Football season may be over, but before looking ahead to boys basketball season, which starts next week, Kosmo has looked at some postseason all-area teams and noticed some great senior players who haven't committed to college programs yet. Here are Kosmo's best football players who are seniors in Oakland County who haven't committed anywhere yet. Anthony Darkangelo, Novi Detroit Catholic Central - Kosmo doesn't know what college program wouldn't want a player that not only goes 100 percent on every play, but excels wherever he is at on the field. He's a hard-hitting linebacker and a punishing running back, but he could probably do good at other positions as well. He's simply a player that makes plays and would give any college program his all. Austin Johnson, Orchard Lake St. Mary's - A little undersized, which is why college coaches haven't shown as much interest. But boy can Johnson get it done, no matter which side of the line it is. He's a disruptive force along the defensive line and a pile-mover along the offensive line that helped anchor the running game for St. Mary's. He's one tough kid and hopefully he gets an opportunity. Jake Slobin, Farmington Hills Harrison - The heart-and-soul of Harrison in the trenches for the past two years, Slobin is about tough of a lineman as the county has had the past two years. He had over 80 tackles this year on the defensive line for the Hawks and also was durable enough to dominate on the offensive line as well. Isn't the biggest around physically, but boy does he have a big heart. Nick Booker, Lake Orion - While teammate Derric Williams earned a scholarship offer this week to Eastern Michigan, Booker is still awaiting an opportunity. Given how smart, athletic and fundamentally sound he is a defensive back, he sure deserves one to play at the next level. Has similar traits to Jordan Kovacs at Michigan. Matt Kosmalski, Walled Lake Northern - This is a kid who can also play anywhere and contribute to any college program in a variety of ways. Whether it's as a tough runner, a playmaking wide receiver or a shutdown defensive back, Kosmalski is as versatile as they come. He helped lead Northern to heights previously not attained, and he could definitely be an asset for a college team.

The girls basketball season is officially underway, as many teams opened their 2012-13 campaigns on Tuesday. Kosmo admits he hasn't studied the season as much as he should yet with football just ending, but from the surface, it appears as if this could be a rare down year for an area that's usually up in girls basketball. There appears to be only one Division I college player in the area (Sydney Davis of Lathrup who has signed with Stetson) and other than three-time defending state champion Waterford Our Lady of the Lakes in Class D, doesn't appear like any team has a good chance of making it to East Lansing for the state's final four. Even traditional state power Country Day in Class B might be in store for a rebuilding year by their standards. It's an unusual sight and sad to see, and Kosmo wonders what is causing it. Is it the season change, which after five years, is really having a negative impact on girls basketball since it was moved from fall to winter? Is it AAU ball, which isn't teaching girls the proper fundamentals because they're simply emphasizing games and scholarships based on raw talent? Or is all this just panic on Kosmo's end and it's just cyclical, meaning it's just a matter of time before great players and teams return to the county? Kosmo doesn't know what's the cause, but if this girls basketball season turns out to be as down this winter as the forecast says, there will be even more incentive to find out.

Kosmo hopes everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend, and Kosmo sure did with all his eating from Ma and Mrs. Kosmo's fine cooking and football viewing from his cave. He also read up on the fine coverage done by his spies at Ford Field, who did a masterful job of breaking it down for all four of our teams there. Kosmo has his own thoughts from the view of his cave couch on our teams that were at the football finals this weekend, so here they are. - Koz never thought a wide receiver could win a football game by himself, but that's what Grand Rapids Christian junior stud Drake Harris did against Orchard Lake St. Mary's. The Eaglets had a championship game record of 549 yards total offense, ran for 459 yards, had 35 minutes of possession time, yet lost. That's unheard of, which is also a good way to describe the 243 yards Harris had receiving and all those clutch fourth and third down catches he had. It was a performance from a wideout we might never see again. - It's still a mystery to Kosmo why Country Day had so much trouble stopping Grand Rapid Christian's read option offense. It wasn't anything fancy, let alone with a backup quarterback running it. Yet the Sailors dominated, moving the ball at will against a Country Day team that just didn't seem to make adjustments or know how to stop it. It was very uncharacteristic and unfortunate for the Yellowjackets. - Kosmo read a report that some around Birmingham Brother Rice are trying to force out Al Fracassa. Your seer doesn't know what goes on inside school halls, but he finds that hard to believe. Not necessarily because he's the all-time wins leader for coaches in state history, but because he obviously can still get it done. Does anyone else realize Brother Rice actually has won the last two state championships in Division 2? Did you see those gutsy calls Fracassa and his staff made late in the win over Muskegon? Clearly, the game has not passed him by. - Detroit Cass Tech might win the state title next year and beyond as well. Any team that can knock off Catholic Central two years in a row in convincing fashion has announced itself as the team to beat. With Jayru Campbell back at quarterback for the next two years, Cass Tech no doubt is the team others have to knock off now, not CC or Rockford. - Kosmo felt St. Mary's should've kicked a field goal facing a fourth-and-goal from the 3 in the first possession of overtime. No, the Eaglets had trouble stopping Harris and could've easily given up a game-winning touchdown on the Grand Rapids Christian possession, but you have to at least put some pressure on the Eagles. Going for it, then throwing an incompletion made it way too easy for the Eagles. All they had to do was kick a short field goal to win. If the Eaglets would've simply put 3 points in the board, you never know what could've happened, such as a turnover or sacks. Going for it took all that out of the equation.

Sorry for those who have checked on this blog for the past few days, but Kosmo was in need of a little holiday breather before the state finals. Anyway, your seer is back and already has enjoyed the first day of the state football finals at Ford Field. There has been no better game than the one between Muskegon and Brother Rice, and congrats to the Warriors for repeating as Division 2 state champions. The NHL may have canceled games on Friday, but in honor of that league, Kosmo is here to present his 3 stars for the Brother Rice-Muskegon game. Third star Shon Powell, Brother Rice running back Had anyone ever heard of this junior before the playoffs started? No matter, he was a star in the playoffs for the Warriors and was awesome again against Muskegon, running for 97 yards and a touchdown. What a weapon he'll be next year also. Second star Corey Lacanaria, Brother Rice wideout Speaking of weapons, let's give it up for this small, but incredibly productive wideout who gets everything out of his physical stature. He was incredible, catching five passes for 137 yards and two touchdowns, including one from his older brother Cheyne in the first quarter that the two can remember forever. First star Al Fracassa, Brother Rice head coach What more can be said. The legend added another achievement to his unmatchable resume, winning, guiding the Warriors to their first repeat in school history. How about those two calls late in the game with the flea-flicker for a touchdown and the lateral on the kickoff return that led to the game-winning touchdown? It's the stuff legends are made of and if this was his last game, Kosmo is honored to make him the first star of it.

After a long and winding road, we're finally at the end of the football season as the state finals will take place this weekend at Ford Field. Of course, Kosmo can hear the loud noises now because of the teams from Oakland County that are going to be playing this weekend for state titles. Yep, it'll be the four private schools that many love to hate, Catholic Central, Brother Rice, St. Mary's and Country Day. Of course, this will only intensify the cries from many about recruiting and unfair advantages, blah-blah. To that Kosmo, says whatever. One, it's actually harder to go to private schools in this day and age with the way the economy has tanked in the past 5 years. Some parents have to work two jobs just to afford the tuition, and enrollment has pretty much stayed the same or gone down. So the fact that these teams still win is a credit to the players and coaching staffs. Second, it's discrediting the work of these kids. They've busted their tail to become some of the state's best players and lead their teams this far, so give them props. Finally, if you don't like it, them beat them. Plain and simple. Work harder and beat them. Just please don't complain about recruiting or anything else this week. It's a losers lament and Kosmo will just ignore it.

Well the more things change, the more they stay the same. One look at the participants in next week's state finals at Ford Field shows that there won't be much new, as teams that are used to being there will be competing for state titles once again. But before Kosmo officially looks ahead to next week, he has the business of handing out his 3 stars for Saturday's semifinal games. Third star Derek Delaura, Lake Orion Yes the Dragons may have lost to Cass Tech, but Delaura proved Kosmo wrong. He thought that all a team had to do against Lake Orion was stop the run and force Delaura to beat them. Well, Delaura made some big plays in the 34-27 loss, throwing for a touchdown pass on the last play of the first half and then another to tie the game at 21-21. Nice job, Mr. Delaura. Second star Grant Niemiec, Orchard Lake St. Mary's Where have we seen this before? Another dominant performer by what Kosmo feels is the state's best player in Division 3-4 this year. Niemiec ran for 181 yards and a pair of touchdowns in a win over Battle Creek Harper Creek in the state semifinals. Oh, and he was once again a force at linebacker. First star Jon Malone, Novi Detroit Catholic Central If Malone was selling popcorn, the place would've sold out of that because of how outstanding he was in everything he did. On offense, he caught a touchdown pass and made two more receptions that set up touchdowns. On defense, he had an interception. If that wasn't enough, Malone returned a kickoff 82 yards for a touchdown as well. Not too shabby and worthy of being selected as the brightest semifinal star.

It's Friday, which means there is.... no football? Yep this is the first Friday since the middle of August without football games, which must mean it's the semifinal round. All games are Saturday afternoon and Kosmo is here to offer his most compelling questions for the semifinal round. Can Lake Orion run the ball against Cass Tech? - In Kosmo's opinion, this is going to be the sole determining factor in who wins this Division 1 semifinal. Nobody has been able to stop Lake Orion's diverse and powerful running attack, but the Dragons haven't run up against a defense as big and as fast as Cass Tech. If Lake Orion can run the ball, it can control the tempo of the game, the clock and thus keep Cass Tech's offensive playmakers on the bench. Will Catholic Central be able to finish drives against Rockford? - Last week, Clarkston was able to move the ball against what's always a good Rockford defense. The problem was the Wolves couldn't finish drives with points, whether they ended with turnovers or missed field goals. Catholic Central likewise has the ability to move the ball. If it finishes drives with points, the Shamrocks will be back at Ford Field. Can Wyandotte Roosevelt give Brother Rice a game? No. Next question. Can Saginaw Swan Valley stop Tyler Weigers, Richie Wilson and a potent Country Day offense? No. Next question. How attentive will Orchard Lake St. Mary's be against Harper Creek? Very attentive, given Harper Creek nearly beat the Eaglets in last year's state semifinals. St. Mary's needed a last minute touchdown to prevail, and Kosmo has a feeling that maybe the Eaglets took Harper Creek a bit lightly last year. That won't be the case this year. If Harper Creek wins, it'll be because it played a fantastic game, not because St. Mary's overlooked it.

Since this is the transition period between the fall and winter sports seasons and postseason awards either have come out or are about to come out, Kosmo can address something he has wanted to for a few weeks. There were plenty of great underrated coaching jobs done this season on the gridiron, and Kosmo isn't necessarily talking only about coaches who guided their teams to the playoffs. Yes, those coaches did great jobs and should be recognized, but there should be others that are applauded as well. Here are the coaching jobs that stand out most to Kosmo this season. Scott Guthrie, Hazel Park - Annually Guthrie is one of the county's top coaches for what he gets out of his players. The Vikings had paltry numbers and even smaller size, but the fact they were 4-1 at one point this season speaks volumes for how much the Vikings got out of themselves. Bud Rowley, Oxford - Is there any doubt now that the man is a coaching legend? Some probably felt the game passed Rowley by a couple of years ago, but the past two years, Oxford has made the playoffs in what is one of the area's toughest leagues. His emphasis on blocking and tackling never gets old and Rowley got so much out of a team that didn't have the numbers or size of other teams. He bred toughness in his kids nd will run through a wall for them and hopefully nobody doubts this legend again. Tony Patritto, Rochester Adams - Always a favorite of Kosmo's, Patritto might have done his best work this season. How is that possible when Adams saw a 15-year playoff streak end? Because at 1-5 Patritto and his staff rallied the team and kept it motivated enough to win its last three games, including over Southfield and Rochester, when there was nothing to play for. If Southfield wins, maybe it hosts Oak Park in the second round of the playoffs instead of playing at Oak Park. If Rochester wins, it makes the playoffs and then it re-shuffles playoff pairings, which might have affected Lake Orion's placement. Amazing what little coaching gems like this do even though few notice. Brad Zube, Stoney Creek - In his first season with the Cougars, Zube helped take a younger team and turn it into a playoff contender. With many juniors back next season for their senior years, expect Stoney Creek to make some major noise. It was a masterful job making Stoney Creek a 5-4 team and on the cusp of the playoffs. Brett Moore, Walled Lake Northern - An eight-game winning streak, the school's first league title ever, the school's first playoff appearance ever and the school's first playoff win ever. Enough said.

We're at the state semifinal round of the high school football playoffs, and congrats to Brother Rice, Catholic Central, St. Mary's, Country Day and Lake Orion for representing the county well and being on the doorstep of Ford Field. But looking at the remaining teams, Kosmo can't help but see that one problem with high school football is magnified. Usually in other sports, there are different teams in the final stages of the state tournament each year. Look at how Lake Orion and Macomb L'Anse Creuse North were in the basketball quarterfinals last year. Also, look at the fact no team has ever repeated as Class A or Division 1 baseball state champion. In football though, it seems to be the same teams year after year, which might seem pretty boring to a lot of casual high school sports fans. Kosmo can't blame those people for wanting to fall asleep while following this weekend's action. Mind you, Lake Orion has only recently started to make regular trips to the semifinals (third time sinc 2008) while Country Day doesn't get there every year, so their runs are at least somewhat compelling. The same can't be said for Brother Rice, St. Mary's and Catholic Central. All three made the state finals last year and all have combined for about a million appearances in the state final in their histories. Of course, Kosmo knows that's a testament to their programs and realizes that what else are those teams supposed to do? Lose? Absolutely not and each team is different year in, year out. But speaking from a casual fan's perspective, it just tends to get stale and boring. After all, the state semifinalists in Division 1 are the past four state champions. It would be nice to see some new compelling teams and stories emerge every once in a while, but again, it just seems less frequent in football than other sports.

Kosmo apologizes for not posting his 3 stars on Friday night, but with only three games taking place involving county teams, your all-knowing one figured he'd wait until Saturday's games to post his 3 stars for the regional round. Five teams are on to the state semifinals, so hopefully each one has a good week of preparation this week. Here are the 3 stars for the regional round. Third star Tyler Wiegers, Country Day - Kosmo has written a lot about Richard Wilson of late, but he shouldn't forget about what is one of the state's top junior quarterbacks. In a 47-14 rout of Grosse Ile, Wiegers went 16 of 24 passing for 220 yards and three touchdowns. Second star Shon Powell, Birmingham Brother Rice - All of a sudden, Brother Rice has a dynamic duo at running back, doesn't it? Powell has certainly picked a great time of year to play his best football, rushing for 145 yards on 13 carries in a rout of Walled Lake Western. First star Jacob Miller, Lake Orion - Miller runs like a Mack Truck, and his tire treads are all over Macomb Dakota players today. Miller was incredible in helping Lake Orion pile up 51 points on Macomb Dakota, as he ran for 228 yards and three touchdowns on 27 carries. Cass Tech better beware of Miller and the Lake Orion running game on Saturday.

We're down to the state quarterfinals for the high school football playoffs, and Kosmo isn't sure why it's not just called the quarterfinals instead of regional finals. But no matter what it's called, it should be an intense weekend filled with great games. Here are Kosmo's most compelling questions going into Friday and Saturday's games. Can Clarkston rise to the occasion against playoff-tested Rockford? - Clarkston definitely has a lot going for it heading into its home game on Saturday against the Rams, namely home-field advantage, its powerful running game and an unbeaten record. But Rockford definitely has an edge in playoff experience and is more used to being in big games. Can the Wolves be as poised in the moment as Rockford? We will see. If so, Clarkston is going to win. Will Lake Orion's offense rebound against Macomb Dakota? - The Dragons were really stymied last week against Utica Eisenhower, but were bailed out by a tremendous defensive performance. Just in case that doesn't happen again on Friday, Kosmo hopes the Lake Orion offense and get back on track and be more consistent against a fast Dakota defense. How can Walled Lake Western beat Brother Rice? - Good question and Kosmo isn't sure how it can happen because he's not a football mind, but here's a best-educated fan guess. For starters, Western has to somehow slow down the Brother Rice running game and force Brother Rice to throw more. Second, Western has to control the clock, meaning Kyle Bambard and Josh Jones have to be getting four and five yards a carry to keep possession of the ball. Won't be easy with Jon Reschke & Co. on the other side for Brother Rice, but if Western can have a big edge in possession time, an upset is possible. Does Novi Detroit Catholic Central have revenge on its mind against Plymouth? - Two years ago, Plymouth upset Catholic Central in a regional final on a last-second field goal. The Shamrocks probably don't need any more motivation than they don't already have, but if they remember that game, they'll be an even more fired-up bunch, which would be bad news for Plymouth. How can Waterford Our Lady of the Lakes slow down Harbor Beach? - Another good question. Harbor Beach racks up points the way a pinball wizard does on a pinball machine, given it has scored 40 or more points in eight games this season. WOLL does have some size up front, so we'll see if it can win the battle at the line of scrimmage. It might be the only hope for the Lakers.

Kosmo was actually incorrect in his last blog post. Signing day for those sports is actually next Wednesday, the 14th, not tomorrow the 7th. Sorry for the oversight since the K-Man thought it was the first Wednesday of each November, just like football signing day is the first Wednesday of February. Anyway, Kosmo is sorry and mistakes happen even with your all-knowing one. However, people can still feel free to inform Kosmo of any signings leading up the day next week.

Wednesday is the first day athletes in sports such as basketball, baseball, softball and volleyball can sign national-letters-of-intent to play their sports in college, so congratulations to those who are going to be doing so. Upon first glance though, it appears as though this will be a weak year for basketball signings around Oakland County. Of course, there's James Young of Rochester, a consensus top-5 recruit nationally who will sign with Kentucky. Behind him though, it seems to be an uncharacteristically down year for boys basketball and girls basketball signings in the area. If you want to disagree with Kosmo, feel free to let him know others that are signing. It appears to be a little better for baseball, as ace pitchers Nick Deeg (Central Michigan) of Lake Orion and Sterling Sharp (Eastern Michigan) are two such seniors who will sign to play for MAC schools. Kosmo doesn't really know much about the softball and volleyball players who are signing though, so if anyone out there wants to alert Kosmo and make sure they get some publicity, feel free to e-mail your seer at kosmo@oakpress.com

Kosmo was both interested and sad to see that Birmingham Marian head coach Irick Gardner announcing on Sunday that he was going to resign as head coach. It was interesting in that Kosmo is still a bit confused about the reasoning. Obviously it's something behind the scenes, which really isn't anybody's business but Marian's. Regardless, it was also sad because Gardner has been a class act and a great coach for so many years, and Kosmo was happy to see he got a chance to coach traditional state powerhouse Marian. Of course, he led the Mustangs to four appearances in the state championship game and two state titles, in the process helping Marian become the first Class A school from the county to ever win a state volleyball title. If he has a change of heart, it will be nice to see him stay at one of the state's best programs. If he doesn't, no doubt he'll end up somewhere else and lead another program to prominence because of what a great coach he is.

We're officially on to the regional final round of the state football playoffs after more district final action on Saturday. Also, there was some great volleyball district finals and the state cross country finals. All of this made for a banner Saturday, so in honor of that, Kosmo is offering a bonus night of 3 stars. Here are Kosmo's 3 stars for Saturday. Third star Grant Niemiec, Orchard Lake St. Mary's football - Niemiec has been great all year, but Kosmo has to give a shout out again for his performance in a 49-14 win over Avondale in a Division 3 district final. He ended up rushing for 150 yards and two touchdowns on 13 carries. Second star Rachel Dickerson, Clarkston volleyball - In what might have been the match of the year within the ranks of Oakland County volleyball, Clarkston beat Lake Orion in five games in a battle of state powers. The winner was going to have a great chance to get to Battle Creek, and that winner turned out to be Clarkston thanks in large part to Dickerson, who had 22 kills. In the deciding fifth game, Dickerson had seven kills. That's what you call senior leadership. First star Brian Kettle of Milford and Erin Finn of West Bloomfield - Kosmo thought it was appropriate to do a tag team since each won Division 1 state titles at the state cross country finals. Finn finished a brilliant career by winning her second straight state crown, while Kettle won his first individual crown to lead Milford to the team title. From a seer who can't run for than 10 feet without getting tired, Koz says congrats to both of you and you should be admired.

As expected, Friday night was a terrific kickoff to the district finals round of the state playoffs. Congratulations to Clarkston, Lake Orion, Novi Detroit Catholic Central, Oak Park and Walled Lake Western for advancing on to the regional finals. The NHL may still be in a lockout and canceled the Winter Classic at the Big House, but Kosmo will keep one NHL tradition going by handing out his 3 stars for Friday night's action. Third star The Lake Orion defense - It's hard to pick any one player for the Dragons monster of a defensive unit, so he'll just say the whole defense. It was simply brilliant in a 10-7 win over Utica Eisenhower, actually pitching a shutout because Eisenhower's only points came on a kickoff return for a touchdown. The defense held firm until the offense finally provided the game-winning points with two minutes left. Second star Anthony Darkangelo, Novi Detroit Catholic Central - Lots of credit for Catholic Central's blowout win at Walled Lake Northern should be given to David Houle, who ran for 130 yards on 17 carries. But not only did Darkangelo run for 120 yards and three touchdowns himself, he also spearheaded a CC defense that slowed down a high-powered Waled Lake Northern offense. Can somebody please offer this kid a college scholarship? First star Josh Jones, Walled Lake Western - The Warriors have the look of a championship-type of team, don't they? Western crushed a Fenton team that beat Harrison last week largely behind the play of Jones, who had 246 yards of total offense and five touchdowns. No wonder Illinois is so happy to have him.

Halloween is over, the World Series is over and the Presidential election isn't until Tuesday, so thank goodness there's some high school football playoff action going on Friday and Saturday. It's the district final round of the playoffs, and as Kosmo wrote about earlier this week, he can't recall a better week of matchups involving Oakland County teams in this second round. There are lots of things Kosmo is going to keep an eye out on, but here are his most compelling questions. Who will win the battle up front, Clarkston's offensive line or Grand Blanc's defensive line? - This is going to be one GREAT battle. Almost like a tug-of-war match between Hercules and He-Man. Clarkston's strength is its great offensive line, led by Illinois recruit Jesse Chadwell and junior Division 1 prospect Nick Matich, while Grand Blanc has two defensive ends who'll be playing Division I college football in Luke MacLean, who has committed to Pittsburgh, and Dan Davis, who will play at Toledo. Whichever unit has its way the most will likely determine which team wins. Can Catholic Central slow down Walled Lake Northern's offense? - Catholic Central is usually as intimidating as it gets on defense, and the Shamrocks have a likely all-state player in linebacker Anthony Darkangelo, not to mention Michigan-bound Wyatt Shallman at defensive end, just to name a few defensive standouts. But Walled Lake Northern hasn't been slowed down at all this year. The Knights have been scoring at will and could even give CC's vaunted defense problems. How healthy is Country Day junior running back Richie Wilson? - He's missed the past couple games due to injury, but is supposed to be back for a Division 4 district final at Pontiac Notre Dame Prep on Saturday night. If he's healthy, Country Day should win. If not, Notre Dame Prep could easily take advantage. Will the rematch between Southfield and Oak Park be just as good as the first one? - It's hard to imagine it being any better since the first game earlier in the season at Southfield was won in overtime by Oak Park, but Kosmo feels the rematch could top it. These teams couldn't be more even. Does Lake Orion have any reason to be worried against Utica Eisenhower? Absolutely. The Eagles are a team with size up front, led by David Curle, that can slow down Lake Orion's terrific ground game. Eisenhower also has a 3-year starter at quarterback in Joe Zerafa. The K-Man still thinks Lake Orion can win, but Eisenhower matches up well with the Dragons.