Best Returner & Biggest Shoes to Fill for every OAA-White Team

The OAA White had a strange 2021 season. Rochester absolutely ran away with it, while 4/6 teams finished with losing records. Heading into 2022, the one thing that stands out in the White is the young talent. Let's take a look at some of that young talent and go over each team's 2022 outlook. <span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong>Rochester Adams </strong></span> <strong>Biggest Shoes - DE <a class="uni-link--implied" href="https://www.hudl.com/profile/9810401">[player_tooltip player_id="164642" first="Alex" last="DeGrieck"]</a></strong> <strong>Best Returner - QB [player_tooltip player_id="241265" first="Parker" last="Picot"]</strong> Adams is coming off a nearly immaculate season, sporting a 14-1 record with their only loss being in the State Championship against the most talented team in the state, Belleville. The loss of Harvard commit [player_tooltip player_id="164642" first="Alex" last="DeGrieck"] is going to really hurt. He was a monster on defense that proved to make big-time plays in big-time moments. Though, [player_tooltip player_id="241265" first="Parker" last="Picot"] heads into his senior season after one of the best seasons for a Veer QB in recent memory. Plus there are other stars such as <a class="uni-link--implied" href="https://www.hudl.com/profile/14526871">[player_tooltip player_id="248962" first="Brady" last="Prieskorn"]</a> that will be sticking around. I still expect Adams to win the White and potentially make a deep playoff run, though they won’t be my favorite to go all the way in 2022. <span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong>Rochester</strong></span> <strong>Biggest Shoes - RB/WR Jeff Hawkins</strong> <strong>Best Returner - QB [player_tooltip player_id="216997" first="Alex" last="Bueno"]</strong> It’s been quite a turnaround for Rochester, as they finished 2nd in the OAA White right after being promoted from the Blue. Jeff Hawkins is a versatile offensive threat that will be missed. He could run the ball very well with great vision, and also catch a few passes making him a speed-in-space type of player. Though, [player_tooltip player_id="216997" first="Alex" last="Bueno"] may be the best QB Rochester has had in decades. He’s severely underrated and has outperformed the competition everywhere he’s gone. He’s a star player that will make sure they’re in every game they play. It’s truly an exciting time for football fans in Rochester. <strong><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Oak Park</span></strong> <strong>Biggest Shoes - DB Glenn Cross</strong> <strong>Best Returner - LB <a class="uni-link--implied" href="https://www.hudl.com/profile/15113172">Darnell Boone</a></strong> Oak Park is the most mysteriously inconsistent teams out there. I’m really not trying to throw shade, but they went 2-6 this year and 4-7 last year (0-6 regular season), but stormed into the state semifinals and narrowly lost to De La Salle in that same 0-6 season. That semifinal run I don’t believe to be a fluke. They have immense talent (hence Glenn Cross set to play at Princeton),  but for some reason or another, they lack great performance unless the season is hanging in the balance. I have no idea what to expect from Oak Park in 2022. <strong><span style="font-size: 14pt;">North Farmington </span></strong> <strong>Biggest Shoes - ATH <a class="uni-link--implied" href="https://www.hudl.com/profile/10739537">[player_tooltip player_id="80497" first="Aaron" last="Rice"]</a></strong> <strong>Best Returner - QB <a class="uni-link--implied" href="https://www.hudl.com/profile/14724589">[player_tooltip player_id="253290" first="Ryan" last="Shelby"]</a></strong> North Farmington has been consistently pretty good. Next season, they bring back big talent. [player_tooltip player_id="80497" first="Aaron" last="Rice"] was a 2x All-State player that will be very sorely missed. His absence may set this team back, though, with their current talent, I don’t think it will hurt that bad. QB [player_tooltip player_id="253290" first="Ryan" last="Shelby"] will be an improved player. He had his great moments but he also had his poor moments in 2021. North Farmington at their best will be able to compete for an OAA White title. <strong><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Groves</span></strong> <strong>Biggest Shoes - ATH <a class="uni-link--implied" href="https://www.hudl.com/profile/10938394">[player_tooltip player_id="30134" first="Jaden" last="Mangham"]</a></strong> <strong>Best Returner - DB [player_tooltip player_id="190101" first="Zachary" last="Rogers"]</strong> Like many teams in the White, Groves had a down year having gone 2-7 in 2021. Michigan State Commit [player_tooltip player_id="30134" first="Jaden" last="Mangham"] will be a huge blow to the team, though DB [player_tooltip player_id="190101" first="Zachary" last="Rogers"] is already receiving significant college attention. All in all, Groves is usually a well-coached program with some great talent. <strong><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Seaholm</span></strong> <strong>Biggest Shoes - LB Jacob Vance</strong> <strong>Best Returner - ATH <a class="uni-link--implied" href="https://www.hudl.com/profile/15041634">[player_tooltip player_id="253296" first="Kyle" last="Robbins"]</a></strong> The Maples, with a huge 2021 graduating class, fielded a young, inexperienced team that placed them at the bottom of the White. There were a few games where they were competitive and at times impressive, and some games where they struggled mightily. Though, Seaholm has a ton of young talent that now has a year of varsity experience to carry into next season. ATH [player_tooltip player_id="253296" first="Kyle" last="Robbins"], RB [player_tooltip player_id="253292" first="Granden" last="Kinnie"], QB [player_tooltip player_id="252599" first="Colton" last="Kinnie"], DE [player_tooltip player_id="232205" first="John" last="Jokish"], and RB [player_tooltip player_id="253291" first="Sean" last="Emerson"] all impressed mightily and they all have All-OAA potential for 2022. Seaholm has been insanely dangerous with a team of experienced vets, and I see them taking a big step up in 2022 and another step up in 2023.