Written Saturday September 27th at 9:28 AM

Rankings

1. Harper Woods: Pioneers going along with their business.

2. Clarkston: Wolves defense starting to shine again.

3. West Bloomfield: Will Espy is starting to make his name known across the State.

4. Stoney Creek: Cougars bounced back after tough loss to Harper Woods.

5. Farmington: Falcons have bounced back nicely since loss to Holly.

6. Ferndale: Eagles defense has started to come alive.

7. Adams: Highlanders will be fine, don’t panic.

8. North Farmington: Maybe Elijah Cobb is the answer at quarterback.

9. Seaholm: Maples have to stop turning the ball over for the veer to work.

10. Oak Park: Knights might be the most improved team this season.

Rankings Explanation

This week the rankings were a bit complicated from seven through ten.

The top six teams have had strong seasons with not a lot of changes but with Adams at seven makes sense despite their tough 21-7 loss to Clarkston. I kept North Farmington at eight even though they are playing much better football but thought of putting the Highlanders at eight but decided against that. Seaholm drops to nine after getting romped 42-19 on their home field by Farmington and allowing 21 points in the second half. I thought of dropping them from the rankings but the 33-7 win against Oak Park is keeping them in the top ten at the moment. I moved Oak Park to ten because of their bounce back win over Troy. I dropped Groves out because of the loss to West Bloomfield but also thought of keeping them in the rankings as well. I don’t think Oak Park and Groves play each other this season, would had been a very interesting game. I also thought of putting Oxford back into the rankings but the defensive concerns are there when talking about the Wildcats and it showed despite their 41-34 win over Lake Orion.

If Waterford Mott were in the league but they aren’t as of yet, they would have easily been in the top ten in the rankings.

Written Saturday September 27th at 9:05 AM

Here are my thoughts on each team after week five.

Waterford Kettering: It was the first game for interim coach Cullen Conway and it didn’t end up well which resulted in a 63-0 loss to Lakeland on Friday night. It has been a rough week for the Captains as Coach Brian Barnes was forced out at Waterford Kettering after becoming the new athletic director at Madison Heights Bishop Foley. The Captains will look to finish strong and hopefully fix the defense going forward.

Waterford Mott: The Corsairs bounced back after allowing 87 points in the last two weeks against Pontiac Notre Dame Prep and Walled Lake Western and shut down a Jeff Glynn offense that was scoring in bunches shutting them out 44-0 on Friday night. Waterford Mott controls it’s destiny in the Lakes Valley Conference as they have South Lyon coming to Waterford for a big showdown looming for the league crown next week.

Pontiac: The Phoenix took another very tough loss falling 38-0 on Friday night. Pontiac struggled with Bloomfield Hills athleticism throughout the game. It is going to take some time to build for the Phoenix and Coach Wendell Jefferson to get things right but they are getting there.

Avondale: The Yellow Jackets are really struggling to adjust to Coach Jim Carsile’s system bottom line falling 33-0 to Ferndale on Friday night. Avondale has struggled on both sides of the football and it’s really shown. It will be very interesting to see what the Yellow Jackets do going forward

Berkley: The Bears kept the Battle of Woodward trophy with a 38-10 win over Royal Oak on Friday night. Coach Casey Humes has figured something out with his program and they have started to put things together at the right time but they have a big one in Jackson in the future.

Royal Oak: The Ravens are the ultimate Scooby Doo team and it showed in their 38-10 loss to Berkley on Friday night. I can’t seem to figure what Royal Oak is doing, they look good one week then the next they don’t look that good, it’s the ultimate mystery when describing the Ravens right now.

Ferndale: The Eagles have put the Gold on notice with their 33-0 win over Avondale on Friday night. Ferndale has figured things out which is a good sign and have a tough schedule ahead for Coach Donovan Jackson. The Eagles are in a very good spot right now.

Troy: The Colts are in a rough spot after a 33-7 loss to Oak Park on Friday night. The defense which has been the story allowing 74 points in the last two games albeit was against Clarkston and Oak Park but that’s not a good thing if the defense is allowing points in bunches going forward. This is something Coach Chris Frasier and Troy needs to fix.

Troy Athens: The Red Hawks defense has been a big problem which it showed in a 40-21 loss to North Farmington on Friday night. It’s clear that Troy Athens has made progress offensively but the defense is where the Red Hawks need to clean up. It is likely that Coach Tom Cook has to make some changes on the defensive side of the football this offseason.

Bloomfield Hills: The Black Hawks had no issues on their homecoming with Pontiac winning 38-0 on Friday night earning their second win of the season. The rebuild will take some time for Coach Scott Merchant but it looks like they are making some progress going forward.

Farmington: The Falcons exploded for 21 points in the second half to stun Seaholm 42-19 on Friday night controlling the Blue at the moment. Farmington’s athleticism showed along with the play of Vincent Peschi who also had a big game. The Falcons caused the Maples to abandoned the running game which is Seaholm’s specialty. Farmington looks like a different team since falling 20-18 to Holly in week two.

North Farmington: The Raiders have seemed to turn things around in an impressive 40-21 win over Troy Athens. Elijah Cobb has been the answer at quarterback allowing Terrance James to be himself. The defense has played well despite allowing 21 points. North Farmington has turned things around since their loss to Farmington. They are in a good spot right now.

Seaholm: The Maples made some stunning turnovers and had to abandoned their vaunted veer attack in a stunning 42-19 loss to Farmington on Friday night. Seaholm had no answers defensively for the Falcons all night. The Maples don’t control their destiny right now.

Oak Park: The Knights showed their athleticism in a 33-7 win over Troy on Friday night. Oak Park’s skill players played well and really dominated against Troy. The Knights are quietly building something back up and gaining momentum.

Southfield Arts and Tech: The Warriors knew it was going to be a really tough game against Harper Woods and it showed in their 34-0 loss to Harper Woods on Friday night. Southfield Arts and Tech is struggling. The lower levels could bring some promise heading into the future but right now it’s rough for the Warriors.

Groves: The Falcons held their own against West Bloomfield on Friday night but fell 20-7 to the Lakers on Friday night. Groves had their moments where they ended up taking a 7-0 lead at one point but West Bloomfield’s defense really clamped down. The Falcons have been making progress and it’s showing.

Stoney Creek: The Cougars are getting into postseason form with an impressive 34-0 win over Rochester on Friday night. Stoney Creek’s defense has played well despite their tough loss to Harper Woods. So far Coach Rick Powell has done very well at Stoney Creek and with their program strength it is showing.

Rochester: The Falcons have not been the same team since upsetting Lake Orion 23-21 two weeks ago. Rochester has been outscored 76-7 in the last two weeks which included a 34-0 loss to Stoney Creek on Friday night. The Falcons used a lot of energy in their upset of the Dragons but they have not been able to figure it out which is not a good sign heading into October.

Harper Woods: The Pioneers showed their dominance against Southfield Arts and Tech winning 34-0 on Friday night. Harper Woods has been very consistent all season which has showed. It should be very interesting to see what the Pioneers do heading into October.

Adams: The Highlanders had a really tough outing for the second time in three weeks against a motivated Clarkston squad. Clarkston shut down Ryland Watters while playing time possession football themselves in a 21-7 defeat for Adams. Watters had a touchdown pass to Matt Toeppner in the second quarter which was their only offensive score on the night. The Highlanders will be fine going forward.

Clarkston: The Wolves defense was the story in a 21-7 win over Adams on Friday night. Clarkston had solid offensive outings from Lukas Boman and quarterback Alex Wasczenzko was solid all night. The Wolves are rolling with confidence likely heading into the postseason.

West Bloomfield: The Lakers defense was the story again for West Bloomfield in their 20-7 win over Groves on Friday night. Will Espy had a strong fourth quarter which helped big time. The Lakers are a completely different team from last season where injuries really derailed them despite getting into the postseason. West Bloomfield controls it’s own destiny for now.

Oxford: The Wildcats system and belief in each other proved to be a difference in Oxford’s 41-34 win over Lake Orion on Friday night. The Wildcats offense was the story and getting key third down plays which led to touchdowns. They were balanced all night. Coach Trevor Potts has done a great job in keeping program balance which is starting to show itself.

Lake Orion: There is no words to describe this. The defense was poor all night against an Oxford team that ran and threw all over them. The offense had their best game of the season which is a positive but the Dragons couldn’t get over the hump falling 41-34 to the Wildcats on Friday night likely ending the postseason dreams. No one would had thought heading into the season that 0-9 was possible but it seems really real at the moment. It is clear the Dragons have a program problem when it comes to mental toughness program wide (includes youth levels.) There has to be changes this offseason everywhere from varsity to the youth levels that’s the bottom line.

Written Saturday September 20th at 9:10 AM

This week the rankings came out early with Avondale and Pontiac playing on Saturday, the game didn’t have an impact on the rankings so here they are this week.

1. Harper Woods: Dakota Guerrant basically saved the Pioneers league title hopes with three touchdowns in a classic 28-27 win over Stoney Creek Friday night.

2. Clarkston: Great week for the Wolves, getting some of their backups some key playing time.

3. West Bloomfield: Lakers senior experience really helping them here.

4. Adams: Welcome back Ryland Watters.

5. Stoney Creek: Cougars will be fine after this tough 28-27 loss to Harper Woods.

6. Seaholm: Patrick Hughes enough said.

7. Farmington: The 20-18 loss to Holly is officially forgotten for the Falcons.

8. Ferndale: Coach Donovan Jackson has the Eagles clicking right now.

9. North Farmington: Raiders exploded for 49 points against Bloomfield Hills on Friday night.

10. Groves: Falcons came out strong and had an impressive 35-7 win over Rochester. This win should help Groves moving forward.

Rankings Explanation:

Well we’re at week four in the season and I’ll explain the rankings this week.

I thought about moving Harper Woods down in the rankings after their surviving 28-27 win over Stoney Creek but the Pioneers beat Clarkston at Clarkston which is why the Pioneers are staying at one and the Wolves stay at two.

West Bloomfield stays at three after their impressive 33-16 win at Lake Orion. The Lakers have Clarkston in the Swamp looming. It should be a very interesting game. Adams moves up to four after an impressive second half against Oxford with a lot of it being Ryland Watters coming back.

I thought of keeping Stoney Creek at four but with Adams win over Oxford, I moved them down one spot but the Cougars have a chance to play the Highlanders so this could change in the future.

Seaholm stays at six after a big 24-21 win over Oak Park.

Farmington enters the rankings at seven after a 38-14 win over Troy Athens on Friday night.

Ferndale enters the rankings at eight after a strong fourth quarter at Hurley Field with a 26-14 win on Friday night.

North Farmington returns to the rankings at nine after putting up 49 points against Bloomfield Hills on Friday night.

Groves enters the rankings at 10 after an impressive 35-7 win over Rochester on Friday night.

I dropped Rochester, Oxford, and Oak Park from the rankings after two of the three teams took blowout losses while the other had a rough loss to Seaholm.

It will be very interesting to see what happens next week.

Written Saturday September 20th at 8:50 AM

Updated Saturday September 20th at 8:25 PM

Here are my week four thoughts.

Waterford Kettering: The Captains had a rough one with South Lyon East falling 51-14 on Friday night. Waterford Kettering’s defense has been a big problem and needs to be corrected quickly if they want to turn things around. The Captains have the talent to turn things around quickly and need to do so but they will have a new coach as Brian Barnes was forced out of Waterford Kettering after accepting the Athletic Director’s role at Madison Heights Bishop Foley.

Waterford Mott: What in the world happened to the Corsairs??? after an emotional 42-34 win at Walled Lake Western last week, Waterford Mott allowed 53 points in a stunning 53-19 blowout loss to Pontiac Notre Dame Prep on Friday night. The defense has been the problem in the last two weeks for Coach Tra’Jan Seay allowing 43.5 points per game in that stretch. The Corsairs control their destiny in the Lakes Valley Conference but the defensive points allowed is very troubling for Waterford Mott.

Pontiac: The Phoenix had a rough one with Avondale falling 34-14 on Saturday afternoon. Pontiac is struggling but they are moving along as Coach Wendall Jefferson said it’s about building a program with the Phoenix.

Avondale: The Yellow Jackets won their first game under new Coach Jim Carlisle with a 34-14 win over Pontiac on Saturday afternoon. Avondale needed this one after a rough three weeks defensively, we’ll see if this starts something or the same story continues after three weeks..

Royal Oak: The Ravens got a measure of revenge against Livonia Clarenceville winning 38-6 over the Trojans on Friday night. Royal Oak was in total control leading 32-0 at one point in the game. As mentioned on previous podcasts, the Ravens are a Scooby Doo team and they still are with their play as of late. It will be very interesting to see what Royal Oak does going forward.

Berkley: Turnovers were the story for the Bears in their 26-14 loss to Ferndale at Hurley Field on Friday night. Berkley moved the ball well and overcame a 12-0 third quarter deficit to take the lead but they had a lot of critical errors in drives that stopped them. The Bears don’t control their destiny right now.

Ferndale: The Eagles are in the drivers seat in the Gold winning 26-14 over Berkley at Hurley Field. Turnovers were the story for Coach Donovan Jackson’s team as they are starting to turn things around after a rough start. Ferndale trailed at the end of the third quarter and found a way. As mentioned they control their own destiny right now.

Troy: The Colts got a dose of reality on Friday night falling to Clarkston 41-0. The Wolves defense was too much for Troy who is still a very young team. They still control their destiny in the Blue but the mental state of the Colts will be tested moving ahead into the season.

Troy Athens: It was a rough homecoming for the Red Hawks falling 38-14 to Farmington on Friday night. Troy Athens defense has been a problem spot this season. I’m not sure if there are any big injuries that is affecting Coach Tom Cook’s team or something. The Red Hawks are in a rough patch right now.

Farmington: The Falcons have seem to have bounced back after their 20-18 loss to Holly a few weeks ago by getting the Farmington Cup back and then winning 38-14 over Troy Athens on Friday night. The offense has been playing really well for Coach Jason Albrecht’s team thus far. Farmington is in a good spot in the Blue right now.

North Farmington: The Raiders had a strong bounce back after their tough 35-22 loss to arch rival Farmington they went and blew out Bloomfield Hills 49-7 at Ron Holland Field on Friday night. North Farmington was in total control the whole night dominating from start to finish, they still have Seaholm looming and could get back in the league race.

Bloomfield Hills: It was a rough night for Coach Scott Merchant and the Black Hawks falling 49-7 to North Farmington at Ron Holland Field. This is a long transition period for Merchant and also for Bloomfield Hills which they need to change the culture but it’s going to take time to do that. It will be very interesting to see what happens going forward.

Seaholm: The Maples had to overcome a 13-3 first quarter deficit to beat Oak Park 21-8 on Friday night. The play of the veer and resilience from quarterback Patrick Hughes was the difference. Coach Jim DeWald has this program in a good spot right now.

Oak Park: The Knights had a rough second, third, and fourth quarters getting outscored 21-8 and falling 24-21 on Friday night. Oak Park had a strong first quarter which led to a 13-3 lead but Seaholm took over behind their veer offense. The Knights are going through it right now.

Southfield Arts and Tech: The Warriors had a very rough time with Lowell on Friday night falling 40-8 to the Red Arrows. The misdirection that Lowell ran gave Southfield Arts and Tech problems all night. The Warriors are going through some tough times right now and playing two proven west side of the state teams should get them better in the long hall.

Groves: The Falcons proved that they can bounce back from tough losses like they did last week against Harper Woods in a stunning 35-7 win over Rochester. Groves used their athleticism and exposed a Rochester team that was coming off an emotional win the previous week. The Falcons are young still but seem to be growing up at the right time.

Rochester: The Falcons had a let down on Friday night after an emotional 23-21 win over Lake Orion the previous week, Rochester laid an egg falling 35-7 to Groves in Beverly Hills. The Falcons defense got exposed big time against a Falcons squad that is still pretty young. Rochester needs to bounce back if they want to keep their strong season intact.

Stoney Creek: The Cougars had a tough 28-27 loss to Harper Woods on Friday night but Stoney Creek went for two to try and win the game but didn’t get it. The Cougars have to feel good with the way their offense played against the Pioneers but the defense had some trouble particularly against Dakota Guerrant but most teams do have trouble against that type of play maker which Guerrant is. There will be some folks that question Coach Rick Powell on why they went for the win instead of going to the extra point to force overtime. It’s clear Powell has this program heading in the right direction despite the loss. Stoney Creek will be fine going forward.

Harper Woods: Dakota Guerrant and the defense saved the Pioneers White title hopes after Harper Woods escaped Stoney Creek with a 28-27 road win over the Cougars when things got really dicey late after Stoney Creek went for two to try and win the game but the defense got the stop and recovered an onside kick. Guerrant had three touchdowns and was a force all night against a program that has given them trouble. This should be a wake up call for Harper Woods after getting by Clarkston a few weeks ago and with Saline looming this needs to be one for Coach Rob Oden and the Pioneers.

West Bloomfield: The Lakers had a strong second half behind their athletes which proved huge in a 33-16 win at Lake Orion. West Bloomfield has been very good all season on defense but the Dragons were able to move the ball against them. The Lakers special teams were the difference as they took a punt return for a touchdown and had a long return which set them up to score which they did. West Bloomfield is in a good spot right now, just have to shore up some things.

Clarkston: The Wolves really had no issues with Troy winning 41-0 on Friday night. Clarkston got to play a lot of backups which is always a good sign if your Coach Justin Pintar. The Wolves are rolling along right now.

Oxford: The Wildcats have been up and down lately. They were in the game with Adams (tied 6-6 at the half) until the second half where the Highlanders outscored them 27-0 which resulted in a 33-6 loss on Friday night. Oxford has been in a bit of a rough patch right now but they should be fine going forward.

Adams: The Highlanders struggled offensively in the first half against Oxford but exploded for 27 second half points and beat the Wildcats 33-6 on Friday night. Ryland Watters came back from a knee injury that kept him out and it showed. If Watters stays healthy, Adams is dangerous going forward.

Lake Orion: The Dragons are going through a derecho after falling 33-16 to West Bloomfield falling to 0-4 for the first time since 1980. There are people that are questioning Coach Chris Bell on why he had Anderson Adams in at quarterback and not Brody Thompson at the two yard line late in the first half. Thompson led a really good drive and was playing very well to that point but Adams fumbled the ball off a bad snap and West Bloomfield recovered which led to a Lakers explosion in the second half. Lake Orion did have a ton of missed opportunities and ran the football well especially in the first half. Bell despite the injuries is facing a lot of questions and criticism right now.