by Becky Andrus | Nov 15, 2021 | Feature Writers, High School Sports
Around the OAA.
This is a blog that is devoted to the OAA. We cover 23 schools from Oakland County to Wayne County. From Oxford to Harper Woods. This blog will give insight and projections around the OAA.
Friday, November 12, 2021
By Sammy Taormina
Written Friday November 12th at 11:35 PM
2003 was the year that the Highlanders won the Division Two State Championship at the Pontiac Silverdome.
The roster was bigger, they played in the OAA Division One but because of their enrollment they played in the Division Two State Championship.
2003 was the first year that Tony Patritto came to Adams and changed everything.
Patritto introduced the veer offense not just to the OAA but to the entire state as well. Teams have had very rough times defending this offense.
The veer is an illusion offense whether you’re running the full veer, the dive option, midline, or outside veer.
It’s very hard to stop.
The veer counters so many disadvantages including those who are deeper and more talented.
Every team the Highlanders have played past and present have learned this the hard way.
While there are differences, there are similarities to 2003.
Adams had a very strong defense in 2003. They have a strong defense this year.
They had a very good quarterback in 2003. They have one in Parker Picot.
Back in 2003 they also had a very good line on both sides of the football. They have that again this year.
The Highlanders have always played with heart whether it was good years or bad years. They have not changed who they are.
The competition has changed that’s the big difference. Adams in 2003 played the likes of Lake Orion, Clarkston, Farmington Hills Harrison, and Birmingham Brother Rice and was very successful against these powerhouse programs mostly using the veer offense.
This year their competition has dropped a little bit. Adams was in the White which could be seen as Division Two but they have wins against several Red teams including beating Oxford and West Bloomfield twice.
The Highlanders have also have had success against their two city rivals in Rochester and Stoney Creek. Adams has beaten Rochester 27 straight times since 1996. They also avenged last year’s loss to Stoney Creek earlier in the season.
Adams is back in the State Semifinals for the first time since 2007. They were in Division Two at that time. This will be the first time that they will be in the Division One State Semifinal. Patritto has never taken this program to Ford Field. He has a chance to do that if they win this game.
Their opponent Grand Blanc will be far deeper than them.
However the veer as mentioned counteracts a lot of things.
There are a lot of similarities to 2003 as mentioned. They are continuing that tradition.
by Becky Andrus | Nov 1, 2021 | Feature Writers, High School Sports
Inside the OAA
Covering all 23 OAA teams with insight and thoughts on each school from Northern Oakland County, Southern Oakland County, and one from Wayne County.
Saturday, October 30, 2021
By Sammy Taormina
Written Thursday October 28th at 11:10 AM
Updated Saturday October 30th at 10:30 AM
Birmingham Marian is the defending Division One State Champions in Volleyball.
They have gotten a ton of press in the State rankings and even made multiple appearances on State Champs.
Birmingham Marian is very talented led by Sarah Sylvester, Ava Brizard, Ava Sarafa, Gabi Hock, among others. They also have program strength as well.
I have seen the highlights from the Beast of the East Tournament, their games against Farmington Hills Mercy, and the Catholic League tournament. They have been dominant all season. I have seen the praise, they are very good. There is a reason why they are the top team in Division One.
They have the talent to repeat as Division One State Champions and have the confidence to back it up.
They are the favorite to win it all.
Sometimes though having too much confidence is very dangerous.
They have the perfect makings of Anakin Skywalker from Star Wars. He a cunning warrior. Skywalker was deemed “The Hero with No Fear” in Star Wars Revenge of the Sith in both the movie and the book.
I took some passages from the novel “Star Wars Revenge of the Sith” by Matthew Stover, to which describes the Mustangs and the similarities are quite familiar.
Here are a few of them.
“The dark is generous and it is patient, it is the dark that seeds cruelty into justice, that drops contempt into compassion, that poisons love with grains of doubt. The dark can be patient because the slightest drop of rain will cause those seeds to sprout. The rain will come and the seeds will sprout for the dark is the soil in which they grow and it is the clouds above them and it waits behind the star that gives them light. The dark’s patience is infinite, eventually stars burn out.”
I’m pretty sure that the players and Coach Mayssa Cook welcomes this role of being the hunted. They were the hunters last season which saw them beat Farmington Hills Mercy, Clarkston, and Lowell on route to the Division One State title.
The Mustangs have certainly earned their rank thus far with their play.
However with that success, the dangers and fears are out there. Some in the media have already started to crown them as back to back State Champions even though the postseason hasn’t begun yet.
The Mustangs are in a very tough district despite having home court however Farmington Hills Mercy, Seaholm, and Bloomfield Hills should provide tough challenges even though they are on the other side of the district. They host Farmington in the district semifinals before facing one of the three top teams mentioned in the district final.
Should they win the district then a real difficult challenge awaits once they get to the regional.
Birmingham Marian could clash with host Novi in a regional semifinal. The Wildcats were a final four team last season. The Mustangs were the two time MHSAA Class A. State Champions in 2011 and was pretty much rolling into the regional semifinals. They played Lake Orion in the regional semifinals at Lake Orion. The Dragons used the home court advantage and stunned Birmingham Marian in four games and earned their way to the regional finals. The crowd and the atmosphere was pretty intense. I announced that match and remember losing my voice while announcing during the fourth set of that game. It’s very difficult to play an actual road game in a hostile environment in the postseason, that’s what happened to the Mustangs that night. It could be the same feeling if Birmingham Marian and Novi meet in front of the Wildcats home crowd in the regional semifinals.
If Birmingham Marian were to win that match then they would likely see a Red heavyweight in either Lake Orion or Clarkston in the regional finals. Both teams are really stout even though the Mustangs had their way with both teams during the regular season. The Wolves were also in the final four last season and fell to the Mustangs in the Division One State semifinals in four games.
All of it pending though if all four teams makes it to regionals.
If they get by the regional then they could see possibly Hudsonville, Rockford, Grand Rapids Forest Hills Northern, or Grand Rapids Forest Hills Central in the later rounds.
Birmingham Marian should expect to get everyone’s best shot in the postseason.
The Mustangs have risen to the challenge thus far.
But the postseason is a different animal.
The Mustangs remind me of Anakin Skywalker “The Hero with No Fear” with everything they have accomplished however what happened to Skywalker in the novel and movie was that he let doubt and fear get to him which eventually clouded his mind and made him turn to the dark side of the force and become Darth Vader.
“The dark is generous, and it is patient, and it always wins but in the heart of strength lies weakness. One lone candle is enough to hold it back. Love is more than a candle. Love can ignite the stars” said Stover in the last passage of the book.
It’s much better to be the hunter and not the hunted.
Birmingham Marian is certainly the hunted and one match could end the season if they are not careful.
We shall see what happens.
by Becky Andrus | Nov 1, 2021 | Feature Writers, High School Sports
By Sammy Taormina
Written Saturday October 30th at 10:00 AM
A team with no fear and nothing to lose can be the most dangerous.
Especially in the postseason with a team that has been through it all and believing they have nothing to lose.
When you have nothing to lose and everything to gain that makes you fearless.
This is what describes Oxford football.
The Wildcats started the season with the most brutal schedule in my nearly 20 years I have ever seen. They started out 0-3 with losses to Romeo, Adams, and West Bloomfield. It looked like it was going to be a very long year at Oxford.
Then everything changed.
The Wildcats went with that nothing to lose mindset when they went into Lake Orion and put up 51 on the Dragons on their home field winning the Double O Trophy from them.
That changed everything and the belief they can win.
They also went on the road and knocked off Stoney Creek and Southfield Arts and Tech as well along with huge home wins over Rochester and then the big one when they beat perennial Macomb Area Conference Red powerhouse Chippewa Valley by one point.
Probably the biggest proof that the Wildcats have arrived was when they played Clarkston. The Wolves had beaten Oxford three times in the last two years including the playoffs. These two teams played on Oxford’s homecoming but the Wildcats fell in a tight one 20-17.
Come to Friday night, the Wildcats had nothing to lose and everything to gain went into Clarkston and out toughed them in the trenches. They pulled off to what many experts said was a huge upset 38-28.
To the minds of the Oxford players it wasn’t an upset.
They knew they could do this.
They were prepared for this.
This was a team that was built for Clarkston.
The Wildcats are senior heavy and veteran laden team. Oxford has a gritty and talented quarterback in Brady Carpenter, although not like his brother Drew, Brady has taken major strides and has really improved as a passer and runner. The Wildcats are known for their pound the rock scheme under former and legendary coach Bud Rowley. What always helps is that you need a proven running back and they have a proven running back in Sal Valcaro. Valcaro had his best game of his career going for 300 yards and four touchdowns against the Wolves. Oxford has a pretty solid wide receiving group for Carpenter to throw too in Jon Aschusto, Mitchell Vivano, and Alec Brown. They also converted junior Tate Myre from running back to tight end which has paid dividends. Also the offensive line has given Valcaro the huge chunk plays along with protection for Carpenter with Kewone Burton and Landon Severn. They have been huge along with the rest of the rest of the offensive line. It also helps when you have a kicker in sophomore Jay Cady who is also a soccer player can kick you a 47 yard field goal like he did against Clarkston.
The defense is still an issue though. This is something that the Wildcats need to address if they want to go far in the postseason.
I give credit to the Wildcats coaching staff led by Coach Zach Line. Line played under Rowley at Oxford but learned some things at SMU in college and in the NFL with the Minnesota Vikings and New Orleans Saints.
When Line took over the program, Oxford changed their helmets from blue to yellow, and has changed the mindset of the program.
The players have bought in especially the senior class.
When a team has nothing to lose like the Wildcats are, that’s what makes them the most dangerous.
by Becky Andrus | Oct 19, 2021 | Feature Writers, High School Sports
Monday, October 18, 2021
Bloomfield Hills Football. Are they ready to take the next step????
By Sammy Taormina
Written Monday October 18th at 3:00 PM
2021 has been a great year for some teams and some not so much.
Could argue that Troy has benefited but another who has benefited from this season is Bloomfield Hills.
The Blackhawks football team is 8-0, their soccer team won a league title, their tennis team won a regional title, and had a strong second place showing behind Troy, and their volleyball program is solid.
I have been really hard on their football team because of the strength of schedule.
These next two weeks will define the Blackhawks.
The questions I wonder is are they ready to take the next step especially in football???
Are they ready to go to the White??? Are they ready to compete against other strong competition???
Bloomfield Hills is 8-0 for a reason but the questions remain. Can they compete against programs like West Bloomfield and Novi Detroit Catholic Central, two very strong and consistent programs???
These next two weeks will answer those questions.
It is no secret that I have been critical of Blackhawks football but the reason for that is I want to see them succeed. I believe they can do more and away from the Blue.
Now when Bloomfield Hills went down to the Blue in 2020 is because they struggled against the Red like West Bloomfield, Clarkston, Oxford, Southfield Arts and Tech, and Lake Orion. The hope was that they would turn it around.
It sounds like they have.
The question is, is it long term???
We clearly thought that in 2016 with John Paddock at quarterback and Jack Sape on defense. They would take the next step. Bloomfield Hills won the Blue that season and moved back up to the Red. They had a respectable season in 2017 but really struggled in 2018 and in 2019.
Tanner Slazinski had some bright moments last season and in the last three years at quarterback. His replacement CJ Jackson has done a great job this season. Shane Winter and Jake Sierperski have also been huge as well for the Blackhawks on both sides of the football. The offensive and defensive lines have been solid as well.
The question is can the Blackhawks build up their sub-varsity. Last season they were able to field a freshman program. This season not so much.
These next few weeks will define Bloomfield Hills football. They have the coaching with Dan Loria and the talent. The question is do they want to do it.
A win over Troy will guarantee a move to the White. A loss doesn’t necessary mean that they would also move up to the White. A lot will depend when the OAA realigns.
Are they ready to take the next step that is the question???
These next two weeks we will find out.
by Becky Andrus | Oct 11, 2021 | Feature Writers, High School Sports
Monday, October 11, 2021
These Next Two Weeks Will Define Troy Football.
By Sammy Taormina
Written Monday October 11th at 3:30 PM
This might be the biggest two weeks in the long history of Troy Football.
Two years ago the Colts went 0-9 in which they did not score a point for seven weeks.
Now they are 7-0 which is the first time they are here since 1988 heading into the biggest two weeks of their season. A lot of that turn around occurred last season when Troy went into Bloomfield Hills and beat the Blackhawks 29-14 in the pre-district.
They have won eight of nine since that game.
Coach Chris Frasier has done a wonderful job really turning this program around since taking over for longtime Coach Gary Griffith in 2016.
Although there are still some improvements that are needed though. Program strength is certainly one of those areas that needs to be improved upon and quickly.
Troy overcame a huge obstacle last week when they beat their arch rival Troy Athens 21-20 on the road. The Red Hawks have had the Colts number outscoring them 104-0 in the last three years. They even trailed 20-7 in the fourth quarter only to comeback and won that game.
It always helps when you have a star player in the making in Darius Whiteside. Whiteside has been a star on both sides of the football. He is a football, basketball, and track standout as well. Whiteside has made big play after big play at wide receiver and in the defensive secondary.
Nolan and Ethan Block have also been huge contributors as well for Troy. Both of them play multiple positions and have had moments where their impact was so great on both sides of the football.
Max Stromberg has been efficient as a player at quarterback. He has a strong arm and can run the football as need be. Stromberg had the winning rushing score to seal the Colts comeback last week.
The offensive line which is veteran heavy has also played very well as well. They have been the key for the Colts resurgence.
The Troy defense has been stout all season long allowing 39 points total. Now the schedule hasn’t been the strongest but that was the schedule that was given to them.
These next two weeks are going to define the Colts. They will likely be in the postseason but their division title hopes are on the line in these next two weeks with both games on the road.
The first test comes against Berkley at Hurley Field. The Bears come in at 6-1 after beating Livonia Clarenceville 36-33 last week. Berkley has had the Colts number outscoring them 53-14 in the last two years. Berkley has also won three of the last five meetings. They like Troy has a ton of experience with Zach Maurice, Ben Maurice, Jake Domzalski, and others.
Now if Troy gets past Berkley then they would have to go back to the place where they won their first playoff game since 2007 in Bloomfield Hills. The Blackhawks will likely be 8-0 heading into that game. Bloomfield Hills fell 29-14 to these same Colts last season. The Blue title would also be on the line in that game.
Troy still controls their destiny even with a loss to Berkley but it would be much harder if they came into that Bloomfield Hills game at 7-1 instead of 8-0.
These next two weeks will define the Colts season and see what they are truly made of and if they are ready to take that next step.
by Becky Andrus | Oct 4, 2021 | Feature Writers, High School Sports
Addressing The Division One Teams in the Blue and the Concerns I have once they make the Playoffs.
By Sammy Taormina
Written Saturday October 2nd at 12:10 PM
The Blue has had a ton of surprises in the past.
This one is also a surprise but it also triggers a question.
This season there are two teams that are unbeaten right now in Troy and Bloomfield Hills while Troy Athens sits at 4-2. All three teams are off to good starts.
So where does the problem lie???
All three schools are in the Blue.
They are also Division One schools with big enrollments.
Troy has 2,285 students, Troy Athens has 1,775 students, and Bloomfield Hills has 1,851 students.
The problem for the three Division One schools is that they don’t play other Division One schools or get tested once the playoffs come.
Bloomfield Hills is a perfect example. Once they get to the postseason they usually play West Bloomfield or a Clarkston and get blown out.
The same is also for Troy and Troy Athens.
It happened to the Colts in 2017 despite being in the White. They played Waterford Mott and got blown out. Troy ran into a very good West Bloomfield team in the district semifinals last season while the Red Hawks played a very good Southfield Arts and Tech team despite their record and got blown out.
All three of these schools will likely be in the postseason this season. The question I have is can they hold their own against teams that are from the Red, the White, or other non league powerhouse conferences???
Farmington and Ferndale both play Division One or strong quality Division Two schools for their non league. They get a pass with this column. Avondale, Pontiac, and Royal Oak also get passes.
Bloomfield Hills played Waterford Kettering in Week Two. The Captains are a bottom feeder in the Lakes Valley Conference and have a new coach in Bob Chiesa. They trailed 21-0 only to comeback and win that game 42-21.
Now it is possible that the Blackhawks struggled to find a strong opponent and that Waterford Kettering was available. Now in 2020 they were scheduled to play a powerhouse program in Ohio but because of the COVID-19 pandemic that did not happen.
Bloomfield Hills is not a bad football team. The problem is that they are a Division One school competing in the third division. I know it’s not their fault with the league they are in but could they have considered playing teams to prepare them for the playoffs???
This brings up the question, should everyone make the playoffs??? If this happens this would make realignment so much easier.
It’s very challenging to trust these three teams in the postseason. I don’t think they are tested enough and the strength of schedule worries me with them.
In 2017, Troy, Rochester, and Bloomfield Hills were all in the Blue. Hazel Park was not thrilled about it and left the league because of it.
The team I worry the most out of this is Bloomfield Hills.
There is a real possibility that they could see West Bloomfield, Novi Detroit Catholic Central, or Clarkston in the first round. The Blackhawks have not played the schedule as these three teams have.
So one question that I get is why do I rank Berkley higher than Bloomfield Hills despite the Blackhawks beating the Bears 13-10 in week one.
The answer is the David vs goliath.
Berkley is Division Two and with Bloomfield Hills being in Division One isn’t Bloomfield Hills expected to beat the Division Two or Division Three schools???
Berkley played Warren Mott in the postseason (made district semifinals) last season despite getting blown out.
I can’t blame the Blackhawks for the predicament they are in but how would they do against other Division One foes in the Red and White while not counting Troy Athens and Troy, would we even have this conversation right now???
The thing is Bloomfield Hills is really good this season but are they in the wrong division???
That we will find out.
