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STICK’S PICKS: Who will cash in on a playoff berth this week?

Dan Stickradt | October 6, 2011 | Comments (0)

Last week Pontiac Notre Dame Prep became the first area school to cash in on its playoff ticket. The Fighting Irish are a perfect 6-0 and now can move onto their next goal.

Who will join them this week?

Lake Orion and Troy Athens are both 5-1 and play each other this week for first place in the OAA Red Division and perhaps the right to play Division 2 top-ranked Farmington Harrison in the OAA Red-White Crossover game in Week 8. The winner is in, while the loser will have two more weeks to gain a postseason berth.

There are several other area teams that are still trying to build towards a playoff spot, although it’s down to the final three weeks so time is running out. Clarkston, Rochester Adams, Oxford, Rochester Hills Lutheran Northwest, Waterford Our Lady of the Lakes, Auburn Hills Avondale, Holly and Ortonville Brandon are all 4-2.

That’s 11 area teams still in the hunt for a postseason berth.

How many will win this week? Let’s take a look.

(Last Week, 10-3 .769 pct.; Season: 66-14, .825 pct.)

Thursday’s Games

FARMINGTON HARRISON AT ROCHESTER ADAMS: Harrison is still the state’s top overall team until someone knocks them off. It won’t be tonight.

PICK: Farmington Harrison by 14.

ROCHESTER STONEY CREEK AT FARMINGTON: Farmington will inch closer to another postseason berth.

PICK: Farmington by 10.

ROCHESTER AT WEST BLOOMFIELD: These two teams have had their fair of struggles. West Bloomfield has been all over the map and Rochester has been sacked by injuries to several key players. This one is a coin flip.

PICK: Rochester by 6.

AUBURN HILLS AVONDALE AT NORTH FARMINGTON: Avondale had a major nightmare against Birmingham Groves last week and now must face a team on a four-game win streak. Do the Yellowjackets have their kicker ready?

PICK: Auburn Hills Avondale by 3.

Friday’s Games

LAPEER WEST AT HOLLY: With four straight wins behind them, how far can the Bronchos go?

PICK: Holly by 3.

ORTONVILLE BRANDON AT SWARTZ CREEK: Love some of these bus rides in the Flint Metro League. The Blackhawks should not allow this to be a trap game like neighbor Holly did in Week 2.

PICK: Ortonville Brandon by 7.

MACOMB LUTHERAN NORTH AT PONTIAC NOTRE DAME PREP: The first area team to clinch a playoff berth is now working on an outright CHSL AA Division title and is three wins shy of a perfect regular season and a home playoff game.

PICK: Notre Dame Prep by 10.

PONTIAC AT TROY: Both of these teams still have an outside shot at the postseason but essentially have to win out to guarantee a spot. This could be another one of those games where the kicking game makes a difference.

PICK: Troy by 3.

SOUTHFIELD AT OXFORD: This will likely be a high-scoring affair with multiple college prospects putting on a show.

PICK: Oxford by 3.

CLARKSTON AT ROYAL OAK: The rebuilding job at Royal Oak is going to take several years. Clarkston is near the top now, holding a No. 3 ranking in Division 1.

PICK: Clarkston by 28.

TROY ATHENS AT LAKE ORION: Back in 2007, Lake Orion slipped past Athens in a close game. Athens is way better than they were four years ago, but Lake Orion has not lost to the Red Hawks since 2000.

PICK: Lake Orion by 6.

AUBURN HILLS OAKLAND CHRISTIAN VS.SOUTHFIELD CHRISTIAN (At Detroit Country Day): These are two very young programs that have combined for just a win this season, and that was a forfeit.

PICK: Southfield Christian by 7.

MELVINDALE ACADEMY OF BUSINESS TECH AT ROCHESTER HILLS LUTHERAN NORTHWEST: If this was a Class C basketball regional game, then the favorite would be ABT. But this is a non-conference football game and Northwest has Nathan Drews.

PICK: Lutheran Northwest by 10.

Sunday’s Game

WATERFORD OUR LADY OF THE LAKES AT ROYAL OAK SHRINE CATHOLIC (1 p.m.Sunday): This rivalry game is moved to an odd day of the week to gain some prime attention. To add to the flavor is that Shrine is ranked No. 1 in the state and is unbeaten on the year.

PICK: Royal Oak Shrine by 7.

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

REPORTING SCORES

Varsity coaches are urged to report varsity results in a timely fashion by e-mail to senior editor Dan Stickradt at dan.stickradt@northoaklandsports.com or results@northoaklandsports.com, or by calling the sports nightline recording at (248) 812-1053. Deadlines are normally midnight each day.

High schools and colleges in the NorthOaklandSports coverage region include Auburn Hills Avondale, Auburn Hills Oakland Christian, Auburn Hills Christian Academy, Clarkston, Clarkston Everest Collegiate, Clarkston Springfield Christian, Holly, Lake Orion, Lake Orion Baptist, Lake Orion Shalom Baptist, Ortonville Brandon, Oxford, Pontiac Notre Dame Prep, Rochester, Rochester Adams, Rochester Stoney Creek, Rochester Hills Lutheran Northwest, Troy, Troy Athens, Troy Bethany Christian, Troy Christian Leadership Academy, Waterford Our Lady of the Lakes, plus Rochester College, Oakland University and Oakland Community College.

The NOS sports desk will also publish information on club, youth and recreation teams with local or regional interest.

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