OAA RED DIVISION
— Team capsules compiled by Daniel Stickradt. Email dan.stickradt@northoaklandsports.com Follow on Twitter @HSSportsScene and @LocalSportsFans
SCHOOL: Bloomfield Hills Blackhawks
LEAGUE: OAA Red Division
HEAD COACH: Dan Loria, fifth season
LAST SEASON’S RECORD: 9-1, 6-0 OAA-Blue (first)
KEY RETURNEES: John Paddock, sr. QB (committed to Ball State); Eli McCourt, sr. LB; Jordan Bailey, sr. OLB/RB; Ty Slazinski, sr. WR; Jack Some, sr. DE (Ball State); Edham Mackie, sr. C/DE; Paul Much, sr. LB; Grant Ellis, sr. OL; Matt Borck, sr. OL
KEY NEWCOMERS: Darren Mack, jr. WR; Duggan Fife, sr.WR; Alec Ward, sop. WR/CB; Seth Wilson, jr. OL/DL; Michael Kreymer, jr. OL/DL; Colin Stewart, sr. WR/CB
OUTLOOK: A year down in the OAA-Blue help transform the Blackhawks from an 1-8 team to a 9-1 squad and a league champion. Blomfield Hills has returned to the OAA-Red with a much more seasoned ball club and won’t be a pushover like in 2014 and 2015.
SCHOOL: Clarkston Wolves
LEAGUE: OAA Red Division
HEAD COACH: Kurt Richardson, 31st season
LAST SEASON’S RECORD: 9-3, 5-1 OAA Red (tied-first)
KEY RETURNEES: Michael Fluegel, jr. RB/DB; Gino Paese, jr. OL/LB; Noah Hicklin, sr. OL/DL; Stewart Newblatt, sr. OL/DL; Conner Heaton, sr. WR; Zack Scott, sr. LB/RB; Tyler Houston, sr. DB; Josh Cantu, sr. RB; Nathan Ladd, sr. LB; Anthony Simmons, sr. LB; Brendan Barker, jr. LB
KEY NEWCOMERS: Javiar Suggs, jr. LB; Maxx Hicklin, jr. LB/WR; Rocky Spinder, fr. OL; Garrett Dellinger, fr. OL; Nate Uballe, sr. QB
OUTLOOK: Coming off 14 straight postseason berths, including the D-1 regional finals in 2012 and 2016 and state championships in 2013 and 2014, nothing much will change for the Wolves. Clarkston is expected to again contend for another OAA-Red Division title with a mammoth offensive line, deep running game and a hard-hitting unit of linebackers.
SCHOOL: Oxford Wildcats
LEAGUE: OAA Red Division
HEAD COACH: Bud Rowley, 37th season
LAST SEASON’S RECORD: 4-5, 2-4 (fifth)
KEY RETURNEES: Ryan Miller, sr. RB/DB; Matt Mielnicki, sr. K/P/WR/KR; Parker Fleming, sr. QB; Dakota Birr, sr. TE/LB; Sergio Borg, sr. WR/DB; Ben Nuss, sr. DB/WR; Evan Brunning, jr. TE/DL; Jason Green, sr. OL/DL; Andrew Richardson, sr. OL/DL
KEY NEWCOMERS: Marcus Urnagle, jr. RB
OUTLOOK: Back-to-back sub-five hundred campaigns are unheard of at Oxford, which has only three losing campaigns dating back to 1981. With a seasoned squad in 2017 and better leadership, the Wildcats look to climb back into the ranks of a postseason-caliber team.
SCHOOL: Rochester Adams Highlanders
LEAGUE: OAA White Division
HEAD COACH: Tony Patritto, 15th season
LAST SEASON’S RECORD: 6-4, 4-2 (third)
KEY RETURNEES: Vincent Gray, sr. DB/WR; Stephen Roncelli, sr. RB/LB; Chase Karletta, sr. RB/DB; Cole Patritto, sr. RB/DB; Leonard, jr. OT/DL; Hunter Drobnick, sr. OT/DL; Reed Vogt, jr. DL/OL
KEY NEWCOMERS: Zach Soldan, jr. QB; Cole Mitchell, jr. OG/DL
OUTLOOK: Adams must replace a four-year starting QB, but if history lends a hint, Adams will remain competitive. The Highlanders have reached the postseason 17 times in the past 20 years and finished below the five-hundred mark only once (2015) over two decades.
SCHOOL: Southfield A&T Warriors
LEAGUE: OAA Red Division
HEAD COACH: Tim Conley, second season at A&T, 13th overall in Southfield schools.
LAST SEASON’S RECORD: 8-4, 5-1 OAA-Red (tied-first)
KEY RETURNEES: John Darby, sr. QB; Justin Meeks, sr. WR; Kevon Walker, sr. OL; Kevin Smitherman, sr. DL; Mathew Gilbert, sr. WR/DB; Marcus Fuqua, jr. DB; Juan Walker, jr. OL; Christian Rush, sr. LB
KEY NEWCOMERS: Jevontae Van Buren, sr. LB; Anwar Jackson, jr. RB; Blake Grice-Brunson, sr. RB/LB; Devon Baldwin, jr. DT/TE
OUTLOOK: In its first season since the merger, Southfield A&T shared the OAA-Red crown and reached the D-1 regional finals. Now with a bevy of talent, the Warriors should remain one of the OAA’s better teams and be a team capable of making a deep postseason run.
SCHOOL: Troy Athens Red Hawks
LEAGUE: OAA Red Division
HEAD COACH: Josh Heppner, ninth season
LAST SEASON’S RECORD: 2-7, 0-6 OAA-Red (seventh)
KEY RETURNEES: Patrick Graham, sr. MLB/TE; Andrew Yan, sr. LB/FB; Jake Cavazos, sr. QB/DB; Nathan Oprinca, TE/DE; Josh Eckerle, sr. DL; Brody Fitzpatrick, sr. SS/RB/WR; Christian Aurand, sr. WR; David Deman, jr. OT
OUTLOOK: With eight returning starters on defense and six on offense, Athens will look to rebound after down yer in 2016. Athens will look to bring some physically to the field this season with some much-improved weapons on offense.
SCHOOL: West Bloomfield Lakers
LEAGUE: OAA Red Division
HEAD COACH: Ron Bellemy, seventh season
LAST SEASON’S RECORD: 6-5, 4-2 OAA-Red (third)
KEY RETURNEES: Nick Seidel, sr. FS/RB; Niko Mosley, sr. SS/LB; Tre Mosley, jr. WR; Nick O’Shea, sr. K/P; Taj Mustafa, sr. WR (committed to Wisconsin); James Faulkner, sr. TE/DE; Corell Wheeler, soph. LB
KEY NEWCOMERS: Bryce Weasley, sr. QB (transfer; committed to Bowling Green); Desmond Simpson, jr. OLB; AJ Abbott, sr. WR (Wisconsin); Collin Heard, sr. CB/RB (Howard); Jordan Rush, sr. RB; Dwayne Thompson, jr. CB/SS
OUTLOOK: Four straight winning campaigns and 29 wins in four years has brought the Lakers to the forefront and this year’s team could be the best of them all. With a bevy of talent, four Division I recruits, plenty of experience and a very talented cast of newcomers, could this be the year the Lakers sail away with a deep postseason run. West Bloomfield is only 2-5 all-time in the postseason and has never advanced beyond the district finals.