Pre-Kickoff Predictions of the OAA Leagues

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We are only two more full days away from kickoff! This is one of the most exciting times of the year, with Fall approaching and several months of football on the horizon. The OAA is one of Michigan's most talented conferences, and with four total leagues and with 22 total teams competing for league titles, it's going to be a fun season. Now, here are my predictions for all league winners, offensive players of the year, and defensive players of the year! </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Gold</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Projected Winner: Avondale</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Gold will likely be a two-team race between Avondale and Ferndale. Last season, Ferndale took the league crown with an impressive 21-10 win over Avondale, though I still think The Yellowjackets will take this year's matchup. Avondale has a plethora of great returners, including their Quarterback, several receivers, running back, and linebacker. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Offensive Player of the Year: [player_tooltip player_id='216986' first='Tyler' last='Herzog'] - Avondale</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Tyler is heading into his senior season running a new offensive system. Last season, Tyler led Avondale to a historically great offensive season and did not get the credit he deserved. This offseason, he's been hard at work with his receivers and has even earned an offer from Alma college. This pick was honestly easy. Tyler is the best offensive player in the Gold. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Defensive Player of the Year: [player_tooltip player_id='216988' first='Myles' last='Moore'] - Avondale</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The defense really brought this team down last season. Under a new coaching staff and with a returning player like Myles, he could have a phenomenal season. Even if Myles doesn't end up being the #1 defensive player in the league, I expect him to have a great season at linebacker and/or running back.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Blue</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Projected Winner: Seaholm</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This is the year. Without Farmington in the Blue, this is Seaholm's league to lose. The Maples return the bulk of their skill positions while having a great track record of replacing the trenches. I've also witnessed a lot of Seaholm coaching staffs over the years, and I think this current staff is the best Coach DeWald has had in his 12 years at Seaholm. Expect an extremely physical, well-conditioned, and tough team. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Offensive Player of the Year: [player_tooltip player_id='252599' first='Colton' last='Kinnie'] - Seaholm</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Veer quarterbacks never get the credit they deserve. The unfortunate reality is that no matter how good a Veer QB is, they almost never get college attention. Well, I can confidently say that Colton is one of the best QBs DeWald has coached. Heading into his third Varsity season, Colton has been named team captain and is poised to lead the offense to another successful season. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Defensive Player of the Year: [player_tooltip player_id='899576' first='Brendon' last='Rice'] - North Farmington</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='899576' first='Brendon' last='Rice'] could have a few field days against a few OAA Blue offensive lines. He's a player who can line up just about anywhere on the D line and find success. You can put him in the interior as a 1, 2, or 3 tech and have him plug up the middle, or you can put him as a 4 or 5 tech as more of a defensive end. Brendon is strong, has a good arsenal of block shed moves, and I'm confident he'll be in for a great season. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">White</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Projected Winner: Southfield A&amp;T</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>What an incredible league this is. Though, amongst all the great teams this league houses, A&amp;T stands out as the favorite. If A&amp;T wasn't in this league, then it would be a wide-open race. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Offensive Player of the Year: [player_tooltip player_id='77216' first='Isaiah' last='Marshall'] - A&amp;T</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='77216' first='Isaiah' last='Marshall'] is not just my projected OPOTY for the OAA White, but he's a Mr. Football candidate. Last season we saw Isaiah put up video game numbers against many great defenses. He's quickly proving why he's one of the best QBs in the entire country, and I absolutely can't wait to watch him at the Xenith Kickoff Classic and in the future at Kansas! </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Defensive Player of the Year: [player_tooltip player_id='899598' first='Jack' last='Lower'] - Rochester</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This was an extremely difficult one to pick, but I'm going with [player_tooltip player_id='899598' first='Jack' last='Lower']. Jack is truly one of the best linebackers in all of the OAA, and someone I can easily see blowing up in the next year. A prolific lifter, hard-hitter, and smart player, look out for [player_tooltip player_id='899598' first='Jack' last='Lower'] on defense this year. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Red</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Projected Winner: West Bloomfield</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Wet Bloomfield remains the most talented team in all of the OAA, and I expect them to win this league. With a returning QB in [player_tooltip player_id='249012' first='Reqez' last='Nance'], an elite group of linemen, and multiple D1 skill players, West Bloomfield should win the Red. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Offensive Player of the Year: [player_tooltip player_id='253269' first='Billy' last='Roberson II'] - Lake Orion</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Lake Orion doesn't get the credit they deserve. This is a very good Division 1 team with a lot of talent. [player_tooltip player_id='253269' first='Billy' last='Roberson II'] in particular is a gamebreaker at RB. He tore up great defenses last season, averaging 126.5 rushing yards per game on 7.6 yards per carry. Billy is the best bellcow RB in the entire 2024 class and will again dominate the Red. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Defensive Player of the Year: Montele Johnson - West Bloomfield</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Another tough choice, but I love the West Bloomfield Front 7 too much not to shout them out. Montele in particular is a dominant linebacker who's able to go sideline to sideline while hitting like a truck. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->