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STICK’S PICKS: Put the golf clubs away … Prep football season is here

Dan Stickradt | August 24, 2011 | Comments (2)

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, discussion, blood, sweat and tears will finally move to under the lights. The 2011 season has finally arrived.

Last season area schools provided several highlight reels, including some teams making long runs in the postseason. Lake Orion ended up claiming the Division 1 state championship at Ford Field to cap a memorable 2010 season.

Can the Dragons reload enough to repeat, or will any other local team have enough firepower to make a run at the coveted state championship trophy?

There’s only one way to find out.

All local teams begin with games on Thursday, Friday or Saturday and 14 games will be on the docket for Week 1.

THURSDAY’S GAMES

ROCHESTER AT MACOMB L’ANSE CREUSE NORTH: The Falcons ended an 11-year drought last season by not only turning in its first winning season in more than a decade but reached the postseason for the first time since 1999. The school has never qualified for the postseason in consecutive years. The Falcons will this year and the first step begins now.

PICK: Rochester by 21.

TROY ATHENS AT WARREN MOTT: Last season the Red Hawks were able to sneak past Mott during the opener. After that point, the Red Hawks could only muster two more wins the rest of the way. Mott will meet a different Red Hawks team. Get busy Lonnie Jaynes and Kris Gervin.

PICK: Athens by 9.

TROY AT ROMEO: Troy clobbered Romeo 31-7 in last year’s opener. Will the Bulldogs exact a measure of revenge on the Colts? It will be painful.

PICK: Romeo by 6.

PORT HURON NORTHERN AT ROCHESTER STONEY CREEK: There are only two returning starters for Stoney Creek. New faces don’t always mean a bad thing. There’s blood to be spilled on Thursday night and the new-attitude Cougars can taste it.

PICK: Stoney Creek by 3.

FRIDAY’S GAMES

AUBURN HILLS AVONDALE AT WAREN FITZGERALD: Last season Fitzgerald hung on at the end. Avondale will remember that gut-wrenching defeat.

PICK: Avondale by 10.

LAKE ORION AT OXFORD: What better way than to have the defending state champions come to town to debut Oxford’s new blue turf. It’s too bad for Wildcats nation that the Dragons are still a loaded team despite mass losses to graduation.

PICK: Lake Orion by 7.

CLARKSTON AT ROCHESTER ADAMS: Clarkston has had several good teams over the years and yet has never played on the final weekend of the season. Could this be the year? The march to Ford Field begins now.

PICK: Clarkston by 10.

WARREN MICHIGAN COLLEGIATE AT ROCHESTER HILLS LUTHERAN NORTHWEST: Lutheran Northwest has reached the postseason three straight years and is expected to be much better than last year’s 6-4 record. Michigan Collegiate was a state semifinalist in Division 7 last season. There will be plenty of fireworks in this one.

PICK: Michigan Collegiate by 8.

PONTIAC NOTRE DAME PREP AT ST. CLAIR SHORES LAKEVIEW: Last season the Fighting Irish opened the season with a 0-5 record and scored only 21 points in those games combined. This year NDP will turn the tables and open the season with a win.

PICK: Notre Dame Prep by 6.

DETROIT ALLEN ACADEMY VS. AUBURN HILLS OAKLAND CHRISTIAN AT AUBURN HILLS COMMUNITY CENTER SHARK TANK: Both schools are in their fourth season of competition, with the Lancers recording five wins in its past and Allen Academy posting four wins. This is what you might call a toss-up.

PICK: Oakland Christian by 7.

ORTONVILLE BRANDON AT CLIO: Last season the Blackhawks put up 63 points on the Tigers. Yes, it will be that ugly again. Show no mercy, Shane Mahaffy.

PICK: Brandon by 40.

LAPEER EAST AT HOLLY: Coaches around the Flint Metro League believe that are six teams that will fight it out for the league championship. These are two of them. Holly may not be able to end its 59-year conference title drought this year, but it will ground the Eagles in the opener.

PICK: Holly by 10.

SATURDAY’S GAMES

TROY CHRISTIAN LEADERSHIP ACADEMY AT DETROIT DOWNRIVER WOLFPACK HOME SCHOOL: Never can tell with the Christian Football League of Michigan, as the teams all use home-schooled athletes. We do know that Leadership does have a couple of fine players in its lineup. Mitchell Essian and the Defenders … send the Wolfpack home with a severe limp.

PICK: Christian Leadership Academy by 7.

WATERFORD OUR LADY OF THE LAKES AT CLEVELAND VILLA ANGELA-ST. JOSEPH: This Ohio-based team beat up on Lakes fairly easily in last year’s opener, and that was when WOLL had an experienced team. This year it will be a rough trip home for the Lakers.

PICK: Villa Angela-St. Joseph by 10.

(Stick’s Picks is prep seer for the AdaVan Media Group’s www.northoaklandsports.com and also CEO of the Stickradt Media Group sportswriting public relations firm. He can be reached at dan.stickradt@northoaklandsports.com. Follow us on Twitter @LocalSportsFans and on over a dozen social media networks.)