STICK’S PICKS: Rivalries collide in Week 8
This is Week 8 of the high school football season and it’s a week of rivalry games and league championship contests. Many local teams are also a win or two away from postseason berths.
So much is on the line.
The biggest game on tap is the Clarkston-Lake Orion contest, which pits two of the state’s best teams with the OAA Red Division title at stake.
Rochester Hills Lutheran Northwest and Grosse Pointe Liggett also square off for the championship of the Michigan Independent Athletic Conference.
Beyond that, Rochester and Waterford Our Lady of the Lakes are both one win away from making the playoffs, while Troy, Lutheran Northwest and Rochester Stoney Creek also have a shot. Holly is longshot if the Bronchos can win their final two games.
Pontiac Notre Dame Prep and Auburn hills Avondale are already in the postseason, along with the aforementioned Clarkston and Lake Orion.
How many more local teams will join them? Week 8 might be able to help answer that.
There are 11 games in the area on tap for Friday and Saturday.
(Last week: 11-2, .845 PCT.; Season: 59-16, .744 PCT).
Friday’s Games
CLARKSTON AT LAKE ORION (7 p.m.): Top-ranked Clarkston and No. 2 Lake Orion are set for another classic. The OAA Red Division title is on the line and so is a berth in the OAA Red-White championship game, likely against Oak Park. Jeremy King will etch his name in the history of this rivalry.
PICK: Lake Orion by 3 in double overtime.
GROSSE POINTE WOODS UNIVERSITY-LIGGETT AT ROCHESTER HILLS LUTHERAN NORTHWEST (7 p.m.): Got to have faith in Nathan Drews and company. The MIAC title will be yours to take.
PICK: Lutheran Northwest by 3.
ROCHESTER AT ROCHESTER STONEY CREEK (7 p.m.): Rochester is a win away from a postseason berth. The Falcons’ defense will be the difference here.
PICK: Rochester by 7.
TROY ATHENS AT TROY (7 p.m.): Is the Stampede ready for some revenge?
PICK: Troy by 10.
OAK PARK AT OXFORD (7 p.m.): Could there be an upset in the OAA White and an undefeated season wrecked? Why not?
PICK: Oxford by 6.
NORTH FARMINGTON AT ROCHESTER ADAMS (7 p.m.): Adams is finally starting to play some football after some struggles in the first half of the season.
PICK: Adams by 1.
PONTIAC AT WEST BLOOMFIELD (7 p.m.): Both teams are trying to salvage something out of a rough season and stay out of the cellar of the OAA-Red.
PICK: Pontiac by 6.
ORTONVILLE BRANDON AT HOLLY (7 p.m.): It’s sad to think about Holly being two plays away from beating both Fenton and Lapeer West and being engaged in a postseason hunt. The Bronchos can still win their final two games and go 5-4 and hope for an at-large miracle.
PICK: Holly by 20.
PONTIAC NOTRE DAME PREP AT LIVONIA CLARENCEVILLE (7 p.m.): Starting to lose track of how many straight regular season wins this will be for the Irish.
PICK: Notre Dame Prep by 7.
DEARBORN HEIGHTS STAR INTERNATIONAL VS. AUBURN HILLS OAKLAND CHRISTIAN (at the Auburn Hills Community Center Shark Tank) (7 p.m.): Oakland Christian won this game last year and will again this year.
PICK: Oakland Christian by 14.
Saturday’s Games
MADISON HEIGHTS BISHOP FOLEY AT WATERFORD OUR LADY OF THE LAKES (1 p.m.): A victory here will send Lake into the postseason. WOLL will roll.
PICK: Waterford Our Lady of the Lakes by 7.
(Stick’s Picks is a legend in his own mind and part of the prep sports family of seers in Michigan. You can contact him through his boss at dan.stickradt@northoaklandsports.co and follow on Twitter@LocalSportsFans.)
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