With the kick-off to the '09 prep football season almost exactly one month away, I'm gonna start by blog's coverage of the upcoming campaign by breaking down Oakland County's top 20 gridiron ballers:

(In alphabetical order)

1. Lee Bailey RB/DB Birmingham Detroit Country Day (Jr). - rising star on both the football field and the basketball court

2. Devon Bailey RB Southfield Christian (Sr.) - scary combo of power and speed

3. Dakota Bender RB Clarkston (Sr.) - might as well call this guy "pac man" cause he eats up yardage at a video game-esque rate

5. Robert Bolden QB Orchatd Lk. St. Mary's (Sr.) - the Penn State bound slinger might have lost go-to guys Dion Sims and Rodney Woodland, but a durable and feisty group of replacements led by the receiving trio of Evan Webster, Gary Hunter, and Mike Furlong is waiting in the wings to help Bolden to a great senior year and a possible return to the state title game

5. Nick Bradley QB Rochester (Jr.) - Coming off a great statistical year in his sophomore campaign, Bradley's quality arm and pin point accuracy could very well lead a resurgence of the Rochester football program over the next couple of seasons

6. Damon Brown RB Troy (Sr.) - Workhorse running back with a nose for the goal line

7. Kym Bruce RB Lake Orion (Sr.) - physical runner with tough-as-nails attitude

8. Tyler Calero LB/DE Southfield Christian (Sr.) - Big and fast, Calero flew up recruiting boards with a more than stellar off season which landed him with a scholarship from Mark D'antonio and Michigan State.

9. Justin Cherocci LB Birmingham Brother Rice (Sr.) - prototype Warriors linebacker with top notch leadership ability

10. Justin D'Agostino LB Novi Detroit Catholic Central (Jr.) - will challenge Cherocci for the reputation as the CHSL's top linebacker

11. Rob Feeman QB Clawson (Sr.) - all the gaudy number aside, Feeman wants to bring the Trojans a winner in his final year calling signals for the school where his family name has always been synonymous with athletic prowess. with a solid core of returning players on both sides of the ball, he has a good chance to do just that

12. Daryl Flemister WR/KR/DB Oak Park (Jr.) - in the shadow of Rock Baker no longer, this will be a breakout year for the blazing fast Flemister

13. Jacob Hatchett/Bernard Tyler WR/KR Bloomfield Hills Lahser (Sr.) - this pair of crafty-speedsters will allow the Knights to spread the field and ease the pain of breaking in a new QB

14. William Lyons LB/S/WR Southfield (SR.) - underrated player who must step to the forefront this year and lead the Blue Jays into battle

15. Kevonte Martin-Manley WR Birmingham Brother Rice (Sr.) - could be the county's most exciting and dangerous player. a threat to score whenever he touches the ball

16. Niko Palazetti FB/RB Novi Detroit Catholic Central (Sr.) - best power-back in the state hands down

17. Frankie Popp QB Birmingham Brother Rice (Sr.) - fearless leader with a deadly arm

18. Jason Ray S/LB/WR/RB Birmingham Detroit Country Day (Sr.) - the Yellowjackets "Mr. Do-Everything" returns to anchor a solid Country Day defense and give a little help to junior starting QB Josh Harris whenever he needs it

19. Ernest Thomas S/LB Orchard Lk. St. Mary's (Sr.) -  UCLA got itself a smart and hard-hitting defensive menace, who will be the ying on "D" to Bolden and Co. yang on the "O".

20. A. Sam Welch QB Walled Lake Western (Sr.) - definition of a winner on the field

20. B. Jimmy Pickens S/RB Birmingham Brother Rice (Jr.) - hits like a mack truck and will lead the Warriors defensive backfield this year

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