We are two days from the prep football season starting, and of course this week is only the first week of nine. However, Kosmo feels it will be a very important week for the following teams, who need good starts to this season. Birmingham Groves - The Falcons have some talent, most notably in the form of senior running back Ross Williams, who should have a big year. But slow starts have really hindered Groves in recent years and have put it out of the playoff hunt by the middle of the season. If the Falcons can gain some confidence early on, there's not telling what they can do in the OAA Blue. It will all start with a win at Bloomfield Hills. Holly - The Bronchos got off to bad starts in 2010 and 2011, but still rallied to make the playoffs both of those years. However, they couldn't recover from yet another slow start last season despite another late push, finishing 5-4 and out of the playoffs. Holly needs to correct those early-season troubles this year if it has any chance of once again returning to the postseason. Orchard Lake St. Mary's/Oak Park - These is going to be a crucial game on Friday at Wayne State. The loser of this game will already be facing an uphill battle to make the playoffs. Both teams play in two of the toughest leagues in the entire state (the CHSL Central for OLSM, the OAA White for Oak Park), and the loser will have to go a minimum of 5-3 or possibly 6-2 in order to get to the posteason. Rochester Adams - Coming off its first season where it didn't make the playoffs in 15 years, the Highlanders need to at the very least compete with Clarkston on Friday. If they do that, then will make a statement that they will indeed be a factor in the OAA White and a contender to make the postseason.