Best Returners and Biggest Shoes to Fill in the OAA Blue

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>It's good to be back! For the past two offseasons, I've done a series called Best Returners and Biggest Shoes to Fill. This series of articles combs through every team in a specific conference/league, and outlines each team's best returning player and the biggest shoes to fill.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Last Season's Standing</strong>s</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Seaholm (9-2)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>North Farmington (4-5)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Oak Park (3-6)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Troy (5-4) (1-3 in league play)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Athens (3-6)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>*Teams Joining the Blue*</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Farmington</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Bloomfield Hills</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Seaholm</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>Best Returner - LB/RB [player_tooltip player_id='1529753' first='Penn' last='Roberts']</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I don't know much about Penn other than he was a special mention for All-Area (Hometown Life) and he has a few highlights at Linebacker and Running Back. The most important thing for Penn moving forward is possibly transitioning into that Senior leadership role. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>Biggest Shoes - Everyone </strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Seaholm's starters - Quarterback ([player_tooltip player_id='252599' first='Colton' last='Kinnie']), RB/LB ([player_tooltip player_id='253292' first='Granden' last='Kinnie']), RB ([player_tooltip player_id='253291' first='Sean' last='Emerson']), S/SB ([player_tooltip player_id='253296' first='Kyle' last='Robbins']), T (Luke Thurswell), WR/DB (Jack Lewis) and SEVERAL others are graduating. Practically their entire offense with several key defensive players. It seems like Seaholm goes through this transition every 4 years or so, and they'll be looking to find gems in their younger classes. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">North Farmington</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>Best Returner - DT [player_tooltip player_id='899576' first='Brendon' last='Rice']</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I oftentimes forget that Brendon wasn't a senior last year because of how his recruitment has blown up over the past year. Brendon is a dominant 6'3" 280lb defensive lineman, who, although he is a natural DT, moves around the line a lot. He has the natural power to throw anyone off him, and he does a good job at getting good leverage off snap and standing his ground. He could be more explosive out of his stance, but as it is, he's a sure-fire D1 defensive tackle. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>Shoes to Fill - QB [player_tooltip player_id='253290' first='Ryan' last='Shelby'] </strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>It's never easy replacing a 3-year starter at Quarterback. North Farmington will be missing out on Ryan's dual-threat ability and spurts of superb playmaking. This past season especially, Ryan looked like he had improved a lot with his passing. Right now I'd say North Farmington is the favorite to win the Blue next season, but they can't do that without a QB. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Oak Park</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>Best Returner - DB/WR Rondre Austion </strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Rondre is lined up to be one of the best defensive backs in all of Oakland County. He has a ton of great pass coverage highlights. He's sticky; running a 22.19 200M (Athletic.net) and having good change of direction. He's great fundamentally, and the speed adds an extra layer of insurance in case a receiver gets a step on him. As a receiver, Rondre has a great release and excels in deep routes down the field. He'll be a gigantic piece of this Oak Park team next season! </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>Shoes to Fill - DB Melik Munson</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Good thing Oak Park has good DBs in the pipeline, because Melik was lockdown last season. The Central State commit has amazing DB instincts and excels in playing the man and the ball to force pass breakups. I think Melik is perfect for Central State and I expect a phenomenal college career from him. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Troy</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>Best Returner - ATH [player_tooltip player_id='274668' first='Jaielen' last='Peacock']</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Peacock has been slowly rising up the ranks since his freshman season. First, you have to love the measurables at 6'3" 175. He has the height and arm length to be a dominant DB or WR at the next level. His skills are also quite polished, and he comes into his senior year with a ton of experience. I can't see Jaielen being anything less than a high-end DII college prospect. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>Shoes to Fill - RB [player_tooltip player_id='216985' first='Nolan' last='Block']</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Troy loses out on their bellow running back. Especially this past season, Nolan was the clear-cut RB1 and likely the best player on the offense. Nolan is an insanely hard runner and he had a good low center of gravity. This is an athlete who seemed to work extremely hard every season, and I saw consistent improvement year after year. It's unfortunate that his measurables just don't stack up when it comes to what colleges want. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Athens</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>Best Returner - LB/RB [player_tooltip player_id='1148733' first='Cainan' last='Hanbury']</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Cainan is a very impressive-looking young prospect who will be a critical piece of a program attempting to rebound. He's a decent Wing-T running back. He runs with some physicality and determination and I'd love to see him play even more physically next season. As a linebacker, he's a solid run-stopper between the tackles. If he gets to work in the weight room, he could become a physical force for this team. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>Shoes to Fill - G Micah Pobursky</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Athens will 100% miss their starting Guard. Micah may not have all the prowess or offers, but his film shows great guard play. He fires out of his stance quickly and hits hard at the point of contact. He has several great pulling highlights, and he was a bit more agile than I expected. He seemed to have been a great offensive lineman in the OAA Blue who has gotten ZERO media attention. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Farmington</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Best Returner - QB [player_tooltip player_id='1298738' first='Julian' last='Johnson']</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Julian's first year as Farmington's QB1 showed a lot of promise. He has a big arm, and seemed to improve as the season went on. I'm looking forward to seeing how Julian improves over the next year, and I think he has the potential to be the best QB in the entire OAA Blue next season. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Shoes to Fill - DT Sammy Ramsey</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Farmington has a good amount of graduating talent. Sammy Ramsey provided the biggest mismatches on defense, and he will be sorely missed. At 6'1" 275, he was a dominant force in the middle of the defensive line and he made it difficult for any team to run in his gaps. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->