Look What We Have Here

In my opinion, Hazel Park and Madison Heights Lamphere are the two biggest surprises in the OC on the prep football field so far this season.

Riding three-game win streaks, both teams have significantly defied expectations and sport 3-1 records, with HP beating Birmingham Groves 38-33 and Lamphere sneaking past Warren Fitzgerald 7-0 last Friday night.

As we approach the midway point of the campaign, head coach Jason Charron and his Lamphere Rams squad is in first place in the MAC Silver and sideline general Scott Guthrie and his Hazel Park Vikings ball club is in second place in the OAA Blue.

Lamphere is led by quarterback Matt Crews, fullback-linebacker Cid Hernandez, who scored the game-winning touchdown in the team's defeat of Fitz, and Brandon Ruble, a versatile athlete who can play multiple positions and intercepted a pass on the goal line in the victory in Week 4.

Hazel Park's attack is headed by senior quarterback and third-year starter Andrew McClellan and another in a line of terrible twosome backfields, made up of Yante Bynum (3 TDS) and Rashaun Campbell (200 yards) who combined to rush for more than 300 yards against Groves last week.

Since only scoring six points in their opening-week loss to Auburn Hills Avondale, the Vikings have averaged 40 points a game.

Neither Hazel Park nor Lamphere qualified for the postseason in 2011. They both have good chances to get back to the playoffs following one-year absences with the way they've been playing recently.