RECENT SUCCESS ON GRIDIRON PUTS COACH AND TEAM IN GOOD LIGHT HEADING INTO NEW CAMPAIGN

 

Southfield head football coach Tim Conley is a wrestler at heart, having wrestled collegiately at Michigan State. With that in mind, it should come to no surprise that Conley's teams almost always take on the mentality of their coach and accordingly, are never afraid to get down and dirty to gut out big wins – especially the past few seasons. The Bluejays have consistently shown to be a mentally-tough bunch and thrive in the most pressure-packed of circumstances. The results: back-to-back district championships and the school's first ever regional since 2008.

This fall should be no different, as Southfield will field another strong team while it makes a push to become the first squad in school history to qualify for the playoffs three straight years.

"These guys like to play the game and it shows in how they play it," said Conley of his 2010 team. "We're young, but we've been improving at a fast rate every day. "There are some real nice weapons on this team and they'll be given an opportunity to show what they can do."

Specifically, he's referring to a strong returning core led by all-state running back, Dae'von Robinson and Division I defensive recruit, Carthel Garth.

An all-conference linebacker on the prep gridiron at Troy in the late-1980s, Conley decided to wrestle up in East Lansing at the college level.  Before coming to Southfield, Conley worked as an assistant for Gary Griffith at Troy.

 He's liked what he has seen in the last few weeks from his team.

"Training camp was productive," he said. "It was a real good weeding out process, we found out a lot about the character of this group. Some of our assistants have a boot camp mentality and that mind-set carries over a bit in a good way. We're looking forward to getting on the field and getting things started."  

Getting the call at quarterback for the second straight season will be junior Justin Danzy, an all-conference baseball pitcher in the springtime. Fellow junior Brandon Watkins, who split time with Danzy at QB last year, will be used in a more multidimensional manner this year and line-up at receiver, running back and slot back, as well as sometimes still call signals.

Robinson is the given in this situation...in that its a given whenever he touches the ball he's going to be a threat to do damage. This durable pinball-type runner has a big heart to go along with his big game, as he's played brilliantly through painful injuries the past two playoff runs. Both Toledo and Central Michigan are the college programs most in the hunt for his talents as a recruit.

Levitrius Payne and Brandon Bean will be the team's top receiving threats. Garth, getting looks at the college level for linebacker and safety, will also get some time catching passes on offense. Sophomore Trey Walton, the starting quarterback on the JV in 2009, will play split end and back-up Danzy as Conley's alternate field general.

Darian Miles (6-2, 310) and Deonte Cox will hold things down for Conley and co. on the offensive line and Lamonte Lane will be Garth's "pass rush partner" on the defensive line. Linebackers Willie Duncan and Raymond Hobson are underrated and will make names for themselves this season as on-the-ball defenders. The duo's speed will allow coaches to drop them back in pass coverage, opening up things for more effective blitz packages. Lawrence Hill and Kevin Hines are penciled in as the team's top defensive backs.

When most in the area kick-off their season on Thursday or Friday, Southfield will have to wait until Saturday when the travel to Detroit Northwestern to open things up. As soon as the OAA White schedule gets underway, the 'Jays will be one of the favorites to come away with the crown, along with FH Harrison, Farmington and RH Adams.