Top 5 – Burney's Personal Favorite Prep Teams of the Last Five Years

1 2009 Novi Detroit Catholic Central football team – Playing quintessential smashmouth football, this Shamrocks squad won the D1 state championship and can brag about sporting one of the most dominating defenses this county has ever seen. Vince Lombardi and Bear Bryant would be proud!!

2 2010 Waterford Our Lady of the Lakes girls basketball team – Mrs. Fourth Quarter herself, Lauren Robak struck a blow for all Lakers' hoop squads before her that came to the cusp of state title glory (her aunts Patty, Theresa, and Sue Anne and uncle Paul can attest to that) and had fate go against them at the last second, when she finally brought home the hardware 2 the WOLL hoops program last March. Robak, Doetch, Topolewski & Co. will be back for a shot at the repeat in 2011

3 2007 Birmingham Detroit Country Day boys basketball team – In Burney's opinion there is NO QUESTION whatsoever that longtime Yellowjackets head coach Kurt Keener (8 rings and currently the most-tenured boys hoop coach in Oakland County)did the best coaching job of his career by far with his '07 state title squad; led by Darryl Nobles (Ferris State/Davenport), Clayton Beard (NC State), James Nelson (Davenport), Darnell Brown (Bowling Green), Dale Brundidge (Carlton's big bro, Wayne St.) , Jordan Dumars (Michigan), Da'Shonte Riley (Syracuse), Jonas Gray (Notre Dame for football)

4 2006-2007 Lakeland softball team – Two words: LAUREN MEMMER!!!!

5 2005 Birmingham Brother Rice football team – I loved this gritty group of Rice Warriors for the heart, passion and resillience they always displayed on the field. . Coach Fracassa's '05 team was spearheaded by the likes of LB Chris Colasanti (Penn State),WR Kaunda Hancock (Toledo), TE Charlie Gannt (Michigan State), and QB Mike Cappetto (Duke) and scratched and clawed its way to a 14-7 win over Hudsonville in the state finals. Andy Lentz did an awesome job of filling in for the injured Cappetto under center throughout the season, including splitting time in the state title tilt at Ford Field. This kind of success would be a sign of things to come for Lentz, who would also go onto the captain a Warriors state title team his senior year on the baseball diamond.

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