STICK’S PICKS: District titles within reach for six local teams
Strange, but true.
A year ago all of the prep football teams were done following the district championship rounds, aka, the Sweet 16. In rare fashion, the 10 local playoff schools lost in either the first or second round of the postseason.
Chances are, that won’t happen again.
The six remaining teams with ties to the www.northoaklandsports.com coverage area are all capable of making long runs. Two of those teams will play Friday night and four others will play Saturday with berths in the Elite Eight on the line.
Football fans in the area can expect several of those teams to move on after this weekend.
Below are the picks of those contests:
(Last week: 6-1 .857 PCT; Season: 74-19, .796 PCT)
FRIDAY’S GAMES
GRAND BLANC (6-04) AT CLARKSTON (10-0) (7 p.m.): Clarkston is the No. 1 ranked team in the state. The Bobcats knocked off Clarkston two years ago in the postseason. That won’t happen this time around.
PICK: Clarkston by 10.
UTICA EISENHOWER (7-3) AT LAKE ORION (7 p.m.): Two years ago, Lake Orion lost its star quarterback against Eisenhower in a playoff game and the Dragons still went on to win the state title. Is that a good or bad omen?
PICK: Lake Orion by 8.
SATURDAY’S GAMES
BIRMINGHAM DETROIT COUNTRY DAY (8-2) AT PONTIAC NOTRE DAME PREP (9-1): Two of the area’s premier private schools clashing again on the playing surface. I wonder if Taylor Timko is going to have to kick a game-winning field goal?
PICK: Notre Dame Prep by 3 in overtime.
OXFORD (7-3) VS. BIRMINGHAM BROTHER RICE (8-2) (1 p.m. at Berkley Hurley Field): Is there an upset brewing on Saturday on the state’s east side? Could there be? Might there be? … Why not? Get busy, Josh Nelson. The uprights are yours to seize.
PICK: Oxford by 3 in overtime.
AUBURN HILLS AVONDALE (9-1) AT ORCHARD LAKE ST. MARY’S (7-3) (1 p.m.): Avondale has had one of its best seasons in recent years and the Yellowjackets have enough talent to make a deep run…if they weren’t in the same district at St. Mary’s. This will be closer than what many anticipate and much closer than the district finals two years ago, a debacle the Eaglets won by a 71-49 basketball score.
PICK: St. Mary’s by 6.
MELVINDALE ACADEMY OF BUSINESS & TECH AT WATERFORD OUR LADY OF THE LAKES (8-2) (1 p.m.): With Mike Boyd coaching in his bizzioneth playoff game, I see the Lakers sailing in this one.
PICK: WOLL by 10.
(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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