a 13-3 lead but Seaholm took over behind their veer offense. The Knights are going through it right now.
Southfield Arts and Tech: The Warriors had a very rough time with Lowell on Friday night falling 40-8 to the Red Arrows. The misdirection that Lowell ran gave Southfield Arts and Tech problems all night. The Warriors are going through some tough times right now and playing two proven west side of the state teams should get them better in the long hall.
Groves: The Falcons proved that they can bounce back from tough losses like they did last week against Harper Woods in a stunning 35-7 win over Rochester. Groves used their athleticism and exposed a Rochester team that was coming off an emotional win the previous week. The Falcons are young still but seem to be growing up at the right time.
Rochester: The Falcons had a let down on Friday night after an emotional 23-21 win over Lake Orion the previous week, Rochester laid an egg falling 35-7 to Groves in Beverly Hills. The Falcons defense got exposed big time against a Falcons squad that is still pretty young. Rochester needs to bounce back if they want to keep their strong season intact.
Stoney Creek: The Cougars had a tough 28-27 loss to Harper Woods on Friday night but Stoney Creek went for two to try and win the game but didn’t get it. The Cougars have to feel good with the way their offense played against the Pioneers but the defense had some trouble particularly against Dakota Guerrant but most teams do have trouble against that type of play maker which Guerrant is. There will be some folks that question Coach Rick Powell on why they went for the win instead of going to the extra point to force overtime. It’s clear Powell has this program heading in the right direction despite the loss. Stoney Creek will be fine going forward.
Harper Woods: Dakota Guerrant and the defense saved the Pioneers White title hopes after Harper Woods escaped Stoney Creek with a 28-27 road win over the Cougars when things got really dicey late after Stoney Creek went for two to try and win the game but the defense got the stop and recovered an onside kick. Guerrant had three touchdowns and was a force all night against a program that has given them trouble. This should be a wake up call for Harper Woods after getting by Clarkston a few weeks ago and with Saline looming this needs to be one for Coach Rob Oden and the Pioneers.
West Bloomfield: The Lakers had a strong second half behind their athletes which proved huge in a 33-16 win at Lake Orion. West Bloomfield has been very good all season on defense but the Dragons were able to move the ball against them. The Lakers special teams were the difference as they took a punt return for a touchdown and had a long return which set them up to score which they did. West Bloomfield is in a good spot right now, just have to shore up some things.
Clarkston: The Wolves really had no issues with Troy winning 41-0 on Friday night. Clarkston got to play a lot of backups which is always a good sign if your Coach Justin Pintar. The Wolves are rolling along right now.
Oxford: The Wildcats have been up and down lately. They were in the game with Adams (tied 6-6 at the half) until the second half where the Highlanders outscored them 27-0 which resulted in a 33-6 loss on Friday night. Oxford has been in a bit of a rough patch right now but they should be fine going forward.
Adams: The Highlanders struggled offensively in the first half against Oxford but exploded for 27 second half points and beat the Wildcats 33-6 on Friday night. Ryland Watters came back from a knee injury that kept him out and it showed. If Watters stays healthy, Adams is dangerous going forward.
Lake Orion: The Dragons are going through a derecho after falling 33-16 to West Bloomfield falling to 0-4 for the first time since 1980. There are people that are questioning Coach Chris Bell on why he had Anderson Adams in at quarterback and not Brody Thompson at the two yard line late in the first half. Thompson led a really good drive and was playing very well to that point but Adams fumbled the ball off a bad snap and West Bloomfield recovered which led to a Lakers explosion in the second half. Lake Orion did have a ton of missed opportunities and ran the football well especially in the first half. Bell despite the injuries is facing a lot of questions and criticism right now.
The grant award comes at a good time as State Farm released an 
