As most everyone was on Sunday night, Kosmo was glued to the TV to watch the playoffs Selection Show and he wasn't disappointed at all. Lots of great matchups were expected and a lot were delivered. Here are the ones the K-Man is looking forward to the most. Waterford Kettering at Walled Lake Northern - The over-under on points scored in this game could be 80 because both of these offenses can SCORE. It is also great to see Kettering is back in the playoffs since the last time it was in, Clinton was President and the Kozmobile was filled up for 99 cents a gallon. Novi Detroit Catholic Central at Northville - Catholic Centrsl usually rises to its best in the playoffs, but Kosmo is warning the Shamrocks to be wary of 8-1 Northville. This game could be better than people think. Stoney Creek at Rochester Adams - Rumor has it Stoney Creek has never beaten Adams. Well, rumor has these schools have never played in the playoffs and that Adams has never been in Division 1 for the playoffs. There is also a rumor that Kosmo hates rumors and that he hopes all of Rochester is on hand for this one. Oxford at Clarkston - The Wildcats might be the best 5-4 team in the state and the Wolves have won 8 straight. Add two of the most passionate fan bases around and this is as good as it gets. Clarkston Everest Collegiate at Waterford Our Lady of the Lakes - Just how familiar will these teams be with each other? Well, a lot of the players were teammates last year because they were merged programs. How ironic that not only did Everest make the playoffs in its first year as its own program, but it's debut comes against their small school brothers

Well, for many we are at the end. The regular season has come and gone and there won't be any playoff berths for a lot of teams, so for those the K-Man thanks you for your efforts this season and hope the offseason work leads to the playoffs next year. But for those who will be in the playoffs, Kosmo can't wait to see what the first-round match ups will be when the pairings are announced Sunday night. But since the show is still two days away Kosmo will focus on the best individual performances of Friday night. Here are your seer's 3 stars for Friday's football games. Third star Josh Holloman, Auburn Hills Avondale Kosmo doesn't think Avondale will get into the playoffs at 5-4, but boy is there plenty of hope for next season with Holloman. He will be one of the state's most dangerous backs next year, and he showed why by rushing for 219 yards on 24 carries in a win over Ypsilanti. Second star Maurice Ways, Country Day There was a lot of concern Country Day wouldn't make the playoffs after an 0-3 start, but the Yellowjackets rallied to win six in a row and are postseason bound following a big home win over Brighton. Ways paved the way, catching five passes for 181 yards. First star Wesley Maskill, Oxford Rather quietly, Maskill has emerged as a late season force who might have propelled Oxford into the playoffs at 5-4 tonight given the schedule Oxford had played. Oxford got to 5-4 largely because of Maskill, who ran for 236 yards and two touchdowns on 37 carries. That is about as clutch as it gets in a clutch game for the Wildcats.

Kosmo has been very interested in what has gone on with the state soccer playoffs this week and he couldn't help but notice something strange about what was supposed to be the "Rochester" regional. The regional final was supposed to be on Thursday night at Rochester, but since Traverse City West advanced, it will now take on Rochester Adams at 1 p.m. at Midland on Saturday afternoon. Kosmo has no issue with the site change since it is fair for the TC West team and fans to not have to drive 4 hours to Rochester. What is strange is that TC West is in a regional with southeast Michigan teams to begin with. You mean to say the MHSAA couldn't find a regional on the west side or the middle of the state to put TC West in? What about the regional at Saline? Surely one of those teams could at least have an easier drive to Rochester than TC West. It makes no sense, and sadly the MHSAA will suffer for it because Rochester is a soccer hotbed and with Adams in the regional final, a good crowd would have turned out at the original regional site. Now, not so much with a 2 hour ride for Adams.

If you would have told Kosmo a few weeks ago that there would be an OAA Red-White crossover between Oxford and West Bloomfield, Kosmo would not have been surprised. However, if you would have told Kosmo that same Oxford-W. Bloomfield game would have playoff implications for both, then Kosmo would've been downright stunned. Well, consider your seer stunned. Kosmo is happy to be surprised though, because a lot of credit should be given to both the Wildcats and Lakers going into a huge game on Friday at West Bloomfield. West Bloomfield has reeled off 4 wins in a row after a 1-3 start and will qualify for the playoffs automatically for just the third time in school history with a win. Meanwhile, Oxford is coming off a HUGE road win at Oak Park last week to make it 4-4. With the schedule the Wildcats have played, a win over West Bloomfield could be good enough to get them in the playoffs at 5-4. No doubt, the playoffs will essentially start on Friday at West Bloomfield

If you want a corny nursery rhyme, Kosmo can come up with one. "Week 8 was great! Week 8 was great! Oh what a fate that Week 8 was great!" Sorry, but your seer couldn't resist. But it is a good way to describe a tremendous night of performances by area athletes, so much so that Kosmo is really sad that next week is the final week of the regular season. So many shined, but in honor of the NHL, Kosmo can only pick 3 of them. Here are the 3 stars for Friday night's games. Third star Chauncey Bridges, North Farmington - Kosmo isn't sure what happened to the Raiders last week, but they sure rebounded with a big win at Hazel Park mainly because of Bridges, who ran for 271 yards and five touchdowns. Second star Ian Eriksen, Clarkston - Well, evidently Eriksen is back and healthy after missing much of this season with a foot injury. Arch rival Lake Orion will sure be seeing him in their sleep for the next few days, as he torched the Dragons by rushing for 234 yards and six touchdowns on 22 carries to lead the Wolves to a 49-28 rout. First star The Birmingham Seaholm defense - The K-Man doesn't usually like giving out stars to a collection of players, but the Seaholm defense sure deserves it after what it did in a 28-20 win over Groves in what was the biggest "Battle of Birmingham" ever. Seaholm somehow held electric Groves running back Ross Williams to 13 yards on seven carries, which is incredibly impressive given he had run for well over 1,000 yards coming into the game. What a job by the Maples defense, led by Dylan Kannan and Karl Marback.

As Kosmo wrote about on in his picks column, this week is rivalry week for football teams around the area, and of course the two big games that jump out are Birmingham Groves at Birmingham Seaholm and Lake Orion at Clarkston, and for good reason. The OAA Blue and OAA Red titles will be on the line, and in the case of the Groves-Seaholm game, it will be the first time ever they meet as unbeatens. But there is another rivalry game that might be a bit under the radar, but is very compelling to Kosmo. That would be the one at Rochester, where the host Falcons will face city rival Stoney Creek in what it is a very crucial game. It will definitely have the attention of playoff qualifiers from Macomb County, northern Oakland County and the Flint area, because potential district matchups and where teams are placed will be affected by whether or not both Rochester and Stoney Creek makes the playoffs. Stoney Creek is 5-2 and needs just one more win to qualify, but if 4-3 Rochester can somehow pull off two upsets on its home field the last two weeks (Rochester will host Adams next week), it will get in at 6-3. There are all many different playoff possibilities, from Stoney Creek clinching and Rochester being eliminated, to Rochester keeping its playoff hopes alive and both making it, or Rochester winning and then both losing in Week 9 to create a situation where neither makes it. It's fun stuff, which really should make for a compelling game. No doubt, Kosmo will be paying attention to what happens at Rochester on Friday night, as will others around the area.

There are a lot of great things about the city of Birmingham, especially with its sprawling downtown that puts Kosmo into serious credit card debt because Mrs. Kosmo can't resist all the fine shopping the area offers. But this week isn't about shopping, restaurants, fancy hotels/condo buildings, salons or anything else the posh city has to offer. This week all the rage and talk should be about high school football. Kosmo doesn't know if there has ever been a time where Groves and Seaholm have met as unbeatens so late in the season and with a league title on the line, but that will be the case on Friday when the two clash at Seaholm. There might also be a playoff matchup in a few weeks, but this is as good as it gets. The whole city and both schools hopefully are buzzing with anticipation and it should be a fun week for everyone involved. In a very rich area, it's good to see that the blue-collar world of high school football will captivate the attention of many this week.

Well, there were certainly some surprising results on Friday, weren't there. Kosmo didn't expect North Farmington to lose to Royal Oak, for Walled Lake Central to nearly knock off Walled Lake Western, for Berkley to give Groves a game or for Southfield to barely beat Adams, but all of the above took place. Guess anything can happen, especially this time of year when teams are fighting for playoff lives. But enough about the teams. It's time to get to the individual standouts, namely Kosmo's 3 stars for Friday night's football games. Third star Adam Tooley, Holly The Bronchos kept their playoff hopes alive largely to the play of Tooley, who caught six passes for 108 yards and set up the go-ahead score in the final minute with a 46-yard reception down to the Eaton Rapids 1. Holly scored from there to win 36-30. The Bronchos definitely had all the tools they needed with a weapon like Tooley. Second star Kyle Bambard, Walled Lake Western Again, there is nothing this kid can't do. He would sell the most hot dogs to if he was a concession worker. To help Western stave off rival Central and go unbeaten in the KLAA North, Bambard passed for 117 yards and two touchdowns, ran for 99 yards and a touchdown and kicked two field goals, including a 46-yarder. Kosmo has said it before and he will say it again about Bambard: What a player. First star Jermaih Johnson, Pontiac Notre Dame Prep All the attention heeped upon Johnson was well-deserved this past week, and Kosmo is glad his spies didn't jinx him. Johnson was the main reason Notre Dame Prep beat Lutheran North, rushing for 181 yards and four touchdowns. He is having another all-state season.

Week 6 of the prep football season is over, and Kosmo can't help notice some teams that are trending upward. Mind you, this doesn't include the unbeaten teams or the squads everyone knew would be good. Instead, these are the teams that maybe weren't supposed to be as good but are on good winning streaks and have better records than people thought. Here some of those moving upward. Auburn Hills Oakland Christian - The Lancers are finally enjoying a big taste of success in their sixth season. Following a 31-21 win over Rochester Hills Lutheran Northwest, Oakland Christian has won three in a row and is now 4-2 on the season. The Lancers are within striking distance for a playoff berth, which would be quite a story. Clarkston Everest Collegiate - The Mountaineers aren't playing like a first-year program, are they? Everest Collegiate is 5-1 on the year and on a four-game winning streak. One more win and it will do something few have, which is qualify for the playoffs in its first season. Novi - Kosmo admits he didn't think the Wildcats would be playing a league-title game in Week 7, but that is exactly what will be the case when Novi hosts Northville in the KLAA Central finale. The Wildcats have won four of five since a season-opening loss at Brighton. A great job by head coach Jeff Burnside to resurrect this program. Waterford Our Lady of the Lakes - Anybody remember the 0-2 start to the season the Lakers got off to? Neither does Kosmo. Following a 21-14 win over rival Royal Oak Shrine, the Lakers are now 4-2 and red-hot. Berkley - The Bears got off to a slow start, but have registered a couple of nice road wins in back-to-back weeks by winning at Avondale and then knocking off a Ferndale team with some talent despite its 1-5 records. Berkley now is 3-3 and has lots of momentum. The only problem is that the Bears have to deal with Ross Williams and unbeaten Groves this week.

So why isn't there a trophy dedicated to Kosmo out there? Just kidding. While your all-knowing one knows how popular he is around this fine county, he knows full well that trophies shouldn't be named after him. Instead, they should be named after coaches who win more than 400 games and are legendary, so kudos to St. Mary's for presenting Al Fracassa with a trophy that will be named after him and played for as long as Brother Rice and St. Mary's play (which will probably be a long time). While he doesn't have a trophy named after him, Kosmo is the only source for Friday's 3 stars. In honor of the NHL starting up this week, here they are. Third star Bobby Banks, Southfield Christian - How about those Eagles? Now 5-1 and on the verge of a playoff spot following a lopsided win over Lutheran Westland. Banks was a big hero for Southfield Christian, running for 155 yards on 14 carries. Second star Matt Sokol, Rochester Adams - Sokol obviously must have been inspired by seeing the 2003 team honored in a reunion, because he played like that bunch. Sokol ran for 289 yards and a touchdown on 24 carries for the Highlanders in a win over Farmington. Next up, a road date at Southfield. Should be a great one. First star Jason Alessi, Brother Rice - Big plays on special teams? Check. Another interception return for a touchdown on defense? Check. Showing why he might be the most versatile football player in Oakland County? Yep, Alessi did it again as Brother Rice finally won at St. Mary's and got to take home that trophy Kosmo was talking about.

The calendar has switched over to October, and even though the weather still feels like summer, all the important events coming up signal that the finish of Fall sports isn't too far off. This is Kosmo's favorite time of year and things are really about to get good. Consider all these big events coming up. Oakland County cross country meet - This will be held on Saturday at Kensington Metro Park, with the Seaholm girls and the Milford boys the heavy favorites. Oakland County girls swim meet - This will also be held on Saturday. As usual, Farmington Hills Mercy is the big favorite going in. Girls golf regionals - These tournaments around the state will take place next week, with most of them on Thursday, Oct. 10. The top 3 teams at each tournament advance to the state finals. Boys soccer playoffs - We are now less than two weeks from the start of the district round of the state tournament. Wow. Football playoff selection show - The pairings for the entire playoff field will be announced three weeks from this Sunday. Where has the season gone?