Football Recap, Week 8: Down to the Wire

There’s still work to be done.

The playoffs are a week away, but some teams are still trying to get a seat at the table.

With one game left to play, eight teams in the are one win away from automatically qualifying. There’s also the matter of settling the division titles.

Birmingham's Seaholm and Groves high schools still have a shot to grab a share of the OAA Blue title and Lake Orion can win the Red outright with a win in its season finale.  

Discussion Points 

Quote of the Week: At a recent Bloomfield Hills school board meeting, concern was voiced over the low numbers of playes on the Andover football team. The question was asked: Would the school be able to field a team next season? At the Barons homecoming game Friday, Principal Rob Durecka was optimistic.

"We'll get a team up," Durecka said. "We've got some kids that have already expressed interest in playing if it meant not having football. We want to keep it going." 

Stat of the Week: Talk about momentum. Andover had a 13-0 lead in the first quarter against North Farmington on Friday and then the Raiders flipped the switch. It scored 46 unanswered points in one of the biggest swings fans have seen all season.

Player of the Week: Lorenzo Collins (RB; Harrison) is quickly making a name for himself. The sophomore ran for more than 200 yards for the fourth straight game. He finished with 207 yards on 24 carries and two touchdowns. He started the Hawks off on the right foot against Lake Orion with 92 yards in the first quarter alone. 

Honorable Mentions go to Cody DeVoe (RB; Rochester), Joshua Hall (QB; Berkley), Tony Annese (QB; Adams).

Out of Bounds: The OAA White went 5-3 in the crossover week against the OAA Red this week. The teams are paired up based on their spot in the standings going into the week. Last season, the divisions went 4-4 against each other.

Game Highlights

1^ST DOWN: Farmington Harrison over LAKE ORION 28-7 

What we learned: Farmington Harrison continues to show why it has all the tools to make a run at back-to-back state titles. The Harrison Hawks defensive line muscled its way to five sacks at Lake Orion and the secondary picked up two interceptions. The offense line created big holes in the run game and when quarterback Jake Vento needed to make a big play he did. It has a ton of playmakers who are going to be hard to stop.

Question Marks: Lake Orion’s offense isn’t what was last year. It doesn’t have a lot of experience on the offensive line and at the skill positions. Sean Charette is terrific and Jacob Miller is solid at running back, but if they fall behind in the playoffs like the team did against Harrison (21-0 in the first half) Friday, will it have enough weapons to come back?

Next Week: Harrison hosts Farmington and Lake Orion heads to Clarkston on Friday at 7 p.m.

Full Recap: For a recap with quotes from both coaches

2^nd DOWN: UPSET ALERT: TROY ATHENS over Southfield 13-12

What we learned: Troy Athens shored up its defense in a big way Friday. Coach Josh Heppner’s biggest concern after last week’s loss to Lake Orion was the amount of running yards his team was giving up in recent weeks.

It held Southfield’s dynamic running back Brandon Watkins to less than 100 yards and held a team that averaged more than 30 points to just 12. If the defense can do that in the playoffs the Red Hawks won’t be a pushover. 

Question Marks: Troy Athens averaged 33 points a game the first four weeks of the season. Over the last four, it has averaged just more than 18 points a game. Teams have been able to limit the Red Hawks' big plays the last few weeks and that’s hurt them. Finding ways to get in the end zone will be important when the playoffs kick off a week from Friday. 

Next Week:  Troy Athens will host Troy on Friday at 7 p.m.  

3^rd DOWN: PONTIAC over Farmington 34-21

What we learned: Farmington has given up 30 points or more in all three of its losses this season. The Falcons have a lot offensive weapons, but when its defense doesn’t get consistent stops, the team doesn’t win.  

Question Marks: Can Farmington pull off one of the biggest upsets of the year? It will need to in order to automatically qualify for the playoffs. Harrison has won 22 straight games and is going for its second consecutive undefeated regular season. 

Next Week: Farmington has its biggest challenge of the season when it goes on the road to take on Harrison on Friday at 7 p.m.

4^th DOWN: Lahser over Avondale 10-7 OT

What we learned: The Lahser defense still has something left in the tank. It’s been four weeks since the Lahser Knights shut out Seaholm 20-0 and since then the defense hasn’t had anywhere near that kind of performance. To limit the Yellow Jackets to a touchdown was a great way to go into the final week of the season.

Question Marks: Which Lahser team will show up in the final regular season game of the season? The one that was blown out in back-to-back weeks by North Farmington and Berkley? Or the one that limited two of the best offenses in the OAA Blue to less than 10 points?

Next Week: Lahser hosts Andover on Friday at 7 p.m. A victory and the Knights will be headed to the playoffs. 

Playoff Picture

OAA Blue

After winning this week, North Farmington and Seaholm are officially in. Both schools will be making their first playoff appearances since 2005.

Groves is hoping to join that group, but after its second straight loss it is on the bubble. The Falcons will need to win their final regular season game on the road at Seaholm to get in. 

Lahser stayed alive with a win over Avondale, but its work isn’t done. It will need a win over Andover on Friday to get its automatic qualifier. The loss for Avondale means it is out of the playoffs.

OAA Red

Troy Athens joined Lake Orion this week as automatic qualifiers for the Red. The Red Hawks' win over Southfield gives the school its first playoff appearance since 2004. The only other teams left with playoff hopes headed into the final week of the season are Clarkston and Pontiac. Both are 5-3 and need wins this week to qualify; everybody else has been eliminated.

OAA White

Harrison is in, but has a chance to play spoiler this week. It hosts Farmington and can send its rival packing for the offseason with a win on Friday. The Falcons are one of three teams in the OAA White that are 5-3 and need to win this week. Adams and Southfield are the other teams that still have a chance. 

Other Results

OAA Blue

Berkley over HAZEL PARK 66-40

Lahser over Avondale 10-7 OT

North Farmington over ANDOVER 46-35 – see p

Owosso over GROVES 28-19 – see p

Seaholm over FERNDALE 27-21

OAA Red and White (Crossover Week)

Adams over TROY 35-19

Lathrup over ROYAL OAK 40-17

Oak Park over WEST BLOOMFIELD 18-16 – read f

ROCHESTER over Stoney Creek 35-10 – r

This Week

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

Games to Watch: A trio of games this week deserve consideration.

The first is Farmington at Harrison. The game has a few intriguing storylines – it’s a big rivalry game, the Falcons need a win to qualify for the playoffs and a win for the Hawks would give them their second consecutive undefeated regular season.

A little north the Clarkston and Lake Orion game has big implications as well. The Wolves' loss to Oxford last week means this is a must-win. They had to forfeit two games earlier this season for playing an ineligible player and now they have to win on Friday to automatically qualify for the playoffs. 

The third game is Groves at Seaholm. Two weeks ago, the Groves Falcons looked like they had locked up the OAA Blue. Not anymore. The Falcons have lost two straight and a loss to Seaholm would not only cost them a share of the division title, but also a playoff spot. A win for the Seaholm Maples guarantees them a share of the division title.

Friday, Oct. 21 games

Andover at Lahser

Avondale at Berkley

Ferndale at Hazel Park

Groves at Seaholm

Kettering at North Farmington

Troy at Troy Athens

Royal Oak at Rochester

Lake Orion at Clarkston

West Bloomfield at Pontiac

Adams at Stoney Creek

Farmington at Harrison

Previous weeks

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

Sideline Report –

Sideline Report –

Sideline Report –

Sideline Report –

Sideline Report –

Sideline Report –

Sideline Report –

Preseason Preview –