Ceiling and Floor: OAA Blue

The OAA has been switched up massively, as the Blue now consists of Seaholm, Farmington, North Farmington, Troy, and Troy Athens. We have a fascinating mix of teams, as we have two rival Troy programs and two rival Farmington programs, along with the always tough Veer-led Seaholm. Today I’ll discuss what I believe to be each team’s regular-season ceiling, as well as the floor. <strong><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Troy</span></strong> <strong>Ceiling: 9-0</strong> <strong>Floor: 5-4</strong> The Colts look to have another successful season. They lose some great talent, but they reload with some excellent talent as well. [player_tooltip player_id="30347" first="Darius" last="Whiteside"] II is a force to be reckoned with, and quite honestly, it’s looking like an easy schedule for Troy. League opponents will be challenging, but they have a few non-league matchups that will be layups on paper. Troy finished 8-2 last season, having been humbled by Chippewa Valley in the postseason. This team is a playoff team, but the question will be if they can pull off some wins. <strong>Players to Watch -</strong> <a class="uni-link--implied" href="https://www.hudl.com/profile/12842167">[player_tooltip player_id="30347" first="Darius" last="Whiteside"] II</a>, <a class="uni-link--implied" href="https://www.hudl.com/profile/14499599">[player_tooltip player_id="216985" first="Nolan" last="Block"]</a>, <a class="uni-link--implied" href="https://www.hudl.com/profile/16325583">[player_tooltip player_id="274668" first="Jaielen" last="Peacock"]</a> <strong><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Seaholm</span></strong> <strong>Ceiling: 8-1</strong> <strong>Floor: 1-8 </strong> I know this is an insane range, but hear me out. Last season, Seaholm went 1-8 with a league-worst scoring defense and 2nd worst scoring offense. Here’s the thing; Seaholm was an incredibly young team last season, and this is a program with an incredibly long-tenured head coach with Jim DeWald, who brought Seaholm to the State Semifinals in 2019. Seaholm has an exciting schedule, with non-league matchups against Bloomfield Hills, UofD, Avondale, and Groves, a much easier non-league schedule than last year. It’s also notable that [player_tooltip player_id="253291" first="Sean" last="Emerson"], [player_tooltip player_id="252599" first="Colton" last="Kinnie"], [player_tooltip player_id="253292" first="Granden" last="Kinnie"], among others, have been posting their offseason work on social media, which is a good sign for the team in general. There is a chance they stay where they were last year, but I doubt it. So, I expect this team to win most of their games, with their ceiling being a league title with two playoff wins. <strong>Players to Watch -</strong> <a class="uni-link--implied" href="https://www.hudl.com/profile/15041690">[player_tooltip player_id="252599" first="Colton" last="Kinnie"]</a>, <a class="uni-link--implied" href="https://www.hudl.com/profile/10344897">[player_tooltip player_id="253292" first="Granden" last="Kinnie"]</a>, <a class="uni-link--implied" href="https://www.hudl.com/profile/15041634">[player_tooltip player_id="253296" first="Kyle" last="Robbins"]</a>, <a class="uni-link--implied" href="https://www.hudl.com/profile/13210687">[player_tooltip player_id="232205" first="John" last="Jokisch"]</a> <strong><span style="font-size: 14pt;">North Farmington </span></strong> <strong>Ceiling: 7-2</strong> <strong>Floor: 3-6</strong> It was a weird, inconsistent 2021 season for North Farmington, as they took State Finalist Rochester Adams into OT but lost to a winless Seaholm team. Now looking ahead, they have some pieces. They need to develop and stay consistent. Early tests against Groves and Caledonia will be great measuring sticks, as Groves could be widely improved, and Caledonia is a team I fully expect to compete for the OK-Red title. North Farmington can win the OAA Blue, and I expect them to be competitive in every game this coming season. <strong>Players to Watch -</strong> <a class="uni-link--implied" href="https://www.hudl.com/profile/14724589">[player_tooltip player_id="253290" first="Ryan" last="Shelby"]</a>, <a class="uni-link--implied" href="https://www.hudl.com/profile/13421910">Rayshon Mathews</a>, <a class="uni-link--implied" href="https://www.hudl.com/profile/5594717">Daemon Eubanks</a> <strong><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Troy Athens</span></strong> <strong>Ceiling: 6-3</strong> <strong>Floor: 2-7</strong> Another wider range, Troy Athens was an inconsistent team last season with a good amount of talent heading into 2022. This is a team that has performed poor-good over the past decade, and they’re surely looking to break through into the "great" category. They need to win the Blue for this to occur, and I wouldn’t count them out. We’ll have to see how good their talent develops. <strong>Players to Watch -</strong> <a class="uni-link--implied" href="https://www.hudl.com/profile/12084994">Austin Pokley</a>, <a class="uni-link--implied" href="https://www.hudl.com/profile/12253452">Jaden Najm</a>, <a class="uni-link--implied" href="https://www.hudl.com/profile/12114834">Khalil j Drone</a>, <a class="uni-link--implied" href="https://www.hudl.com/profile/14454158">[player_tooltip player_id="216992" first="Anthony" last="Ashor"]</a> <strong><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Farmington </span></strong> <strong>Ceiling: 5-4</strong> <strong>Floor: 3-6</strong> A narrower range for Farmington, as they struggled mightily at times last season with what looks to be more talent than what they’ll have in 2022. It’s an easier-looking schedule for Farmington as they’re facing Ferndale, Pontiac, and Royal Oak, all teams I don’t expect to win many games. They need to surpass expectations if they wish to make it to the playoffs, which, as we saw in 2021, is undoubtedly possible at 5-4. All in all, I hope to see some surprise standouts from Farmington. <strong>Players to Watch -</strong> <a class="uni-link--implied" href="https://www.hudl.com/profile/9860005">Dominic Pesci</a>, <a class="uni-link--implied" href="https://www.hudl.com/profile/15086608">Gavin Miller</a>, <a class="uni-link--implied" href="https://www.hudl.com/profile/16452607">[player_tooltip player_id="236559" first="Jacob" last="Braswell"]</a>