Top Week 7 Matchups in the OAA

We're already at Week 7 of the High School Football season! At this point, leagues and conferences are shaping up and the playoffs are right around the corner. This week in the OAA we have a few big matchups that have major playoff and league implications. Specifically, a high-octane Gold vs. Blue battle, and two great OAA Red matchups which have major playoff implications.   (6-0) Avondale @ (5-1) Seaholm   This an exciting homecoming matchup for Seaholm and a big test for Avondale.   In the OAA Gold, Avondale has swept through the league with relative ease. It helps when you have good senior talent with a brand-new head coach that seems to have changed some things for the better. It also helps when the rest of the gold is uniquely bad this season, with relatively consistent programs like Berkley and Ferndale falling apart. Nevertheless, The Jackets have proven to the OAA that they no longer belong in the inferior Gold, and they're making a case to be moved up to the Blue.   Quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='216986' first='Tyler' last='Herzog'] is going to have to make some plays as he did last season against The Maples. Even though Seaholm outmatched Avondale on all fronts last year, Tyler kept them in that game for a while. I'm also interested to see how the O-Line stacks up against Seaholm's D-Line. That said, RB/LB [player_tooltip player_id='216988' first='Myles' last='Moore'] will be a huge factor on both sides of the ball. Overall, I'm more concerned with how the whole team stacks up against Seaholm rather than individual pieces.   Seaholm has had a successful season on all accounts. So far. They've taken care of business against every OAA team they've faced thus far, outscoring them 222-54. That said, they've solidified themselves as the top team in the OAA Blue with a bounty of senior talent. Still, questions remain. What would Seaholm's record be in the White? Can this team defeat Groves? Can they advance in the postseason? All of these questions are still up in the air, and we'll get our answers very soon. All of this starts against an Avondale team that has defied the odds in their own season.   Like I said, Seaholm has several seniors that are game changers. [player_tooltip player_id='252599' first='Colton' last='Kinnie'] is a 3rd-year QB who can run the Veer in his sleep at this point. [player_tooltip player_id='253292' first='Granden' last='Kinnie'] is a physical, reactive linebacker as well as a bruising power back. [player_tooltip player_id='253291' first='Sean' last='Emerson'] is a running back with an incredible amount of potential and great physical tools. I could list 3-5 more players who are genuinely all-OAA type guys. Just on paper, Seaholm should take care of business this Friday against Avondale. Later in the season against Groves and in the playoffs- the whole team will have to take a step up.   (6-0) Lake Orion @ (4-2) Clarkston   If there was a betting market for league winners, Lake Orion would have had +800 preseason odds. The Dragons defeating West Bloomfield and destroying everyone else was not on my bingo card. I know [player_tooltip player_id='253269' first='Billy' last='Roberson II'] is one of if not the best RB in the state right now, and there's a few other players like [player_tooltip player_id='665544' first='Raymond' last='Payne'] who I know have had a breakout season. Though, I just don't see the D1 college recruit Starpower like you see in most other undefeated big-school teams. That means the team as a whole is likely very well-rounded and well-coached. Lake Orion is on the doorstep of an uncontested OAA Red title, and they could go FAR in the postseason.   Clarkston has rebounded after a slow 0-2 start. It was concerning seeing The Wolves start 0-2 with losses against Northville and A&T, though last week's win over West Bloomfield puts them back in the deep playoff conversation. Players like DB Desman Stephans II, TE [player_tooltip player_id='248961' first='Brody' last='Kosin'], and LB [player_tooltip player_id='274194' first='Nick' last='Waszczenko'] are able to push the needle and face off against the best teams in the state.   (3-3) Adams @ (1-5) Stoney Creek   There's no question that both of these teams have underperformed this season. For both of these teams, It's not as bad as it may look. Adams's 3 losses are against Lake Orion, Clarkston, and West Bloomfield, who hold 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place in the league. Granted, last week's 35-0 loss to Lake Orion is concerning. Adams has a good amount of talent across the board, though they've lost a significant amount of talent in the classes of 2023 and 2022. Hopefully Adams can end on a good note and continue to improve heading into 2024.   Stoney Creek has scored 177 points and they've given up 182. Even though they're 1-5, they have a few close losses against West Bloomfield, Clarkston, and Oxford. Last week's loss to 2-4 Oxford is a bit concerning, though this is usually a physical, and fundamentally sound team.

We're already at Week 7 of the High School Football season! At this point, leagues and conferences are shaping up and the playoffs are right around the corner. This week in the OAA we have a few big matchups that have major playoff and league implications. Specifically, a high-octane Gold vs. Blue battle, and two great OAA Red matchups which have major playoff implications.