League Preview: OAA Gold

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Oakland Activities Gold leagues is one of the more unique leagues in the State. Apart of the much larger OAA, the Gold League houses some of the conference's smallest schools and, at the same time, some of the most inconsistent programs. More often than not, prolonged success in the Gold results in a move to the Blue- making this league ever-changing. Today, I'm going to preview this league, discussing each team, predicting the season, and more. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>Last Season's Standings </strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>1. Avondale (9-2)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>2. Ferndale (4-5)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>3. Royal Oak (3-6)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>4. Pontiac (3-6)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>5. Berkley (0-9)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Team-by-Team Discussion</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Avondale</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Yellowjackets are coming off of an incredible season. With first-year head coach Bob Meyer, Avondale finally broke through and took full advantage of their talent. Senior QB Tyler Herzog had a career year. The offense was a lot more balanced, the defense was a lot more disciplined, and this team outscored league opponents 163-31. In fact, their only two losses were against state-championship contenders in Seaholm and Walled Lake Western. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>But that was last season. This coming season, Avondale will be tasked with replacing extremely important positions, including Quarterback, OT/DT, Running back, and Linebacker. I still expect Avondale to be a solid team, but it's hard to imagine them not taking a step back with key positions needing to be replaced. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Biggest shoes to fill: QB Tyler Herzog</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Best Returner: S/DB [player_tooltip player_id='602097' first='Cooper' last='Voeffray']</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>One of the best athletes in the Gold</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Maybe the best all-around defender in the Gold</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Great instincts; could force a TON of turnovers</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Ferndale</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Considering the talent on this team, last season was disappointing. Ferndale is one of those teams that can have a great year or two, but they've struggled to find consistency. They actually swept the Gold last season with the exception of Avondale but got trounced in their four non-league losses. Moving forward, Ferndale needs to find an identity alongside being all-around more disciplined.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I'm not sure who Ferndale loses to graduation this year. There were frankly 0 Ferndale prospects on our 2024 rankings, but I have no doubt that they'll lose some solid players. In fact, I know of a few great young players on this 2024 roster, and I highly doubt that Ferndale will place outside of the top 2. If they can just beat Avondale, they have an incredible shot at the League championship and the postseason.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Biggest shoes to fill: ???</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Best Returner: WR/DB [player_tooltip player_id='1307218' first='Jaden' last='Mills']</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>The most talented player in the OAA Gold</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Two-way superstar</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Near-elite change of direction, twitchiness, overall athleticism</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>A fringe D1 prospect</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Royal Oak</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I'm going to be honest: Royal Oak might be the most frustrating program in all of Michigan. Despite being a large school in a great community (I lived in Royal Oak for much of my life), this program is never very competitive. There are several possible reasons that I will not get into, but regardless, I'd absolutely love to see a surprise season from The Ravens. Last season, Royal Oak went 3-6. Their victories were against Pontiac, Berkley, and Taylor while losing by one point against OAA Blue opponent Athens. Hopefully the up-and-coming first year starters can provide this program with a much-needed boost. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Biggest shoes to fill: ???</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Best Returner: LB Payden Morrison</strong>* </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"small"} --> <p class="has-small-font-size">(Prep Baseball says he plays for Brother Rice. Unsure if this is true)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>I'm highly impressed by his film</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Aggressive, fearless linebacker </li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>The best linebacker I know of in the OAA Gold</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Pontiac </h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>By all accounts, last season was an extreme success for Pontiac. Typically, 3 wins do not align with success, but Pontiac has consistently been one of the worst teams in Michigan, frankly. Last season, we saw a few prospects step up and shine bright. Now, this team still has a number of holes and they still had to forfeit a game last season. Though at this moment, Pontiac has a tremendous amount of momentum heading into this fall. If the whole program can come together just a bit more, Pontiac could continue to surprise. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Biggest Shoes to fill: ???</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Best Returner: QB/ATH [player_tooltip player_id='899479' first='Khanye' last='Donalson']</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Off-schedule playmaker</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Lethal outside of the pocket with his arm or legs </li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Worthy defender</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>A Division 3 college prospect</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Berkley</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>What happened to Berkley last Fall? I'm used to Berkley having a respectable floor and a intriguing ceiling. Usually, this team is good for a handful of wins and they were almost always in the running for a OAA Gold championship. Last season, Berkley only scored 46 points all season while being shut out six times. Yikes. Worse yet, Berkley is losing their starting Quarterback while desperately needing good play and leadership in several other positions. There are a few very high upside players on this team, and I hope they're able to heighten the floor and raise the ceiling of this program. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Biggest shoes to fill: QB Sunny Kadlitz</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Best Returner: LB [player_tooltip player_id='1298710' first='Ben' last='Bullock']</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Extremely high ceiling 2026 prospect</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Played very well last season as a sophomore</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Great pursuit angles and tackling</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">OAA Gold Prediction</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>1. Avondale</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>2. Ferndale</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>3. Pontiac</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>4. Royal Oak</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>5. Berkley</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->