Top Week 1 Matchups in the OAA Blue & White

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The OAA Blue and White house have many great teams, some being State Champ contenders. Next week marks opening kickoff, and I have four great games to watch in the Oakland County area! </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>Thursday, August 24</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Bloomfield Hills @ Seaholm</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The pressure couldn't be higher for both teams. Bloomfield Hills was promoted to the OAA White after dominating the 9-team Blue league in 2021. Last season, they fell off a bit against better competition, going 1-4 in league play and 3-6 overall. As for Seaholm, this may be the best team they've had since 2019, and they graduate many seniors in 2024. In other words, Seaholm has a phenomenal opportunity to make some noise, while Bloomfield Hills needs to prove they belong in the OAA White. Last season, Seaholm defeated Bloomfield Hills 38-21. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Bloomfield Hills will likely lean on a balanced air attack as they usually do. Gavin Cote seems like WR1 for this team, and I feel there could be an opportunity to attack the middle of the field with him in the slot. Jack Holton will be anchoring the offensive line against a usually very strong Seaholm defensive front. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>For Seaholm they have a phenomenal senior class that may propel them to an OAA Blue championship. [player_tooltip player_id='253291' first='Sean' last='Emerson'] is the highest-ceiling player in this group, as he's a severely underrated back with an opportunity to dominate in between the tackles. [player_tooltip player_id='253296' first='Kyle' last='Robbins'] is a swiss army knife with excellent instincts as a defensive back, and he may be set for more contributions on offense. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Fraser @ Troy Athens</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>These teams played last season, and Athens came away with a close 28-20 victory. Both of these teams have some good talent, but it's the role players that will take either team over the edge. Athens plays in the Blue, and they seem to have a good shot at a good league placement. Fraser is from the Macomb Blue, and they themselves are competing in a very competitive league. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Athens has a few great players. [player_tooltip player_id='216992' first='Anthony' last='Ashor'] is a hard-nosed two-way player at LB and RB. Tackle John Gergis is a strong lineman with a lot of potential. Finally, LB [player_tooltip player_id='1148733' first='Cainan' last='Hanbury'] is a super skilled sophomore who could truly make a name for himself this season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Harper Woods @ Stoney Creek </strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This is a solid White vs. Red matchup. Harper Woods has as much talent as any OAA Red team, and they've been showing improvements year after year. Stoney Creek, on the other hand, returns a lot of great pieces, and they have their best shot at OAA Red glory since they moved up. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Harper Woods has a stacked senior class. Michigan Commit [player_tooltip player_id='77223' first='Jacob' last='Oden'] headlines this group as a phenomenal two-way player who is going to be a great defensive back for the Wolverines. [player_tooltip player_id='602142' first='Johnny' last='Nelson'], Eiron Beamon, and Bryand Weatherspoon headline a great defensive front 7. Lastly, [player_tooltip player_id='251295' first='Willie' last='Powell'], [player_tooltip player_id='251301' first='Keyontae' last='Wilson'], and [player_tooltip player_id='251323' first='Jessten' last='Johnson'] headline their offense. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Stoney Creek is going to have a stellar defense this season. Linebacker Adam Bazzi headlines the defensive unit with plenty of other physical front 7 pieces. Their offensive line is incredible with pieces like [player_tooltip player_id='227296' first='Jacob' last='Kropchak'], Spencer Beckeman, Noah Gojcaj, and others. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Rochester @ Utica</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Both of these teams proved to be unpredictable last season. During week 1 of last season, Utica defeated Rochester 27-24. However, Rochester ended up having a great season, while Utica went 2-7. The unpredictableness comes from Utica's two wins being against strong opponents with Rochester and Farmington, while Rochester started very slow but went on to post some impressive wins. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Rochester has plenty of big shoes to fill. It looks like [player_tooltip player_id='602112' first='Curtis' last='Adair'] is set to take the starting QB role for Rochester, replacing Michigan Tech QB Alex Bueno. [player_tooltip player_id='899598' first='Jack' last='Lower'] is the most talented defensive player I've seen for Rochester, as he has phenomenal power and instincts for a linebacker. I feel he could have a great season. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I unfortunately don't know too much about the Utica program, but they seem to have a few good athletes with [player_tooltip player_id='249441' first='Zachary' last='Conley'], and Numehnne Gwilly. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->