Schedule Breakdown: Birmingham Seaholm

There seem to be a few official schedules dropping every day, marking a fascinating time during the offseason. Aside from my obvious affiliations with Seaholm, I believe this is a team with rising young talent in addition to a favorable 2022 schedule. In other words, Seaholm’s schedule is well worth talking about. Now, I’ll list Seaholm’s opponents and break down each matchup. <strong><span style="font-size: 14pt;">2022 Schedule </span></strong> Aug. 25 @ Bloomfield Hills Sep. 1 vs. U of D Jesuit Sep. 9 vs. Avondale Sep.16 vs. Troy Athens Sep. 23 @ North Farmington Sep. 30 vs. Troy Oct. 7 @ Berkley Oct. 14 @ Farmington Oct. 21 @ Groves <strong><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Game-by-Game Breakdown</span></strong> <strong>Bloomfield Hills </strong> The Maples will begin their 2022 season against a Bloomfield Hills team that went undefeated during the 2021 regular season, winning the OAA Blue. The Blackhawks have a pretty balanced offense, but they also aren’t afraid to air it out, which in turn means potential big days for DE <a class="uni-link--implied" href="https://www.hudl.com/profile/13210687">[player_tooltip player_id="232205" first="John" last="Jokisch"]</a> and DB <a class="uni-link--implied" href="https://www.hudl.com/profile/15041634">[player_tooltip player_id="253296" first="Kyle" last="Robbins"]</a>. They also averaged 33PPG, making them among the most high-powered offenses in the OAA Blue, so this will be a gut check for the Maple defense. <a class="uni-link--implied" href="https://www.hudl.com/profile/13309625">CJ Jackson</a> and <a class="uni-link--implied" href="https://www.hudl.com/profile/14604039">DJ Lee</a> will be difficult to stop. As for the Blackhawk defense, they were outstanding against OAA Blue opponents in 2021, but they haven’t played a true Veer team like Seaholm in some time. <strong>U of D Jesuit</strong> Here’s a very intriguing non-league matchup, as both of these teams are somewhat mirror images of each other. Like Seaholm, the Cubs have quite a bit of young talent that received varsity playing time in 2021, and they had a somewhat lackluster season. Defensively, the Cubs were decent in 2021 but now return some excellent talent such as [player_tooltip player_id="247641" first="Zachary" last="Green"], who should be majorly improved. Now, U of D isn’t afraid to air it out, so this matchup will be another test for the Seaholm secondary. <strong>Avondale</strong> If I were to attend any Seaholm game, this would be the one. I like how the Yellowjacket offense is shaping out, and I expect this to be a challenge for Seaholm. The Yellowjackets sport a balanced offense with multiple potential breakout stars, including offensive lineman Cameron Washington and Receiver Justin Skyes. Defensively, Avondale has been choppy, though they have young talent that could shape out well. It’s also notable that Seaholm Assistant Ed Couturier served as Avondale’s head coach from 2016 to the 2018 -  2019 season before returning to Seaholm. These two teams also had a legendary JV matchup a few years back. <strong>Troy Athens </strong> I’ll keep this one brief. Last season, the Red Hawks went 4-4, losing their final four matchups. They have some difference-makers on both sides of the ball, but overall I see this one going Seaholm’s way. <strong>North Farmington</strong> These two teams have been going at it for years now, and last year, this was Seaholm’s only victory. Their 2021 matchup was one for the ages, with great plays made on both ends. This matchup could have some significant league implications, and I do not doubt it will be great. <strong>Troy</strong> This matchup is very intriguing. Troy has great talent on both sides, headlined by D1 prospect [player_tooltip player_id="30347" first="Darius" last="Whiteside"] II. I am concerned with Troy’s defense, as DT Jose Manzanares and De Xavier Newell are set to graduate. This is a game that I could see becoming a shootout. <strong>Berkley</strong> The Bears were a good team last year and finished their season with a heartbreaking overtime loss against Waterford Mott. The scary thing is, Berkley retains much of their talent. I’m especially looking to see how <a class="uni-link--implied" href="https://www.hudl.com/profile/14265699">[player_tooltip player_id="216984" first="Sunny" last="Kadlitz"]</a> has progressed and how he’ll fare against a physical Seaholm defense. More specifically, It will be fun to see <a class="uni-link--implied" href="https://www.hudl.com/profile/13210687">[player_tooltip player_id="232205" first="John" last="Jokisch"]</a> and <a class="uni-link--implied" href="https://www.hudl.com/profile/13214805">Brenden Barrett</a> face off against <a class="uni-link--implied" href="https://www.hudl.com/profile/12541963">[player_tooltip player_id="258310" first="Isaac" last="Dawkins"]</a> and <a class="uni-link--implied" href="https://www.hudl.com/profile/13225887">[player_tooltip player_id="165783" first="David" last="Rolands"]</a>. This could be a late-season matchup with some significant playoff implications. Seaholm needs to make sure they are disciplined on all fronts for this one. <strong>Farmington</strong> With the graduation of [player_tooltip player_id="30243" first="Jacob" last="Sanders"], this Farmington team will need some players to step up. Dominic Pesci is a big 6’6" QB that has the potential to have a breakout season. Still, Farmington has some athletes on both sides, and I expect this to be a good game. As long as the Maples can play their style of football, they will have a great shot at this one. <strong>Groves</strong> This is the big one. Seaholm vs. Groves is one of Michigan’s best rivalry matchups and is always considered for Game of the Week. It was odd how both teams had uncharacteristically bad seasons last season, but this coming season, I feel this will be a win-or-go-home matchup. Groves has one of the best corners in the state in <a class="uni-link--implied" href="https://www.hudl.com/profile/14884331">Zach Rogers</a>, who will likely play a minimized role against Seaholm’s Veer. The more likely difference makers will be in the trenches. Can Seaholm’s offensive line outmuscle the Groves defensive line? In addition, this is undoubtedly a career-defining game for both teams leaders and captains, such as [player_tooltip player_id="253292" first="Granden" last="Kinnie"] and [player_tooltip player_id="252599" first="Colton" last="Kinnie"].