Tag: "high school football"
TROY CHRISTIAN LEADERSHIP ACADEMY PREVIEW: Defenders hope for better success in fourth season
BY DAN STICKRADT SENIOR EDITOR dan.stickradt@northoaklandsports.com TROY — As Chris Vitale watches his troops go through drills during football practice, the first-year head coach notices many things. There is a large disparity between several of his players. Some are very well-advanced and some are just on the learning curve. The most important thread, collectively, is […]
WATERFORD OUR LADY OF THE LAKES PREVIEW: Lakers have plenty of shoes to fill in order to keep winning tradition alive
BY DAN STICKRADT SENIOR EDITOR dan.stickradt@northoaklandsports.com WATERFORD — Few high school football coaches have built as much of a legacy as Waterford Our Lady of the Lakes’ Mike Boyd. The veteran, who began his career in 1965 at Lakes, has had only six losing seasons in his career. He ranks in the top five all-time […]
KICKOFF 2011: Many questions will be answered in the upcoming prep football season
BY DAN STICKRADT SENIOR EDITOR dan.stickradt@northoaklandsports.com Over the past three decades, six different local schools have reached at least the state semifinals in prep football. Last year Lake Orion made a return trip to that point — and with greater results. For the first time in three trips to the Final Four, Lake Orion captured […]
PREP FOOTBALL TEAM CAPSULES
PREP FOOTBALL TEAM CAPSULES Below are the team capsules for the prep football teams in the coverage area for www.northoaklandsports.com, as compiled by Senior Editor Dan Stickradt and staff of interns. Auburn Hills Avondale HEAD COACH: Steve Deutsch ASSISTANT COACHES: Dave Schulz, James Prince, Torre Robinson, Anthony Epperson, Mike Zak. LAST SEASON’S RECORD: 7-4, 6-2 […]
TOP PREP FOOTBALL PLAYERS
TOP PREP FOOTBALL PLAYERS Senior Editor Dan Stickradt scouts the top prep football players in the www.northoaklandsports.com coverage area for 2011. 1. ZACH COLLINS, Clarkston sr. LB (6-2, 210): Just the third, fourth-year starter under veteran coach Kurt Richardson, who is in his 25th season with the Wolves, Collins is like flies on ribroast when […]
Much work in store for journeyman Schaefer at Oakland Christian
BY DAN STICKRADT SENIOR EDITOR dan.stickradt@northoaklandsports.com AUBURN HILLS — In over 30 years of coaching prep football, Bill Schaefer has always been the bridesmaid, not the bride. Although just a figure of speech, Schaefer has always been an assistant coach until now. Schaefer was hired as the new football coach at Auburn Hills Oakland Christian […]
Optimism overload: Prep football teams reconvene to begin their hopes of march to postseason field
BY DAN STICKRADT SENIOR EDITOR dan.stickradt@northoaklandsports.com Unlike any other year, Lake Orion kicked off football training camp for the first time as the defending state champions. After years of near-misses, the Dragons finished the year 2010 on top of the charts. Lake Orion captured its first D-1 crown last November behind a talented senior class. […]
AOTW: Oxford star to toe the ‘Line’ at SMU
BY DAN STICKRADT SENIOR EDITOR dan.stickradt@northoaklandsports.com OXFORD — Being a three-sport athlete, choices are plentiful in terms of colleges for Prescott Line. The senior-to-be at Oxford High school knows only one school he would like to attend in the future. Line will be taking his talents to the heart of Texas. The 6-foot, 220-pound running […]
AOTW: Clarkston’s Dellinger headed for Kent State
BY DAN STICKRADT SENIOR EDITOR dan.stickradt@northoaklandsports.com CLARKSTON — Clarkston’s football season last year was interrupted by countless injuries. In fact, most of the Wolves’ starters and top reserves spent time on the disabled list due to the rash of injuries. Matt Dellinger was one of the few Wolves who did not hit the injured reserve […]
Bell, staff, players grow together to lead Lake Orion to promised land
DETROIT — Chris Bell had a chance to do something Saturday that no former Lake Orion football player at the school has done in the past. In fact, he had a chance to do something that no other football head coach has done at the school over the decades. That is to lead the school’s […]
Grand Rapids Catholic Central rallies past Williamston for first title since 1987
— STAFF REPORTS DETROIT — Kevin Vacari scored a pair of touchdowns in the final 3:30 in leading Grand Rapids Catholic Central past Williamston 27-23 for the Division 4 football state championship at Ford Field. It marked Catholic Central’s first state title in football since the Cougars claimed the 1987 Class B state championship trophy. […]
AOTW: Complete Back: Lake Orion’s Stevenson a threat anywhere on the field
BY DAN STICKRADT SENIOR EDITOR dan.stickradt@northoaklandsports.com LAKE ORION — While some students spend their entire school days darting between class rooms every hour, Marques Stevenson has a chance to leave campus. The Lake Orion senior has co-op through school to clerk at the 52nd/53rd district court in Rochester Hills. “I get a chance to clerk, […]
BONUS COVERAGE: Niznak leads Ithaca to first-ever football state title
BY DAN STICKRADT SENIOR EDITOR dan.stickradt@northoaklandsports.com DETROIT — Alex Niznak was the man of the hour Friday night for Ithaca. And man of the year and perhaps the decade for the tiny town near Mount Pleasant. The senior quarterback, headed for Central Michigan, scored an MHSAA finals record five rushing touchdowns, including two inside the […]
BONUS COVERAGE: Harrison corrals 13th state title with 38-28 comeback win over Lowell
BY DAN STICKRADT SENIOR EDITOR dan.stickradt@northoaklandsports.com DETROIT — No lead is safe. Especially when the opponent on the football field is state powerhouse Farmington Hills Harrison. Lowell found that out the hard way during Friday’s Division 2 state finals at Ford Field. Trailing 21-10 midway through the third quarter, top-ranked Harrison scored four straight touchdowns […]
Lake Orion looking for a different outcome in D-1 state title game
BY DAN STICKRADT SENIOR EDITOR dan.stickradt@northoaklandsports.com DETROIT — There are some differences for Lake Orion regarding Saturday’s Division 1 state championship football game as compared to the Dragons’ first championship game in 2008: Lake Orion is looking for a better outcome. This time the seventh-ranked Dragons will take on unranked Plymouth at 1 p.m. Saturday […]
Who will win the MHSAA Division 1 High School Football state title?
Take the poll and share your opinion on whether or not Lake Orion or Plymouth will be the State Division 1 Football Champions. [polldaddy poll=4128433]
Tech Wrecker: Lake Orion halts Cass Tech’s dream season with late defensive play, moves into state finals for second time in three years
BY DAN STICKRADT SENIOR EDITOR dan.stickradt@northoaklandsports.com TROY — Andrew Shafkalis has only been a student at Lake Orion for about 10 months. The junior made one of the biggest defensive plays in Lake Orion football history Saturday afternoon. A transfer from Rochester, Shafkalis, undersized against Detroit Cass Tech’s beefy defensive line and linebackers unit, broke […]
Could Cass Tech be Lake Orion’s mirror?
BY DAN STICKRADT SENIOR EDITOR dan.stickradt@northoaklandsports.com LAKE ORION — In 2003, Lake Orion opened up the season as the team to beat. With a roster packed with college prospects — many that ventured onto Division I and Division II schools after graduation — all indications pointed to Lake Orion having a Dream season. Even the […]
