Top OC Wide Receivers in the playoffs

1 Maurice Ways (Birmingham DCD) – Prototype at the position….mega-GAMER that will be making the Maize&Blue grid community very, very happy starting next fall!!

2 Marquian Johnson (Clawson) – Marvelous, Magnificent and Mesmerizing…Yeah, that about sums it up!!  

3 Corey Lacanaria-Grant Perry (Birmingham Brother Rice) – It's like having a pair of MEGATRONS on the field with these two hauling in balls from superstud signal-caller Alex Malzone…..they catch EVERYTHING in their vicinity…..THAT'S A FACT!!

4 Caine Watlington (Clarkston) – The SUGAR MAN is so so SWEET he sweats buttercream frosting!!

5 Zach Bock (Novi Detroit Catholic Central) – PURE PLAYMAKER…'Nuff Said!!!

6 Chris Cliff (WL Northern) – The county's fastest-riser at the position, has all the tools, mental and physical, to keep ascending up the recruiting charts….could very well land in the Big 10….MARK THAT DOWN!!!

7 Ray Buford-Jacob Studdard-Rocky Carter (Southfield) – With Buford (highly-touted junior wide out) expected back from injury and Studdard & Carter playing so well, it's going to be TYLENOL TIME for opposing defenses….as in HEADACHE CITY!!

8 David Walczyk (WL Western) – Most reliable receiver in the area….YEAH, I SAID IT!!

9 Corey Ester (Lake Orion) – Oozing lethality at every touch…TAKE IT 2 THA BANK!!

10 Anthony Gunn (Pontiac NDP) – My man Double Barrel is almost 2GOOD2BTrue…but he isn't…..he's all that and a bag of chips!!

Top OC Running Backs in the 2013 Playoffs

1 Ian Eriksen (Clarkston) – Most complete runner in the area…TAKE IT 2 THA BANK!!    

2 Chauncey Bridges (North Farmington) – One Word: Devastating!!!!

3 (tie) Richie Wilson (Birmingham DCD) – "Richie Rich" is so CASH MONEY toting the pigskin he often takes the form of a human ATM…FACT!!

3 (tie) Jeremaih Johnson (Pontiac NDP) – Fighting Irish training staff once again stocking up on bottles of THER-A-FLU this fall for all the SICKNESS Burney's boy JJ inflicts on the comp

4 Johnny Kelley (Oak Park) – The TRUTH!!!!

5 Lorenzo Collins (FH Harrison) – Just a MAN in every possible way when he's rushing the rock

6 Brian Walker-Shon Powell (Birmingham Brother Rice) – This daunting duo in the backfield is the definition of the expression "pick your poison"

7 Daonottis Smith-Austin Wood (Waterford Kettering) – PURE POWER!!!...'NUFF SAID!!

8 Ross Williams (Birmingham Groves) – ATTN: Vin Diesel…this kid is FAST&FURIOUS!!!

9 Juan Johnson (MH Madison) – The Eagles "Don Juan" has a gridiron game that is similar to LEBRON JAMES, but on the football field……as U CANT STOP HIM and CONTAINING him is pretty darn difficult too!!

10 (tie) Dylan Roney (Novi Detroit CC) – Embodies SHAMROCK SMASHMOUTH in every single fiber of his body, offense or defense

10 (tie) Torrez Nesbit (WL Western) – The future is the present for TEAM Z!!!

Top Quarterbacks in the 2013 Postseason;

1 Alex Malzone (Brother Rice) – Most dangerously efficient field general this area has seen in quite a while....YEAH I SAID IT!!

2 Kyle Bambard (WL Western) – I think Santana and Rob Thomas wrote the hit song "Smooth" about this Western grid gem....BELIEVE THAT!!!

3 Tyler Wiegers (Birmingham DCD) – STRAIGHT GUNNER!!!...NUFF SAID!!!

4 D.J. Zezula (Clarkston) – The DIME factory is open in C=Town this fall and my man D.J. is the foreman of the plant, sprinkling some sugary goodness on every picture-perfect pass down field at the helm of the Wolfpack 'O'!!

5 Jevon Shaw (FH Harrison) – Electricity personified.....TAKE IT 2 THA BANK!!

6 Ty Sparks (Clawson) – Pure poise, precision and playmaking in the pocket for CLAWVILLE!!

7 Chase Burton (WL Northern) – SO SO SWEET let's start calling this Knights' signal-caller "The Cake Man"...Good call, Burney...you're welcome!!

8 Anton Skupin (South Lyon) – Might be the most undervalued qb in the whole area....absolute GAMER!!

9 Glacier Wallington (Oxford) – The ICEMAN is back in the playoffs for Year 3 and this time he's not taking any prisoners...spread the word!!!

10 (tie) Justin Allor (Stoney Creek) – The 'A' in his last name is for the fact that he lives on the corner of AWESOME&AMAZING

10 (tie) Matt Crews (MH Madison) – Clutch and consistent is the best way to describe the first-year Eagles field general!!

Southfield's Courtney Williams is truly a Queen of the Court.

This girl has MAD GAME.

And she'll be showing it off on the college hardwood in the Windy City.

Williams, an athletic and aggressive 6-foot-1 forward, committed to Loyola University this week, agreeing to play for the Ramblers and head coach Sheryl Swoops, known as the "female Michael Jordan" in her era as a player.

As a junior last season with Southfield, Williams averaged close to a double-double, posting nine points and eight rebounds per outing.

Loyola was 17-15 last year, featuring a pair of former OC mega ballers in Troy Hambric (Birmingham DCD) and Lyndsay Booker (North Farmington) on the roster.

How the area's prep football scene stacks up heading into the home stretch aka THE PLAYOFFS

1 Birmingham Brother Rice – Best and Brightest in the OC, BAR NONE!!

2 Clarkston – Think ROCK OF GIBRALTER meets The GREEN BAY PACKERS!!

3 Novi Detroit Catholic Central – The Mach ATTACK will be a real tough out in the Big Dance!!

4 Southfield – Needs to come with a better effort in the playoffs than how it ended the regular season in order to be able to fulfill its true potential…..BURNEY knows the 'Jays can do it!!!

5 FH Harrison – GREAT tourney draw, wouldn't want to run into the Hawks this offseason……I have a sense we could be seeing Team HERRINGTON at Ford Field come late November

6 WL Western – Still the best team in the whole KLAA IMO!!

7 Lake Orion – Will really test C-Town in their rematch in the district finals…BOOK IT!!!

8 Stoney Creek – Coach Zube will take on the role of ZOOKEEPER in the coming weeks, as his Cougars are about to go JUNGLE CRAZY on the comp in the playoffs…WELCOME BACK, BOYS!!

9 WL Northern – North Side hitting RIDE OR DIE mode aka SWAGGER LEVEL FIVE HUNDRED THOUSAND TRILLION at just the exact right time

10 MH Madison – It's a MAD MAD world!!

Southfield offensive lineman Chukes Okorafor (6-foot-5, 295 pounds) could be the hottest football recruit in the state right now…..he's catching fire.

The current Western Michigan-commit has seen several additional big-time scholarship offers in the past couple weeks, including the likes of Florida and Arkansas of the elite SEC.

Rumor is that Maryland and a number of other BCS schools are also on the verge of offering this fast-rising talent in the trenches.

Okorafor can do so much and has an upside that is literally through the roof. He can line up at guard or tackle. He's good in run and pass coverage and is an incredibly hard-working and coachable. Oh yeah, this kid is a WORLD BEATER in the classroom as well, intending on studying medicine at the next level, along with PANCAKE 101.

Bottom line: wherever Chukes ends up playing on Saturdays next year, that team, university and its fans will be VERY LUCKY!!

Birmingham Brother Rice is rocking and rolling on the football field this season. Think Elvis Pressley, Aerosmith, Led Zepplin, Motley Crue, Guns and Runs, etc..

The Warriors are a gold-plated 8-0, No. 1 in the state in D2.

What's downright scary is that they're doing it without three of their most dangerous and/or potentially dangerous playmakers.

One could be back soon, the other two will be coming to a prep gridiron by you in 2014, sure to know your socks off…TAKE IT 2 THA BANK!!

Corey Lacanaria (senior WR) – TEAM FRACASSA's No. 1 option in the passing game has been on the shelf with a concussion suffered in the first half of the OL St. Mary's game a couple weeks ago. He'll probably make his way back into the line-up before the state tourney opens (maybe in the Prep Bowl Saturday) and when that happens….TWO WORDS: WATCH OUT!!

Delano Madison (Junior WR) – The fastest kid on the team and a big-threat in a big way), DMADNESS broke his leg on the first day of practice. He'll join forces with Grant Perry next fall to form what very well might be the top receiving tandem in the state….YEAH I SAID IT!!...just super slick with the rock in his hands…POINT BLANK!!

Bobby Dixon (Junior RB) – Sidelined this season after breaking his leg in the summer, THE OC BOBBY D will in all likelihood be the Orange&Black's starting tailback next year, after the Warriors current dynamic duo of Brian Walker and Shon Powell graduate in May. Dixon is a jack-of-all trades back, fleet-footed, tough between the tackles, able to catch the ball out of the backfield and quite elusive out in space

OC Top 10 – Week 9

1 Birmingham Brother Rice – Team Fracassa says CURTAINS & DRAPES for anyone who hates!!

2 Novi Detroit Catholic Central – Zack Bock reached SWAGGER LEVEL THREE HUNDRED THOUSAND TRILLION a long time ago, last Saturday night against Warren De La Salle he went to SIX HUNDRED THOUSAND TRILLION!!

3 Southfield – 'Jays a little banged up, still REALLY, REALLY good!!

4 Clarkston – Since Week 1, the Wolfpack Grid Crew have been Christopher Columbus and the comp has been the Pilgrims!!!

5 WL Western – Lately I've been RAVING about the Warriors like they were the Ray Lewis All-Stars!!

6 FH Harrison – The Hawks duo of Kolby Nance& Devon Cook are LEGEN….wait for it….DARY!!

7 Lake Orion – About to UNLEASH THE FURY!!!

8 Birmingham Seaholm – Senior wide receiver Kerry Mott is a BAD BOY like his name was PUFFY, BIGGIE or MIKE LOWRY!!!  

9 Stoney Creek – Anybody who faces DA CREEK in the playoffs could be up one without a paddle…TAKE IT 2 THE BANK!!

10 MH Madison – Eagles junior Juan Johnson has been going all JUAN JOHNSON recently

10 WL Northern –  One word: THERA-FLU!!!

 

Richaud Pack is back at the head of the pack.

As in back playing D1 basketball, following a year hiatus to the D3 level at Adrian College.

The former Birmingham Seaholm superstar scoring machine has resurfaced at North Carolina A&T to finish out his collegiate career on the hardwood.

NCA&T is the defending MEAC champions and won an NCAA Tourney play-in game last March.

A three-time all-state selection with Seaholm, Pack originally went D1 out of the prep ranks, spending his first two years in college at Florida International under Detroit Pistons all-time great and NBA Hall of Famer Isiaha Thomas.

For those who don't remember, Pack was a handful to deal with for opposing defenses at the high school level, averaging close to 30 points per game his last two seasons with the Maples. He once dropped a 56-spot on Troy and Kentucky Fab Frosh James Young.

I've heard he's been showing more of the same so far down in North Carolina for A&T head coach Cy Alexander, recently putting up 40-Plus in a scrimmage.

Burney wishes Richaud the best in making all his hoopster college dreams finally come true at NCA&T

FIVE FOR FIGHTING – Top outings on the OC prep football field in Week 8

1 Zack Bock (Novi Detroit Catholic Central) – Added to his legacy as a Shamrocks SUPERSTAR, returned a missed fg 90 yards for a miraculous touchdown as time expired, catapulting CC to a 20-14 win over Warren De La Salle that sent TEAM MACH stomping into the Prep Bowl for the third straight season...CAN YOU SAY Absolute STUD!!?

2 Birmingham Seaholm 'D' – The Wonderwallers were in '85 Bears, 2000' Ravens mode in their crosstown showdown with Groves, making life miserable for Falcons speedster Ross Williams, a non-factor in the Maples' 28-20 victory for bragging rights and the league crown, getting held to just 13 yards on seven touches....YEAH, THEY'RE THAT GOOD...... DEAL WITH IT!!

3 Ian Eriksen (Clarkston) – Took a glitzy six trips into the end zone, three in a row in the second half to lead the Wolfpack to a 48-28 win over rival Lake Orion...Who does this guy think he is BARRY SANDERS?

4 Chauncey Bridges (North Farmington) – MR. Big Play was MR. FANTASTIC against Hazel Park, rushing for 275 yards and five touchdowns in the RAIDERSNATION 69-28  

5 Austin Wood (Waterford Kettering) – The consummate WORKHORSE for Team Schultz, scored the game-winning touchdown (130 yds, 3 tds on ground, 10 tackles at MLB) and blocked a extra point in overtime to lift the Captains to a dramatic 42-41 triumph over Pinckney and keep Kettering season alive and well...This kid is just TOO TUFF!!!

Local star high school hoopster Ja'Christian Biles is going to be a penguin.

No, he's not moving to the artic nor joining the city of Pittsburgh's NHL franchise.

Rather, just jumping across the border to Ohio.

Biles, Oak Park's 6-foot-4 senior shooting guard, committed to Youngstown State University earlier this week, pledging to join a Penguins roster that is already amply stocked with Motor City cage talent.

Having played his first two years as a prepster at Southfield-Lathrup, Biles transferred to Oak Park last winter, at the tail-end of the 2013 campaign.

Lightning quick on the wing, with a sweet stroke from deep and excellent finishing skills around the rim, this kid is pure electricity on the hardwood.

Look for Biles to be one of Oakland County's leading scorers this upcoming season and his revamped Oak Park squad one of the best teams in the state.

YSU currently carries four Detroiters on its 2014 roster: all four newcomers – Shawn Amiker (Ferndale), Larry Johnson, Jr. (West Bloomfield), Kyle Seward (Detroit Cass Tech) and Jalon Plummer (Romulus) – and all four brought in by Penguins' assistant coach Steve Hall, the legendary former high school player and coach from the rich Motor City basketball landscape that went on to play in college himself at Virginia Tech.

Amiker and Johnson are JUCO transfers. Seward and Plummer were part of YSU's most-recent recruiting class.

Just call this month the calm before the storm.

Next month, Rochester alum James Young WILL erupt like a volcano on the college basketball floor with the Kentucky Wildcats.

Word out of Lexington is that Young, a 6-foot-6 ½ FAB FROSH swingman extraordinaire, is blowing the roof off Rupp Arena with his performance in practice.

'Cats head coach John Calapari has told more than one reporter that Young is the best player on his team right now.

Close to 50 NBA scouts have attended preseason workouts to watch him and all have come away wowed.

Several respected talent evaluators are projecting Young a consensus Top 5 pick in the 2014 NBA Draft. A few have made it known they think he could go as high as NO 1 OVERALL!!!!

There were A LOT of haters out there the past couple of years (last season's Mr. Basketball award voting comes to mind), people that simply didn't get it with THE OC's "CHOSEN ONE" and chose to deny his inevitable ascension.

They will be devouring a feast of crow in the very near future.

The D1 scholarship offers are starting to come down the pike for a trio of the area's top high school football players.

Kyle Bambard (WL Western K-QB) – Finally got that well-deserved and way-too-late first offer this week from Air Force......this kid is so cool on and off the field when he goes to sleep sheep count him!!

Ross Williams (Birmingham Groves RB) – Finally got that well-deserved and way-too-late first offer last week from Akron......SWAGGER LEVEL FIVE HUNDRED THOUSAND TRILLION was achieved a long time ago, just took the big boys a little extra time to receive the memo

Josh Ross (OL St. Mary's LB) – Bids from Oklahoma and MSU have recently found their way to the doorstep of the best freshman prospect on the gridiron in the entire state bar none!!!...it's Baby Doomsday's world and we're all simply lucky enough to be living in it....STRAIGHT SICKNESS to the point that he is now required to carry a bottle of THERAFLU on him at all times!!!

OC Top 10 – Week 8

1 Birmingham Brother Rice – Almost 2 good to be true!!....but not quite!!

2 Southfield – Battling through injury bug, will come out of it even more determined…a scary thought for upcoming opponents!!

3 Clarkston – The Hollywood Twins aka Timmy "Neon Deon" Cason and Caine "The Sugar Man" Watlington are always PHOTO SHOOT FRESH, on the field with their exciting play and off the field with their chiseled good looks!! YOU CAN'T STOP THESE TWO, U CAN ONLY HOPE TO CONTAIN THEM!!!

4 Novi Detroit CC – Shamrocks senior co-captain Danny Collins (DB-RB) could be the most undervalued difference-maker of a player in the whole Catholic League….YEAH, I SAID IT!!

5 WL Western – Speed, speed and more speed….would compete for title in either of the OAA's top two divisions

6 FH Harrison – Jevon Shaw is MICHAEL VICK in his prime as a prepster…that's what how big this junior signal-caller is playing this season for HawksNation!!

7 Lake Orion – TOO MANY weapons 2 B Denied!!!

8 (tie) Birmingham Groves – Falcons quarterback Zach Van Faussien is as COOL AS THE OTHER SIDE OF MY PILLOW !!!

8 (tie) Birmingham Seaholm – Juniors Trevor Lloyd and Nick "The Human Landslide" Lanfear are a mighty pair of MAULERS on the D-Lien for TEAM WONDERWALL aka TEAM DEWALD aka the 2003 MAPLES!!!

9 (tie) Stoney Creek – Will be interesting to see how the Cougars respond to getting smacked in the mouth and upset by West Bloomfield last week….Burney has faith in DA CREEK and it will be rewarded!!

9 (tie) Oak Park - Sophomore field general Chauncey Lowman is tracking to be a terror in the pocket in coming years

10 (tie) MH Madison – Kyle Baldwin (TE-LB) is a specimen of a football player…THAT'S A FACT!!!

10 (tie) WL Northern – Welcome back, fellas!!! Well-deserved re-entry into the rankings by TEAM MOORE!! Get busy my main Gridiron Knights Homey Matt Finn!!!                     

Birmingham Seaholm will head into its heavily-anticipated crosstown GRIDIRON throw-down with Birmingham Groves later this week, owners of a DYNAMITE 14-game OAA Blue winning streak.

On Friday night at Maples Field, Seaholm and bitter-rival Groves will square off for the OAA Blue crown. Both teams are undefeated at 7-0.

Seaholm is seeking a repeat league title under second-year head coach Jim DeWald.

The Maples senior class is a perfect 30-0 in league play during their high-school career….aka no senior football player at Seaholm has lost to an opponent in the OAA at any level whatsoever.

Overall, the Maples senior GRIDDERS hold a glitzy 32-2 overall record wearing the Maroon & White

Man, that's impressive!! We're talking 'Bama Nick Saban-like numbers here!!

QUICK SEAHOLM SENIOR-SUPERSTUD ROLL CALL;

Brandon Altman (QB) – Baller & Shot caller, plain and simple!

Karl "The Manchild" Marback & Joshua Smith (DL) – Be afraid, be very afraid!!

Chris Hill & Brendan Sullivan (LB) – As lethal as any linebacker tandem in the area….TAKE IT 2 THA BANK!!....these guys are all over the place all game long showing NO MERCY on the comp!!

Dylan "The K-Bomb" Kanaan & Andrew "The Assassin" Barton (S) – Come on, their nickname as a duo is "The Knockout Nastys"….'NUFF SAID!!

Matt Rothschild (OL) – Anchoring TEAM DEWALD'S "Push" up front which is allowing the Maples to gash opponents for all those yards up the middle

Nick Vestivich (RB) – The V-Factor is the new X-Factor in MAPLENATION this fall…MARK THAT DOWN!!

Aaron "Slick Willy" Ware (SB/CB) – PURE PLAYMAKER in every sense of the term!!       

Jack "The Jammer" Mentag (SB/CB) – Packs quite a punch (think 'Money' Mayweather) whether rushing, catching or defending the rock!!!

Dominic "The Serpent" Sierpien (FB/LB) – SCARY-TUFF on both sides of the ball!!

Kerry Mott (WR) – Big-play threat written all over this kid!!

I was SUPER IMPRESSED with what I saw from the Birmingham Groves 'D' on the gridiron Friday night in its 29-20 downing of Berkley

 

A few Falcons (7-0) that caught my eye;

 

Anthony Pittman (MLB) -  Man amongst boys, plain and simple.....one of the most dominating performances on defense I've seen this year....the PIT went all RAY LEWIS and wrapped up a eyebrow-raising 16 tackles....could be the best player nobody knows about in the whole OAA...YEAH I SAID IT!!

 

Davion Curry (CB) - Lockdown skills in the secondary, this kid has playmaker written all over him

 

Kyle Sherman (OLB) - Underrated gem of a linebacker, speedy, strong and instinctive

 

Eddie Jefferson & Ian Beal (DL) - Tuff-as-nails at the point of attack, a pair of SIR-GRIND-A-LOTS in the trenches

 

Alex Eriksen-Suzuki (LB)-Josh Vance (S) - Did a lot of the little things that made a lot of big things happen for their team

 

FIVE FOR FIGHTING – Best coaching jobs on the OC prep gridiron so far this year

1 Brendan Flaherty (Birmingham Groves) – Just FANTABULOUS in so many ways!!! Is that Brendan Flaherty coaching the Falcons this season or is it Bill Belichick?  That's the kind of effort we're talking about

2 John Herrington (FH Harrison) – I can't believe how much he's getting out of this group….the olde ball coach in GREEN&GOLD never ceases to amaze me with his skills on the sidelines

3 Tom Mach (Novi Detroit CC) – And Burney thought CC wasn't going to be a state-title contender this fall....... What do I know?........SMASHMOUTHNATION is alive and well

4 (tie) Tim Conley (Southfield) – Has his club ready peak at the exact right time……DESTINATION; FORD FIELD?

4 (tie) Jim DeWald (Birmingham Seaholm) – Truly one of the most undervalued geniuses in the state's entire coaching ranks….U can take that 2THA BANK!!

5 Al Fracassa (Birmingham Brother Rice) – GRIDIRON GODFATHER……..'Nuff said!!!

OC TOP 10 - WEEK 7

1 Birmingham Brother Rice – Warriors senior linebacker Jack Grisan has officially reached SWAGGER LEVEL FIVE HUNDRED THOUSAND TRILLION!!... That's an ORANGE&BLACK GUARANTEE!!!

2 Southfield – Senior Davonte Alfred is playing some of the best ball at the wide receiver spot in the state….the 'Jays 6-foot-5 snazzy pass-catch specialist is the definition of a deep-threat as well as a terror in the red zone running the fade route.

3 Clarkston – Break out the THERAFLU….Wolves junior field general, D.J. Zezula has been STRAIGHT SICKNESS under center calling signals and picking apart defenses this year (zero interceptions, yes that's correct, you are not misreading that stat)…..Expect more of the same to come in the future

4 Novi Detroit CC – Only a few ticks of the clock away from being the No. 1 team on the gridiron in the OC (thanks a lot Brother Rice split end Patrick Sparks!!)…..Yeah, TEAM MACH is that imposing this fall!! (Should probably be a little higher in the rankings as is)

5 WL Western – Let's just start calling junior safety John Witkowski "The Hit Doctor", serving up mass prescriptions of pain across the KLAA for two seasons strong and counting!!

6 (tie) Stoney Creek – I love seeing Cougars jitterbug tailback Nick Rangos going all NICK RANGOS on the comp toting the rock…PURE PRIDE&PASSION, per standard operating procedure in ZUBELAND these days!!

6 (tie) Oak Park – That Knights defense this year is buzzing around and thrashing anything in its ways….TEAM CARTER'S 'D' is hungry, hard-hitting and always READY 4 WAR!!!       

7 Lake Orion – Dragons' senior Chris Leigh is Legen…..WAIT FOR IT….DARY whenever he's got the ball in his hands….MARK THAT DOWN!!

8 FH Harrison – The Green Machine is mighty, mighty MEAN, LEAN AND PICKING UP STEAM…watch out D2….I wouldn't want to run into this club come tourney time, would you?

9 (tie) Birmingham Groves – FACT: Ross Williams wouldn't be having the season he's having (already eclipsing the 1,000 yard mark and garnering an Akron offer this weekend) and the Falcons wouldn't be having the season their having (perfect 6-0) without what senior fullback-linebacker Bryce Anderson has been doing…SIMPLY SMASHING and STOMPING his opponents on offense and defense!!

9 (tie) Birmingham Seaholm – TEAM DEWALD'S crew of offensive studs (Maples "O" ROLL CALL Brandon Altman, Aaron Ware, Kerry Mott, Nick Vestivich, Jack Mentag and Austin Paritee, man is that arsenal is locked and loaded or what?

10 MH Madison – Drake Wilkins could be the most underrated coach in all of Metro Detroit….This guy's at the top of his profession as a tactician and master motivator on the sidelines