Football Recap, Week 4: Upset Alert

Undefeated no more.

The Lahser and Avondale varsity football teams had their perfect records wiped out after suffering tough losses on their respective home fields this week.

Both were upset in the Oakland Activities Association Blue division and now five teams are tied atop the Blue with one loss.

Discussion Points

Quote of the Week: It was the second straight week an OAA Blue team lost on a failed two-point conversion attempt. Avondale lost 23-22 to Ferndale when head coach Steve Deutsch had his team go for the win in the final minutes. Here’s what the coach told Patch about the decision…

"I got a running back who is dying for air and my quarterback is exhausted, so I didn't want to go to overtime. I wanted to end it right there and just be done with it. We had our chance, and it just didn't work out,” Deutsch said.

Stat of the Week: Talk about spreading the ball around. Troy Athens ran the ball with 12 different players against Royal Oak on Friday. Incredibly, none of the rushers ended the game with more than three carries in the 56-0 blowout of Royal Oak. 

“We know that we have some very effective tailbacks at multiple levels – first, second and third string,” Red Hawks coach Josh Heppner said about the interesting stat.

Player of the Week: Groves running back Keon Collier looks like he’s hitting his stride. The Falcons runner had four touchdowns for the second consecutive week and against Hazel Park he had over 300 yards from scrimmage. Over the last two games he has eight touchdowns and nearly 500 yards.

Honorable Mentions – Jake Vento (QB; Harrsion), Kevin Miller (RB; North Farmington), Jacquis Woods (RB; North Farmington), Eric Ellis (QB; Ferndale) 

Out of Bounds: Clarkston had to forfeit two wins this week after it self-reported playing an academically ineligible player against West Bloomfield and Adams.  

But the schools weren’t celebrating being handed the wins back.  and they felt bad for Clarkston head coach Kurt Richardson, who both coaches have a lot of respect for.

“I have mixed emotions about it because we’ve been through the same thing in 2007,” Patritto said.

Game Highlights:

1^ST DOWN: GAME OF THE WEEK AND UPSET ALERT – Ferndale over AVONDALE 23-22

What we learned: Ferndale continues to take steps forward offensively. It put together probably its most complete game of the season in the close win. Quarterback Eric Ellis had his best game of the season with three touchdowns (two rushing, one pass) and he helped the Eagles score more points in the second half (20) than it had in the first two games of the season combined.

Question Marks: That’s two straight weeks in a row that the Yellow Jackets offense struggled to score points against two average OAA Blue defenses. After combining for 119 points in the first two weeks, Avondale has only scored 45 points since. What’s the problem? That’s unclear.

Avondale has been able to move the ball, but hasn’t been nearly as consistent. Are teams figuring out how to deal with its spread offense? Or is it just struggling a little bit? The Yellow Jackets will need to find some answers quickly.

Next Week: Avondale hosts Seaholm on Friday night in a big game at 7 p.m. and Ferndale hosts a North Farmington team that’s won two straight games.

Full Recap: For a recap with quotes from both coaches

2^nd DOWN: UPSET ALERT - North Farmington over Lahser 41-13

What we learned: North Farmington’s two back attack is dangerous. Kevin Miller and Jacquis Woods have helped the Raiders score more than 38 points two games in a row. It’s a nice power (Woods) and speed (Miller) combination. They put up huge numbers this week against a big defensive line. This might have been the most surprising result of week four because of how badly Lahser was beat up front. 

Question Marks: Lahser is going to have to quickly shore up its run defense. Berkley’s offense (the team plays Berkley on Friday) is a run option and they rotate three running backs around the backfield. Omar Sitto is a power back similar to Woods and it will be interesting to see how Lahser is able to contain him next week.

Next Week: North Farmington heads to Ferndale on Friday at 7 p.m. while Lahser will try to rebound at Berkley. 

3^rd DOWN: Groves over HAZEL PARK 39-31

What we learned: Groves isn’t going away. The Falcons are now 3-1 in the OAA Blue and tied for first. It's riding running back Keon Collier and an offensive line that has shown a lot of improvement over the first four weeks of the season.

Question Marks: Defensively, Groves has given up 69 points over the last two weeks. The offense isn’t going to be able to score 39 points every week. Berkley and Hazel Park are both really good running offenses, so that is definitely an area of concern for the Falcons.

Next Week: Groves heads to Andover on Friday at 7 p.m.

4^th DOWN: HARRISON over Oxford 34-7 

What we learned: Harrison made it 18 wins in a row on Friday with a convincing win over Oxford. Quarterback Jake Vento had three touchdowns in the win on the ground. He continues to be a dual threat for the Hawks. The senior also threw for 124 on 8-of-14 pass attempts.

Question Marks: Oxford had a lot of success on the ground with its running back Prescott Line. Line ran the ball for 150 yards. It was the second time this year that a running back had a lot of success against the Hawks defensive line. Farmington had similar success on the ground against Harrison. 

Next Week: Harrison visits Lathrup on Friday for an early game at 4:30 p.m. 

Full Recap: for a recap and awesome photo gallery.

Other Results

OAA Blue –

BERKLEY over Andover 26-7

North Farmington over LAHSER 41-13

Ferndale over AVONDALE 23-22

Groves over HAZEL PARK 39-31

Seaholm over ROMULUS 44-0

OAA Red –

TROY ATHENS over Royal Oak 56-0 –

Clarkston over TROY 28-13 –

Lake Orion over WEST BLOOMFIELD 42-14 –

PONTIAC over Rochester 46-16

OAA White –

Farmington over LATHRUP 37-20

Adams over OAK PARK 23-13

Southfield over STONEY CREEK 47-17

Next Week (all games have 7 p.m. start times)

Game to Watch: Seaholm at Avondale (Friday, Sept. 23) and Adams at Southfield (Saturday, Sept. 24) 

Friday (Sept. 16):

Groves at Andover

Seaholm at Avondale                 

North Farmington at Ferndale

Lahser at Berkley                 

Royal Oak at Lake Orion                 

Troy at West Bloomfield                 

Troy Athens at Rochester                 

Oak Park at Farmington                 

Farmington Harrison at Lathrup                 

Stoney Creek at Oxford               

Saturday (Sept. 24):

Rochester Adams at Southfield (1 p.m.)

Previous Weeks

Have you missed any of our previous weekly recaps? Here’s a chance to catch up…

Sideline Report –

Sideline Report –

Sideline Report –

Preseason Preview – 39-Page Look Ahead