Archive for August 24th, 2011
STICK’S PICKS: Put the golf clubs away … Prep football season is here
Stick’s Picks is going golfing Thursday morning. He will partner up with some of his colleagues from around the Michigan media arena. The most likely discussion, other than that horrific slice hitting the drink-cart girl four fairways over, will be high school football. Yes, it’s that time of the year again. The months of speculation, […]
2011 PREP FOOTBALL PREVIEW INDEX
2011 PREP FOOTBALL PREVIEW INDEX: Below is the index for the 2011 Prep Football Preview Kickoff extravaganza, as compiled and presented by the AdaVan Media Group’s www.northoaklandsports.com editorial staff and corporate sponsors. NOS is a digital daily, sports-only, on-line-only newspaper serving dozens of communities in suburban Detroit. Teams and schools may use the opening paragraphs […]
AOTW: The Hitman … Clarkston’s Zach Collins strikes fear into the opposition
BY DAN STICKRADT SENIOR EDITOR dan.stickradt@northoaklandsports.com CLARKSTON — It’s hard to imagine Zach Collins having any fear on the football field. Yet it was three years ago when he felt a little apprehensive lining up near the line of scrimmage. “The coaching staff came to me just before my first game my freshman year and […]
AOTW: Clarkston’s Dellinger commits to Kent State
BY DAN STICKRADT SENIOR EDITOR dan.stickradt@northoaklandsports.com CLARKSTON — Clarkston’s football season last year was interrupted by countless injuries. In fact, most of the Wolves’ starters and top reserves spent time on the disabled list due to the rash of injuries. Matt Dellinger was one of the few Wolves who did not hit the injured reserve […]
AUBURN HILLS AVONDALE PREVIEW: Yellowjackets hope to reload the cannon
BY DAN STICKRADT SENIOR EDITOR dan.stickradt@northoaklandsports.com AUBURN HILLS — In all reality, Auburn Hills Avondale won’t be as well-oiled of an offensive machine as it was a year ago on the football field. The Yellowjackets could be a better defensive team to compensate. That is the ingredient that coach Steve Deutsch is hoping for in […]
AUBURN HILLS OAKLAND CHRISTIAN PREVIEW: Lancers have plans to build for the future
BY DAN STICKRADT SENIOR EDITOR dan.stickradt@northoaklandsports.com AUBURN HILLS — Veteran Bill Schaffer has a daunting task in front of him as a high school football coach. He was hired to help build Auburn Hills Oakland Christian into a solid prep football program. Oakland Christian is entering its fourth season of competition in football and Oakland […]
CLARKSTON PREVIEW: Wolves setting sights on grand season
BY DAN STICKRADT SENIOR EDITOR dan.stickradt@northoaklandsports.com CLARKSTON — Kurt Richardson feels he never got a chance to see how good Clarkston football could have been last autumn. Entering that campaign off a Final Four berth in 2009, the Wolves were hit by a massive injury bug in 2010. The veteran Richardson and his staff felt […]
HOLLY PREVIEW: Bronchos aiming for first league crown since 1952
BY DAN STICKRADT SENIOR EDITOR dan.stickradt@northoaklandsports.com HOLLY — For decades Holly bolstered a football program that every team in the Flint Metro League looked forward to on its schedule. The Bronchos were a doormat program, a team that was considered an easy win, a pushover, a laughing stock. Over the past 60 years Holly has […]
LAKE ORION PREVIEW: Can Dragons reload for another lengthy postseason run?
BY DAN STICKRADT SENIOR EDITOR dan.stickradt@northoaklandsports.com LAKE ORION — Chris Bell does not like all of the extra attention he received last fall. The veteran football coach is a father and an assistant principal at Lake Orion High School to go along with his head coaching duties. That draws in plenty of demands already. So […]
ORTONVILLE BRANDON PREVIEW: Lessons learned could help Blackhawks reach postseason field
BY DAN STICKRADT SENIOR EDITOR dan.stickradt@northoaklandsports.com ORTONVILLE — Having something whisked away when it’s within reach can leave a bitter taste in the mouth of any football player or coach. That collectively best describes Ortonville Brandon’s football season last year. The Blackhawks, who had only two winning seasons in the previous decade and have not […]
OXFORD PREVIEW: Wildcats look to rebound, return to upper echelon
BY DAN STICKRADT SENIOR EDITOR dan.stickradt@northoaklandsports.com OXFORD — Bud Rowley is not one to blame others, at least not last year, when he watched Oxford’s football program venture through a rare rebuilding season. In fact, after 28 straight winnings seasons, the longest in Oakland County, the Wildcats limped to a 3-6 overall record, including 2-6 […]
PONTIAC NOTRE DAME PREP PREVIEW: Senior-laden Irish to ride coat tails of last year’s season-end win streak
BY DAN STICKRADT SENIOR EDITOR dan.stickradt@northoaklandsports.com PONTIAC — The start of the 2010 football season for Pontiac Notre Dame Prep was downright ugly. The Fighting Irish opened 0-5 and scored only three touchdowns and 21 total points in that stretch. Instead of throwing in the towel, Notre Dame Prep rebounded to close the campaign with […]
ROCHESTER PREVIEW: Falcons working to build on last year’s momentum
BY DAN STICKRADT SENIOR EDITOR dan.stickradt@northoaklandsports.com ROCHESTER HILLS — For 10 miserable years, Rochester’s football team crawled through the doldrums of a dark cave with little daylight. Finally in 2010, the Falcons maneuvered from the depths and resurfaced. Not only did the Falcons record their first winning season since 1999, they reached the Division 1 […]
ROCHESTER ADAMS PREVIEW: Highlanders must reload to keep streak alive
BY DAN STICKRADT SENIOR EDITOR dan.stickradt@northoaklandsports.com ROCHESTER HILLS — Few football programs have been able to match Rochester Adams in recent times. The Highlanders have been nothing short of a model of consistency. For 14 straight years, Adams has reached the postseason. There have been four teams that have advanced to at least the Final […]
ROCHESTER STONEY CREEK PREVIEW: Cougars hope to gain valuable experience in rebuilding year
BY DAN STICKRADT SENIOR EDITOR dan.stickradt@northoaklandsports.com ROCHESTER HILLS — When Rochester Stoney Creek first opened its doors a decade ago, expectations for sports weren’t all that high. It was more of the “wait until a couple of years from now” approach. After all, no powerhouse program is built overnight. That is why football head coach […]
ROCHESTER HILLS LUTHERAN NORTHWEST PREVIEW: Crusaders enter 25th season with hopes for another league title
BY DAN STICKRADT SENIOR EDITOR dan.stickradt@northoaklandsports.com ROCHESTER HILLS — In all reality, Don Justice didn’t know what to think last season when Rochester Hills Lutheran Northwest took the football field. The veteran coach had watched his team win back-to-back league championships and reach the postseason both times with senior-heavy teams. So when the Crusaders shared […]
TROY PREVIEW: Colts making consistent football its mission this season
BY DAN STICKRADT SENIOR EDITOR dan.stickradt@northoaklandsports.com TROY — When Troy opened up the 2010 prep football season with a 31-7 thrashing of Romeo, many around the Colts program felt good about the chances of a successful season. In Week 2, Troy rolled over Royal Oak (38-12), but veteran Gary Griffith saw plenty of flaws in […]
TROY ATHENS PREVIEW: Red Hawks plan to take the next step forward
BY DAN STICKRADT SENIOR EDITOR dan.stickradt@northoaklandsports.com Since last making the playoffs in 2004, Troy Athens has dropped out of the spotlight. The Red Hawks have had just one winning season in the past six years and only nine victories the past four campaigns combined. Part of that is coaching, as the Red Hawks have had […]
