OAA Picks. Week Nine.

Written Sunday October 20th, at 2:30 PM

2. Southfield (7-1, 7-0 White) at 1. Clarkston (7-1, 7-0 Red): The Wolves Ian Eriksen had a 234 yards, six touchdowns performance against Lake Orion but the Blue Jays have Malik McDonnell and Laurence Marshall on the defensive line and Southfield has a very athletic team but in the end too much size and home field will give Clarkston the win. PICK: CLARKSTON 35, SOUTHFIELD 24.

UD-Jesuit (4-4) at 3. Birmingham Seaholm (8-0, 7-0 Blue): This will be an interesting game for the Maples. The Cubs have beaten Detroit Country Day and have played Birmingham Brother Rice, Novi Detroit Catholic Central, Warren De LaSalle, and Orchard Lake Saint Marys in the Catholic League. Birmingham Seaholm is riding an emotional ride after winning beating Beverly Hills Wylie E. Groves and the Blue title. I’m going with the Maples in this game because of home field advantage and the defense. PICK: SEAHOLM 28, U-D JESUIT 20.

4. Harrison (7-1, 6-1 White) at 5. Stoney Creek (6-2, 5-2 Red): The Cougars are in the playoffs for the first time since 2007. However the match up with Harrison is dangerous, especially in the last two games the Hawks have scored 106 points. Stoney Creek will probably use this game as a motivator to get ready for the playoffs. Harrison will give them a bit of reality sadly. PICK: HARRISON 28, STONEY CREEK 14.

9. Oak Park (5-3, 4-3 White) at 6. Lake Orion (6-2, 5-2 Red): Both the Knights and Dragons have struggled recently. Oak Park has lost two straight games after a 5-1 start and now have to win just to make the playoffs or sweat it out on Sunday. Lake Orion allowed over 400 yards of total offense against Clarkston last week. The Knights depth is a major concern but the Dragons can’t stop anyone and this will be a shootout. PICK: LAKE ORION 49, OAK PARK 45.

7. Beverly Hills Wylie E. Groves (7-1, 6-1 Blue) at Waterford Mott (3-5): The Corsairs have had a big win over Walled Lake Northern 61-58 but have struggled since that win. The Falcons have had an emotional loss to Birmingham Seaholm but this match up should help them get some confidence heading to the playoffs. PICK: GROVES 35, WATERFORD MOTT 7.

Oxford (4-4, 4-3 White) at 8. West Bloomfield (5-3, 4-3 Red): The Lakers have been rolling lately, winning three straight including a win over Stoney Creek two weeks ago. West Bloomfield has been riding the range of emotion heading into this game with Oxford. The Wildcats have been riding a roll of emotion as well winning two straight games including a win last week over Oak Park. The winner of this game will go to the playoffs and that team will be Oxford because of Glacier Wallington and Ben Line. PICK: OXFORD 35, WEST BLOOMFIELD 24.

10. Adams (5-3, 4-3 White) at Rochester (4-4, 3-4 Red): The Falcons will try to beat their Adams and Tienken Road rivals for the first time since 1996. The Highlanders are playing well right now and will enter the playoffs with confidence. Rochester has quarterback concerns and Adams will play right into that match up. PICK: ADAMS 42, ROCHESTER 14.

Plymouth Salem (2-6) at Royal Oak (4-4, 4-3 Blue): The Ravens have an outside shot at the playoffs while the Rocks are playing for pride here. Royal Oak still wants to have a winning season will get this win because of their hard earn and courage. It may not get them to the playoffs but they will have a winning season. PICK: ROYAL OAK 28, PLYMOUTH SALEM 7.

Ypsilanti (4-4) at Avondale (4-4, 3-4 Blue): This is a tough match up for the Yellow Jackets against Ypsilanti. Ypsilanti has lost four games to playoff teams and will be sweating it out on Sunday. This will be the game that will knock Avondale out of the playoffs for good. PICK: YPSILANTI 45, AVONDALE 42.

Bloomfield Hills (2-6, 2-5 White) at Troy Athens (2-6, 2-5 Red): The Red Hawks won 35-6 last week over their arch rival Troy and have been struggling all season with consistency. The Blackhawks have struggled all season in their first year as a new school. Bloomfield Hills will play well in this game but in the end Troy Athens will get this win. PICK: TROY ATHENS 34, BLOOMFIELD HILLS 21.

Southfield-Lathrup (1-7, 0-7 White) at Troy (2-6, 2-5 Red): The Colts have been outscored 180-13 ever since they were tied 17-17 with Lake Orion a few weeks ago and have been a major disappointment. The Chargers are very young and had to go through growing pains but this game could start something into the off season and the future is bright in Lathrup Village. PICK: SOUTHFIELD-LATHRUP 17, TROY 7.

Farmington (1-7, 1-6 White) at Pontiac (0-9, 0-8 Red): This has been a tough season for both the Phoenix and the Falcons. Someone will win this game at Wisner Stadium. This could be the last game at Wisner Stadium which is sad because of Pontiac’s financial troubles. Farmington has struggled with injuries and inconsistent play. The Falcons are favored in this game but for some strange reason Pontiac will show up and pull off a major upset. PICK: PONTIAC 20, FARMINGTON 17.

Berkley (3-5, 3-4 Blue) at Dearborn Robichaud (5-3): The Bears have been very inconsistent this season and going to Dearborn is going to be a tough match up. In the end Dearborn Robichaud will win this game and get into the playoffs. PICK: DEARBORN ROBICHAUD 35, BERKLEY 20.

Grosse Isle (4-4) at Hazel Park (0-8, 0-7 Blue): The Vikings have struggled all season long and this game with Grosse Isle us their last chance to win one game. The problem is that Grosse Isle is fighting to get into the playoffs and will likely be sweating it out on Sunday to hear their name called. PICK: GROSSE ISLE 40, HAZEL PARK 7.

Hamtramck (0-8) at Ferndale (1-7, 1-6 Blue): The Eagles have had a tough season but bringing in the Cosmos to Ferndale could cure the problems. Hamtramck is winless and Ferndale should be fine in this game. PICK: FERNDALE 35, HAMTRAMCK 0.

North Farmington (5-3) does not play anyone this week and thus qualifies for the playoffs because of the eight game, five wins is needed to qualify.