Season Preview: Seaholm Maples

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>Get 30% off your subscription by using Pallone30 in the coupon code area! </em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Football season is just around the corner, and that means it's team preview time! Over the next month, we'll be previewing many teams throughout Michigan. This summer, we'll go more in-depth on these teams than ever. Our first preview is a special one, as it's my Alma Mater, Seaholm.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Birmingham Seaholm Maples</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>At this time last year, Seaholm was very under-the-radar. In 2021, The Maples went 1-8 with an extremely young squad. Although 2021 wasn't successful, it marked the Varsity debuts of many impact players we'll talk about today. So, going into the 2022 season, Seaholm was expected to improve, but nobody saw an 8-3 season coming. The Maples got off to a sensational start last season as, at one point, they were 7-0 and were set up with a top seed in the MHSAA bracket. That seven-game stretch included impressive 1-possession victories against UofD Jesuit and North Farmington, in addition to a 52-0 demolition of the then 4-1 Troy Colts. The Troy game proved to be their season peak, as they went on to narrowly fall to Farmington, then crosstown Rival Groves to end the regular season. Things were still optimistic around the Seaholm program, as they earned the #5 ranking in D2 in terms of Playoff Points. In the Pre-District round, they pounced on the OAA Gold Champion, Ferndale, winning 46-16. In the district finals, they got their second shot at Groves. After a very competitive four quarters, Seaholm fell to the Falcons 26-12, ending their season. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Heading into the 2023 season, this is a team with plenty of senior experience, especially at the skill positions. They retain key starters at QB, RB, and SB, on offense. Defensively, they retain important pieces at Safety &amp; LB, while most of the trenches on both sides will be replaced. They remain in the OAA Blue this season, with Farmington being moved to the White while Oak Park switches to the Blue. This means Seaholm will have the same league schedule as last season, except they trade Farmington for Oak Park. Looking at the current landscape of the OAA Blue, Seaholm comes in as my favorite to win the league. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">2022 Recap</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Week 1 - Defeated Bloomfield Hills 38-21</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Week 2 - Defeated UofD Jesuit 21-20 (OT)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Week 3 - Defeated Auburn Hills Avondale 63-29</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Week 4 - Defeated Troy Athens 35-0</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Week 5 - Defeated North Farmington 29-22</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Week 6 - Defeated Troy 52-0</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Week 7 - Defeated Berkley 56-0</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Week 8 - Lost to Farmington 39-21</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Week 9 - Lost to Groves 14-7</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Pre-Districts - #5 Seaholm defeated #32 Ferndale 46-6</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Districts - #5 Seaholm Lost to #26 Groves 26-12</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Key Losses Due to Graduation</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>John Jokisch - Defense End / Offensive Line - Michigan Commit</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Brenden Barrett - Defensive Tackle - Ferris State Commit</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Dylan Buese - Defensive End - Maples Team Captain </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Impact Players</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["252599"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"Colton is entering his third season as the Maples Quarterback. Running the Triple-Option Veer offense, he took his lumps during the 2021 season, but showed significant improvement last season. He's coming off a sensational Baseball season, and I'm confident he's as ready as ever to lead Seaholm to a League Title. He knows his reads, he's not afraid to initiate contact, and he's overall a great Veer QB. With a bit more athleticism, Colton could truly break out as the best Veer QB in Michigan.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_1_player":["253291"],"_player_evaluations_1_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_1_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_1_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_1_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_1_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"Sean has impressed time and time again during offseason events. Doing drills as a prototypical RB, I love his athleticism, explosiveness, and effectiveness in the short-passing game. As Seaholm's Slot-Back (oftentimes the 3rd u0022pitchu0022 read in Veer) Sean should get plenty of open-field opportunities. Sean comes into this season as one of the most underrated college-ready recruits in the entire class of 2024. Although Veer is an extremely structured offense, I hope Seaholm draws up a few unique plays to get Sean the ball. He could be quite the standout this season!","_player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_2_player":["253296"],"_player_evaluations_2_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_2_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_2_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_2_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_2_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"Kyle is a certified playmaker for the Maples. As a defensive back / Safety, Kyle is quick to react, and has a few highlights of great instinctual plays on the ball leading to interceptions. Instincts as a Safety is one of those things that a lot of prospects either have or just don't, but Kyle is a true standout when it comes to that instinctual football IQ. Offensively (and on ST) he's also shown some flashes of good open-field ability. He doesn't get a ton of touches, but he's bound to make a few big highlight plays on offense every season. Heading into his Senior campaign, I expect Kyle to thrive.","_player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":3,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-64aef88994aca"} /--> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Schedule / Pivotal Matchups</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Aug. 24 vs. Bloomfield Hills</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Aug. 31 @ UofD Jesuit</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>- This is going to be a phenomenal early-season measuring stick game. Last season, these two teams went toe-to-toe for over 4 Quarters, and Seaholm ended up coming out on top 21-20. Both teams have a few key departures due to graduation; Seaholm has the edge in terms of Senior talent, though UofD has a few studs who'll be Sophomores and Juniors. This will be a game that a ton of local media will have circled, and the playoff implications for this one will be enormous. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Sep. 8 vs. North Farmington</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>- The past two contests against North Farmington resulted in one-possession victories for the Maples. The Raiders overall are one of the more inconsistent teams in the state, though they always come to play against Seaholm. Looking at North Farmington's schedule, they face 2022 D2 Semifinalist Groves in week 1, then 2022 D1 Finalist Caledonia; two of the top teams in Michigan. This isn't great news for Seaholm, as although I expect North Farmington to start the season 0-2, they will be battle-tested once they face The Maples. In addition, this game could very well decide the entire OAA Blue. This is a matchup that should be treated as a rivalry.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Sep. 14 @ Berkley</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Sep. 22 @ Troy Athens</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Sep. 29 @ Troy</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Oct. 6 vs. Avondale</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Oct. 13 vs. Oak Park</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Year after year, Oak Park is the biggest wildcard of any team in Michigan. In 2020, Oak Park had the wildest season I've ever seen, going winless (0-6) in the regular season, then winning four playoff games before losing to De La Salle by one score in the State Semifinals. Last season, the Knights had a winless 0-9 season, though the talent remains excellent. My point here is that Seaholm cannot walk into this one expecting a win, no matter what Oak Park's record is. Of course, The Maples face crosstown rival Groves in the next and final week, but they absolutely cannot look ahead, and they have to take care of business here first. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Oct. 28 vs. Groves </strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>- The big one. This is the type of crosstown rivalry where if you lose to this team, all success up to that point seems to deflate. In recent years, the Seaholm-Groves rivalry has been as fierce as ever. In the 2019 Season, Seaholm snapped a 7-game losing streak to Groves that dated all the way back to 2013. Even better, the (42-7) win came in the Playoff District Finals, sending their rivals home and igniting a historic Semifinal run for The Maples. Now, Seaholm is faced with another losing skid vs. Groves, having dropped 4-straight competitive matchups. I fully expect Groves to be favored once again in this rivalry game, but you can never count Seaholm out of these. A win here heading into the postseason would do wonders for this team, and let's not forget the extreme likelihood of these two teams facing one another in the postseason. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">X-Factor: O/D Line </h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Seaholm is in a very unique situation as they retain the majority of their skill players but lose a ton of their big boys. The standard I've seen at Seaholm ever since I was a student, there have always been great trenches with at least one future Division 1 prospect and a few other college prospects, with a solid skill position group capable of running the Veer and defending the pass. This season, the script is flipped. The Maples have a few skill players who should be getting college attention, with a largely new and inexperienced O/D line + Linebackers coming into the fold. Needless to say, much of Seaholm's success this season will depend on first-year Varsity players rising to the occasion. I should see a lot of Seaholm's line this coming Tuesday at Veer Camp, and I'm excited to see who they've got. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Final Thoughts + Season Prediction</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>If Seaholm's trenches produce a few standouts, there's no reason why they can't make a run at the State Semifinals. Knowing the returning talent at Seaholm, in addition to their recent history against the OAA-Blue, I expect Seaholm to earn an outright league championship. In addition to a league title, they could sweep their entire regular season. Seaholm is set to face 7 teams they defeated last season, with Oak Park being their only new opponent and Groves a winnable rivalry game at home. I cannot emphasize how much Seaholm's trenches will either make or break their season, which is why they have such a high ceiling and low floor. Unlucky for all of D2, De La Salle exists, making a State Championship run nearly impossible. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Floor: 5-5, Pre-District Exit</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Ceiling: 12-1, State Semifinal Exit</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Prediction: 8-3, District Final Exit</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->