OAA Recap Week Eight

Written Saturday October 13th, at 1:20 AM

Hello to all Tigers fans in getting ready for the American League Championship Series, anyway here is the new Dragons Den poll with a possible playoff projections for week eight to week nine in the very near future with the playoffs one week away.

Dragons Den Poll:

1. Clarkston     (8-0, 7-0 Red)

2. Seaholm       (7-1, 7-0 Blue)

3. Lake Orion   (7-1, 6-1 Red)

4. Oak Park     (7-1, 6-1 White)

5. Avondale      (7-1, 6-1 Blue)

6. Oxford         (5-3, 5-2 White)

7. Stoney Creek (5-3, 4-3 Red)

8. Harrison       (5-3, 4-3 White)

9. Farmington   (6-2, 5-2 White)

10. Southfield   (5-3, 4-3 White)

Dropped Out from Poll:

6. Rochester

8. Lahser

BIGGEST WIN OF THE NIGHT: Clarkston 21, Lake Orion 14: The Wolves came back from a 14-3 deficit in the second quarter, only to score 18 unanswered points to stun the Dragons and keep its unbeaten record. Clarkston earned a date with Oak Park next weekend in Knight Valley. For the Dragons this was a humbling experience but remember this team lost week eight two seasons ago and won the state crown in 2010 and will likely see Clarkston again in the playoffs.

BIGGEST LOSS OF THE NIGHT: Oxford 14, Oak Park 12: The Wildcats needed this win in the worst way to keep its playoff hopes alive. Oxford used its ground attack to ground the Knights and keep Oak Park’s exploding offense on the sidelines. Oxford is now 3-0 against Oak Park since the Wildcats entered the OAA from the Flint Metro League. The Wildcats will play Troy on Friday night at home. The Colts are another team at 5-3 trying to make the playoffs while the Knights will host unbeaten Clarkston in Knight Valley.

ARE YOU KIDDING ME: Harrison 48, Farmington 13: The Falcons had everything they wanted, Harrison at home and needing a win to keep it’s playoff hopes alive. However Farmington couldn't get anything going all night, everything that went wrong, went wrong for the Falcons and the Hawks walked out of Farmington's field with it's biggest win of the season. To make matters worse for Farmington is that the Falcons will play an angry Lake Orion team on Friday night whom lost to Clarkston. Harrison however will play West Bloomfield for its attempt to go to 6-3 and make the playoffs yet again.

TEAM NEEDING A HUG: Lake Orion: The Dragons suffered a tough loss to the Wolves but all hope is not lost in front of them. I think the Dragons were the biggest winners here by not seeing Oak Park but Farmington is another good opponent that will test the Dragons, especially in Farmington. I think that Clarkston might have woken up a sleeping giant in Lake Orion.

Top Five Biggest Games for Week Nine:

1. Clarkston (8-0, 7-0 Red) at 4. Oak Park (7-1, 6-1 White) 6 PM: This will be perhaps the biggest game in Knight Valley. The Knights are coming off its only loss of the season at Oxford 14-12 and should be motivated for this game. The Wolves are riding high after its 21-14 comeback win at Lake Orion. This is a trap game for Clarkston as this one will be a battle of Clarkston’s power running game against Oak Park’s explosive offense, oh and both teams have good defenses as well.

3. Lake Orion (7-1, 6-1 Red) at 9. Farmington (6-2, 5-2 White): The Dragons are coming off another emotional loss to the Wolves last Friday night. The Falcons are coming off a blowout loss to Harrison. One of these teams will ride a two game losing streak to the playoffs and also it’s very quiet to my knowledge over at Farmington. The Falcons run power football, very similar to what Oxford and Clarkston do, sound familiar Dragons. Also lets not forget that this is Homecoming for Farmington, not a good opponent to play in the Dragons considering they are 2-0 on homecoming games this season (Own, and at Pontiac.)

Troy (5-3, 4-3 Red) at 6. Oxford (5-3, 5-2 White): The winner of this game will be in the playoffs while the loser will likely be eliminated. If Oxford does lose this game, I like their chances to get into the playoffs at 5-4. For Troy it’s win or go home on blue turf.

7. Stoney Creek (5-3, 4-3 Red) at 10. Southfield (5-3, 4-3 White) 4 PM: The Cougars are peaking at the right time, averaging 43 points per game in the last two games (West Bloomfield and Rochester.) Southfield is another animal though. The Blue Jays beat the Chargers of Southfield Lathrup 33-0 and right now needs a win like Stoney Creek to get in as well.

Rochester (5-3, 4-3 Red) at Adams (3-5, 3-4 White): The Falcons need this game in the worst possible way if they want to make the playoffs. The Highlanders can spoil Rochester's season with a win at home even though Adams won't be in the playoffs for the first time in 15 years. Rochester has not won at Adams since 1996 and they don't have enough playoff points to get in at 5-4 if they lose.

Red:

1. Clarkston                 7-0       8-0

3. Lake Orion               6-1       7-1

Troy                             4-3       5-3

7. Stoney Creek           4-3       5-3

West Bloomfield           1-6       2-6

Pontiac                         1-6       1-7

Troy Athens                 1-6       1-7

Last Week Scores:

Clarkston 21, Lake Orion 14

Stoney Creek 35, Rochester 14

West Bloomfield 31, Pontiac 14

Troy 10, Troy Athens 7

This Week Games:

1. Clarkston at 4. Oak Park

3. Lake Orion at 9. Farmington

7. Stoney Creek at 10. Southfield

West Bloomfield at 8. Harrison

Pontiac at North Farmington

Rochester at Adams

Troy Athens at Lathrup

White Standings:

4. Oak Park                 6-1       7-1

9. Farmington               5-2       6-2

6. Oxford                     5-2       5-3

10. Southfield               4-3       5-3

8. Harrison                   4-3       5-3

Adams                         3-4       3-5

North Farmington         2-5       2-6

Lathrup                        0-7       1-7

Last Week Scores:

Oxford 14, Oak Park 12

Adams 35, North Farmington 0

Southfield 33, Lathrup 0

Harrison 48, Farmington 13

This Week Games:

1. Clarkston at 4. Oak Park

3. Lake Orion at 9. Farmington

7. Stoney Creek at 10. Southfield

West Bloomfield at 8. Harrison

Pontiac at North Farmington

Rochester at Adams

Troy Athens at Lathrup

Blue Standings:

2. Seaholm                   7-0       7-1

5. Avondale                  6-1       7-1

Lahser                          5-2       5-3

Berkley                        4-3       4-4

Hazel Park                   4-3       4-4

Ferndale                       2-5       3-5

Groves                         2-5       2-6

Royal Oak                    1-6       1-7      

Andover                       0-8       0-8

Last Weeks Scores:

Seaholm 49, Hazel Park 32

Avondale 37, Lahser 20

Berkley 35, Ferndale 14

Owosso 40, Groves 0

Detroit Country Day 51, Royal Oak 20 

This Week Games:

2. Seaholm at Groves

Ferndale at 5. Avondale

Lahser at Hazel Park

Berkley at Royal Oak

Chippewa Valley has now lost two straight home games and is now in danger of missing the postseason. The Big Reds lost to Macomb Dakota 17-13. Chippewa Valley is now at 5-3, and 2-3 in the MAC Red now needs to win over Port Huron just to make the playoffs, which is never easy.

Grand Ledge avoided the playoff bubble this week winning 40-0 over East Lansing earning itself a trip to the playoffs. Now they can try and eliminate Lansing Holt from the playoffs with a win this week at home.

Stoney Creek is now in the conversation for a playoff spot after its 35-14 blowout win over Rochester, forcing the Falcons needing to beat Adams just to make the playoffs. You got to give credit to coach Brad Zube, in his first season at Stoney Creek and his players for never giving up on the season. Now this week with a win over Southfield, the Cougars are in line to return to the postseason for the second time in school history (first 2003, lost to Brother Rice first round.)

I was shocked in the first round of the Detroit Public School League that the Detroit Cass Tech Technicians, the defending Division One State Champions were shockingly blown out by Detroit Martin Luther King 44-13. This was a team that beat Brother Rice in week one, lost to Orchard Lake St. Mary’s and now they lose to Detroit Martin Luther King. Martin Luther King is not a bad team, they took Southfield to double overtime where the Blue Jays won in double overtime, but this is shocking knowing that Detroit Cass Tech is suppose to be a big threat in the playoffs. Now they stand at 6-2 and could possibly see Dearborn Fordson or Warren Mott on the road.

Temperance Bedford is back with a vengeance by beating Monroe 27-13. Bedford should be back in the playoffs with a win next week against Monroe Jefferson then they could likely see Monroe and be paired with Saline (7-1) and Ann Arbor Pioneer (5-3: likely going to win this week) in the playoffs next week.

Speaking of Ann Arbor Pioneer, there was yet another football brawl. Ann Arbor Pioneer defeated their arch rival Ann Arbor Huron 35-6 on Friday night at Ann Arbor Huron. However after the game, both coaches exchanged heated words at midfield during the coaches shake then it got ugly. Ann Arbor Huron's coach was upset that Ann Arbor Pioneer was still running offensive plays when the game was decided. Both teams threw punches at each other and one player was struck in the face with a crutch, which he had to go to the hospital to get stitches. The incident is under investigation with the Ann Arbor school district and the Ann Arbor Police Department.

This is the second incident in the state and has sadly became common in recent football games. The first was last week when a West Bloomfield player punched a Stoney Creek assistant coach after the Stoney Creek/West Bloomfield game.

We’ll see what happens in week nine, enjoy your week all.