Uncovered Gems: OAA White Pt.1

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The OAA White is one of Metro Detroit's premier leagues. Out of the five teams that make up this league, two of them were state semifinalists in 2024. Next season, I expect several deep playoff runs from OAA White programs. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Here is my first of seven articles covering mostly new athletes in the White. This article features players from Groves, Harper Woods, Stoney Creek, and Southfield. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["762939"],"_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":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-67d33d5498ebc"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Players like Hammonds are what turn a solid playoff program into a state championship contender. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Hammonds served as an extremely valuable defensive and offensive lineman. The first chunk of his tape showcases his several TFLs. The highlight at 0:23 shows a solid getoff, an easy win against a bad guard, and a subsequent strip sack. Throughout the first two minutes, there are so many instances of Joshua avoiding blocks and barreling toward a wide-open backfield. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I like Joshua's physicality and his top speed. Once he gets a head of steam, he's extremely difficult to stop. However, his game would reach a new level if he was a bit more explosive on his initial getoff. In addition, I'd love to see good wins against competent offensive linemen. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/hudl {"name":"acf/hudl","data":{"embed_code":"u003ciframe src='https://www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/17936900/671e8442116eeec4ed4d8cbd' width='640' height='360' frameborder='0' allowfullscreenu003eu003c/iframeu003e","_embed_code":"field_62daf7995fd8c"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-67d33d549909c"} /--> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":["not_in_db"],"_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":"field_62cca28ffa4e7","player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"Jordan Mingo","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"2027","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"field_62aba4ddecf30","player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"5'10u0022","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_0_player_details_weight":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_weight":"field_65b288425ecf6","player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"2406","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"Harper Woods","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_team":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_team":"field_62d20e723441a","player_evaluations_0_player_details":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details":"field_62aba4afecf2e","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-67d33d5499150"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Jordan has a great foundation that he'll be able to build off of this offseason. For one, I like his size. 5'10" is decent height, and he has the bulk to be an absolute brick wall in the run game. As for his tape, Jordan is a raw player but does a solid job of not getting moved, then making tackles when a ballcarrier comes into his gap.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This offseason, Jordan should work on his conditioning and explosiveness. I'd love to see him develop a good getoff while having the stamina to play all 4 quarters. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/hudl {"name":"acf/hudl","data":{"embed_code":"u003ciframe src='https://www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/22613197/67439640463c11153b9be87f' width='640' height='360' frameborder='0' allowfullscreenu003eu003c/iframeu003e","_embed_code":"field_62daf7995fd8c"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-67d33d5499179"} /--> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":["not_in_db"],"_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":"field_62cca28ffa4e7","player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"Mikhi Jones","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"2027","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"field_62aba4ddecf30","player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"6'0u0022","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_0_player_details_weight":"220","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_weight":"field_65b288425ecf6","player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"2496","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"Harper Woods","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_team":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_team":"field_62d20e723441a","player_evaluations_0_player_details":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details":"field_62aba4afecf2e","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-67d33d5499203"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Mikhi had a solid season for Harper Woods at LB and RB. Plus, I think he could truly break out next season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>His tape begins with a very reactive inside run stop- great job at immediately reading the play, working downhill, and making a tackle. Second, a very well-timed A-Gap blitz, forcing a TFL. Out of all of his LB highlights, it seems that Mikhi is at his best when blitzing. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Mikhi also has a couple of RB highlights. For the most part, he's a raw RB. Though, I do see some good power. Could definitely break out as a RB as well. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Excited to see how Mikhi performs on Varsity this Fall! </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/hudl {"name":"acf/hudl","data":{"embed_code":"u003ciframe src='https://www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/22613198/6744bfc2076311a85b2a693b' width='640' height='360' frameborder='0' allowfullscreenu003eu003c/iframeu003e","_embed_code":"field_62daf7995fd8c"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-67d33d5499226"} /--> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":["not_in_db"],"_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":"field_62cca28ffa4e7","player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"Ethan Gendich","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"2028","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"field_62aba4ddecf30","player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"5'7u0022","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_0_player_details_weight":"136","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_weight":"field_65b288425ecf6","player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"2495","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"Stoney Creek","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_team":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_team":"field_62d20e723441a","player_evaluations_0_player_details":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details":"field_62aba4afecf2e","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-67d33d54992a6"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">A solid freshman season from Ethan, and I'm curious to see how much he can improve over the next several months. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>These highlights are from Freshman games, so it's pretty difficult to project how good Ethan could be on Varsity. Plus, he's barely in frame for most of these highlights. What I will say is that he has a lot of genuine highlights. A few INTs, and a few good PBUs. Plus, I like the tackle at 0:48. I see the foundation needed to be a great Varsity player- but I don't expect him to start until 2026. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>With a lot of hard work and maybe a few more inches of growth, Ethan could be a college prospect at DB one day. Even if he doesn't grow, he could still be a great high school football player. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/hudl {"name":"acf/hudl","data":{"embed_code":"u003ciframe src='https://www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/20531710/67319018b32319cc18ecbb6b' width='640' height='360' frameborder='0' allowfullscreenu003eu003c/iframeu003e","_embed_code":"field_62daf7995fd8c"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-67d33d54992c9"} /--> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":["not_in_db"],"_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":"field_62cca28ffa4e7","player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"Aden Dyer","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"2026","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"field_62aba4ddecf30","player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"null","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_0_player_details_weight":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_weight":"field_65b288425ecf6","player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"2495","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"Southfield","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_team":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_team":"field_62d20e723441a","player_evaluations_0_player_details":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details":"field_62aba4afecf2e","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-67d33d5499349"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Shorter tape from Aden, but a few solid plays to comment on.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>All tackles. Aden's tape begins with a solid open-field hit on a full-speed West Bloomfield WR. Then, we transition to another solid hit, this time on a Ferndale WR right on the sideline. Thats the jist of his tape- a handful of solid tackles.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Heading into next season, I would love to see Aden play with more aggression and confidence. When tackling, go full speed, wrap up + drive your feet. Then, I'd love to see a few PBUs at the very least. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/hudl {"name":"acf/hudl","data":{"embed_code":"u003ciframe src='https://www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/23129789/672eb036734d601a038d6efa' width='640' height='360' frameborder='0' allowfullscreenu003eu003c/iframeu003e","_embed_code":"field_62daf7995fd8c"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-67d33d549936a"} /--> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->