by orionontv | Aug 23, 2023 | Feature Writers
Photo: Charles Forerunner/Unsplash
BOOKS
BUSINESS
9 HOURS AGO
Amid the cacophony of competing opinions about our commonweal, there is a touching consensus about the alchemising powers of business and entrepreneurship. Barring those on the left who view all profit as legalised theft, the rest of us agree that if there is one thing that will catapult us to prosperity, it is commerce. Business, we think, can unlock the door to instant nirvana.
Exaggerated though this view might be, there is no denying that trade and investments have enhanced our well-being. No wonder few institutions can rival the vice-like grip of the marketplace on our collective imagination. Yet, in recent times, flagrant corporate skullduggery, fraud and manipulation have left us distrustful. We are appalled by the environmental destruction wrought by businesses and their exploitative labor practices. The Enron scandal, the Exxon Valdez and BP oil spills, the Volkswagen deception, and the offshore shell companies and dubious transactions of businesses, as revealed in the Panama, Paradise and Pandora papers, have eroded our faith in capitalism.
The aberrations of the business world, the social pathologies they engender, spring from a mistaken view that the only legitimate objective of a business is to be profitable and augment shareholder value.
This self-serving doctrine has become the cornerstone of the capitalist ethos. Business schools assiduously perpetuate this mythology. The faceless investor is now the unchallenged monarch who has to be humoured at all costs. To gloss over the single-minded pursuit of profits above all else, businesses espouse corporate social responsibility, a vacuous agenda betokening the triumph of symbol over substance. Such welfare programmes barely camouflage the predatory practices of the business world. Discerning observers are dismayed to the point of declaring that profits and purpose are incompatible. Businesses, they aver, are inherently incapable of being virtuous.
Geoffrey Jones
Deeply Responsible Business: A Global History of Values-Driven Leadership
Harvard University Press, 2023
Professor Geoffrey Jones, Isidor Straus Professor of Business History at Harvard Business School and a Fellow of the Academy of International Business, rejects this view. He argues that with visionary and value-driven leaders, businesses can be simultaneously purpose-driven and profitable. In his new book, Deeply Responsible Business: A Global History of Values-Driven Leadership, published by Harvard University Press this year, Prof. Jones subverts received wisdom about the logic of business and capitalism. He makes a strong case for reimagining capitalism and posits that the first step in this process is to reconceptualise business and its social purpose.
According to Jones, the fundamental responsibility of business is to advance human flourishing, not just the prosperity of shareholders. He says businesses must be wedded to what he calls ‘deep responsibility’ predicated on honesty, fairness, loyalty, compassion, courage and generosity. A deeply responsible business, Jones avers is committed to fully realising human potential. It is imbued with spirituality in that it never loses sight of the interconnectedness of all life.
Jones identifies three characteristics of deeply responsible business leaders. First, they choose an industry with some form of social value that is not actively harmful. Second, deeply responsible leaders do not engage in harmful or exploitative relationships with stakeholders such as investors, employees, suppliers, customers and the government. They interact with purpose and humility. Third, deeply responsible leaders support communities and contribute to their vitality.
Lest you dismiss his ideas as eccentric or utopian, Jones provides examples of deeply responsible business leaders worldwide who successfully blended profits with purpose and made stellar contributions to their communities. George Cadbury, the founder of Cadbury’s chocolate company in Britain, inspired by Quaker values, worked ceaselessly for the welfare of his workers. He opposed sweatshops, campaigned for old-age pensions, and supported labor unions. Cadbury disliked inequality. He treated his workers with dignity, established welfare policies, and provided affordable housing to the poor in Bournville, a new township in Birmingham, UK. A man ahead of his time, Cadbury opposed British imperialism and armed conflict.
Edward Filene, the head of Filene’s department stores chain in Boston, which much later became Macy’s, was an American entrepreneur and philanthropist deeply devoted to the well-being of his employees. A proponent of ‘industrial democracy’ and the equal distribution of wealth, he paid his workers sumptuously and gave them an active role in running his business. Filene also established credit unions to help the less privileged and was hailed as the father of the credit union movement in America. He was deeply invested in his city, Boston, and wanted to make it a world-class metropolis. Filene also worked with the Catholic archbishop of Boston to set up the Boston Dwelling House Company, a venture for providing low-income housing for the underprivileged.
In Germany, Robert Bosch, industrialist, engineer, and founder of Robert Bosch GmbH, pioneered pro-labor policies. He paid high salaries to his employees and invested heavily in their training. In addition, he provided housing and libraries for his workers and supported collective bargaining. A proponent of socialism, Bosch was keen on promoting the autonomy and well-being of his workers. His company was the first to introduce eight-hour workdays. Bosch donated generously to humanitarian and educational causes. A great believer in homeopathy, he donated 5.5 million marks on his 75th birthday for starting a full-scale homeopathic Robert Bosch Hospital. At a time when most business leaders, motivated by their self-interest, did not speak out against the Nazis, Bosch actively criticised their policies and opposed them. Guided by his convictions, he helped Jews persecuted by Hitler.
Jones applauds several Indian businessmen for their singular display of deep responsibility. He lauds the pioneering work of Indian business barons like Ghanshyam Das Birla, Jamnalal Bajaj, and Lalbhai Kasturbhai. Lalbhai played a pivotal role in developing the Bombay Plan in 1944, which delineated the role of the government in forging economic policy. As an industrialist, he played a significant role in India’s new chemical and textile sectors. A close associate of Gandhi, he was associated with the Tilak Swaraj Fund, set up by Gandhi in 1921 to collect one crore rupees to fund India’s freedom struggle. Besides, he set up the Gujarat Chamber of Commerce and tirelessly worked to promote education as the Chairman of the Ahmedabad Education Society.
Jones also praises the Parsis as exemplars of deep responsibility. A prominent figure among them was Jamsetji Jeejeebhoy, a Parsi merchant in Mumbai who grew rich trading cotton and opium to China during the first half of the 19th century. He experienced penury in his younger days and wanted to help distressed people. Jeejeebhoy set up several hospitals and schools and donated to several worthy causes. A fellow Parsi, Jamshetji Nusserwanji Tata, widely regarded as the Father of Indian Industry, was also a redoubtable philanthropist. A textile tycoon who later branched into iron and steel, hydroelectric power, hotels, and so on, Tata had the Midas touch in business. Success did not make him oblivious to social obligations. Tata was famously large-hearted in his altruism. As Jones points out, he was greatly inspired by the Zoroastrian teaching that ‘poverty and suffering are an affliction of evil,’ and removing them requires ‘constructive’ not ‘patchwork’ philanthropy. Galvanised by this vision, Tata set up several hospitals, schools, and institutions of higher learning, most notably, the Indian Institute of Science. He also set up the J.N. Tata Endowment for the Higher Education of Indians in 1892, which helped thousands of deserving students pursue their educational dreams. One of his enduring legacies was transforming a sleepy, nondescript village, Sakchi, into Jamshedpur, a modern city he built in Jharkhand.
The Jamshetji Tata of Japan was a serial entrepreneur, visionary, and doyen of business, Shibusawa Eiichi. He launched 500 companies during his lifetime. Hailed as the Father of Japanese capitalism, Shibusawa earned his spurs for setting up the Dai’ichi Bank – First National Bank – the first modern bank of Japan based on joint stock ownership. He accorded great importance to investing in people and was dedicated to making them prosperous through economic activity. Shibusawa favored Gapponshugi, capitalism infused with moral values. He encouraged women’s education and patronised several educational and entrepreneurial ventures. Like Tata, Shibusawa is well-known for founding the Denenchofu Garden City, a self-sustainable garden city supervised by a socially oriented corporation.
Geoffrey Jones. Photo: Harvard Business School website
Jones’ history of deeply responsible business leaders underscores two crucial points. First, though hugely successful, primarily due to a combination of diligence, a robust business sense, and luck, they did not lose sight of their social obligations. What was common to Cadbury, Filene, Bosch, Tata, Shibusawa, and others was that they combined their staggering business acumen with an abiding devotion to enhancing people’s lives in their communities. Unlike business magnates of our times, they did not park their profits in tax havens. Instead, they answered a higher calling and bowed to the imperatives of social solidarity. While doing so, they did not neglect their bottom line. These deeply responsible leaders instantiate that advancing human capabilities and earning popular goodwill are high-return investments in business.
Second, though exceptional, the accomplishments of deeply responsible businessmen were not unblemished. They, too, were fashioned from the crooked timber of humanity. A singular strength of Jones’ book is its measured appraisal of deeply responsible leaders. He astutely notes their imperfections and explains why they matter. George Cadbury was controlling. Filene was abrasive and annoying. Bosch collaborated with the Nazis; Hitler gave him a state funeral. Shibusawa Eiichi supported Japanese imperialist policies and urged women to be good mothers and wives. Though initially well-intentioned, Anita Roddick, the founder of the iconic Body Shop, lied and ill-treated her workers. Albeit flawed, these business leaders were animated by a humanistic vision, and their work was leavened by their deep philosophical convictions and religious values in some cases. Moreover, they proved that, despite frailties, one can actualise ideals and give a good account of oneself.
Nevertheless, one might quibble about the longevity of the edifying business practices discussed in the book. In several instances, the original idealism of the business moguls died after their demise. Cadbury’s, for example, changed hands several times. Mondelez International, the second-largest confectionery brand in the world, now owns it. In its latest incarnation as Macy’s, Filene’s department store is now owned by Federated Department Stores. In both instances, they have become regular, unremarkable businesses. They have little interest in furthering the ennobling legacies of their founders. Several deeply responsible businesses of the past have now become unrecognisable compared to earlier, meritorious manifestations. This distressing metamorphosis raises troubling questions about the sustainability of deep responsibility as a business model. A true believer, Jones avows the potency of deep responsibility. Why, then, is it not being taught in business schools? Jones candidly acknowledges that his institution – Harvard Business School – tried and failed long ago. It is now reputed for purveying shareholder capitalism. He chronicles attempts by Wallace Donham, the second Dean of the Harvard Business School, to introduce ethics and social responsibility in the business curriculum in the Depression era. Donham wanted to teach business students philosophy, history, and the social sciences to stimulate creative and critical thinking. He roped in Alfred North Whitehead, the English mathematician, and philosopher, to inspire students and ignite their imagination. Donham’s efforts came to naught. Students and faculty evinced no interest in ethics and the social sciences.
Donham was a perspicacious educator. His premonitions were prophetic. Deprived of the emancipatory influence of the liberal arts, business schools uncritically disseminate discredited dogmas. As Jones argues, the idea that the sole purpose of business is to generate profits, famously popularised by Milton Friedman, rests on a fallacious reading of Adam Smith, the putative founder of capitalism. He notes that even Adam Smith emphasised morals and believed that ‘markets would only deliver socially productive outcomes if ethical concerns guided businessmen.’ Unmindful, business graduates work diligently to augment the investments of shareholders. Reversing this trend begins with recognising that deep responsibility is not an adventitious phenomenon. It is learned behaviour and must be consciously inculcated.
As uplifting as deep responsibility is, it is not for everyone. Many try, but only some succeed. Jones’s book is replete with business leaders who lost their way because they were over-optimistic or made myopic business decisions. Yet others succumbed to the siren song of Mammon as they tried to scale their business while professing commitment to values. Imbued with the sensibilities of a seasoned historian, Jones provides a rich, layered account of the agonising challenges of practicing deep responsibility.
Daunting obstacles notwithstanding, entrepreneurs worldwide are drawn to the magnetic power of deep responsibility. They have forged a plethora of new initiatives – conscious capitalism, ethical investing, environmental, social, and governance (ESG) investing, and B corporations – all aimed at curbing the untrammelled forces of profiteering. B corporations are audited based on their finances and contribution to society and the natural environment. The goal is to promote sustainability, human dignity, and the ‘economy of communion’: using business to increase equality. There are currently 6000 Certified B Corporations in over 80 countries and over 150 industries. Cassandras of doom might dismiss such efforts as ‘corporate greenwashing.’ Yet, according to the Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development Report, 2020, the total assets under management that incorporated some element of ESG review and decision-making had reached 11 trillion dollars in the United States and 17 trillion dollars in Europe.
This impressive accomplishment is the impetus for Jones’ advocacy of deep responsibility. He knows it cannot save the world, but it can certainly help. Jones exhorts governments to modify policies and the legal context to incentivise deep responsibility. Business leaders also have a critical role to play. Jones urges them to refrain from distorting policy-making through lobbying. Business leaders must also avoid deliberately causing ecological and social damage to the people and the planet. They must be catalysts for innovative solutions and strive to create an ecosystem suffused with deep responsibility.
Badrinath Rao is an Associate Professor of Sociology and Asian Studies at Kettering University in Flint, Michigan, in the United States. An attorney in the US, he is also the host and Executive Producer of Ideas and Insights, a public affairs TV show.
by Becky Andrus | Aug 21, 2023 | Feature Writers, High School Sports
Written Monday August 14th at 6:00 PM
This is the 2023 Football Preview. This will be updated with various podcasts and information from Media Day along with our special podcast with Civic Center TV’s Tyler Kieft and MIPrepZone’s Scott Burnstein.
ONTV News Media Day-Report
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KpC83I_1MZg
Podcast
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZPxPxsHa_l0
Blue Division Preview
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ltML9TGn5Vk
AROUND THE OAA TOP 10
- West Bloomfield
- Southfield Arts and Tech
- Lake Orion
- Harper Woods
- Clarkston
- Adams
- Groves
- Seaholm
- Ferndale
- Avondale
DIVISION RECAP/STORYLINES:
MANAGEABLE SCHEDULE: Troy: The Colts schedule has been really criticized the last few years but they have found a way to make the postseason. The schedule is still not tough enough. Troy has a non conference schedule where they are playing teams that went a combined 8-37 last season. They have Macomb L’Anse Creuse North (3-6), Detroit Mumford (1-8), Berkley (2-7), Royal Oak (1-8), and Fraser (1-8) for their non conference. The Colts have most of their tough opponents with the exception of Troy Athens and Oak Park coming to Troy. The schedule makers gave the Colts a ton of favors but can it be enough to get them in the postseason is the question???
NIGHTMARE SCHEDULE: Oak Park: The Knights are used to playing brutal schedules and this season is no different. They have Detroit University-Detroit Jesuit, Oxford, and West Bloomfield for their non conference along with road trips to Dick Bye Field, Ron Holland Field, and the Maple Forest. Oak Park is in a new division but the schedule didn’t give them a break.
TEAM THAT’S ON THE RISE: Seaholm: The Maples have the talent for a deep postseason run and the proven playmakers. The lines are a question mark. The schedule looks daunting with four of their first five games on the road but they close out the season with three home games including their arch rival Groves where they have not fared well against. Things are looking up for Coach Jim DeWald’s team and Seaholm.
TEAM THAT’S IN TROUBLE: North Farmington: It was a disaster for the Raiders last season with injuries and inexperience. Coach Jon Herstein needs to address depth and program strength in a big way. The schedule makers didn’t do them any favors. North Farmington has Groves and Bloomfield Hills along with a trips to Caledonia and Oxford which are never fun along with road games at the Maple Forest and Don Colt Stadium to boot is never easy. The Raiders have a ton of work ahead of them if they want to forget about last season in a big way.
SEAHOLM MAPLES:
LAST SEASON RECORD: 8-3 (7-2), 3-1 Blue. Lost 26-12 to Groves in District Finals.
POINTS SCORED: 380 (34.5 ppg)
POINTS AGAINST: 177 (16 ppg)
KEY PLAYER: Colton Kinnie-Quarterback.
STRENGTH: Quarterback, Proven Rushing Attack, Proven Playmakers.
WEAKNESS: Proven Linemen, Depth.
GAME OF THE YEAR: September 1 at Detroit University-Detroit Jesuit.
PROJECTED RECORD: 8-1, 4-0 Blue
STORYLINES AND PLAYERS TO WATCH:
The Maples have had a ton of success as of late my making the postseason four of the last five years with a lot of credit going to Coach Jim DeWald’s veer attack which had put over 300 points in three of the last five years. Seaholm has had some issues against their crosstown rivals. Seaholm has lost 12 of the last 14 meetings including three postseason meetings to Groves. If the Maples want to change this, they need to start winning games against the arch rival on a consistent basis. “Coach Flaherty does a good job, really well coached. I imagine their offseason is just as good as ours, I know he’s got a good coaching staff. I know they work hard and it’s really really frustrating watching kids that belong at our school who at their school and scoring against us so they got our number, we got to beat them and they are doing a really good job beating us right now” said DeWald.
Seaholm has a ton of two way players which means a ton of playing time but concerns with attrition. The offense was very good for Maples last season. Seaholm was 7-0 but the loss to Farmington really changed things and they went 1-3 in their last four games. The Maples have proven athletes in Colton Kinnie coming back at quarterback.”They are extremely smart football players, fun to coach, like having a coach on the field” DeWald said of the Kinnie brothers. They have Sean Emerson at running back while Kyle Robbins and Jack Lewis are at wide receiver coming back. The offensive and defensive linemen will be a major concern for DeWald and the Maples this season despite having Luke Thurstwell, Blake Baldner, Andrew Fedor, and Akram Elsharnoby coming back “We lost a lot up front, I’m not going to lie from last year so we’ll have our work cut out for us to fill those positions out. The defense should be solid even though depth could be a major challenge as mentioned. Seaholm has Granden Kinnie, Penn Roberts, and Luke Johnson at linebacker along with Robbins, Emerson, and Lewis in the defensive secondary. If the numbers come back up for the Maples then they should be a team to watch.
Program strength is a concern for DeWald along with proven linemen and depth this season but talking to DeWald he’s very optimistic when it came to program strength.”I think our offseason has been great, its been second to none, it depends how much kids we get, some choose to come here while some get recruited out of here, our kids work very hard, they are accountable, truth is we get kids that get recruited out of here, that’s a fact” DeWald said. The schedule is very interesting. Seaholm has Detroit University-Detroit Jesuit, Berkley, Troy, and Troy Athens on the road. They have North Farmington, Bloomfield Hills, Avondale, Oak Park, and Groves coming to the Maple Forest. If DeWald can find proven linemen with the Maples then Seaholm should be fine going forward.
Seaholm Podcast
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SQCCjxxPYu4&t=657s
NORTH FARMINGTON RAIDERS:
LAST SEASON RECORD: 2-7, 2-2 Blue. Didn’t Make Postseason.
POINTS SCORED: 171 (19 ppg)
POINTS AGAINST: 268 (29.7 ppg)
KEY PLAYER: Ryan Shelby-Quarterback.
STRENGTH: Quarterback, Proven Wide Receivers.
WEAKNESS: Rushing Attack, Defensive Secondary, Depth, Program Strength.
GAME OF THE YEAR: September 16 at Seaholm
PROJECTED RECORD: 5-4, 3-1 Blue
STORYLINES AND PLAYERS TO WATCH:
It was a very tough season for the Raiders which saw a ton of injuries especially to quarterback Ryan Shelby. North Farmington really struggled with depth and program strength which are still going to be areas of concern for them this season. North Farmington is 5-13 since 2021 which is un Raider like. They made the postseason the last two years when Coach Jon Herstein arrived from Harrison in 2019. “We lost some kids coming out with COVID, two years ago I thought we were a pretty good team with a pretty tough schedule. The OAA can be super difficult, we took Adams to overtime, lost to West Bloomfield. We lost a lot of close games, we haven’t been able to find a way to finish, we were a very young football team” said Herstein.
The Raiders were decimated by injuries last season. They lost Will Coleman who transferred to Grand Rapids Catholic Central this offseason. North Farmington has Shelby at quarterback coming back. “He’s been fantastic, he torn his ACL last year Ryan with the rehab, he made a really quick recovery to the point where the doctors had cold feet and he wasn’t able to be cleared until the time he thought it was so it was a back and fourth he would but credit the kid, he did everything to get back out there last year and this year between football and baseball and the training he’s done a phenomenal job getting into shape, strengthening his knee and being a leader for our team” Herstein added. They have proven pass catchers in Prentice Gardner and TJ Alexander coming back. “PJ (Gardner) is third year playing football you know back to the inexperience part, he was on varsity the last three years and has done a good job learning the game and developing, really phenomenal athlete, all state long jumper, you know 22 feet or so and really great athlete, has good hands, excited to see how he can really come into his own this season and take control of the offense and play multiple positions” Herstein added. Herstein mentioned that Robert Brydges could be another impact player to watch. “Robert Brydges was a split end last year, did a good job and played defensive end, he’s really grown up” Herstein mentioned. All three could see time in the defensive secondary as well with the depth issues. The offensive and defensive lines should be solid with Brendon Rice and Willie Harrison coming back. “Brendan Rice, he’s probably the one that gets the most publicity of our team, he will be a junior, he’ll play O-Line/D-Line. This will be his third year on varsity, he played for us as a freshmen on varsity, starting to really develop the game, develop his knowledge of the game, he’s always been a good student but just kind of trusting himself and having confidence in what he does. He has done a good job this offseason, did a really great job actually but this would be kind of a coming out year for him and I’m excited” Herstein said of Rice. The rest of defense should be the question mark for Herstein despite having Garnder, Duke Blanch and Brydges in the defensive secondary. “We got a couple of guys returning and Robert being a senior but another junior is Duke Blanch. He started at safety or Monster last year, good hitter, good abilities. He also plays running back for us and probably be one of the guys who will be the most steady guys for us on the defense. Last year he was very steady as a sophomore and I think this year his play making capability on the defensive side will be good” Herstein said about Blanch.”We got a sophomore that is coming up, Terrance James whom has some flashes of great ability, reminds me of some of the old guys at Harrison with the likes of Rod Heard and Jake Vento, you know those type of guys that come into mind. Guys that have a knack for the football and guys that can explode, he’s a good receiver and good running back, I think he’ll be competing to start in the secondary with PJ and Robert and Duke and several others” Herstein said about James. The linebackers should be something to watch despite having Thomas Thakady coming back.
Program strength should be very interesting to watch with the Raiders this season. “We’re starting to get back there so our roster kind of breaks down that of a smaller not necessarily not talented but a smaller senior class but the other two levels are more normal size, you know 20 kids or 25 kids or so per level which is right for a school of our size obviously we always want more but our goal is about 120 in the program, I think last year we had 80 something so we got some work to do there but it’s starting to come back on, you’re getting more and more kids coming back to sports especially coming out of the pandemic as that kind of winds down so our middle school numbers are doing good, they got you know solid numbers, I’m really excited about our relationship with the NFWB Vikings, their numbers have gone up tremendously, I think they had a waiting list as a matter of fact, this year so that’s encouraging for the sport of football when you think of the bigger picture you know not just about North Farmington but the bigger picture of football and kids playing the sport and believing it and trusting the coaches and trusting that we can do this safely and you can play and have so much fun and you can learn so much about yourself and becoming tougher and in the team aspect and all those great things that come from sports and particularly from football, that brotherhood or sorts. You start seeing more and more kids getting back into it and get excited about it” Herstein mentioned. North Farmington has a ton of questions coming into the season and a very tough schedule. They won’t play arch rival Farmington this season which was very unfortunate especially falling to the Falcons in overtime last season. “It’s unfortunate that we aren’t playing them, it brings the community out” Herstein mentioned. They have a Division One State Finalist on the road in week two in Caledonia whom put 68 points on the Raiders last season and Groves at Ron Holland Field in week one. They have Troy Athens, Oak Park, Bloomfield Hills, and Pontiac also coming to Ron Holland Field but have Troy, Seaholm, and Oxford on the road. It won’t be an easy stretch for the Raiders by any means.
North Farmington Podcast
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OAIROTuqwoA
OAK PARK KNIGHTS:
LAST SEASON RECORD: 0-9, 0-5 White. Didn’t Make Postseason.
POINTS SCORED: 146 (16.2 ppg)
POINTS AGAINST: 322 (35.7 ppg)
KEY PLAYER: A’Jaylen King-Wide Receiver/Defensive Secondary.
STRENGTH: Skill Players.
WEAKNESS: Rushing Attack, Quarterback, Proven Linemen, Depth.
GAME OF THE YEAR: September 9 vs Troy Athens
PROJECTED RECORD: 4-5, 2-2 Blue
STORYLINES AND PLAYERS TO WATCH:
It has been a very rough two years for the Knights which saw them go to 3-15 which included an 0-9 year last season. They haven’t been the same program since falling in overtime to Warren DeLaSalle in the Division Two State semifinals in 2020. Oak Park will look to have a very strong year in a new division this season.
The Knights have had things very rough as of late as mentioned. The defense has really struggled which was un Oak Park like last season along with the offense. Coach Greg Carter should have a very strong defensive secondary despite program strength and depth issues. “We’ve been working extremely hard, we got great kids, we’re excited, we’re trying to rebuild our program to where it once was we got a lot of work ahead and we have a lot of great kids to do it” Carter said. They have proven players in A’Jaylen King, Jalen Todd, Deon Cleary, Austin Smith, Candice Fityoumouth, Amarie Hancock, and Artell Guyton coming back in the defensive secondary. They also have Ja’Vion O’Bryant coming back at linebacker. Oak Park has some experience in Camari Bargineer, Dorain McFoley, Mark Bonney, Rashad Lewis, DeMarris Harris, Will Lee, and Norman Adams coming back on the offensive and defensive lines. The Knights should be much improved on offense this season. They have Rondre Austin, Isiah Jones, Kevin Tolliver, and Guyton at wide receiver and Quinton Blakely and O’Bryant at running back coming back. Austin and Blakely could also see some time in the defensive secondary. Bishop James should be the starting quarterback for Carter. Oak Park has a ton of other issues elsewhere they will need to address and soon.
The division change should help the Knights big time. Program strength is a big concern for Oak Park this season. They have a very favorable home schedule looming. Oak Park has three of their first four games in Knight Valley with Detroit University-Jesuit, Troy, and Troy Athens visiting. They also have Ferndale and West Bloomfield also coming to Knight Valley as well. The Knights have to go to Oxford, North Farmington, Seaholm, and Avondale. “We’ll be competitive in every game” Carter concluded. It won’t be an easy stretch for Oak Park but they could surprise some people, they’ve done it before.
TROY COLTS:
LAST SEASON RECORD: 7-3 (7-2) 2-2 Blue. Lost 58-0 to Southfield Arts and Tech in First Round.
POINTS SCORED: 174 (17.4 ppg)
POINTS AGAINST: 154 (15.4 ppg)
KEY PLAYER: Lucas Tic-Offensive/Defensive Lineman.
STRENGTH: Quarterback, Rushing Attack, Proven Linemen, Proven Athletes.
WEAKNESS: Wide Receivers, Linebackers, Depth.
GAME OF THE YEAR: September 16 at Oak Park
PROJECTED RECORD: 6-3, 1-3 Blue
STORYLINES AND PLAYERS TO WATCH:
The Colts have had a ton of success going 19-9 in the last three years with three straight postseason appearances. Troy has made the postseason four of the last six years. They haven’t gotten past the first round in each of those postseason appearances. Many in the media have questioned Troy despite the success because the school is the biggest enrollment school (2,298 students) in the OAA but the Colts are playing in a lower division.
Troy’s defense despite the disasters against Southfield Arts and Tech (58) and Seaholm (52) was solid defensively (44 points allowed besides the two top teams.) They lost some key players to graduation including Darius Whiteside. Coach Chris Fraser should rely heavily on this unit this season.”We had a pretty solid defense, Coach Tom (Calhen) does a great job of getting the boys ready to play and try to stop the opponents best thing they do and offensively we were blessed to have Darius Whiteside, he was a pretty good player for us for three years. We took advantages of some situations, we’ve made some big plays at the end of games and we’ve pulled some close games out which helped us get those seven wins” Fraser said. The Colts defense should be relied on again this season. “The defense has been really good, we do some things and you know Troy has it’s limitations, we’re never going to have 30 big linemen that are 250/300 lbs so we have to do some things that takes advantage of what we have, we try to tailor of defense to fit a kind of quicker, undersized kids so we take advantage of that uh you know we can’t sit still and sit there because at the end it’s physics, if our kids are 180 lbs and the offense is 300 lbs you know if we stand there and don’t move then we’re probably going to get blown backwards so we try to do some things that move our guys around and make them moving targets, we’ve been lucky enough to have some kids in the back end at corner that can take away the other team’s receivers like Daruis like what I said before, a great athlete that can match up against the best receiver and then we were lucky to get a freshman in Jalen Peacock who could do the same thing on the other side, so we really didn’t need to worry about the corners as much because they could do their own thing” Fraser added. Troy does have Peacock coming back in the defensive secondary. Peacock has been compared to Whiteside when it comes to his athleticism but he could see some time at wide receiver as well. “I think Jalen has had a pretty good role model in Darius, the biggest thing about Darius was that he didn’t care about being the man, he didn’t care about the image or anything like that, he did his work in practice everyday and Jalen kind of saw that and kind of took some of those lessons from Darius and you know he had to learn that he had to grind everyday so Jalen is going to kind of hopefully fit into those maybe leadership by example kind of person where he can lock down his side of the field and the younger kids can learn from him so it’s kind of like that pay it forward mentality where one person teaches one and the next teaches the next so we’re looking for Jalen to step up in his junior year to be more of a leader and to be the one that is pushing the kids to work harder” Fraser said of Peacock. They have besides Peacock, Jhonny Phan, and De’Niro Prince coming back in the defensive secondary. The linemen should be the strength of the Colts with proven linemen in Lucas Tic, Nick Stromberg, Kevin Cekaj, CJ Black, Amman Khawaja, Connor Miller, Tristian Ludenman, John Spreitzer, Noah Oury, Daniel Princeton, and Ben Duda coming back. The linebacking spot is a concern for Fraser, Christan Johnson should be a player to watch this season for Fraser along with several young guys. The offense was a big problem last season for the Colts. They have Parker Brandenberg at quarterback coming back.”Parker has been doing his part, he shows up to everything, he’s been voted captain by his teammates, he’s very athletic. He went from being heistant to run when plays broke down to being very important for us as the year went on just making those plays out of the backfield that weren’t scripted. If the pocket were collasping he would go and pick up six yards, get the first down and move the chains. Those are the kind of big plays during the season” Fraser added on Brandenberg. Fraser also has a four year running back in Nolan Block coming back as well. “Having Nolan, it’s his fourth year on varsity when he was a freshmen back in the playoffs against Bloomfield Hills, he scored three touchdowns, you know from there he’s just kind of taken off, he was lucky enough to play with his brother (Ethan) for two years and last year was his first year alone so he got named captain last year so you know the kids kind of value his leadership skills as a junior and you know being his senior year, I can’t believe it’s already been four years together but he’s just one of those kids that you can line him up anywhere, offensively, defensively, he’ll give you everything he has. He works out, shows up to everything all the time, he does everything a coach asks, he’s smart, he has an over 4.0 GPA in the classroom, he just one of those kids that your lucky to have” Fraser on Block. Troy also added Drew Oliver to backup Block at times at running back. Omar Atasi should handle the kicking duties.
The Colts have a ton of questions especially with depth and program strength. “We got a lot of kids at Troy but we have kids that are interested in other things which is fine so we’ve been lucky the last couple of years to get classes of 25 kids and kind of what I said before, our kids aren’t the biggest kids in the world but we’re lucky in the last couple of years to have a bunch of athletes into the program so you we just got to do with what we have and got to make do with what we got” Fraser added. The schedule has been heavily criticized in the media and for good reason. They have Macomb L’Anse Creuse North, Detroit Mumford, Berkley, and Fraser for their non league games which isn’t really impressive. Troy has North Farmington, Seaholm, Berkley, Macomb L’Anse Creuse North, and Detroit Mumford coming to Don Colt Stadium. They have Fraser, Royal Oak, Oak Park, and Troy Athens on the road. Fraser talked about Troy Athens and playing the Red Hawks. “Every year when I get evaluated at the end of the season, they always ask me things and I tell them simply it’s more fun to beat Athens then lose to Athens so you know the last couple of years we won and it makes for better nights and a better year and a better time walking through Kroger and seeing people and when you lose to Athens it makes for a less fun year so you know Athens is going to be talented, so Coach Cook’s first year last year so I guarantee that the kids are going to be even more ingrained into his system and his kids play hard and fair so we’re looking forward to a fun and eventful night, usually the stands are packed, doesn’t matter if it’s at Athens or at Troy and we’re looking forward to a contest where the kids are playing hard but also playing fair” Fraser added. This schedule is not the greatest going against non conference teams that have a combined 8-37 record. This could be a team that might be sweating heading into Selection Sunday.
Troy Podcast
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H-TDvB97-j8
TROY ATHENS RED HAWKS:
LAST SEASON RECORD: 5-4, 0-4 Blue. Didn’t Make Postseason.
POINTS SCORED: 192 (21.3 ppg)
POINTS AGAINST: 180 (20 ppg)
KEY PLAYER: Anthony Ashor-Running Back.
STRENGTH: Quarterback, Rushing Attack, Depth.
WEAKNESS: Wide Receivers, Linebackers.
GAME OF THE YEAR: September 9 at Oak Park
PROJECTED RECORD: 5-4, 0-4 Blue
STORYLINES AND PLAYERS TO WATCH:
The Red Hawks have had a ton of bad luck in the last two years. They went 10-8 and have scored more points than allowed in each of those seasons. This is clearly a program that has been on the rise and that’s a credit to the players and Coach Tom Cook. Troy Athens has a chance to break through this season with a favorable schedule and a ton of proven experience coming back.
Troy Athens should be very interesting to keep an eye on this season. “Some of the work that we put in especially our seniors. It boils down to is that we play a tough schedule and in those tough games its how we respond to adversity, our guys have put in a lot of work and I think we have a solid senior core this year that will hopefully lead us to a successful season” Cook said. They have a very good rushing attack with Anthony Ashor and Charles Robinson coming back. Robinson also plays in the defensive secondary. Troy Athens has Parker Ciuria at quarterback coming back. They have Elliot Booth coming back at wide receiver. The offensive and defensive lines were very young last season but they could be in line for a breakout season. The Red Hawks have Micah Pobursky, Hayden Crum, Andrzej Olszewski, Benjamin Swales, and John Gergis coming back. The linebackers should be very interesting to watch with Dominic Roehl coming back. The defensive secondary should be solid with Robinson, Travon Winn, Blake Vegas, Josh Lalik, Booth, and Evan Watson coming back. Troy Athens should be a team to watch this season.
The Red Hawks are a very interesting program. Program strength is starting to come back which is a great thing. Cook has done a great job since taking over the program. Wide receivers and linebackers are big question marks. Troy Athens non-conference is not really that strong. It could be a big concern when it comes to the postseason. They are playing teams that went a combined 5-40 last season. The Red Hawks have three games that could decide their season with two on the road. The Red Hawks have Fraser, Berkley, Seaholm, Royal Oak, and Troy coming to John R Road. They have Oak Park, North Farmington, Pontiac, and Runkel to play Utica Ford II on the road. Troy Athens if things go right could be in line for a special season.
by orionontv | Aug 21, 2023 | Feature Writers, High School Sports
Written Sunday August 20th at 6:05 PM
This is the 2023 Football Preview. This will be updated with various podcasts and information from Media Day along with our special podcast with Civic Center TV’s Tyler Kieft and MIPrepZone’s Scott Burnstein.
ONTV News Media Day-Report
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KpC83I_1MZg
Podcast
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZPxPxsHa_l0
Preview Show
Will be up by Monday.
AROUND THE OAA TOP 10
- West Bloomfield
- Southfield Arts and Tech
- Lake Orion
- Harper Woods
- Clarkston
- Adams
- Groves
- Seaholm
- Ferndale
- Avondale
DIVISION RECAP/STORYLINES:
MANAGEABLE SCHEDULE: Adams: The Highlanders have a somewhat very manageable schedule with what should be a very young team this season. They have Rochester, Oxford, Lake Orion, Bloomfield Hills, and Sterling Heights Stevenson coming to Rochester and the Gold Rush. Adams has Clarkston, West Bloomfield, Stoney Creek, and Orchard Lake St. Marys to open the season on the road The home schedule looks very manageable with the exception of the Dragons but the road schedule no so much.
NIGHTMARE SCHEDULE: West Bloomfield: The Lakers have a new coach along with the same expectations but the schedule never changes. They won’t be in the Swamp until Week Three. West Bloomfield has Groves, Oxford, Lake Orion, Clarkston, and Oak Park all on the road. They have Chippewa Valley at Wayne State to open the season. The Lakers have Southfield Arts and Tech, Adams, and Stoney Creek at home. That’s not an easy stretch by any means.
TEAM THAT’S ON THE RISE: Lake Orion: The Dragons took some big strides last season under returning Coach and Athletic Director Chris Bell but now it’s time to take the next step. Lake Orion could be the most dangerous team in the league this season. They have Adams, Harper Woods, Clarkston, and Saline on the road along with Livonia Stevenson in Ann Arbor. The Dragons have West Bloomfield, Oxford, Stoney Creek, and Farmington coming to Dragon Stadium. Lake Orion is in a very interesting spot and is one of the teams to watch this season.
TEAM THAT’S IN TROUBLE: Oxford: It was a very rough year for the Wildcats last season with a young team and a very tough schedule. The schedule is absolutely insane for Coach Zach Line and company. Oxford opens up with Utica Eisenhower on the blue turf and also has Oak Park, Clarkston, and West Bloomfield coming to Wildcat Stadium as well. They have Adams, Lake Orion, and Stoney Creek on the road and a Catholic League opponent at Ford Field. It could be another rough season for Line if they can’t figure this brutal schedule.
WEST BLOOMFIELD LAKERS:
LAST SEASON RECORD: 8-2 (8-1), 4-1 Red. Lost 38-13 to Detroit Cass Tech in First Round
POINTS SCORED: 321 (32.1 ppg)
POINTS AGAINST: 195 (19.5 ppg)
KEY PLAYER: Requan Nance-Quarterback.
STRENGTH: Quarterback, Linebackers, Proven Wide Receivers.
WEAKNESS: Both Lines, Rushing Attack.
GAME OF THE YEAR: September 16 at Lake Orion
PROJECTED RECORD: 9-0, 5-0 Red
STORYLINES AND PLAYERS TO WATCH:
The Lakers have had a ton of success in the last six years. They are 59-13 since 2017 and 83-21 since 2014 but what’s odd about West Bloomfield is they will have their third coach in six years as Coach Zach Hilbers takes over the program. Hilbers has been part of the coaching staff at West Bloomfield under both Coach Ron Bellamy and Tyrice Grice. “It feels really surreal you know what I mean just you know the day to day workload but I’m still wondering you know in a couple weeks when we hit the double days and you know we’re going to scrimmage and we’re going to play like you know, it’s going to kind of hit me even more and more the closer we get to the season. It’s a weird combination of being really excited and kind of nervous that you want to keep a good thing going that we had here” Hilbers said. The transition should be a smooth one for the Lakers. West Bloomfield is coming off a very disappointing postseason where they were blown out by Detroit Cass Tech 38-13 in the first round last season. “It didn’t make logical sense, they were pretty pumped about it, we have a lot of ambitious goals, to reach our goals we had to go through Cass Tech, Chippewa Valley, Dakota, you have to go through them” Hilbers mentioned.
The Lakers have a ton of proven talent and experience coming back this season. They have Requan Nance at quarterback coming back.”He knows our playbook, he knows our stuff. He calls every play and audible, he’ll correct it, it’s years of preparation” Hilbers said on Nance. West Bloomfield has a ton of proven wide receivers in Ann Arbor Huron transfer Kamryn Flowers along with Elijah Durham, Marquise Morris, and Josh Tillman coming back. The Lakers rushing attack should be a question mark despite having Jailen Allios, Josh Tate, and Brody Pikur rushing the football this season. “The running backs are going to be a committee, they got a ton of reps as sophomores” Hilbers mentioned. The offensive and defensive lines are going to be question marks for Hilbers despite having Brandon-Davis Swan, Jeremiah Benson, Zander Davis, and Steven Fountain coming back.”We have four captains on defense, Kari at linebacker, Jamir in the secondary, and Brandon on the line, we’re in a good place mentally but we got to deal with the physical side of things but the X’s and O’s are there” Hilbers added. The linebackers should be very good with Kari Jackson, Montelle Johnson, Pikur, Christian Hood, and Reginald Hayes along with the defensive secondary in Nigel Dutton, Juan Jones, Johnathan Edison, Bryce Rowe, and Jamir Benjamin coming back. “Experience is so valuable, we’re at a pretty good place and the mental installation is there, just having those guys makes us pretty lucky” Hilbers mentioned.
West Bloomfield has a ton of program strength which should help going forward. “We want to make sure everyone is together, we’ve had pretty good numbers in the lower levels this offseason” Hilbers added. The defense was shockingly shredded in their postseason loss to Detroit Cass Tech. The rushing attack is another area of concern despite having a ton of proven runners and an RPO (Run Pass Option) quarterback in Nance. Also both the offensive and defensive lines are a major concern especially on the offensive line. West Bloomfield should be a postseason team for the 10th straight season. The schedule should be very interesting. The Lakers open the season at Wayne State against a very good Chippewa Valley program. They have Stoney Creek, Adams, and Southfield Arts and Tech coming to the Swamp. The Lakers have Clarkston, Lake Orion, Oak Park, Oxford, and Groves on the road. West Bloomfield should be a force this season. “To get where we want to go we have to beat really good teams” Hilbers concluded.
West Bloomfield Podcast
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H-TDvB97-j8
LAKE ORION DRAGONS:
LAST SEASON RECORD: 4-6 (4-5), 2-3 Red. Lost 49-35 to Adams in First Round.
POINTS SCORED: 288 (28.8 ppg)
POINTS AGAINST: 306 (30.6 ppg)
KEY PLAYER: Billy Roberson-Running Back.
STRENGTH: Quarterback, Rushing Attack, Linebackers, Defensive Secondary.
WEAKNESS: Defense, Special Teams.
GAME OF THE YEAR: August 31 at Harper Woods
PROJECTED RECORD: 7-2, 4-1 Red
STORYLINES AND PLAYERS TO WATCH:
It was a transition year for the Dragons last season which saw them go back to the jet motion offense that Coach Chris Bell loves to do. Lake Orion was much better offensively but the defense remains a question mark and something to watch. The Dragons have made the postseason five of the last seven years and made the postseason as the last team in Division One despite having a losing record last season. “It was a great group of kids, it took us a while to get going, I look back to game one (Utica Eisenhower), I really felt like our defense played well, I felt we struggled a little bit offensively but we had the lead late in the third quarter, put together a nice drive and you know we got near the goal line and we fumbled at the goal line in the end of the third it would had put us up two scores and Eisenhower was really struggling, we were playing really fast the tempo was very good, you could tell that we had them on the ropes but we fumbled the ball and it took a nice hop for them and the linebacker caught it on the run and ran it back 95 yards, changed the game and we got the ball back in our first series and threw a bad interception and they ran that back so a matter of literately in a matter of a minute we went from possibly putting the game away to holy cow we’re now down two scores. You know we weren’t really ready, it was tough for us to play from behind, fortunately the kids rebounded the next week. Yet I don’t know if we really believed that we can compete with the better teams in our league, so it took us a while to learn that if we do things the right way that we can compete and we finally made that turn where we knew we can be a good football team. We did play a tough schedule, we did get in the playoffs which I told the kids that if we finished 4-5 but you know I really felt like we were a top 32 team in our division, we deserve to be in the playoffs. Most importantly it was great for our young guys to get that playoff experience to understand what that atmosphere looks like and a lot of times once your there you know the kids want to go back, they want to be a part of it, they were excited about it, we lost a high scoring game to Rochester Adams (49-35.) They had a phenomenal player (Parker Picot) that we struggled to shut down but we made them score a lot of points as well so I think last year was a lot of growth. I think the kids had to get used to me again, they had the use of some of the new terminology and some of the things we’ve brought back so it’s kind of a learning curve for everybody but the one about last year, great kids, they came to work everyday, positive attitudes, zero off the field issues, really loved coaching those guys. I think that the greatest thing is everyday was fun with them and I appreciated those guys last year” Bell said to History Now host Anthony Taormina on the Lake Orion Football Preview Show. This should be a very interesting football team to watch this season.
Lake Orion has a ton of proven playmakers on both sides of the football. “We’re really excited, we got a lot of guys back that have been through the battles the last two to three years, we’re excited about the young guys that are coming up like some of the freshman and some of the sophomores that will be with the varsity and we hope that the scoreboard works on our end more times than it doesn’t but as coaches we’re really excited because it’s such a fun group of kids to be around, they’ve got great energy, great attitudes, their work ethic has been outstanding” said Lake Orion assistant coach John Blackstock. They have Tristian Hill at quarterback coming back along with Billy Roberson at running back. “Skill wise we return Tristian Hill at quarterback, he took over midway through the year, TR can throw it, can run it, tremendous weapon” Bell said of his quarterback. Roberson has a monster year last season and will look to have one again this season. “Billy Roberson one of the best running back’s in the State, might be the best running back we’ve ever had, Billy has had a great offseason, Billy is special and he works really really hard” Bell added. Jackson Vasquez should be a player to watch as well for Bell’s jet motion offense. The Dragons have questions at wide receiver despite having Raymond Payne, Joey DeBrincat, and Dominic Novak, along with Tyler Ratliff at tight end coming back. “Raymond Payne and Jackie Vasquez are two special slot receivers, Raymond is a Division One Athlete, Raymond is a highlight film, put the ball in his hands and he’s a threat to go every time and Jackie is just one of those old fashion, tough, talented Orion guys, Jackie can run it, he can catch it, he can block. Jackie does it all. Dom Novak returns as our leading receiver, Dom has had a great offseason, his speed has increased, he’s got good height, good hands, runs good routes, and he competes and Joey DeBrincat is finally healthy, Joey can play inside and outside and we also have some guys in Grady Harban who can play out there and Jabari Cooper, we got a lot of guys, a lot of pieces. I’m excited about Travis Ackner our backup running back. There is a lot of talent and a lot of speed that we can do a lot of things” Bell mentioned. The offensive and defensive lines are question marks despite having Connor O’Roarke, Alex Russell, Sam Blakeley, Jacob Escobeto, Kyle Purdy, Landon Morris, Lane Garris, Ryan McCartan, Parker Bressett, and Brendan Nepjuk coming back.”We expect to be really solid on the offensive line” Bell added. Lake Orion has proven experience in the back end of the defense. They have Kaydon DeGraffenreid, and Novak at linebacker along with Korban Smith, Austin Conn, Trey Pochamara, and Andrew Parker in the defensive secondary.”Defensive side of the ball, Trey Pochamara who is a three year starter at corner, Austin Conn returns at corner. Our corners will be very good, Raymond may see some corner as well. We got AJ Leitz, Korbin Smith that is returning at safety and we return one of our safeties in Andrew Parker, he’s finally healthy we missed him all of last year. KD is an outside backer, can play safety but KD can play anywhere, might play inside. Jacob Negri is going to play one of our linebacker spots, we know he’s in great shape and ready to go. Lane Garris, Ryan McCartan two little guys that get after it on the defensive line. Parker Bressett has had a great offseason so he’s another factor on the defensive line, Christian Calwell has done a great job also, we’re very excited to see it all come together you know Korbin Smith started for us, it will be his senior year so we’re excited to see them all come together, we have a lot of different pieces. There going to work themselves out, we got multiple safeties with one that can come down and play outside linebacker. We got multiple linebackers which one is going to play the Mike and which one is going to play the Stud, where we’re good outside, Travis Ackner is a good factor outside, defensive line Alex Russell, Sam Blakeley might flip over to play some defensive line. It all depends at what we need at the time and who we’re going to play and the best matchups but we got a lot of pieces” Bell concluded.
Lake Orion has the proven experience for a deep postseason run. The defense remains the question mark with the last two years being very rough.”We have, I give my defensive staff a lot of credit, we have taken a look at our scheme, we are making some adjustments that we think better fits our personnel that we have, it wasn’t that we weren’t sound last year, we just didn’t play well at times last year, we weren’t very fundamental I don’t think on either side of the ball and then to me that was one of my biggest disappointments, I hold myself responsible, we got to be fundamentally sound on both sides of the ball but our defensive staff has worked really hard and we’ve tweaked our scheme and we think we’re running a package this year that best fits our personnel it’s a little more that of an aggressive, get after you blitzing type of scheme but I think it fits our personnel and I’m really excited about it” Bell added. This team does have some shades of 2019 in them and program strength should be solid. “We’ve had good summers, we have a new JV coach in Corey Bell and Jake Simon has also done a great job, we are quarterback strong, our freshman numbers will be up, last season we were 30-40 kids but there is talent in there in both programs” Bell added. The Dragons have a very interesting schedule shaping up. They open the year with Livonia Stevenson in Ann Arbor. Lake Orion also has West Bloomfield, Stoney Creek, Oxford, and Farmington coming to Dragon Stadium. The Dragons have Harper Woods, Adams, and Saline on the road. If they can shore the defense up then a deep postseason run seems possible. Lake Orion could be the most dangerous team in the league with the experience they have back this season.
Lake Orion Football Preview Show
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=13HxqisQdvI
CLARKSTON WOLVES:
LAST SEASON RECORD: 10-3 (7-2), 4-1 Red. Lost to Caledonia 21-0 in State Semifinals.
POINTS SCORED: 487 (37.4 ppg)
POINTS AGAINST: 374 (28.7 ppg)
KEY PLAYER: Desman Stephens-Wide Receiver/Defensive Back.
STRENGTH: Proven Pass Catchers, Linebackers.
WEAKNESS: Quarterback, Defensive Secondary, Both Lines.
GAME OF THE YEAR: September 1 at Southfield Arts and Tech
PROJECTED RECORD: 5-4, 3-2 Red
STORYLINES AND PLAYERS TO WATCH:
The Wolves had a solid first season under Coach Justin Pintar but they have some big questions coming into this season after falling 21-0 to Caledonia in the Division One State Finals. Clarkston will have to replace Ethan Clark whom was their all-time leading rusher for touchdowns for Pinter along with Cole Dellinger who is at Michigan State. The Wolves have the proven talent especially with their sophomore class to be in the mix.”We’ve had a really good offseason, you know we really try to take advantage of the days the MHSAA gives us and I think we are way ahead of where we were last year at this time, the coaches put a lot of time in, the players are more comfortable this year having the same staff back for year two so I think that from last year to this year we are definitely ahead where we were at this time from last year” Pinter said. They need to address several areas like their defense which really struggled last season.
Clarkston’s biggest problem was their defense. The Wolves offense bailed them out in most games but they allowed over 30 points five times and over 40 points three times which was not good. The Wolves have Nick Waszczenko and Griffin Bowman coming back at linebacker along with Desman Stephens, Ryan Rector, Adam Denver, Brady Beck, and Lucas Bowman coming back in the defensive secondary. They have Aiden O’Neill handling the kicking duties. The offensive and defensive lines are a major concern despite having Zach Radlick, Patrick Gruca Waszczenko, and Joey Lavake coming back. The rushing attack will be something to watch despite losing Ethan Clark to graduation. It is possible that Ethan’s little brother Grayson could fill that role but also both Bowman twins and Rector could see time there as well. “We got Lucas and Griffin Bowman who are going to get some reps there, Ryan Rector played some last year and he’ll be in the mix. So we feel pretty confident and all three of those guys running the football for us” Pintar mentioned. The wide receivers and tight end should be solid with Stephens, Rector, and Cooper Collins should be solid for the Wolves despite having a new quarterback. The new quarterback will have Brody Kosin to throw too at tight end. The quarterback spot will be something to watch this season. Pintar mentioned that three guys have a shot at the job including Jon Kaul before their week one matchup against Northville. “The quarterback position we got a few different kids that have been battling throughout the summer, all of them have looked really good at times and we’re going to continue that quarterback battle into camp so we don’t know right now who is going to be our starting quarterback at the Big House (Michigan against Northville) but we feel comfortable with all the guys that we have right now that they’re competiting for that spot. The quarterback spot is what just got to see where we’re at in a couple of weeks” Pinter added.
Clarkston should be a postseason team this season. Program strength should be very strong especially at the lower levels. They should be a very interesting team to watch offensively but defensibly is the biggest concern along with line play. The schedule looks tough but it’s very manageable. They have Northville at Michigan along with Lake Orion, West Bloomfield, Harper Woods, and Adams coming to Clarkston. The Wolves have Oxford, Stoney Creek, Southfield Arts and Tech, and a trip to Sweinhart (Utica Eisenhower) to close the season. Clarkston has a lot of things working for them. They should be a team to watch.
ADAMS HIGHLANDERS:
LAST SEASON RECORD: 10-2 (8-1), 4-1 Red. Lost 36-33 to Clarkston in Regional Finals.
POINTS SCORED: 437 (36.4 ppg)
POINTS AGAINST: 260 (21.7 ppg)
KEY PLAYER: Lachlan Tillotson-Running back/Quarterback.
STRENGTH: Proven Rushing Attack, Proven Linemen.
WEAKNESS: Quarterback, Linebackers, Depth, Proven Pass Catchers except Prieskorn.
GAME OF THE YEAR: August 24 at Orchard Lake St. Marys
PROJECTED RECORD: 5-4, 2-3 Red
STORYLINES AND PLAYERS TO WATCH:
It was a very special two years for the Highlanders which included a trip to the Division One State Finals in 2021. Adams replicated that by having a really good season but didn’t get back to Ford Field. The Highlanders were one stop from advancing to their second straight state semifinal appearance but a touchdown catch by Desman Stephens with two seconds left still haunts them in their 36-33 regional final loss to Clarkston. The Highlanders lost a lot of proven talent last season. It could be a little bit of a rebuilding year for Coach Tony Patritto this season.
Adams lost a ton of talent from last season’s team but this is still Adams. They have some athletes and they run the veer very well. “We’re clearly younger, we only have two starters back on defense and you know Parker is gone and his brother’s gone and a lot of our leadership left but they created a standard of work ethic and you know we heard a lot of coaches talk about today, our young guys are going to grind and braze and Mags are going to lead us and we’re going to try and compete” Patritto said. They have the proven linemen in Magnusson Lars, Parker Bolach, Nicholas Lakian, Rico Hart, and Brendan Watters coming back. The Highlanders have Matteo Humbert and Lachlan Tillotson at running back and proven pass catchers in Brady Prieskorn and Drew Heppner coming back. Adams needs to find a quarterback to run their vaunted veer (triple option) attack. Patritto mentioned that three guys are battling for the quarterback spot and one of those guys could be Tillotson.”We got three guys that are working really hard to fight for the job and I probably don’t think our staff don’t have a clear understanding who that’s going to be until after the scrimmage. So we got Tommy Offer, Ryan O’Watters, and Lachlan Tillotson that are playing really well hopefully one of them emerges and makes it easy for us” Patritto added. The defense should be very interesting to see this season with two starters coming back. Adams has Prieskorn on the defensive line, Humbert at linebacker, and Heppner in the defensive secondary coming back. Paxton Battershell should handle the kicking duties. It will be a very young defense this season for the Highlanders.
The Highlanders will need to grow up fast. Program strength looks to be solid especially the sophomore class after going unbeaten last season. The offensive and defensive lines should be very good while quarterback and linebacker spots are major concerns for Patritto. Adams has a really tough schedule with a very young group. They have Orchard Lake St. Marys, West Bloomfield, Clarkston, and Stoney Creek on the road and have Rochester, Lake Orion, Bloomfield Hills, and Sterling Heights Stevenson coming to Rochester and in front of the Gold Rush. It could be a step back season for the Highlanders. They should be a postseason team this season.
OXFORD WILDCATS:
LAST SEASON RECORD: 1-8, 0-5 Red. Didn’t Make Postseason.
POINTS SCORED: 71 (7.8 ppg)
POINTS AGAINST: 229 (25.4 ppg)
KEY PLAYER: Sean Wilson-Offensive/Defensive Lineman.
STRENGTH: Rushing Attack, Special Teams, Proven Defensive Secondary.
WEAKNESS: Proven Pass Catchers, Linebackers, Depth, Program Strength.
GAME OF THE YEAR: August 25 vs Utica Eisenhower
PROJECTED RECORD: 4-5, 1-4 Red
STORYLINES AND PLAYERS TO WATCH:
The Wildcats have gone through a lot ever since their eight win year in 2018. Oxford is 10-26 since their 2018 postseason run. It was very tough with a young team and the distractions last season. “Last year was a really tough season, we battled a lot of elements but I was proud of our kids for going back to school after everything that happened in Oxford, obviously not the result that we wanted on the field but it wasn’t a lack of effort out there or a lack of willingness. I’m excited about the foundation our seniors left and for our young guys to build on” said Coach Zach Line. The Wildcats should be better this season for Line.”We had a lot of young guys step up and play, the West Bloomfield game counting nine sophomores, I think it’s a good thing for the future, a lot of those guys have a lot of experience and I think we have good leadership as a whole so I’m excited to see what we can do” Line mentioned. Oxford has a lot of questions coming into the season even though in talking to Line, he sees some similarities to the 2021 team which went on an incredible run to the postseason that season.
Oxford was very young last season. “We were very young which is a good thing” Line added. The offense really struggled scoring 71 points despite playing a time possession offense. They will have a new quarterback. Line mentioned that it’s a three player race between Jack Hendrix, Ben Bruski, and Eli Carpenter. “We’re further ahead than we were last year, we were back to ground zero this year and be able to build toward our team and football more. Last year we spent as a time as a staff and as a group making sure we’re all in a good spot mentally, getting guys there and present, you know it was a hard year last year so this we were able to build from ground zero and start building” Line mentioned. Whoever takes over will have big shoes to fill after Dominic Cassisee transferred to Birmingham Detroit Country Day this offseason. “The quarterback situation, the nice thing about that is that we have depth and competition and quarterback is one of those. Training camp is where it happens putting the pads on and see where it goes and a lot of questions start getting answered” Line added. The Wildcats should have a very strong rushing attack with Luke Johnson at running back coming back. Johnson was their most productive running back last season.”Luke is a tremendous athlete, most of the season he went to Fargo and wrestled at Nationals. He’s a smart kid, great leader at running back for us” Line said. Oxford has Jake Champagne and Jonte Pittman coming back at wide receiver. The offensive and defensive lines are big question marks despite having Sean Wilson, Aiden Munson, Ian Jones, Devon Strimpel, Collin Johanson, Kylan Pociask coming back. “Sean has put up some size and some speed, he’s very intelligent. I think putting on size and being a senior will help and stepping up into a leadership role he can be more vocal, he is a tremendous asset to our team” Line added. The linebackers are a question mark but talking to Line on the podcast this might be the deepest he has had at the position. “This might be the deepest we have had at linebacker that can fly around, be physical, we’ll have another good competition at linebacker” Line mentioned. Line did mention that Johnson could see time at linebacker but there are others that could as well in Holden Jones, George Acosta, Hunter Ganey, Charlie Campbell, Will Whitlatch, and Ian Jones coming back. The defensive secondary should be the strength of the defense. The Wildcats have Jay Kady, Evan Garranger, Chuck Miconi, Keegan Wynn, Owen Pavlock, and Brody Moore coming back in the defensive secondary. “It’s probably our most veteran position coming into the season” Line added about his defensive secondary. Kady and his brother Drew should handle the kicking duties for Oxford. “We have the Kady brothers, both great kickers and are tremendous athletes but they also play other areas of the field” Line said of both Kady brothers.
Oxford has program strength has been very strong and it will be this season. “It’s great, our coaches, we put in a lot of time heading into this year, our numbers are very good, JV level around 30 and Freshman level is around 50 so we had a big class come through which is always nice and I got good coaches” Line added. The Wildcats should be in for another rough year especially when it comes the schedule. They have Utica Eisenhower, Oak Park, Clarkston, West Bloomfield, and North Farmington coming to Wildcat Stadium. The Wildcats have Lake Orion, Adams, and Stoney Creek on the road and a possible game at Ford Field for week nine. Oxford could surprise some people if things go right but all roads point to a very difficult road ahead for the Wildcats. “I like this team, they work really hard so this team reminds me of the 2021 team, they are resilient, they keep getting better and better each day so far so good” Line concluded.
Oxford Podcast
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OAIROTuqwoA
STONEY CREEK COUGARS:
LAST SEASON RECORD: 5-5 (5-4), 1-4 Red. Lost 21-20 to Rochester in First Round.
POINTS SCORED: 296 (29.6 ppg)
POINTS AGAINST: 215 (21.5 ppg)
KEY PLAYER: Jacob Krobchak-Offensive/Defensive Lineman.
STRENGTH: Special Teams, Rushing Attack, Linebackers.
WEAKNESS: Quarterback, Proven Pass Catchers, Defensive Secondary.
GAME OF THE YEAR: September 1 at Bloomfield Hills
PROJECTED RECORD: 2-7, 0-5 Red
STORYLINES AND PLAYERS TO WATCH:
It was a very odd year for the Cougars last season. They were a postseason team despite their struggles in the Red. The offense was solid while the defense had some struggles. Stoney Creek fans have to be still sick to their stomachs after losing 21-20 to Rochester in the first round. They beat the Falcons two week prior to that game. Rochester scored a last second touchdown and kicked the extra point in that game. Coach Nick Merlo has built a full fledged program with the “Armor Up” culture. The Cougars should be a very interesting team to watch this season.
Stoney Creek should be a very interesting team this season. “I’m looking forward to seeing what they can do” Merlo said. They have gotten a ton of hype especially from Jacob Krobchak whom has gotten offers from multiple Division One schools. Krobchak, Jackson Mead, Zachariah Amerson, and Roman Lambert will be very critical to the Cougars success this season on both lines of the football.”We have two or three on the line that are two and three year starters on the the varsity, we have extremely high expectations for them” Merlo mentioned. Merlo added that they will be adding several tight ends like Patrick O’Day to play on the offensive line as well this season. “We will be adding some tight ends that will be playing on the offensive line” Merlo mentioned. They have Jayden McCarthy at quarterback along with Wes Cyrulnik, Sam Fogler, Kyle Parks, and Ashla Kowski at running coming back along with Rex Shackleford and Jonah McCay at wide receiver coming back.”Really looking forward to see what they do, great looking young men just looking forward to getting better everyday” Merlo added. The defense will be very young with Brandon Dobos and Adam Bazzi coming back at linebacker which should be the strength of the defense. The defensive secondary will be a major concern this season for Merlo despite having Andrew Napalotano coming back. The special teams should be very good with kicker Quentin Ubaydi coming back.
Program strength looks to be solid for Stoney Creek this season and also in the future. “We have great families, great community that love football, great families, awesome staff in each level that love the game and teach it they the right way development of our kids through youth football they get better every week and every year just very thankful for the guys who coach the Armor Up culture” Merlo added. The Cougars have a really tough schedule. They have Harper Woods, Clarkston, Oxford, and Adams coming to Stoney Creek. Stoney Creek has New Baltimore Anchor Bay, Rochester, Lake Orion, West Bloomfield, and Bloomfield Hills on the road. It could be a very interesting year for the Cougars this season.
Stoney Creek Podcast
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SQCCjxxPYu4&t=657s
at August 20, 2023 No comments:
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Tuesday, August 15, 2023
Written Tuesday August 15th at 2:40 PM
These are the Boys Soccer top teams according to History Now host Anthony Taormina.
The Red is one of the toughest divisions in the State. Adams, Berkley, Clarkston, Troy Athens, Troy have been stalwarts in the Red competing year in and year out and have at some point been ranked in the state. Rochester and Oxford have been in the Red for the last few years and have been able to compete in both the Red and in the White. Seaholm comes up to the Red after winning the White but has held their own against teams in the Red. Stoney Creek comes down after finishing last in the Red but returns a lot of players and has been a Red perennial for many years. They will be determined to get back into the Red mix as well. The White was also very competitive last year, Seaholm won the division but Groves, Lake Orion, and Royal Oak were right there as well. Bloomfield Hills and West Bloomfield will also be in the mix this year as well, both return a lot and are looking to be in the upper tier of the division. Farmington comes up to the White after co-winning the Blue with Avondale but the league decided Farmington would come up. They will be looking to prove that they belong in the White. North Farmington comes down to the Blue after finishing last in the White and is poised to have a better year. Avondale has a new coach and is one of the favorites in the division. Ferndale and Pontiac will always compete in the Blue, both of them fielding strong competitive programs in the division. Oak Park is in year two of their program. Will be curious to see if Southfield Arts and Tech and Harper Woods field soccer teams, last year neither team was able to field soccer programs. Will be a very interesting soccer season.
Here is the top ten teams according to Anthony Taormina.
- Adams- Hard to go against the defending champs.
- Berkley- Has a ton of proven experience coming back.
- Clarkston- Wolves compete year in and year out. Still solid group.
- Troy Athens- One of the most consistent programs in the State, all three levels.
- Troy- Loses a lot but program strength is strong.
- Rochester- Life being in the Red benefits the Falcons.
- Oxford- Best team in a long time for the Wildcats.
- Seaholm- Can hang with the Red.
- Stoney Creek- A year in the White might do some good for the Cougars with proven experience.
- Bloomfield Hills- Returns a ton of proven experience.
- Groves- One of the standard bears of the White.
- Lake Orion- Young team, curious to see how these young men grow up.
- Royal Oak- Somewhat young but always competitive.
- West Bloomfield- Returns a lot of veteran experience.
- Avondale- New coach, can they win the Blue???
- Farmington- Proving to see if they belong.
- North Farmington- Looking for a bounce back year.
- Ferndale- One of the consistent teams in the Blue.
- Pontiac- Phoenix is one of the consistent teams in the Blue.
- Oak Park- Can they keep building their program???
- Southfield Arts and Tech- Can they field enough kids to build a program???
- Harper Woods- Can they field enough kids to build a program???
by orionontv | Jul 20, 2023 | Feature Writers, High School Sports
Written Tuesday July 18th at 12:30 PM
Farmington went within with their next girls basketball coach.
The Falcons have named Natalie Nowak their new girls basketball coach according to a very accurate source. Nowak takes over Laura Guzman who left for Troy a few weeks ago.
Nowak is a teacher at Farmington. She was an assistant under Guzman and coached the Junior Varsity program. Nowak was an assistant at Adams and also was an assistant at Schoolcraft College for three years.
Farmington has EdiMari King, Anna Tornachuk, and Jayla Silver coming back for Nowak.
The Falcons will be in the Blue with Troy whom is coached by Guzman, along with Troy Athens, Southfield Arts and Tech, Adams, and Berkley. They are also in a brutal district which has North Farmington, West Bloomfield, Birmingham Marian, and Farmington Hills Mercy at Farmington Hills Mercy.
Thoughts
I like the hire of Nowak. She is in the building and brings a ton of basketball experience. The coaching transition should be a smooth one with Nowak being an assistant under Guzman. Program strength is a concern for Nowak but in time she can get the numbers back up at Farmington.
Stay tuned to OAA Now for the latest on this developing story.
by orionontv | Jul 20, 2023 | Feature Writers, High School Sports
Written Friday July 14th at 2:00 AM
Updated Friday July 14th at 9:00 AM
Here are some of the well know rivalries and some of the famous clashes around the OAA when it came to the rivalries. I don’t have all the rivalries, if you want to add any more just feel free to DM me.
Lake Orion vs Oxford: This rivalry you can write a documentary on that is for sure. The Dragons and the Wildcats are the Hatfield’s and the McCoy’s. Whether it’s football, boys basketball, girls basketball, soccer, baseball, softball, track, wrestling, you name it. It’s almost close to Michigan vs Michigan State when describing this rivalry. There are legendary names on both sides and there is a trophy in football. This has been a rivalry since the 1950’s. Expect more to write their names on this rivalry in the future.
Clarkston vs West Bloomfield: When you think of Clarkston, you think of Lake Orion being the rival. That has certainly have not been the case as of late. West Bloomfield has clearly became Clarkston’s arch rival whether it is football, basketball, you name it. These two have been arch rivals with their first ever meeting being in 1953 and have been part of the Oakland Wayne Conference. The Wolves and Lakers have had battles in football and in basketball. Expect this rivalry to intensify in the next few years.
Berkley vs Royal Oak: When Royal Oak Kimball and Royal Oak Dondero merged in 2006 and became Royal Oak. Most people would think that Royal Oak High School would overcome their rivals to the west but it hasn’t been the case in most sports. The Bears are 6-3 all time against the Ravens including winning the last three meetings in football. Berkley has either played even or dominated against Royal Oak with the exception being Girls Basketball. The Ravens beat the Bears 20-9 in the softball district finals which was a monster win for the program. Could Royal Oak’s softball district crown over Berkley be a rivalry game changer??? Who knows but it’s a start. The Ravens need to start winning over their arch rivals on a consistent basis if they want to turn the rivalry in their favor.
Troy vs Troy Athens: These two neighborhood rivals have been at it since 1976 with the city of Troy in red and gold or black and gray. Troy used to be a football powerhouse but have struggled on hard times. This rivalry has had some intense battles especially in soccer and also basketball. Soccer is where both rivals are very competitive and it’s intense. The fan bases are also intense as well. Troy has dominated Troy Athens in girls basketball and volleyball. They have also found some success in football and boys basketball. This rivalry will be going on for a long time that is for sure in the future.
Groves vs Seaholm: The Battle of Birmingham has been very strong between the green and gold and the maple and white. These two city rivals first met in 1961 and have played 67 times with Seaholm winning 42 of those games. Groves has won 12 of the last 14 meetings in this rivalry in football. Football is not the only sport where these two neighborhood rivals compete at. Both schools are very good in tennis, soccer, and in swimming and diving. Boys Basketball has had some great battles including a shocking upset where Seaholm upset Groves in the pre-district. These rivals will be in the conversation for a long time in all sports.
West Bloomfield vs Bloomfield Hills: The Battle of Bloomfield has been more evident in boys basketball. These two have split their contests and played in the postseason where West Bloomfield won on the road in the pre-district over Bloomfield Hills. It is possible that these two schools could meet again in the postseason next season. The Blackhawks lost a lot of proven talent from this offseason. The Lakers have a ton of proven experience coming back. In other sports, these two teams are not in the same division except for boys soccer but really this rivalry have been really been intense in boys basketball.
North Farmington vs Farmington: North Farmington and Farmington have always been the battle to decide Farmington even when they first met in 1963 but when Harrison became a school, the Hawks dominated the city of Farmington especially in football. North Farmington has always been a basketball power and it has shown. When Harrison closed in 2018, Farmington benefited from Harrison closing but the Hawks coaching staff went to North Farmington. 2019 was a classic when both teams went in unbeaten but the Raiders beat the Falcons 13-9 winning the Blue crown. The Falcons had dominated the rivalry under then coach Jon Bectel and also Kory Cicroch but when Coach Jon Herstein came to North Farmington, the rivalry has changed in a big way until overtime game where Farmington beat the Raiders which was huge for Coach Jason Albrecht who played under Bectel in 2022. Basketball has been dominated by the Raiders as has most of the spring sports as well. Farmington has a ton to prove especially against their arch rivals to the north in football and in basketball.
Berkley vs Ferndale: This has been a neighborhood rivalry that has been played since 1950 in football. Berkley and Ferndale are no strangers to each other when it comes to sports. Football and boys basketball have been the greatest areas of this rivalry. In 2018, no one would ever forget a 23-1 Bears lead on Steve Rhodes Appreciation Night only for the Eagles to comeback and stun the Bears. Ferndale has changed their program under then Coach Juan Rickman which included a Division Two State Crown. Berkley has been a very strong program under Coach Joe Sermo. These two schools have been solid in football as well. Other sports they clash in softball where both teams have had tight games in the past. The rivalry hasn’t been the same as in recent years but it’s still there.
Lake Orion vs Clarkston: The Dragons and the Wolves have been a rivalry but it hasn’t shown in football or boys basketball where Clarkston has dominated Lake Orion in recent years. Girls Basketball and volleyball this rivalry has been very competitive especially in girls basketball. Both teams are in the Red and have split games in the last two years. These two rivals first met in 1951. Lake Orion has to fix the boys sports especially football and boys basketball against Clarkston if this rivalry wants to come back to its spark of the past.
Oak Park vs Southfield Arts and Tech: Oak Park and Southfield are no strangers to one another with both schools close to one another. The Knights have played the Warriors/Blue Jays/and Chargers really tight. Southfield has been a girls basketball power in the past while Oak Park has really struggled. Oak Park has become the boys basketball power and has become a track and field power as well. Football is the biggest sport where this rivalry has really excelled. There has been star studded coaches from Greg Carter at Oak Park and Tim Conley and Aaron Marshall at Southfield. These two teams won’t meet each other in football this season but that rivalry is still there.
West Bloomfield vs Southfield Arts and Tech: The Lakers and Warriors have become an interesting rivalry when it comes to football. It hasn’t been a much a rivalry in other sports as of late with West Bloomfield having Southfield Arts and Tech’s number. West Bloomfield has won five of the last six meetings over Southfield Arts and Tech including a 42-21 stunner in Southfield last season. The Lakers are 5-3 all time against the Warriors in football.
Clarkston vs North Farmington: The great wars of boys basketball with coaching icons like Dan Fife and Tom Negoshian where the Raiders have famously had problems on big courts but most times have been successful against the Wolves at home. North Farmington has won the last two meetings in Clarkston over the Wolves. The philosophies of Fife and Negoshian are still there with Tim Waslik, a Fife and Todd Negoshian, Todd’s son coaching the present day basketball programs.
Clarkston vs Pontiac: The Wolves and the city of Pontiac was the rivalry from in the 1990’s and 2000’s when Pontiac was Pontiac Northern and Pontiac Central. When the schools merged it was a great rivalry but the Phoenix had fallen on hard times while Clarkston has been very consistent. Pontiac named Andrew Myers, a Clarkston graduate as their new head coach to turn around the program. The last time Pontiac beat Clarkston was when then coach Joel Schroeder coached the Phoenix in 2019 outside of that the Wolves have been dominant against the Phoenix.
Rochester vs Adams: The Falcons vs Highlanders is a very interesting city rivalry with Walton Blvd separating the two schools. Adams has owned Rochester in football. The Highlanders have won 26 straight meetings (last loss was 1996) over their rivals from Livernois. Rochester and Adams have been very good in soccer with both schools having to see each other in districts. Adams has really improved in volleyball and Rochester has been on the rise as of late. The Highlanders and Falcons have had some wars in the past in boys basketball especially the coaching matchups between John Hall and John Pleasant and the many players that have played in that rivalry ranging from Paris Perria (Rochester 2008-2012 and is the current Adams Junior Varsity Coach) who has been on both sides of this rivalry. Girls basketball has had some moments in this rivalry as well and the coaching wars between Shay Lewis/Fran Schiowisz vs Jeff Haney/Bill Thurston have been great in the past as well. It’s a rivalry that has grown and will continue to grow in time.
Adams vs Stoney Creek: The Highlanders and Cougars have had some wars particularly in soccer and cheerleading. Stoney Creek has beaten Adams twice in football since 2013. They have had some wars in basketball as well particularly the coaching matchups between John Hall/Jaret Thomas against Steve Norgrove in boys to Shay Lewis vs Kellen James in girls. Cheerleading has been very interesting between the two schools and also fellow city rival Rochester when it comes to the Division One State crown having visited all three schools. Stoney Creek has had Adams number in volleyball but it seems to be turning a little bit and it’s a good coaching rivalry between Terry Baughman and Ross Talbot. In soccer they have to go through each other every year to have a deep postseason run. It’s a rivalry that can keep growing in time.
Rochester vs Stoney Creek: The Falcons and the Cougars have developed into a really good rivalry especially in football, basketball, cheerleading, and soccer. Current Stoney Creek football coach Nick Merlo has connections to both sides of this rivalry. He coaches the Cougars but he was a Rochester grad, assistant coach, and his father is legendary coach Mark Merlo who coached at Rochester. Rochester beat Stoney Creek 21-20 in the first round of the postseason in 2022 which was the Falcons first postseason win in school history after winning on an extra point. Rochester has been the dominant power in cheerleading but Stoney Creek has a fair share of State crowns of their own. Girls basketball has been very competitive especially the coaching rivalries of the past between Jeff Haney and Brad Crighton to Bill Thurston vs Kellen James and big name players have came through both sides of this rivalry. Soccer has been very insturmental on both sides, the Falcons were the top team in the State in girls soccer but fell to Stoney Creek whom was ranked third in the State. The Cougars won the Division One State crown this season. Their paths go through each other usually in the postseason.
Lake Orion vs Adams: The Dragons and Highlanders have had their fair share of battles especially in football. Lake Orion is 21-16 all time against Adams but the Highlanders won the last two meetings last season.Lake Orion has had some monster wins in this rivalry as well 2019 36-31, 2018 28-24, and 2008 31-28 were all Dragons wins with two of them being at Adams. This rivalry is not just in football but also in basketball, baseball, softball, and track and field. Adams beat Lake Orion in track and field in the regular season but the Dragons got them in some invitationals and it’s been a great rivalry between Eric Lohr and Stan Ford/Andrew McDonald. The Highlanders won two of three against the Dragons in baseball but Lake Orion had a deeper postseason run than Adams. In Girls Basketball the coaching rivalries were classic between Bob Brydges and Shay Lewis along with Steve Roberts against Shay Lewis. The Highlanders had the Dragons number in the postseason but that all changed in 2022 when Lake Orion beat Adams in the district first round. The Highlanders upset the Dragons in the regional semifinal in 2022 with a 1-0 win in that game. They have had battles in boys basketball, boys lacrosse, and boys golf. This rivalry has excelled over the years and will continue to be one in all sports for a while.
Adams vs Clarkston: The Highlanders and Wolves are no strangers to each other especially in football. Clarkston is 22-15 all time against Adams and the Wolves won three of the last four meetings including twice in 2022. The Desman Stephens touchdown with one second in the regional final was nuts. The 36-33 stunner sent the Wolves to the Division One State Semifinals and ended the Highlanders season to which Adams had one of their best sports classes in school history (Class of 2023.) Adams did get Clarkston back in boys basketball by beating them three times including in the regional final at Fenton. The Highlanders and Wolves have gone back and fourth in the past. It will be very interesting to see how this rivalry evolves into the future.
Lake Orion vs Rochester: The Dragons and Falcons are no strangers to one another when it comes to sports. Some will look back to when Rochester beat Lake Orion twice in the regular season on route to a 19-1 season but the Dragons stunned the Falcons 48-44 in the boys basketball district finals in 2012. Lake Orion went on to the State Quarterfinal that season. The rivalry has really blossomed in Girls Basketball. Lake Orion and Rochester have went back and fourth when it comes to wins and losses. They have built their programs from the Blue and are now back in the Red. The coaching matchups between Steve Roberts and Jeff Haney and Bob Brydges against Bill Thurston have featured classics from Little Caesars Arena to the game at Rochester where Lake Orion was without four rotational players and won that game. The Dragons won the district crown in 2021 over the Falcons 40-34. Lake Orion has had the upper hand in most sports against Rochester with the exception of cheerleading and soccer but girls basketball the rivalry has really blossomed.
by orionontv | Jun 26, 2023 | Feature Writers, High School Sports
Written Tuesday June 20th at 6:40 PM
This are the volleyball districts. Here are my thoughts and insight surrounding each district. This article will be updated.
District 17 @ Livonia Stevenson
FARMINGTON
SOUTHFIELD ARTS AND TECH
Farmington Hills Mercy
Novi
Livonia Stevenson
Redford Thurston
PROJECTED MPR: 1. Farmington Hills Mercy, 2. Livonia Stevenson
FAVORITE: Farmington Hills Mercy
NEXT: Livonia Stevenson
DARKHORSE: Novi
PLAYER ON SPOT: Kaitlyn Pallozzi-Farmington Hills Mercy
EARLY THOUGHTS: This should be a very tough district. Three teams have a great chance to win this district. Novi made a ton of head waves last season despite losing a ton of proven experience from last season’s final four run. The Wildcats have Cece Regoli, Mallory Stoy, Grace Hoener, Izzy Earley, Kate Harpenau, Paige O’Connor, and Zoe Adams coming back for Coach Kacey Moran. Livonia Stevenson should be a sleeper in this district. The Spartans have Ava Schoen, Dea Alushi, Natalie West, Brynlee Hass, Erin Cahill, Megan Ervans, Cate Sosnowski, Jessica Muller, Kennedy Hinkle, Lauren Micallef, Kelsey Bahr, and Grace Trantham coming back for Coach Amy Osborn. Farmington Hills Mercy has been a perional power in volleyball and they should be again. The Marlins have Kaitlyn Pallozzi, Maya Zarow, Angie Butler, Lana LaFontaine, Jillian Collins, Cree Hollier, Campbell Flynn, Keira McNutt, and Ava Fitzgerald coming back for Coach Loretta Vogel. Southfield Arts and Tech has a really good season last year winning the Blue for Coach Michael Armstrong. Redford Thurston was up and down last season. They should be better this season for Coach Scott Gray. Farmington really struggled last season. The Falcons should be much improved for Coach Kate Drews. This should be a very interesting district to watch this season.
District 21 @ Birmingham Marian
BERKLEY
GROVES
SEAHOLM
OAK PARK
ROYAL OAK
Birmingham Marian
PROJECTED MPR: 1. Birmingham Marian, 2. Berkley
FAVORITE: Birmingham Marian
NEXT: Berkley
DARKHORSE: Groves
PLAYER ON SPOT: Mackenzie Swanson-Birmingham Marian
EARLY THOUGHTS: In the words of the great Paul Heyman, the word defending and undisputed champion is in this district and that is Birmingham Marian. They are the two time defending Division One State Champs and they host the district. The Mustangs are loaded again with Allie Davison, Danielle Mertz, Mackenzie Swanson, Maggie Scott, Jayla Zayti, Maria Odeesh, Izzy Busignani, and Ella Swanson coming back. They also added Clarkston transfer Chloe Gehtbrock for Coach Mayssa Cook. Seaholm really struggled last season. The Maples should be better for Coaches Jason and Heather Gambone. Groves should be very interesting this season. The Falcons have Jordan Allen, Anna Apsey, Chloe Cast, Autumn DeGroat, Emily Eshelby, Adison Gerken, Alexis Heller, Molly Heller, Sydney Lezovich, Sofia Scott, Ayden Weber, and Ariell White coming back for Coach Madison Close. Berkley had an incredible run getting to the Division One State Quarterfinals last season. The Bears have Sophie Owens, Lili Herron, Karsen Savage, Mariah Jones, Erika Mayry, Emily High, Alana White, and Julia Watson coming back for Coach Dakota Stanichuk. Royal Oak has a ton of ups and downs last season. The Ravens have Ava Emery, Brie Emery, Charlotte Graves, Riley Maizy, Jaelynn Prebelich, Hannah Saunders, and Emmy Walden coming back for Coach Ciara Schultz. Oak Park could struggle in this district but the Knights should be competitive for Coach Daimienne Goodlow. This district is the Mustangs to lose but the Bears, Falcons, Ravens, and maybe Maples might have a strong say how this district goes.
District 25 @ Waterford Mott
NORTH FARMINGTON
BLOOMFIELD HILLS
WEST BLOOMFIELD
Walled Lake Central
Walled Lake Western
Waterford Mott
PROJECTED MPR: 1. Bloomfield Hills, 2. Walled Lake Central
FAVORITE: Walled Lake Central
NEXT: Bloomfield Hills
DARKHORSE: Walled Lake Western
PLAYER ON THE SPOT: Natalie Petrucci- Bloomfield Hills
EARLY THOUGHTS: There are a ton of storylines coming into this district. Walled Lake Central is veteran heavy. The Vikings have Madeline Elkow, Lauren Browser, Angelina Virga, Angelina Saco, Samantha Klenczar, Makalynn Czamecki, Brielle Thomas, and Reagan Adams coming back for Coach Elizabeth Kaplin. Walled Lake Western is another team that is veteran heavy. The Warriors have Blaire Waling, Evynne Santana, Natalie Kosaian, Ryah Dewey, Brie Woodman, and Megan Hill coming back for Coach Angie Dewey. Bloomfield Hills should be solid with Jessica Pal, Kacy Rankin, Emily Daitch, Kora Nicolanti, Jamie Zousmer, Natalie Peturcci, Annalise Parker, Gabrielle Gippert, Mia Feinglold, Celeste Arabo, and Kayla Nwabuezee coming back for Coach Jacob Paige. Waterford Mott has struggled in the past but they should be better for Coach Beth MacVicar. North Farmington was very young last season. They have experience which should help. The Raiders have Skyler Wayne, Sydney Ostrofsky, Liz Grajewski, Sofi Licari, Sam Hoffer, Amara Gatson, Isaiah Bartlett, Mehar Khanna, Sullivan Totin, Whalen Kennedy, Collin Zimmerman, Kayli Piper, and Kanoto Noguchi coming back for Coach Michael Love. West Bloomfield should be very interesting with a new coach and system coming into the program. The Lakers have Arielle Newsome, Jordanne Shannon, Gabrielle Hale, and Felcia Fulton coming back for new coach Elizabeth Ferguson. This should be a very interesting district to watch. It’s anyone’s district but give a slight edge to the Blackhawks.
District 26 @ Adams
ADAMS
ROCHESTER
STONEY CREEK
PONTIAC
Utica Eisenhower
PROJECTED MPR: 1. Stoney Creek, 2. Utica Eisenhower
FAVORITE: Stoney Creek
NEXT: Adams
DARKHORSE: Rochester
PLAYER ON SPOT: Lola Hurst-Rochester
EARLY THOUGHTS: This should be a very interesting district. There are four teams that have a shot to win this district. Utica Eisenhower should be a very interesting team. The Eagles have Jada Pantaleo, Shpresa Nikolai, Gina Fredrigo, Kayla Ostrander, Claire Bemis, Danielle Becker, and Jenna Fraser coming back for Coach Caitlyn Mahoney. Rochester has made a ton of strides from last season. They should be very good this season. The Falcons have Aleeza Carballo, Lola Hurst, Abby He, Kaitlin Allen, Kylah Vigant, Vivian Campbell, Carol Campbell, Isabella Ferrara, Joran Suhajda, Bruce Suhajda, and Makena Torri coming back for Coach Kirk Gibbs. Adams should be back in the mix. The Highlanders have Emily Edwards, Maddie Wilson, Julia Fidler, Tori Lang, Tina Barnekova, Emerson Straub, Bella Guthrie, Sayrha Nahra, and Olivia Carroll coming back for Coach Terry Baughman. Stoney Creek was very young last season which was very unusual. The Cougars have Lexi Mazzola, Grace Bonner, Joslyn Becker, Julia Gojcaj, Lili Sipila, Caroline Khury, Zoe Champine, Ana Cano, Jillian Van Stee, and Cassandra Younggren coming back for Coach Ross Talbot. Pontiac should be very young this season for Coach Kyrie Holloman. This district should be very competitive with the Cougars, Highlanders, Falcons, and Eagles have great chances to win this district.
District 27 @ Avondale
AVONDALE
TROY
TROY ATHENS
Sterling Heights Stevenson
Utica Ford II
PROJECTED MPR: 1. Troy, 2. Avondale
FAVORITE: Troy
NEXT: Avondale
DARKHORSE: Troy Athens
PLAYER ON SPOT: Caroline Cubitt-Troy Athens
EARLY THOUGHTS: This should be a very interesting district in Auburn Hills. Utica Ford II should be solid this season. The Falcons have Natalia Malewicz, Bella Allen, Ruby Sandison, Kaitlyn Marsh, Stephanie Saunders, and Samantha Yantus coming back for Coach Randy Schantz. Sterling Heights Stevenson had a solid year last season. The Titans have Diana Marku, Kaitlyn Davis, Samantha Fenwick, and Katie Coles coming back for Coach Karolina Dziedzic. Troy has been very good in the past. The Colts have Anna Rich, Bella Colon, Gabby Bouzide, Emma Runke, Riley Smith and, Anika Abelgas coming back for Coach Vince Muscat. Troy Athens has been improving. The Red Hawks have Ashlyn Andrzejewski, Caroline Cubitt, Macy Van Tiem, Maya Sabra, Madigan Tennies, and Julia Heywood coming back for Coach Mary Kate Zinn. Avondale has been improving each season. The Yellow Jackets have Ava Williams, Cate Pastori, Marissa Jewell, Paige Inez and Kennedy Wolfe coming back for Coach Andrew Stepp. I think this is a wide open district to say the least.
District 29 @ Lake Orion
CLARKSTON
LAKE ORION
Waterford Kettering
Walled Lake Northern
Lakeland
PROJECTED MPR: 1. Clarkston, 2. Lakeland
FAVORITE: Clarkston
NEXT: Lakeland
DARKHORSE: Walled Lake Northern
PLAYER ON SPOT: Cayla Cogan-Clarkston
EARLY THOUGHTS: This is going to be a very competitive and very tough district. Four teams have a shot to win this district. Walled Lake Northern is veteran heavy this season. The Knights have Kaitlyn Freitag, Amelia Foster, Ava Epley, Kayla Budziak, Hadley Krygier, Avery Alfano, Lexi Peters, and Lucy McCarthy coming back for Coach Suzanne Krygier. Lakeland has been very good and they should be again this season. The Eagles have Kenzie McCombs, Kylie Kennedy, Ivana Fillipovic, Rylie Finzel, and Finley Ostach coming back for Coach Meghan Polce. Waterford Kettering has struggled in recent years. The Captains have Isabel Nuttall, Sarai Villegas-Rosa, Isabella Labo, Delaney Hall, Andrea Brown, Kyra Nickerson, and Riley Buczek coming back for Coach Rod Armstrong. Lake Orion is a very interesting team, they struggled early but improved as the season went on. The Dragons have Charlotte Peplowski, Teresa Gaberdiel, Allison O’Rourke, Sydney Bell, Carly Zibell, Ella Johnson, Sydbey Small, Addison Dukus, Kennedi Miller, and Devin Brunk coming back for Coach Tony Scarvada. Clarkston made a ton of noise and took Birmingham Marian to the brink last season. The Wolves have Morgan Lozzi, Addison Newblatt, Kiley Gallagher, Cayla Cogan, Jessica Petker, Emery Kuebler, and Isabelle Henry coming back for Coach Alison Smith. This district should be the one of the most competitive in the State this season.
District 32 @ Romeo
OXFORD
Romeo
New Baltimore Anchor Bay
Port Huron
Port Huron Northern
PROJECTED MPR: 1. New Baltimore Anchor Bay, 2. Oxford
FAVORITE: New Baltimore Anchor Bay
NEXT: Oxford
DARKHORSE: Port Huron
PLAYER ON SPOT: Jordyn Fiedler-Port Huron
EARLY THOUGHTS: This should be a very interesting district, three teams have a great shot to win this district. New Baltimore Anchor Bay was solid last season. The Tars have Ashlyn Cunha, Grace Lancaster, Lea Wasielewski, Brooklyn Haack, Rachel Youngblood, Korin Hitton, and Amelia Klos coming back for Coach Kristy Morrow. Port Huron should be a very interesting team. The Big Reds have Brylynn Balon, Jordan Fiedler, Alana Haller, Erica Hudy, Gwen Kamendat, Bryn Mullens, Isabelle Trombly, Illiana Williams coming back for Coach Derek Arena. Port Huron Northern really struggled last season. The Huskies have Elizabeth Block, McKenna Kiteley, Paisley Peyerk, Alexis Umbreit, Emma Vandergraff, Sydney Betts, and Anna Kerhoulas coming back for Coach Jacqueline Jamison. Oxford should be very interesting. The Wildcats have Alexandra Lantzy, Abby Jones, Jenna Miller, Kaitlyn Weiss, Tara Swanson, and Ella Sharrow coming back for Coach Noelle Zebb. Romeo has home court and should have a bounce back season. The Bulldogs have Trista Ameel, Alyson Culkin, Kara Plutschuck, Emma Pagliarella, and Hannah Tymitz coming back for Coach Stacey Williams. Overall this should be a very interesting district as mentioned between the Tars, Big Reds, and Wildcats are the early favorites but never count the Bulldogs out by any means.
District 54 @ Hazel Park
FERNDALE
FERNDALE UNIVERSITY
Detroit Henry Ford
Detroit Jalen Rose Leadership Academy
Detroit Lincoln King
Hazel Park
PROJECTED MPR: 1. Hazel Park, 2. Ferndale
FAVORITE: Hazel Park
NEXT: Ferndale
DARKHORSE: Ferndale University
PLAYER ON SPOT: Isabella Mendoza-Ferndale
EARLY THOUGHTS: This district looks like it could be a three team district. Detroit Henry Ford really struggled last season for Coach Tiffany Jackson. Detroit Lincoln King struggled last season for Coach Briana Moss. Detroit Jalen Rose Academy for Coach Rhea Cooper. Hazel Park has been very good since leaving the OAA for the Macomb Area Conference. The Vikings have Alayna Brown, Lacy Chambers, Gabrielle, Figueroa, Emily Hudnall, and Savannah Lopez coming back for Coach Sherry Rietz. Ferndale should be a contender this season. The Eagles have Tatiyana Butts, Isabel Dutra, Charlotte Keller, Isabella Mendoza, Scarlet Reid, Katie Stokes, and Djene Sy coming back for Coach Natalie Satkowiak. Ferndale University should be very interesting this season. The Eagles have Ja-Kai George Tate, JonNae Kitchen, Briah Wadley, and Chanel Watson coming back for Coach Kenton Maki. As mentioned earlier, this district could come down to the Vikings, the Eagles, and the Eagles whom could win this district.
District 56 @ TBD
HARPER WOODS
Harper Woods Chandler Park
Detroit Denby Tech
Detroit East English Village Prep
Detroit Osborn
Detroit Southeastern
PROJECTED MPR: 1. Harper Woods Chandler Park, 2. Detroit Southeastern
FAVORITE: Harper Woods Chandler Park
NEXT: Detroit Southeastern
DARKHORSE: Detroit East English Village Prep
PLAYER ON SPOT: Destiny Hardy-Harper Woods Chandler Park
EARLY THOUGHTS: This is not a very strong district on paper. Detroit Southeastern was very good last season for Coach Ricardo Brown. Detroit Osborn has a new coach. Detroit East English for Coach Pamela Green. Detroit Denby for Coach Leif Seed. Harper Woods Chandler Park was up and down last season but they will have home court which helps. The Eagles have Micha White, Asia Newsom, Destiny Hardy, Jaiden Brooks, Shardae Littlejohn, Autumn Howard and Jailah Carter coming back for Coach Michelle Smith. Harper Woods really struggled last season for Coach Lydia Doty-Faulk. This district on paper looks like this is the Eagles to lose but the Jungaleers could give a battle for sure.
Volleyball Districts
https://my.mhsaa.com/Sports/Girls-Volleyball/2023-Districts
