By handily taking care of Rochester in Week 4, the Pontiac Phoenix football squad evened up their record at 2-2, keeping their hopes for a return to the playoffs alive and well. Although they might be flying under the radar this season, the Phoenix should not be taken lightly – They are potential poison for anyone who underestimates them and look to be gelling at the right time.
ATTN; C-Town Wolfpack, be sure to bring your best in WEEK 5 at home against the Phoenix because the Yacktown Ballers are on the prowl and feeling good about themselves after their walloping of the Falcons on Friday.
Not only do the Phoenix as a team seem to be under the radar right now in the local prep gridiron scene, some of their best players are too. Head coach Brad Zube has some real game-breakers in the bunch this fall.
Kezlow Smith is a one-man wrecking crew whenever and however he touches the ball. In a mere eight touches against Rochester, he totaled 291 yards from scrimmage.
Starting safety Ronnie Craft-Bush has been the team's top playmaker from the secondary. He has returned a pair of interceptions for touchdowns and proved to be a big-time hit specialist.
The Yaktown linebacking unit of Romain Johnson and C.J. Hall could be the most underrated defensive duo in the OAA. The agile and aggressive duo were both all-league selections last season as juniors and are back DOING THEIR THANG in 2011.
Running back Mark Cargle, another all-league pick last year for the Pontiac Purple People Eaters, is still getting into the swing of things since missing the first two weeks of the season, but is certain to be back in top form in no time.
Junior quarterback Jody Harrison is also in the process of finding his comfort zone in the pocket and is showing many signs of maturity and improvement through the first half of the campaign. Third-year starting center Josh Guy, one of the team's emotional leaders, is making Harrison's assimilation much easier and makes most of the line calls for Pontiac in the trenches.
Jeff Johnson and Trajan Seay are another two rising Phoenix ascending from historic Wisner Stadium, blasting onto the OC landscape with fearsome flair and tenacity. Johnson is a slick-footed edge runner and Seay an up and coming deep threat.
In their inaugural year of existence as a program after the city's school merger in 2009, the Phoenix surprised the state and qualified for the playoffs with an impressive 7-2 record. Last season in Zube's first year at the helm, replacing Gary Ganfield, who departed for another job following the '09 campaign, Pontiac finished 5-4, just missing out on a repeat trip to the postseason.
Even if the Phoenix drop their Week 5 matchup with Clarkston, their schedule is set up nicely for a solid shot at getting into the playoffs. Future opponents, Royal Oak, Troy and West Bloomfield are all winnable games.
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