STICK’S PICKS: Three area football teams eye district titles
The field has narrowed and now only three football teams with local ties are still alive.
Most area football teams found a quick exit last week in the opening rounds of the MHSAA postseason, as seven of 10 local teams were ousted in the pre-district rounds.
Clarkston, Pontiac Notre Dame Prep and Rochester Adams all won in the first round. Adams had to pull off a minor upset, while both Clarkston and Notre Dame Prep both won convincingly.
The district finals matchups for the three teams in the www.northoaklandsports.com coverage area will find the going a little tougher.
Two local schools play teams that reached the Final Four last season, while a third is facing a team enjoying perhaps the best season in school history.
How many will survive and advance to the regional finals, or the Elite Eight in their respective divisions?
(Last Week, 3-5, .375 pct.; Season: 98-28, .777 pct.)
WALLED LAKE CENTRAL AT CLARKSTON (7 p.m. Friday): We’ve said all along that this is will be a special season for the OAA-Red co-champion Wolves, even though they lost to Oxford in Week 8 and had to forfeit the first two games of the regular season. The postseason is where Clarkston will work its magic. The Wolves face a team that reached the Division 2 state semifinals last season and just upset defending state champion Lake Orion in last week’s playoff opener. Clarkston will not fall capture to the Vikings in the district title match.
PICK: Clarkston by 7.
PONTIAC NOTRE DAME PREP AT MARINE CITY (7 p.m. Friday at East China Stadium): This could be one for the ages. Both teams are a perfect 10-0 and ranked in the top 10 in Division 4. They both have high-powered offenses and Notre Dame Prep’s defense has been sterling all season. On a side note, Notre Dame Prep coach Kyle Zimmerman played for a Final Four team at Marine City back in the mid-1990s. On the field, can Notre Dame Prep’s defense slow Marine City’s offense? We’ll say yes, but the hosts will be the ones that barely move on in a nail-biter.
PICK: Marine City by 1.
ROCHESTER ADAMS AT PORT HURON (7 p.m. Friday at Port Huron Memorial Stadium): Port Huron is enjoying its best season in decades, while Adams is a perennial playoff team that keeps getting better. The Highlanders stunned state-ranked Oxford in the district opener and that’s reason to believe that this team could make a surprise run in a year few thought Adams would be at a high level. Playing in the rugged OAA White Division definitely helps the Highlanders in this game. There is nothing they have not seen.
PICK: Rochester Adams by 6.
(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.
PHOTOS: Have courtesy action photos that who wish to contribute? Please feel free to e-mail photos in a color j-peg format to senior editor Dan Stickradt at dan.stickradt@northoaklandsports.com .Please include all pertinent information, incluing photographer, link back to web site, date, location and competing schools or teams in the photos and the identification of each athlete in each photo.
VIDEO: Have courtesy action videos or interview videos that who wish to contribute? Please feel free to e-mail the imbed codes for video or web-link to senior editor Dan Stickradt at dan.stickradt@northoaklandsports.com. Please include all pertinent information, including videographer, link back to web site, date, location, competing schools or teams in the video and the identification of each athlete in the video.
INTERNSHIPS / STUDENT WRITERS: High School and college internships are available. Contact marketing director Dennis VanWingerden at dennis@northoaklandsports.com or Senior Editor Dan Stickradt at dan.stickradt@northoaklandsports.com
Category: Clarkston, Editor's Column, Featured Articles, High School, High School (M-Z), Pontiac Notre Dame Prep, Prep Wraps, Publishers Viewpoint, Rochester Adams, Top Stories
