Kosmo Seer Speculation

Great rebound week for Bishop Foley

2012-01-30T08:09:00.000-08:00

It's always a given that there will be bumps in the road for a sports team, and Jan. 20 was one for the Madison Heights Bishop Foley boys basketball team when it didn't play its best game and lost at home to Pontiac Notre Dame Prep, 67-60.
But the sign of a good team is how it responds to such adversity, and last week proved that Bishop Foley is very resilient with the way it rebounded.
First, the Ventures went on the road to beat Detroit Loyola, which has handed Rochester its only loss of the season and won at Pontiac Notre Dame Prep earlier in the year.
Then, the Ventures won at Dearborn Divine Child last Saturday in another quality win.
Looks like Bishop Foley is very much back on track.
- There were a couple of nice individual accomplishments last week by area girls hoopsters that Kosmo wants to acknowledge.
First, North Farmington senior Jasmine Harris scored her 1,000th career point, further proving while she'll go down as one of the best girls players ever to play for the Raiders.
Then on Friday, Gabby Yurik became the all-time scoring leader at Stoney Creek in a 50-38 upset over Auburn Hills Avondale.
Kudos to both outstanding seniors.

Big hockey game on Saturday night

2012-01-27T11:32:00.000-08:00

Believe it or not, there's less than a month to go until the high school hockey playoffs start, so it's getting into crunch time for area teams and players.
This is about the point when league titles are going to be decided, and one will all but be decided on Saturday night when Clarkston plays Lake Orion in a battle for supremacy in the OAA Red.
This should only add even more flavor to this rivalry game, although it won't be as important should the teams meet in the pre-regional or regional round of the state tournament.
College and pro teams often talk about how there are no nights quite like Saturday night to play hockey, and Kosmo is sure Detroit Skate Club in Bloomfield Hills will be packed with fans from both schools when they meet on Saturday at 8 p.m.
What a great way to spend a Saturday night.
- Unless Southfield-Lathrup beats Clarkston at home on Feb. 28, Kosmo doesn't see the Wolves losing a game the rest of the way in the OAA Red. When Clarkston is clicking, it's just too hard of a team to defend.

Mega Thursday showdown

2012-01-25T10:15:00.000-08:00

Looking at the latest Oakland County boys hoops rankings on Sunday, Kosmo noticed that Clarkston and Southfield-Lathrup are the two best teams in the area. Looking at the schedule fora Thursday, Kosmo also noticed that Lathrup will go on the road to face....Clarkston.
Can you say anticipated showdown?
It will without question have a Friday night and state tournament feel on a January Thursday, because this might be the best game of the season so far.
It's so big that the game will be broadcasted live on WDFN-AM 1130 and a video broadcast will be shown after the game on MIPrepzone.com.
Lathrup junior point guard Jonathan Williams has been tearing up opponents all year and doubt wants to show he can produce against one of the elite defensive teams around, while Clarkston knows it needs to defend its home court if it wants to win another league title.
Get ready, everyone. This will be a special Thursday.

Honors keep piling up for Line

2012-01-24T11:51:00.000-08:00

Kosmo didn't think that Oxford senior Prescott Line could have many more honors bestowed upon him after being named Mr. Football and once again proving to be among the best wrestlers in the state, he has received yet another honor many don't. In this week's issue of "Sports Illustrated," Line will be featured in the "Faces in the Crowd" section, which honors prominent achievements from high school and college athletes from around the country.
It's another feather in the cap for what right now is the best high school male athlete in the county.
Please go to new stands to buy an issue to see for yourself, if you don't have a subscription already

Great reward for Church

2012-01-23T14:49:00.000-08:00

Even though football season has been over for a couple of months, Kosmo is still buzzing from the sight of Brother Rice running back Devin Church running roughshod over opponents in the playoffs.
Church had nearly 1,000 yards and nine touchdowns in five playoff games ALONE, which helped him set the single-season record for most rushing yards at Brother Rice.
On Sunday came evidence as to just how big time of a player Church is.
Originally committed to Northern Illinois, Church accepted a scholarship offer to Illinois, so he'll be playing in the Big 10.
Kosmo is surprised other in-state schools didn't pursue Church more heavily. He's fast and has more power than his 5-foot-9 frame would suggest.
Church definitely will go down as one of the all-time greats at Brother Rice and glad he'll now be a Big 10 players.
It's definitely well-deserved for the type of running back and person he is.
- Once again, Monday was a setback for area skiers. Just as the weather finally got cold and snowy, a rainy, 45-degree day essentially wiped all of that away and further delayed what has been a season mired in delays. Time is running out to salvage some sort of season since the state meet is a month away.

Bowling to take center stage

2012-01-20T07:55:00.000-08:00

January is usually one of the slowest months of the year in the preps season schedule since every sport is in the heart of the regular season and the playoffs are still a month away.
It's the definition of the dog days.
But there are two exceptions and they take place this weekend. Bowling will have moments in the sun this weekend with the annual county tournaments being held this weekend. The girls event will be held on Saturday at Fairlanes Bowl in Madison Heights, while the boys tournament will be at Thunderbird Lanes in Troy on Sunday.
Waterford Kettering won team titles in both genders last season and will be the defending champion. Given the snow and cold outside, there'll be no better time to head inside and watch some bowling.
- Now that there is snow on the ground and cold in the air, that's good news for area ski teams, which can finally get their season going. We'll now seen how many meets they can cram into a one month period. It should be interesting.

All-Star game rosters announced

2012-01-18T11:27:00.000-08:00

In the heart of basketball season, Kosmo has some football news to report. The rosters have been announced for the Michigan High School Football Coaches Association All-Star game at Central Michigan in June, and as usual, several Oakland County players will play for the East squad.
Those players are Aaron Burbridge of Farmington Hills Harrison, Danny Larkins of Madison Heights Madison, Devin Church of Birmingham Brother Rice, Matt Godin of Novi Detroit Catholic Central, Brent Zdebski of Walled Lake Western, Nate Cole of Bloomfield Hills Lahser, Tony Annese of Rochester Adams and Mr. Football winner Prescott Line of Oxford.
Congrats to all those individuals. Being in the all-star game adds to what have been great high school careers for each.
- In other football news, the games have been announced for the Prep Kickoff Classic at Wayne State University in August, an event that was formally the Big Prep Day Showdown at Eastern Michigan University.
There will be three Oakland County teams competing. Oak Park will play Detroit Crockett, Southfield will battle Detroit Martin Luther King while the main event will be a Saturday night game between Birmingham Brother Rice and Detroit Cass Tech in a game between the defending state champions in Division 2 and Division 1.

Clarkston center of preps hoops world

2012-01-17T11:48:00.000-08:00

Kosmo knows that it's usually a great time to be a member or fan of the Clarkston Wolves athletic program, but now may be a better time than it has ever been.
Right now, the center of the high school basketball world is Clarkston.
The girls team is unbeaten with an 11-0 record, looks to be the team to beat in the OAA Red and is one of the better teams in the state.
The boys team is unbeaten (8-0 going into Tuesday's game against Detroit Community), looks to be the team to beat in the OAA Red and is also one of the better teams in the whole state.
Those who love great high school basketball should be flocking to Clarkston right now, because it's on display multiple times during the week with the way the boys and girls teams are playing.
Now, Kosmo honestly hopes both lose at some point before the regular season ends. It wouldn't be a good thing to enter the playoffs unbeaten, but then again, it's hard to tell kids not to go out and try and win.
Whether each is unbeaten or not going into the playoffs, it should be a more fun March than usual around Clarkston.

Great win for Troy

2012-01-16T11:30:00.000-08:00

Last week, Kosmo was saying what an unfortunate start to the boys basketball season it was for Troy, which had been underperforming despite having some talent on the roster.
The Colts also seemed to have some other issues plaguing them, but maybe all that is in the rearview mirror after what Troy did on Saturday.
Going up against one of the state's top teams in Class B, Detroit Community, Troy came away with a six-point win over Community.
Junior James Young led the way with 32 points and showed why he is one of the top juniors in the country.
Each one of Troy's players should be lauded for this win and the character they displayed in the face of some criticism.
That's how good teams respond, and hopefully for Troy this will be a springboard to the rest of the season.
- Congrats indeed need to go out to Milford boys basketball Chip Lutz and his Mavericks squad, who are off to an 8-0 start this season after a win at Hartland on Friday. Hopefully those in the school are appreciating this start and the team effort Milford has displayed in each and every one of its games.

Different type of bonding needed

2012-01-13T08:38:00.000-08:00

Another day, another hazing scandal that rocks the high school sporting world. This time it's in Howell, where hockey coach Randy Montrose and his staff were fired for what Howell's school district called a hazing incident on a trip to Marquette last week.
The team supposedly had a runway show where players wore women's undergarments.
From what Kosmo has heard, this runway show actually occurs every year when Howell goes up to Marquette. Parents might very well be in attendance and know about this each year as a way to have fun and bond with the team.
For some reason, this year's incident was reported has hazing (did a player not get enough playing time and he and their parents thought this was the way to exact revenge on the coach by reporting to the school board?).
Regardless of what happened, Kosmo doesn't get how this is team bonding. Ditto for the whole brouhaha at Walled Lake Western a few months ago.
Whatever happened to movies, dinners, or card games (those that don't involve gambling money)as a means to have players get to know one another better?
Heck, have zip line sessions when the weather is nice out or weekend trips to an indoor or outdoor water park, depending on the time of year.
How about backyard cookouts with games and food?
It just seems curious to Kosmo why things such as runway shows or tying a kid to a pole or the things teams use to create team chemistry and bonding.
As evidence by what's taken place, those things tend to get everyone involved in big trouble.

County's best rivalry ready to be renewed

2012-01-11T09:56:00.000-08:00

Winter might not bring about a lot of warmth (although Kosmo is loving these 45 degree and sunny days), but there is one thing that comes around in winter that no other time of year has.
If there is a better sports rivalry in the county than Clarkston vs. Pontiac in basketball, Kosmo would like to know what it is.
These teams usually provide marvelous, entertaining basketball, which is why the famed Sy Green gymnasium will be the place to be on Thursday when the Wolves and Phoenix meet for the first time this season.
Clarkston enters with an unbeaten record and has been blowing out teams with regularity, while Pontiac is coming off a lopsided loss at Southfield-Lathrup and should be an angry bunch.
Sometimes winter produces some great joys, and Thursday night will be another example.

Rising Phoenix girls

2012-01-10T18:21:00.000-08:00

Coming into the season, Pontiac thought there was some potential with the Pontiac boys basketball team, since the Phoenix usually are one of the county's best each year. However, Kosmo didn't expect a whole lot out of the girls team at Pontiac even though Kosmo is a fan of Lance Davis, who took over the reigns of the program and has had success at other schools.
Well, Davis and the rest of the Pontiac team he's guiding has made Kosmo eat his words.
Pontiac is proving that it will be a contender in the OAA Red with a 6-2 record overall and really made a statement with a 14-point road win at Troy on Tuesday.
Pontiac only lost by one point at Southfield-Lathrup last week, so despite thoughts that this would be a rebuilding year at Pontiac, the Phoenix are a legitimate threat to win an OAA Red title.
- Another team that is having a season Kosmo didn't expect is Novi Detroit Catholic Central, although that's been a negative so far. The Shamrocks entered the season with nine seniors and maybe the best team they've had in a long time, but so far have struggled to score. Catholic Central only scored 37 points in a loss to De La Salle on Tuesday and just haven't gotten into an offensive rhythm. With a senior-laden team, there's a good chance Catholic Central will figure it out, but hopefully it's sooner rather than later.

Fighting a losing battle with parents

2012-01-09T08:08:00.000-08:00

There's a longstanding joke among members of the media regarding what it's like to deal with parents who are out of control.
It goes something like this: "The best school to cover athletics at would be at an orphanage. Why? Because there are no parents."
Unfortunately, that seems to be the case more and more each year. All Kosmo has to do and see what's going on at Troy right now.
The Colts aren't playing to their talent level and there's signs of pouting and moping all over with players.
As spy Keith D. said in Sunday's Oakland Press, the problem is not head coach Gary Fralick. He's as good as it gets as a human being, an educator and a coach. If players can't play for him, then there isn't anybody they can play for, college coaches included.
Kosmo isn't around Troy, but he has a feeling kids and parents are at the center of the conflict.
Then the K-Man read a report about how the Grosse Pointe Woods University Liggett girls basketball coach quit because of parental issues. Oh, and by the way, Liggett made the state title game in Class C this year and has a definite shot to win it all this year.
Yikes.
Kosmo sure feels sorry for the assistant who has to take the reigns now. He or she will probably agree soon that it'd be better to coach at an orphanage also.

Underrated part of Clarkston's success

2012-01-07T07:59:00.000-08:00

Apparently, Clarkston couldn't miss if it was shooting from Lake Orion in its 66-32 win over North Farmington on Friday, as the Wolves buried 13 shots from 3-point range in the rout.
But things Kosmo noticed once again with the Wolves wasn't the shooting barrage that resulted in lots of points, but how Clarkston prevented points.
The defense at Clarkston is where productive players seem to go and die since the Wolves seem to shut down the opposition's best players better than anyone.
Caleb McIntosh and Marcarius Coakley have been on fire this year (Coakley scored 39 on Friday against Flint Carman-Ainsworth), but were non-existent against Clarkston.
Dorrell Foster of North Farmington had two games where he scored over 30 points this season, but Clarkston limited him to 16 points.
Yes, the Wolves can shoot the ball and do what they usually do on offense in terms of moving the ball so well and getting good shots.
However, it's defense that's the glue of Clarkston's success. Just ask any star player.
- On second thought, maybe Clarkston's defense won't be able to stop Southfield-Lathrup's Jonathan Williams when the teams play twice this season. Williams was at it again on Friday against Pontiac, pouring in 32 points for Chargers. Williams is averaging over 26 points a game this year and has maybe been the county's top player thus far.
- It looks like this could be another special year for Holly. The Bronchos are off to a 5-1 start and look to be one of the favorites to win an improved Flint Metro conference.

When will ski season start?

2012-01-05T11:06:00.000-08:00

Usually when January arrives, it also means that the high school ski season is about to start.
Kosmo has serious doubts that's going to happen soon though.
Usually by this time, temperatures are way below freezing and there's already been plenty of snow that's fallen.
Looking out from his cave in northern Oakland County, Kosmo sees nothing but grass and no snow.
He also sees a weather forecast that calls for 45 degrees and sunny on Friday and temperatures between 35 and 40 degrees for the initial days of next week with little snow.
Yes, ski lodges can and have made snow, but that still won't do much good if temperatures hover around 40 and the sun is out for the near future.
One of the shortest high school sports seasons looks like it will get even shorter with teams having to wait until colder weather arrives.
Even at that point, they'll have to cram lots of meets and invites into a shorter amount of time.

Oxford-CC ready to tussle again

2012-01-03T08:03:00.000-08:00

First of all, Happy New Year to everyone out there. Kosmo enjoyed a cold, but relaxing holiday break in his cave with all the hibernating bears and is fully recharged as the high school sports season gets back into full swing this week.
The K-Man is looking forward to a terrific 2012.
Anyway, Kosmo is also looking forward to the renewal of what lately has been one of the county's best sports rivalries when Oxford meets Novi Detroit Catholic Central in a wrestling match on Wednesday.
This no doubt was a terrific rivalry in 2011 with Catholic Central winning the county meet, but Oxford edging out the Shamrocks in the Division 1 state finals. The only question is whether this will be a rivalry in 2012.
While Oxford lost a good portion of its wrestlers from last year, Catholic Central returned a lot and has been dominant this year. What takes place on Wednesday will determine if this will be a great rivalry again as 2012 progresses, or if CC will simply take control of it and dominate.

Happy holidays

2011-12-23T08:38:00.000-08:00

Christmas is just two days away and New Year's Day is only nine days away, so that means there isn't much time left to enjoy the holidays. Given that, Kosmo is going to take some time away from this blogosphere and relax in his cave for a few days. But don't worry, your seer will return bright and early in 2012, so be sure to check back then for more insight on the high school sports world.
Koz hopes people enjoy all the holiday tournaments next week, particularly the Motor City Roundball Classic at Country Day, which will host five days of girls and boys basketball games.
Happy holidays to you and yours and we'll see you in 2012!

Good one at Clarkston

2011-12-21T08:56:00.000-08:00

Tis the time of year for holiday tournaments and games that really don't carry a lot of intensity in the big picture of things, but that actually won't be the case at Clarkston on Thursday night.
In what should be an interesting matchup to say the least, Troy Athens will play at Clarkston in an Oakland Activities Association boys basketball crossover.
Normally this might not seem like that big of a deal since Clarkston is traditionally a way better program than Athens, but remember a couple of things.
One, Athens beat Clarkston at Athens last year in December. That was no doubt one of the best wins Athens has had in recent memory, so that'll give the Red Hawks some confidence going into Clarkston's gym, and of course it will also give Clarkston plenty of incentive for payback.
Two, these are two teams that are off to a good start. The Wolves haven't lost yet and won at Orchard Lake St. Mary's to open the season, while Athens is also unbeaten with wins over a good Troy team and an improved Oxford team this season.
Without doubt, Thursday should be a lot more entertaining than your usual December game.
- The last two seasons the girls basketball teams with the best chances of getting to the state's final four were Birmingham Detroit Country Day in Class B and Waterford Our Lady of the Lakes in Class D. Doesn't look like much is different this year. With Country Day and WOLL have terrific guard combinations back and no standout Class A team in the area this year, the Yellowjackets and Lakers once again are the best bets to reach East Lansing

Not much holiday after all

2011-12-19T08:04:00.000-08:00

Friday was a glorious day for high school students around the area, given for most, if not all, it was the last day of school before a two-week break for the holidays.
However, don't think that this means it'll be two weeks where hardly any high school sports will take place.
That is not the case at all.
In fact, high school athletes will still be plenty busy over the next couple of weeks even though they won't be in school.
This week will feature some interesting contests, such as Novi Detroit Catholic Central vs. Birmingham Brother Rice in hockey on Wednesday and Troy Athens at Clarkston in a boys basketball game on Thursday. Athens will also host Oxford on Tuesday in what should be a competitive game.
Then after Christmas Day, Birmingham Detroit Country Day will play host to the annual Motor City Roundball Classic, which features teams from around the county, the state and even the Midwest competing in a five-day event where each boys and girls team will play at least two games.
Add the fact that other schools are hosting holiday tournaments/invitationals in their respective sports, it's further proof that high school athletes won't be resting on their laurels even though school will be out until Jan. 3

Resurrecting gym at Pontiac Central

2011-12-16T07:11:00.000-08:00

It's basketball season once again, which means Kosmo once again gets to read up on games that take place Pontiac's legendary Sy Green gymnasium. Other than Country Day's gym, there is no other gym that's as big of a mecca for high school basketball.
Actually, Kosmo takes that back.
There is another, but it is sitting idle when games possibly could still be taking place in it.
The fabled gym at Pontiac Central has stood empty for three years since the school closed, as the old court and stands are essentially collecting dust.
Since nobody is using it, why not hold some games there? Kosmo isn't saying Pontiac should play all home games there, but a two, three or four a year would probably be a neat thing.
Who in the city wouldn't want to go back and watch a game in that gym?
And especially with boys and girls basketball in the same season, using Central's old gym every once in a while would definitely helped the cramped facilities issue with three boys teams and three girls teams in need of gym time/space.
Kosmo doesn't care if other parts of the building are in shambles and locked up. Just open up the gym and welcome back a great piece of tradition for all who remember it so well.

Lathrup sends a message

2011-12-14T08:14:00.000-08:00

Reading up on Matt Mowery's outstanding game report of the Southfield-Lathrup vs. Troy girls basketball game on Tuesday, Kosmo admits he was one of those people who thought Lathrup was in for a down year.
It's not easy to replace talented players who are tall, and the Chargers had to move on without two of them after Amber McCann and Ginnisica Lawler graduated.
But Michele Jackson's team showed that it is still going to be a team to be reckoned with, earning a 49-47 win at a solid Troy team.
The OAA Red was thought to be a wide-open race, and it still is. But if people didn't have Lathrup as a contender for a league title already, it does now.
- Tuesday's basketball action saw a pair of teams win thanks to improbable half-court shots. In a 52-48 Rochester Adams win at Oxford, Lauren Boyle of Adams nailed a half-court shot at the buzzer to send the game into overtime. The Highlanders took advantage of the momentum and won from there. At Hamtramck in a boys game between host Hamtrack and Hazel Park, the visiting Vikings prevailed, 40-38, after Damon Hannon hit a half-court shot at the buzzer. This is the time of the year for miracles, and two happened on the basketball court on Tuesday.
- It was another dominant performance from Clawson forward/center Alli Costine on Tuesday. In a 40-38 overtime win at Center Line, Costine had 28 points and 20 rebounds for the Trojans. Talk about the definition of a force on the interior.

An underrated rivalry

2011-12-12T08:01:00.000-08:00

It's pretty well-known that the most decorated boys basketball rivalries in Oakland County are Clarkston vs. Pontiac and Orchard Lake St. Mary's vs. Country Day.
There are few rivalries in the state that have as much tradition and seemingly go back and forth as these games.
But there was more evidence this past Friday to why Troy vs. Troy Athens is another great boys basketball rivalry, perhaps as good as any in the area.
No matter the records of each team, the Colts and Red Hawks always seem to play close games.
Kosmo thought that Friday might be a time where the Colts would have a decided edge and produce a lopsided result, since Troy has one of the best juniors in the state in James Young and plays up a Division within the OAA from Athens.
But Athens not only dispelled any notions of a blowout, but it beat the Colts on a game-winning shot from Caleb McIntosh with 2.7 seconds remaining.
It had to have bedlam at Athens and added another chapter to what is a rivalry full of close, intense games. It's why it's one of the more underrated rivalries in the area.
- There was another team from the OAA Blue that got a big win on Friday other than Athens, and that team was Rochester. The Falcons got a big road win at Southfield, which is obviously depleted from the last two years when it advanced to the state semifinals. But still, an OAA Blue team winning at an OAA Red opponent is a significant achievement.

Ross will be boss in San Antonio

2011-12-09T08:42:00.000-08:00

As if Orchard Lake St. Mary's senior linebacker James Ross hadn't accomplished enough this season by helping the Eaglets to the Division 3 state title and earning all-state honors, he received an honor few around the country do on Friday.
Ross on Friday was selected to play in the prestigious U.S. Army All-American Bowl on Jan. 7 in San Antonio, which is the most reknown high school football all-star game in the country.
The game will feature the best high school football players from around the country, so if there were any doubts as to just how great of a high school player Ross has been for St. Mary's, than those can't be in play anymore now.
Michigan and head coach Brady Hoke are certainly lucky to have him, and Ross will get to show the nation just why on Jan. 7.

Friendly rivalry

2011-12-08T11:34:00.000-08:00

The boys basketball season opens on Friday for traditional state powers Clarkston and Orchard Lake St. Mary's, and Kosmo is happy to see that the two are opening up the season against ..... each other.
The Wolves and Eaglets will hook up in a season opener at St. Mary's in what will be a game between not only strong programs, but as friendly of rivals as you can have.
As many know, St. Mary's head coach George Porritt is a native and alumn of Clarkston and roots for the Wolves harder than any other team in the state with the exception of his.
When the teams met last season, Clarkston head coach Dan Fife spoke about how hard it was to win a game against a good friend like Porritt.
All this would've made it really uncomfortable for both had they met in the Class A state quarterfinals last year, which nearly happened.
If Clarkston would've found a way to upset Bay City Western and MSU bound Matt Costello, the Wolves and Eaglets would've played in the quarterfinals.
But it didn't happen, and now the teams will meet again in the season opener for 2011-12.
It should be a great game and atmosphere in the storied St. Mary's gym.

Get ready to rumble

2011-12-06T11:36:00.000-08:00

We've already seen the season for preps hockey and basketball start in the past weeks, and now another major sport will get underway on Wednesday.
It'll be the first day of contests for wrestling teams around the state, and Kosmo is actually happy to see the grapplers are back, particularly after how exciting of a finish it was to last year's season.
In case you forget, one of the most exciting prep events within the county in quite some time took place last February when Oxford beat Novi Detroit Catholic Central by one point in the Division 1 state final in a championship that came down to the final match.
There were then numerous individual champions the following week at The Palace of Auburn Hills at the individual state finals.
Yes, it seems like yesterday all that happened, but it actually was about 9 months ago. Time does fly, but Kosmo is happy to see area wrestlers back in action starting on Wednesday.
Kosmo's main man Marvin will come out with his season preview in Sunday's edition of the Oakland Press, so be sure to read that.
- Looks like the European basketball influence will be alive and well in the county this season with a couple of big men from Eastern Europe playing at two area schools this winter.
Walled Lake Western will have a 6-10 player from Serbia named Miroslav Jaksic, a junior who already is being recruited by Big 10 schools. Country Day also has a Division I college prospect in senior Robert Puleikis, a 6-9 big man from Lithuania.
Puleikis has already been offered a scholarship by Central Michigan.
Both players can score from inside and on the perimeter as is the case with many European big men. They should be fun to watch and a nightmare to guard for opponents.

Look out for Walled Lake Western

2011-12-05T08:23:00.000-08:00

This past fall Walled Lake Western drew a lot of attention on the football field for both good and bad reasons with its run to the Division 2 state semifinals and a hazing scandal as well.
This winter, look for the Warriors to make some headlines as well with what could be the most intriguing basketball team it's had in years.
Western has a new head coach in Ra'Redding Murray, a former coach at Detroit Crockett who led that school to the state's final four and coached former Michigan State standout Maurice Ager.
Murray will have some talented transfers coming in, led by 6-10 Serbian center Miroslav Jaksic, one of the top junior prospects in the state who played last year in Canada. The Warriors also will have one of the area's top freshman in Jalin Gardner and a solid point guard in Korey Wade.
Western isn't known traditionally as a basketball school, but there should be a lot of excitement around the Warriors program this winter.

A salute to Lantzy

2011-12-02T13:28:00.000-08:00

Rarely does Kosmo talk about any high school sports news involving a school not in Oakland County, but he feels one recent development is worth talking about.
Utica Eisenhower football coach Bob Lantzy retired after 41 yards on the job this past Wednesday, the end of a legendary career.
He was the only coach the school had ever had and won 13 league championships. He also led his team to four state title game appearances, with two major heartbreaks among those games.
Eisenhower was an onside kick away from beating Grand Ledge in 2000, but Grand Ledge recovered that onside kick and scored a touchdown in the final seconds to pull out a win.
A year later, Eisenhower lost 24-21 to Catholic Central, giving up a touchdown on a fourth-and-goal from inside the 5 with over a minute remaining.
It was too bad it wasn't in the cards for Lantzy to win a state title, but that still doesn't diminish a wonderful career record wise and more importantly, impact wise.
A terrific gentleman in addition to a great coach, Lantzy positively impacted the lives of so many kids over the last four decades.
Certainly too many to count and a reason why he should be saluted for a great career.

Letter to Cass Tech coach a disgrace

2011-11-30T08:35:00.000-08:00

Why can't Detroit Cass Tech just enjoy its first state football title in school history? Why do the Technicians have to face an onslaught of bigotry in the aftermath of their 49-13 win over Catholic Central in the Division 1 state final last Saturday.
It's sickening that just because an inner city team has success, people think it was sheer blind fate and those players are ultimately going to be failures in life, but unfortunately that was the tone of a letter sent to Cass Tech coach Thomas Wilcher in the wake of what was a great triumph for not only Cass Tech, but the Detroit Public School League.
A letter accused Cass Tech players of not having academic standards and that in a few years the players will end up in jail, unemployed or on drugs.
Disgusting and totally mindless.
Just because some inner city football players beat the snot out of a traditional private school power filled with suburban kids doesn't mean it was a case of "hoodlems" having their day.
Would the same thing have been said had Utica Eisenhower made the final and recorded a 49-13 win?
Those Cass Tech kids played great and deserve credit and well wishes going forward. By the way, many of those kids will be going to play football in college with a chance to earn a degree. Two are going to play at Michigan. Last Kosmo checked, those with college degrees do pretty well in life.
It's a shame such stupidity and bigotry exists in this society. Kosmo is happy to hear the Catholic Central people are just as upset about it, because administrators have done a search of alumni and students in hopes of tracking the sicko down, but haven't found anybody of that name with any affiliation to the school.

Final 3 football stars of the year

2011-11-29T07:37:00.000-08:00

The girls basketball preview done so well by Kosmo's spies has come out, which means one thing: Football season must officially be over.
Indeed, it was a fast few months from the start of practice in August to the state finals this past weekend, but the 2011 is in the books.
As the K-Man has done all season, he'll offer his 3 stars of the week for what was the final football week of the season.

Third star
Jayru Campbell, Detroit Cass Tech - OK, so Campbell doesn't play for an Oakland County school. Still, it's hard to ignore his performance in a shocking blowout of Novi Detroit Catholic Central in the Division 1 final. Just a freshman, that's right, a freshman, Campbell threw for 240 yards and tied a state record with five touchdown passes. I guess that means we'll be hearing a lot about this kid over the next three years.

Second star
Spencer McInnis, Orchard Lake St. Mary's - The Eaglets ended years of frustration in the state finals with a 45-7 shellacking of Mt. Pleasant in the Division 3 final. McInnis ran left, right, up the middle and everywhere else on the Oilers, finishing with over 200 yards and three touchdowns. Hopefully some college program will give this kid a shot.

First star
Devin Church, Birmingham Brother Rice/Prescott Line, Oxford - Sorry, but the K-Man has to have this honor shared this week because both are deserving. Church continued his holy play in the state playoffs, rushing for 244 yards and two touchdowns in a 24-14 win over Lowell in the Division 2 state final, in the process setting a school record for rushing yards in a season. In what classifies as a brilliant decision, Line was voted as the Player of the Year in Division 1-2 after he made a million tackles on the season at linebacker and ran for seemingly a billion yards at running back. There was no other player even close to measuring up.

Detroit's team

2011-11-25T08:01:00.000-08:00

On Saturday in the Division 1 state football final, the two teams involved will both have "Detroit" in their names. However, only one will have the rooting interest of the city of Detroit.
No doubt, Detroit Cass Tech will be the sentimental favorite when it takes on Novi Detroit Catholic Central on Saturday.
This will be a classic case of city public school vs. an affluent suburban private school, which is always something that brings out more emotion than usual for your average high school sporting event.
Cass Tech will likely play on that theme, saying how it's playing for the PSL and the city it resides.
Heck, Cass Tech won't even need to take a bus to the game since it can walk the roughly two miles from its school to Ford Field.
Expect a very enthusiastic crowd and expect many around the state to be rooting for Cass Tech.
- It's hard to believe, but Orchard Lake St. Mary's has lost five state championship games in a row since winning its first four in school history. Kosmo thinks the Eaglets will be 5-5 in title games on Saturday. St. Mary's will benefit from its experience and will outlast what is a good Mt. Pleasant team.

An old tired argument

2011-11-20T18:39:00.000-08:00

The state football finals have arrived, and Kosmo can hear the shouting from people with Catholic League powers Novi Detroit Catholic Central, Birmingham Brother Rice and Orchard Lake St. Mary's have advanced to the championship games in their respective divisions.
"There needs to be a separate football tournament for private and public schools!"
Please. Those who feel that way need to grow up.
First of all, public schools recruit now just as much private schools with open enrollment.
Second, people will probably be shocked to know that six of the last seven state championships in Division 1 have been won by public schools. In Division 2, Brother Rice's titles in 2000 and 2005 were the only times a non-public school won championships in that Division. Otherwise, it's been all public schools. Since the playoffs expanded to eight Divisions in 1999, no private school has won a title in Division 3.
Maybe people are right. There should be separate tournmaments because public schools have been too dominant.
In addition, how often would people be saying during a given season that "Wow, it'd be nice of Lowell and Brother Rice played to see who was really the best in Division 2, or if Catholic Central and Rockford could play in the Division 1 semifinals or finals. Too bad there are separate tournaments."
It'd be like following college football and not seeing LSU play Alabama.
Having separate playoffs for private and public schools is a ridiculous idea, and it's too bad it's nonsense Kosmo has to hear all week with Catholic Central, Brother Rice and St. Mary's playing for titles.

Game of the Century?

2011-11-18T07:57:00.000-08:00

There's usually a lot of buzz each year about a supposed "Game of the Century" in college football, where two titans clash in a game that people insist won't be seen for many years.
The only problem is that there usually is a game the following year where the same is said.
LSU-Alabama was this year's "Game of the Century," but Kosmo feels Saturday will offer a "Game of the Century" on the high school ranks within Michigan.
For the last decade, many around the state have looked at the playoff pairings in late October and said "Hey, Catholic Central and Rockford are going to play in this round."
The only problem is that it hasn't happened due to upsets along the way, especially in the regional final round (Rockford in 2009, Catholic Central last year).
Finally though, the stars have aligned.
The "Game of the Century" will finally happen when Division 1 superpowers Catholic Central and Rockford meet in a state semifinal on Saturday at Battle Creek Harper Creek.
Hopefully this won't be like LSU-Alabama and will actually live up to the hype.
- Forgotten in all the hype surrounding the football semifinals and volleyball finals this weekend is the fact that the state girls swimming and diving finals will be held. Good luck to all area swimmers and divers in their ultimate and final meet of the season.

Great day for OAA volleyball

2011-11-16T08:07:00.001-08:00

It used to be that volleyball teams in the county were way inferior to those around the rest of the state because no team had ever won a state volleyball title.
That all has changed the past few years with Pontiac Notre Dame Prep (2007) and Birmingham Marian (2009, 2010) winning state championships and Farmington Hills Mercy advancing to the state's final four the last two years.
But one could've argued that it was just a case of the area's Catholic League powers taking over and that the public school teams were still very weak and vulnerable.
Not anymore.
There will indeed be another all-Oakland County matchup in Battle Creek on Thursday, but it won't be Mercy vs. Marian as it has been the last two years in Cereal City (the semifinals two years ago, the final last year).
Instead, it'll be OAA Red and overall athletic arch rivals Clarkston and Lake Orion hooking up in a Class A state semifinals.
Kosmo hopes sports fans of these two schools show up in droves in Battle Creek because this is a once-in-a-lifetime type of deal to not only see these two rivals play on a such a big state tournament stage in any sport, but to also see that the OAA looks to be arriving as a conference that can produce state title contenders in volleyball.

3 Stars for regional finals

2011-11-14T07:53:00.000-08:00

Two down and four more left. That is what the prep football scene in Oakland County is like now going into the state semifinals. Birmingham Brother Rice, Novi Detroit Catholic Central, Orchard Lake St. Mary's and Walled Lake Western are still alive and are one win away from going to Ford Field.
But while Kosmo is excited about the state semifinals, he offers his 3 stars of the regional round.

Third star
Jason Gamble, Walled Lake Western
What a week it was for the Warriors senior. On Thursday, he had a signing ceremony to officially declare that he'll be playing baseball at Central Michigan. Then a day later on the football field, Gamble was dominant along the defensive line, registering two sacks, a forced fumble and blowing up numerous other running plays for Port Huron.

Second star
Devin Church, Birmingham Brother Rice
Following an outstanding game against Farmington Hills Harrison the week before, Church was at it again in a 16-6 win over Southfield, rushing for 154 yards and two touchdowns on 22 carries. Now, he and the Warriors will gear up to face one of the state's best in the semifinals, Dennis Norfleet of Detroit Martin Luther King.

First star
Zac Leimbach, Walled Lake Central
Even though the Vikings lost to Utica Eisenhower handily, this is more in tribute to the season Leimbach had. Seeing your father die of cancer before the season has to be a lot for anyone to handle, but the terrific season Leimbach had is a tribute to his character and ability. He's definitely a role model for adults and children a like with the way he's handled a horrible situation.

Some similiarities/differences between Penn State and W.L. Western

2011-11-10T18:09:00.000-08:00

Seeing all the media coverage of Penn State's sex abuse scandal in recent days has reminded Kosmo of another recent scandal locally involving the hazing incident at Walled Lake Western.
To Kosmo there are plenty of differences and similarities between the two incidents.

Differences
Obviously, the crime is much more heinous at Penn State than at W.L. Western. Having a kid tied to a pole is nowhere near as appalling as sexually abusing children. The main perpetrators involved in the Penn State scandal are adults who acted like ignorant kids. The perpetrators in the W.L. Western case are kids. At Penn State, people lied in front of a grand jury. At Western, people just haven't been talking much. Also, the cover-up at Penn State was years of ignorance. In defense of Western, everything happened so quickly that it didn't have a lot of time to react. One final difference is that a grand jury has released the evidence of the Penn State scandal. The Wixom Police Department still hasn't released anything regarding Western.

Similarities
For one, there's been blame towards media and accusations of a "mob mentality" at both places since the victims have seemed to be secondary to preserving the institutions that are the football programs. At Penn State, students rioted when Joe Paterno got fired. At W.L. Western, parents attended a school board meeting to voice their support for an assistant coach and the team. In both cases, many didn't have the victims as first and foremost on their minds. Another big similiarity is the level of the cover-ups. It was bad in both cases. Again, both places seemed more concerned about protecting the football institutions instead of putting the interest of victims first, and thus were not honest about what really took place. It made both look MUCH worse. Further details of both incidents will probably continue to come out in the future.

Recruiting news for multiple sports

2011-11-08T12:04:00.000-08:00

A little recruiting update from you all-knowing one.
First of all, one of the state's top football prospects has made a decision on where he'll play in college, as Southfield senior tight end/defensive lineman Ron Thompson has committed to play for Syracuse.
Thompson is a 6-foot-6, 235-pound manchild who is fast and shifty for someone his size. He'll likely be a tight end in college, and possibly an unstoppable one.
In addition, Wednesday is another important day for area high school athletes since it's national signing day for sports such as basketball, volleyball, baseball, softball and golf.
The whole county will be dotted with signing day ceremonies over the next couple of days, so keep reading the Oakland Press and MIPrepZone.com to see who is signing where.
Wednesday won't be signing day for football players. That day will come on the first Wednesday of February.

Kosmo's 3 stars for district finals

2011-11-06T17:38:00.000-08:00

Well, Kosmo certainly took it on the chin last week. Just as your seer thought he had this forecasting business down pat, surprises dot the area football landscape in last week's district final round.
Kosmo certainly didn't expect Clarkston, Farmington Hills Harrison or Madison Heights Madison to lose, but that's how it goes.
Give lots of credit to Walled Lake Central and Birmingham Brother Rice for being physically dominant in their wins over Clarkston and Harrison, respectively.
Also give credit to Kosmo's 3 stars for the district final round.

Third star
The Walled Lake Western defense - These Warriors won't go away, will they? Despite all the adversity, Western is still very much alive in the Division 2 playoffs after a 3-0 shutout of South Lyon at home.

Second star
K.J. Schultz, Walled Lake Central - Is there a better slotback in the county than Schultz? He can amass 100 yards rushing and receiving on a given night and was an unstoppable force against Clarkston, collecting over 100 all-purpose yards and scoring two touchdowns.

First star
Devin Church, Birmingham Brother Rice - This award could be given to the whole Brother Rice team after its surprising dominance of Harrison. But Church was absolutely brilliant. He entered the game knowing he would have to carry a big load with backup DeShun Brown out of the game with a foot injury. Showcasing his power, speed and elusiveness, Church ran for 159 yards and three touchdowns on 32 carries. A masterpiece.

Hazing scandal gettng uglier

2011-11-04T08:17:00.000-07:00

On Thursday night in his cave in northern Oakland County, Kosmo watched the livestream of the Walled Lake Consolidated Schools board of education meeting, where many people attended to speak about the hazing incident involving the Walled Lake Western football team.
Many spoke in support of assistant coach Bill Brenner, who hosted the team function at the which the hazing of the player occurred. The player was taped to a pole with his mouth taped shut and reportedly struck.
Anyway, Kosmo didn't have a problem with the way the people supported Coach Brenner. He has had a big impact in the community as a teacher and coach and one mistake or oversight at a team dinner should not overshadow that.
Here is what was sickening though.
Not ONE person came to the podium to speak on behalf of the victim. Not one person acknowledged that the most important thing here is to ensure the victim's well-being and that he could lead a normal life.
One person talked about how his son gave the victim rides and tried to be nice to him, but that all of that stopped after a while and he told his father "Dad, this is hard to do?"
Maybe that kid should've imagined what it was like to walk the halls of the school in the victim's shoes.
The concern for the victim was an afterthought among the people who attended. Couldn't one have come up and said "We're going to try all we can do to help the victim through this process?"
It was SOLELY about Coach Brenner and it was all about how this has affected the team.
Disgusting. Absolutely disgusting.

Great showcase for Avondale, Andover

2011-11-01T14:06:00.000-07:00

Semifinal matchups in any sport between two county teams are already memorable events to begin with, but they become even more memorable when there are heartwarming angles to it.
Such is the case for the Division 2 boys soccer state semifinal between Auburn Hills Avondale and Bloomfield Hills Andover on Wednesday.
Kosmo couldn't be happier for Avondale head coach Dave Muczynski and Andover head coach Geoff Parkinson, two terrific coaches and gentleman who finally get a shot at the semifinals after years of waiting.
It'll also be nice to see that this game is at Avondale, so both teams should have rabid fan bases on hand.
It'll almost feel like a state championship football game.
Avondale is also playing for a former player who recently died of cancer, Keith Duncan, who graduated in 2004.
Finally, it'll be nice knowing that at least one county team will be represented in the Division 2 state championship game on Saturday.
This should all make for a special night at Avondale on Wednesday. Kosmo can't wait to see what happens.

3 stars for first round of playoffs

2011-10-31T12:01:00.000-07:00

And then there were 14.
There were 28 teams from Oakland County entering the start of the state football playoffs, and now that has been cut in half. The first round last week produced its share of upsets (Kosmo told you on Friday that someone was goin' down) and great performances.
Here are Kosmo's 3 stars for the first round of the playoffs.

Third star
Zac Leimbach, Walled Lake Central
Count Kosmo among those who didn't think the Vikings would go into Lake Orion and win, but Ike the Vike showed up Kosmo. Leading the way was Leimbach, who ran for 156 yards on 26 carries.

Second star
Prescott Line, Oxford
Sad that this is the last time this season Line will be in Kosmo's 3 stars. He was amazing again in a loss to Rochester Adams last week, running for 219 yards and two touchdowns on 39 carries. I guess we'll hear more about Line during wrestling season. This was as good of a season as Kosmo can recall a single player having.

First star
Tony Annese, Rochester Adams
Outshining Line, Annese was stellar for the Highlanders, rushing for 177 yards and three touchdowns on 23 carries. He also threw a touchdown pass, meaning he accounted for all four of the touchdowns for Adams in a 26-20 win at Oxford.

Praising Clarkston

2011-10-27T11:10:00.000-07:00

Kosmo has been holed up in his cave in all this chilly Fall weather over the past couple of days, so sorry for ignoring this blog. Anyway, in light of what's taken place at Walled Lake Western, Kosmo has even more admiration for what Clarkston did earlier in this season.
The K-Man agrees wholeheartedly with Keith D., Jason S. and his other spies about how cowardly the Walled Lake School District has acted by choosing to stay silent and not address the hazing incident.
Always nice to see people hiding behind lawyers.
It's amazing the good things that happen to people when their honest. Walled Lake can certainly take a lesson from Clarkston.
The Wolves probably could've hid the fact they used an ineligible player earlier in the season. It had to have been easy since it was "internal." But the Wolves reported the incident and nearly cost themselves a playoff spot as a result.
As it turns out though, Clarkston is doing just fine. The Wolves made the playoffs and have a good shot to host two playoff games, which was thought to happen all along.
Clarkston was rightfully rewarded for its honesty and integrity.
Being honest and accountable and having good things happen? What a concept.

Kosmo's 3 stars for Week 9

2011-10-25T07:24:00.000-07:00

The regular season has come and gone for high school football, and count Kosmo among the thousands around the state excited for postseason play.
But before focusing on the playoffs, your all-knowing one wants to hand out his 3 Stars for Week 9.

Third star
The Holly football team
Kosmo can't remember when Dwight Eisenhower was President because he wasn't born, but that was the last time Holly won a league title in football until last Friday, when the Bronchos earned a share of the Flint Metro title with a win at Ortonville Brandon. Kudos to Ryan Culloty and his staff for the remarkable job they've done up there.

Second star
Kezlow Smith, Pontiac
One of the most productive players on a what's been a hot Pontiac offense of late, Smith ran for 172 yards and four touchdowns on 14 carries in a 66-40 win over West Bloomfield. The Phoenix are now in the Division 1 state playoffs as a result.

First star
Al Fracassa, Birmingham Brother Rice
Who else could it be this week? The legend of Brother Rice became the first coach in state history and just the 10th in the country to reach 400 career wins after the Warriors crushed Harper Woods Chandler Park. It took longer than he would've liked, but it finally happened for the great Fracassa.

Great news for current, former county gridiron standout

2011-10-20T16:10:00.000-07:00

Kosmo has received two bits of good news involving a former Oakland County football standouts and a current one who is among the country's best at his position.
Koz will start with the current player.
Orchard Lake St. Mary's senior James Ross has been invited to play for the United States under-19 national team in the third annual International Bowl at The Palace at Round Rock in Austin, Texas.
The game pits 50 youth football players from the United States against a team of 50 players from around the world.
It will take place on Feb. 1.
As for the former county standouts Kosmo wants to mention, former Lake Orion quarterback Chris Lum has been selected to the watch list for the Walter Payton Award, given to the nation's top FCS player.
Lum is having an outstanding senior year at Lehigh, where he has completed 68 percent of his passes for 2,590 yards and 26 touchdowns in seven games.

Soccer letdown?

2011-10-18T11:27:00.000-07:00

The boys soccer state tournament began on Monday, and that always gets Kosmo excited because of how talented players and teams in Oakland County are each year.
The odds are always good that an area team will be playing for a state title, which brings up a concern for Kosmo.
There doesn't seem to be any GREAT teams in the area this year.
Novi is a very good team with the capability of making a run at a title, but by no means are the Wildcats invincible.
Same goes for Troy. Very good and capable, but maybe not great. Ditto for Country Day in Division 3 and Cranbrook in Division 2, as well as the county's best teams in Division 4, Birmingham Roeper and Auburn Hills Oakland Christian.
All this makes Kosmo worry that there won't be an area team that advances to the state title game.
Hopefully teams read this and are so angry at Kosmo that they become beyond motivated to prove otherwise. Kosmo would love nothing better than to admit he's wrong if an area team raises a state title trophy in a few weeks.

3 stars for Week 8

2011-10-17T07:44:00.000-07:00

My, time flies when you're having fun. It seems like just yesterday teams from around the state began practicing for the high school football season, and now, after this week, the season will be over for all but the fortunate 256 that qualify for the state playoffs.
It's already Week 9, so hopefully teams will have fun with spirit weeks around school since this is usually rivalry week. Before looking ahead to Week 9, here are Koz's 3 stars of Week 8.

Third star
Shane Frakes, Pontiac Notre Dame Prep
In helping the Fighting Irish improve to 8-0 on the season, Frakes ran for 157 yards on 14 carries in a win over Pinconning. The amazing story of the Fighting Irish got even more amazing.

Second star
Kirk Thomas, Walled Lake Northern
Even though Kosmo thought Milford would beat Northern, this wasn't a result totally unexpected, mainly because of the abilities of Thomas. He was at it again in a 35-28 win over the Mavericks, throwing for 261 yards and three touchdowns and running for 50 yards and a touchdown.

First star
Lorenzo Collins, Farmington Hills Harrison
Since Prescott Line of Oxford is ineligible for being the first star again this week due to being the first star so many times this year (296 more yards against Clarkston. Wow), Kosmo will give the nod this week to Collins. As if Harrison doesn't have enough rising stars, the sophomore ran for 218 yards and two touchdowns in a win at Lake Orion. It was the fourth straight game he ran for more than 200 yards.

Playoffs are essentially here

2011-10-13T13:00:00.000-07:00

Technically, the start of the high school football playoffs are a couple of weeks away, but don't tell that to your all-knowing one.
The playoffs actually start this week in the mind of the K-Man with some matchups that'll eliminate teams from playoff contention.
One of them will be at Auburn Hills Avondale, where host Avondale meets Bloomfield Hills Lahser in a battle of 4-3 teams that need to win out to qualify for the playoffs.
These teams have been among the most unpredictable all season, so even the Krystal ball has a hard time reading this one.
Another elimination game will be at Pontiac, where 5-2 Farmington will visit 4-3 Pontiac.
Make no mistake, the loser of this game will miss the playoffs. Yes, Farmington will still have a shot with a 5-3 record if it wins its Week 9 game, but that's not going to happen.
The Falcons have to play at Harrison in Week 9. Good luck there, so Farmington will have to win at a surging Pontiac team in order to make the playoffs.
Yet another game to watch will be at Troy, where Rochester Adams puts a 4-3 record on the line at 3-4 Troy. If Adams can't win, it'll be the end of a 15-year playoff streak

Rooting for Stoney Creek

2011-10-12T08:48:00.000-07:00

Kosmo can't say his much of a golf fan, but he does have an appreciation for the athletic ability of Gabby Yurik and read his spies enough to know that the Division 1 state golf finals are this weekend, and Stoney Creek is in it.
The Cougars entered last season as the favorite to win, but fell three shots short. Stoney Creek wasn't expected to be ranked No. 1 going into this year's tournament, but thanks to the brilliance of Yurik and good development from younger golfers, the Cougars are once again ranked No. 1 going into states.'
Evidently, No. 2 Grosse Pointe South is one heck of a team and could be considered the favorite, but Kosmo is definitely rooting for a Stoney Creek redemption story.
With Yurik and an improving supporting cast, hopefully the Cougars can get the title that eluded them last year.
- In addition to the state golf finals, the state boys tennis finals in all four divisions will be held this weekend. As is usually the case, teams such as Cranbrook, Country Day, and Catholic Central have good shots to win the crown.

3 stars for Week 7

2011-10-10T12:19:00.001-07:00

The NHL season has begun, the Tigers and Lions are on fire and the high school football season is winding towards the playoffs.
Kosmo agrees with everyone else that this could be the best week in Detroit sports history, so hope everyone enjoys.
Before focusing on Week 8 of the season, here's a look at Kosmo's 3 stars for Week 7.

Third star
Brandon Thornton, Ferndale - Man, Ferndale has turned into giant killers this year. The Eagles have only two wins, but both were upsets against Auburn Hills Avondale in Week 4 and last Thursday against Birmingham Groves. Thornton was the big reason why, rushing for 215 yards on 16 carries.

Second star
Waterford Mott team - It's been a rough go of it for the Corsairs with a long losing streak and a winless season last year, but Mott finally got to celebrate a win with a 21-0 shutout of rival Waterford Kettering. Congrats to head coach Keith Garrison and his staff.

First star
Prescott Line, Oxford - Yes, Kosmo seemingly has Line in this threesome every week. But Friday was as good of a performance as Kosmo can recall in ALL of his years of forecasting. Playing against a good Southfield team, Line ran for 391 yards and six touchdowns on 46 carries. He also made 15 tackles on defense. If there's been a better player in the state this year, Kosmo doesn't know who it is.

OAA crossover games set

2011-10-08T08:03:00.000-07:00

Week 7 of the high school football season has come and passed for the OAA, so that means teams in the OAA Red and White finally know who their opponents will be in Week 8 next week.
The first place teams, Farmington Hills Harrison and Lake Orion, will meet on Friday at Lake Orion.
Fresh off a 49-26 upset of Southfield, Oxford will play at Clarkston in a battle of 5-2 teams.
After that, it'll be Southfield at Troy Athens, Farmington at Pontiac, Rochester Adams at Troy, Oak Park at West Bloomfield, Stoney Creek at Rochester and Southfield-Lathrup at Royal Oak.

Ferndale not a pushover

2011-10-07T08:24:00.000-07:00

For a team that's only one two games this season, Ferndale certainly has had a big impact on the OAA Blue race.
In Week 4 of the season, Ferndale entered a game at Auburn Hills Avondale 0-3 and had to play the 3-0 Yellow Jackets.
Usually, games between unbeaten teams and winless teams are an obvious choice, but Ferndale ended up leaving Avondale with a 23-22 win.
Then, when it was thought that Birmingham Groves was the frontrunner in the OAA Blue race with a 5-1 record, the Eagles pulled off another stunner on Thursday.
Ferndale recorded a 28-13 win over Groves to make an already crazy OAA Blue race even nuttier.
Seemingly every team except Andover and Ferndale is in the league title hunt with two games remaining in the season.
For that, all the other teams with league-title aspirations can have Ferndale to thank for all its two big wins this season.

Hot North Farmington

2011-10-05T11:06:00.000-07:00

Last season a lot was made about the terrific coaching job Todd Schultz did at North Farmington, and rightfully so. Schultz still coached his team despite a bout with cancer, and even though the Raiders had a 2-7 record, the life lessons the players learned through his battle were immeasurable. This season, Schultz and his staff are doing another terrific job, although it has nothing to do with a cancer fight.
Given a clean bill of health before the season, Schultz and his staff have coached the Raiders to four straight wins and they're in contention for their first playoff spot since 2005 with a 4-2 record.
With a potent running game and sky-high confidence at this point of the season, it's a good bet the Raiders will get the six wins necessary to qualify for postseason play.
- The first sign that the fall sports season is actually winding down will arrive on Thursday. The postseason is here for girls golf and boys tennis teams, who will play regional tournaments on Thursday and Friday. The state tournaments will be held in those sports next weekend, so the great time of the fall season has arrived. Postseason play for the other sports won't be too far behind.

Kosmo's Week 6 football stars

2011-10-02T20:52:00.000-07:00

This weekend's weather may have been more like November than late September, but that didn't stop area players from putting on some incredible displays even in awful conditions.

Here are Kosmo's Week 6 stars on the gridiron.

Third star
Chris Woolen, Orchard Lake St. Mary's
Are you kidding me? Third-and-goal from the 17 and the Eaglets still score? What an unbelievable catch and run by Woolen. Kosmo saw it on the video broadcast on MIPrepZone.com and it looked amazing on tape delay. The K-Man can't imagine what it was like live.

Second star
Kevin Miller, North Farmington
The hottest team in the county might be the Raiders who are on a four-game winning streak following a big win over Berkley on Saturday. First and foremost among the heroes was Miller, who rushed for 151 yards on 18 carries.

First star
Prescott Line, Oxford
Line is becoming a permanent fixture in Kosmo's three stars each week. Not only did he rush for 252 yards and three touchdowns in Oxford's 22-16 win at Rochester Adams, Line made a game-saving tackle and forced a fumble to end the game near the goal line for the Wildcats. Incredible

Uncertainty over Fracassa's 400th

2011-10-01T08:24:00.000-07:00

The heartbreak had to have been evident on the faces of the Birmingham Brother Rice players late Friday night against Orchard Lake St. Mary's after the Warriors were two plays away from winning for the first time at St. Mary's and giving head coach Al Fracassa his 400th career win.
But the Warriors gave up the game-winning touchdown on a third-and-goal from the 17-yard line, and now there's a tough road ahead for the Warriors, who badly want to get Fracassa his 400th win.
Next up for the Warriors is a game at arch rival Novi Detroit Catholic Central on Saturday night, and the Shamrocks are unbeaten and playing as well as anybody in the state.
The week after that, Brother Rice will travel to Ohio to play one of the top teams in the country, Cincinnati La Salle.
If Brother Rice doesn't win one of these next two games, it'll have to win its Week 9game against a to-be-determined opponent to not only give Fracassa his 400th win, but get to the five wins Brother Rice at the very least has to win in order to qualify for the playoffs.

Mercy-Marian rivalry off to a good start

2011-09-28T08:01:00.000-07:00

Tuesday was one of the first big nights of the high school volleyball season, as Birmingham Marian and Farmington Hills Mercy met for the first time in a scheduled match against the other.
Granted, the two had already met in tournaments so far this year, but there's something special about gearing up for each other and not worrying about other teams in a tournament format.
If you don't think it's a big deal when the Marlins and Mustangs get together, then you're fooling yourself.
Marian and Mercy met in the Class A state semifinals two years ago and the state championship game last year, so no doubt this right now is the state's best rivalry.
Adding to it was Mercy's five-game win on Tuesday, where the Marlins rallied from a two-games-to-none deficit.
With one more scheduled meeting in the regular season and likely matchups in both the Catholic League and state tournaments, the state's current best volleyball rivalry should only heat up even more.

Kosmo's 3 stars for Week 5

2011-09-25T20:10:00.000-07:00

Can you believe the high school football regular season is more than half over?
Man, time flies when teams are out there having fun, or when they're getting their behinds kicked.
Regardless, the season is flying by. There were some great performances, but here are the three most notable in Kosmo's eyes. Here are your seer's 3 Stars for Week 5.

First star
Justin Danzy, Southfield quarterback - Rochester Adams dared Danzy to beat it, and Danzy did just that. With Adams eyeing Southfield running back Brandon Watkins, Danzy went 22 of 33 passing for 288 yards and a whopping five touchdowns. Three of those went to tight end Ron Thompson.

Second star
Brent Zdebski, Walled Lake Western running back/linebacker - Zdebski's best position is linebacker, but he showed he can carry the mail in a 26-21 win over rival Walled Lake Northern to help the Warriors remain unbeaten. Zdebski ran for 193 yards in further showcasing why he's one of the state's best two-way players.

Third star
Sean Charette, Lake Orion quarterback - It seems like Charette has been around eight years, and for good reason since he was a starting quarterback as a freshman. Charette further solidified why he's such a unique talent, setting a school record for career touchdown passes by throwing his 60th career scoring pass in a thrashing of Royal Oak.

Tough luck for Andover

2011-09-24T07:53:00.000-07:00

The official record for Bloomfield Hills Andover's football team may say 0-5, but the Barons could easily be 3-2 this season with the tough losses they've had.
In the first week, Andover suffered a 28-26 loss to Hazel Park on the road.
Then in Week 3, Andover gave Auburn Hills Avondale all it could handle before losing on a last-second field goal, 23-20.
On Friday, Andover gave yet another league title contender in the OAA Blue a battle.
Hosting Birmingham Groves, Andover played Groves as tough as could be before falling, 28-27.
The kids at Andover have to be wondering when it's going to get a break at the end.
Kosmo feels they'll get rewarded for good play sometime soon.
One thing is for certain is that head coach Jim DeWald is doing one heck of a job at Andover.
- Even though Oxford saw starting quarterback Vito Giannolla suffer a season-ending knee injury in Week 3, it hasn't slowed down running back Prescott Line.
Opponents have had to have loaded up the box even more to stop Line, but it hasn't worked. Line rushed for 238 yards in a win against Oxford and shows no signs of slowing down.

Teams on the rise

2011-09-22T07:38:00.000-07:00

After this week, the high school football regular season will be more than halfway over, so now would be a good time to look into the teams more on an upswing than Kosmo thought at the start of the season.

- Rochester Adams. Yes, it's hard to classify a traditional power as a team on the upswing, but the K-Man thought the Highlanders were vulnerable going into this season. Well, Kosmo should not have underestimated Tony Patritto and his staff. Adams is off to a 4-0 start, and even though one of those wins came via a Clarkston forfeit after the Wolves beat Adams to start the year, Adams had a big win last week against Oak Park. The Highlanders can really show they're for real with a win at Southfield on Saturday.
- Pontiac Notre Dame Prep. The Fighting Irish actually are on an eight-game winning streak, which is pretty incredible. Notre Dame Prep won its last four games of the season last year after starting 0-5 and is off to an impressive 4-0 start this season. Not only are the Fighting Irish winning, but they're winning handily.
- Farmington. So this was supposed to be a rebuilding year for the Falcons, right? Nobody told that to head coach John Bechtel and his group, because Farmington is 3-1 despite having been hit hard by graduation losses. Even better for the Falcons is that they are a junior-dominated team that should be a definite team to watch next year.
- Holly. Look for the Bronchos to be in the playoffs once again this year. After an 0-2 start, Holly has beaten Linden and Flint Metro power Fenton and look to be on track to get to the postseason again.

State golf title a possibility for area teams

2011-09-20T11:47:00.000-07:00

As main spy Keith D. wrote about in today's Oakland Press, the Oakland County Division I girls golf tournament is being held on Wednesday at Pontiac Country Club. Hard to believe the season is winding down, but the most important tournaments of the season are nearing.
Looking at the state rankings and the fact that there's no great team at all around the state other than Lansing Catholic Central in Division 4, Kosmo wouldn't be surprised if an area team won a state title, particularly in Division 1.
Stoney Creek is ranked No. 1 in the state and has the best player in the state, Gabby Yurik, who alone puts the Cougars into contention despite the fact they're not as deep as they were last year when they were state runner-up.
If the Cougars can get some low scores to flank Yurik, they have a shot. Another team with a chance is Troy, is has a good lineup from top to bottom even though it doesn't have a stud player like Yurik.
Both Troy and Stoney Creek have won tournaments over other top teams in the state this year, such as Grosse Pointe South and Plymouth.
In Division 2, Farmington Hills Mercy, Birmingham Seaholm and Birmingham Marian shouldn't be counted out either since there's no great team in Division 2 either.
Without question, a state title is within reach for area teams.

Marquee games will be even more hyped

2011-09-19T07:54:00.000-07:00

Every year, there are few bigger football games in the state than when Birmingham Brother Rice and Orchard Lake St.Mary's, and when Birmingham Brother Rice and Novi Detroit Catholic Central, hook up on the field.
This year, those games will likely be hyped up even more.
Brother Rice has one more game before playing St. Mary's and Catholic Central in back-to-back weeks, and that's this Saturday against Detroit U-D Jesuit.
Barring an upset, Brother Rice will give head coach Al Fracassa his 399th win, meaning he'd go for a historic 400th win against St. Mary's the following week.
Should he not get it, Brother Rice could give him that 400th win the next week at Catholic Central, so that should only add to the hype of those two fantastic games.
Here are Kosmo's 3 Stars for Week 4.

- Keon Collier, Birmingham Groves. Playing his second straight stellar game, Collier ran for 243 yards and four touchdowns on 23 carries in a 39-32 win over Hazel Park. Collier has rushed for eight TD's in his last eight games.
- Brandon Ruble, Madison Heights Lamphere. In helping lead the Rams to their first win of the season against Clintondale, Ruble threw for 302 yards and ran for 69 more. Ruble played like a precious Ruby gemstone.
- Derek Ince, Novi. Ince threw for lots of inches in a 42-0 win over Salem, throwing for 322 yards and four touchdowns to lead the Wildcats.

Look out for North Farmington

2011-09-17T16:14:00.000-07:00

Over the offseason, North Farmington's football program had the greatest win possible when head coach Todd Schultz was given a clean bill of health after he coached last season while battling cancer.
But fresh off the best win possible off of the field, the Raiders are starting to gain victories on it.
North Farmington earned its second straight win on Friday, and this one was an eye-opener, as the Raiders drilled previously unbeaten Bloomfield Hills Lahser, 41-13.
It was the second straight blowout win for North Farmington, which routed Hazel Park the week before.
All of a sudden the Raiders are 2-2 on the season might be a sleeper team in the balanced OAA Blue.
North Farmington has a dynamic rushing duo in Jacquis Woods and Kevin Miller, who combined for 349 yards rushing against Lahser.
After some major adversity not only with Coach Schultz' health, but because of some horrible seasons, there's plenty of reasons to smile around North Farmington now.

Clarkston did right thing, even though it shouldn't have had to

2011-09-14T07:44:00.000-07:00

Here's Kosmo's two cents on the situation at Clarkston. It's admirable that Clarkston and athletic director Dan Fife self-reported the incident regarding that particular student and a summer school class to the MHSAA. It does mean values and integrity at the school are very much in place.
Kosmo just feels it's a situation Clarkston shouldn't be punished for. Yes, the Michigan High School Athletic Association has black and white policies in place on these matters, so to speak, but this was a definite gray area as far as Kosmo is concerned.
No competitive advantage was gained. The student is a backup who played in four plays in the win over Adams and one over West Bloomfield.
The MHSAA should've reviewed the situation, realized it was an innocent mix-up on the reporting of what was a PASSING grade, and let things continue on.
This way, Clarkston wouldn't have been punished for its honesty. There was no corruption here. No cheating, no trying to gain an edge.
It was just a simple miscommunication, yet unfortunately because the MHSAA didn't treat it as a gray area, but instead a black and white one, an honest program got punished with two losses.

Lahser is back

2011-09-12T08:35:00.000-07:00

The last two seasons have been strange around Bloomfield Hills Lahser, given the Knights have had losing seasons after making the Division 3 state semifinals in 2008.
The Knights last decade also established themselves as one of the area's top programs, annually going to the playoffs and hosting games.
It looks like after those poor two seasons, Lahser is indeed back.
Following a 20-0 shutout at previously unbeaten Birmingham Seaholm on Friday, the Knights are off to a 3-0 start and look to be maybe the top team in the balanced OAA Blue.
Speaking of Lahser, that brings Kosmo to his 3 stars of the weekend.

- Nate Cole, Bloomfield Hills Lahser defensive back. Cole had two interceptions and a fumble recovery for the Knights in their shut out of Birmingham Seaholm.
- Zac Leimbach, Walled Lake Central quarterback. The straw that stirs the drink for the Vikings, Leimbach was a horse again in a 31-24 win over rival Northern, rushing for 202 yards and four touchdowns on over 30 carries.
- Prescott Line, Oxford running back. Is there a player more on fire than Line? Even though Oxford lost to Farmington on a late 2-point conversion, Line ran for 195 yards for the Wildcats.

Troy reloading without Cunningham

2011-09-09T08:50:00.000-07:00

A lot times in sports it really is about the team and not one star player. Many thought the Troy boys soccer team wouldn't be as good this year without the graduated Sean Cunningham, one of top high school players in the nation last year who is now playing professionally overseas (Norway was the last Kosmo had heard).
Lo and behold, that hasn't been the case.
Reloading nicely without its star, Troy is ranked No. 1 in the state in Division 1 and on Thursday earned what is always an important rivalry win over Troy Athens, 1-0.
After leading the girls team to the Division 1 state final in June, head coach Brian Zawislak took over the boys team and looks as if he'll have a chance to head there again with the way the Colts are playing right now, although it still is early.
- Walled Lake Central used to be a volleyball power back in the 1990's, but went through some down years recently. But it appears as if the Vikings are becoming relevant again in the volleyball world. Walled Lake Central had a major improvement last season and are off to a 9-2 start this year.

Why retire?

2011-09-07T08:28:00.000-07:00

Kosmo knows it's been a few weeks since his spies produced the annual high school football preview section, but he wants to address something as it relates to the cover story on the four winningest coaches in state history, Al Fracassa, John Herrington, Mike Boyd and Tom Mach.
All are still going strong despite being in coaching since the 70's, and Kosmo hopes this is a message for those who actually feel these men should hang it up just based on age.
That's simply an absurd notion for those who feel that way. Not only are these and other coaches who have been around a long time legendary, but they haven't lost their touch just because they've gotten older.
They are as sharp as ever and more importantly, have held on to their old-school values in dealing with kids and parents.
You think that's not important in this day and age of pushy parents, recruiting services and "You Tube" wannabes?
Coaching high school kids actually keeps these men sharp. They haven't lost anything in terms of brainpower or desire.
Besides, what are they supposed to do if they retire? Golf for 8 hours a day? Sit around the couch? Do chores around the house and rarely ever get out? Get fed via a spoon by another while sitting in a chair?
Kosmo is obviously joking about that last point, but people who actually think these men should retire need to get a brain.
They've won all the games they have for a reason, and they'll continue to win. Greatness like this should be embraced, treasured and held on for as long as possible.
It shouldn't lead to "why don't they retire?" questions just on the account because they're older than they used to be.

Real beginning of prep sports year on Tuesday

2011-09-05T08:34:00.000-07:00

Yes, Kosmo is aware that two full weeks of the prep football season have been played and that all the other Fall sports have started their respective seasons.
But as far as the K-Man is concerned, the official start of the high school sports season for 2011-12 is on Tuesday.
This is when school officially starts for all public schools around the state, so this is when the athletes get in their routines of going to school and then having practice afterwards.
It's been all athletics so far, but now everyone is going to have to mix in schoolwork.
Good luck to all the teachers who are forced to wake up the students who want to take naps in class.
Kosmo admits he was a bad boy in high school, as using his math and history books as pillows became quite an art form.
Anyway, back to the topic at hand.
Even though there have been plenty of games, sports will now get in a full routine of playing on certain days of the week and also start playing league games exclusively.
No doubt, the best time of year will only get better now that the kids are in school and routines are set. It should make the sports even more fun

New star at Avondale

2011-09-02T08:55:00.000-07:00

After Auburn Hills Avondale lost most of its receivers and running backs to graduation off of last year's team, especially Ray Tillman and Tony Harris, Kosmo was wondering if it would just entirely be the Mitch Robinson show at Avondale.
Obviously that's not the case now after what running back Michael Johnson did on Thursday at Hazel Park.
On just 19 carries, Johnson ran for 285 yards and four touchdowns for the Yellow Jackets in what was yet another shootout between Avondale and Hazel Park. Avondale went on to earn a 64-44 win.
It obviously was a coming out party for Johnson, so look for him to put up more gaudy statistics as the year goes on.
- Kosmo figured Walled Lake Western would stop opponents this year with all the starters the Warriors returned on defense. But to score 100 points already this season in just two games? That's not something Kosmo expected. If the Warriors continue to do that, they'll be more than just a title contender in the KLAA North. They'll be a state title contender.
- It's sad how downtrodden both Waterford schools have become. Both Kettering and Mott suffered blowout losses in Week 2 and are now 0-2 on the season. Just like last year, it appears as if the best chance each has of winning is when they play each other.

Three reasons why Southfield can beat Harrison

2011-08-31T08:01:00.000-07:00

We're only a day of the way from arguably the state's Game of the Week for the second week of the prep football season, as Farmington Hills Harrison will play at Southfield on Thursday at 4 p.m.
Of course, many think Harrison is too good for anybody, and they might be right. The Hawks are one of the top teams in the nation and destroyed a good Detroit Cass Tech team in the season opener last week.
But Kosmo has a feeling that Southfield can win this game, and here's three reasons why.
1. Southfield can match Harrison's speed. There aren't many teams around the state that can say that, and there's definitely no team in the OAA White that can say that. But the Bluejays are pretty fast of their own and can keep up with the Hawks athleticism. Keep in mind, Ron Thompson, Leviticus Payne and Brandon Watkins are all going to play college football for Division I programs as well.
2. Southfield has beaten Harrison in the past. The Bluejays won't be intimidated because they've had success against the Hawks in recent years. Most notably, Southfield beat Harrison two years ago in the Division 2 state playoffs after Harrison won the regular season game.
3. Timing of the game. This could definitely work in Southfield's favor. For one, the game is on Thursday, so Harrison had only four days to prepare after beating Cass Tech last Saturday. Southfield had a normal full week. Second, the game is at 4 p.m. instead of the normal 7 p.m. time, and Southfield is much more used to early start times than Harrison. We'll see if that plays a factor.

A great win for a great Bud

2011-08-28T17:16:00.000-07:00

Kosmo usually as clear of a Krystal ball as anyone, but even he is way off occassionally (OK, a lot, but who's counting?).
Your seer obviously seriously underestimated Oxford, which sent a message with its dominant 41-20 win over Lake Orion on Friday on its new navy blue field.
In Kosmo's eyes, the biggest message the win sent was this: Bud Rowley still is a great coach.
There are some in the community who probably are frustrated that Rowley hasn't changed his ways over the years instead of maybe going to a more pass-happy offense.
However, as Oxford proved on Friday, blocking and tackling are still the keys to winning football.
Oxford was a well-prepared squad, and that credit goes to a coaching staff led by Rowley that proved running the football and winning the battle on the trenches is still the keys to success.
There are few coaches in the state who coach those traits better than Rowley, so for those in the community hoping Oxford adapts to the changing times, stop hoping.
Attributes that Rowley preaches and coaches are timeless and it's why he's one of the state's best.

Harrison-Cass Tech one to watch

2011-08-24T09:12:00.000-07:00

After waiting all spring and summer, the first week of the high school football season is finally here, with games starting on Thursday.
There will be lots of games people will feel is the "Game of the Week" throughout the area.
Of course, the biggest event in terms of atmosphere will be at Oxford, which was already geeked at the prospect of hosting rival Lake Orion for the first time in almost 30 years.
But add the fact Oxford will be debuting its new navy blue artificial surface, and it'll be an electric atmosphere with maybe most of each town in attendance.
Clarkston at Rochester Adams are usually two of the area's most consistent programs, and it's always great when they open the season against each other, which they'll do on Friday at Adams.
But for Kosmo's money, the biggest game of the first week will be Saturday night at Eastern Michigan between Farmington Hills Harrison and Detroit Cass Tech.
It's fitting that the game is in a college stadium, because there will be big-time college recruits all over the field.
Those fans of the University of Michigan should have a particular interest in this game, since four players in the game have committed to play for the Wolverines, those being Mario Ojemudia and Devin Funchess of Harrison, and Royce Jenkins-Stone and Terry Richardson of Cass Tech.
In addition, Aaron Burbridge of Harrison has committed to Michigan State, and Ruben Lile of Cass Tech is another coveted recruit.
This should no doubt be a lot of fun.

OAA Blue is anybody's league

2011-08-20T08:18:00.000-07:00

The OAA Red in football will likely be dominated by Clarkston and Lake Orion, and while Farmington Hills Harrison is clearly the team to beat in the OAA White, although Southfield and Oak Park might have something to say about that.
However, Kosmo can't get a grip on who is the team to beat going into the season in the OAA Blue.
About the only team that likely won't be in contention is Bloomfield Hills Andover, which is on the right track under coach Jim DeWald, but still developing.
Every other team can be in the mix in the league, so it should no doubt be an interesting league to watch.
Kosmo thought Birmingham Groves and Birmingham Seaholm would be the favorites in the league each year after they were bumped down from the White, but both struggled to losing seasons last season.
However, both have the talent to be in the mix this year. Auburn Hills Avondale has the best quarterback in the league, Mitch Robinson, and Hazel Park is the defending champion with a nice system in place that has bred success over the years.
Bloomfield Hills Lahser could return to its winning ways after a couple of down years, and Berkley, Ferndale and North Farmington won't be pushovers either.
This should be one of those years where every game is a big one in the OAA Blue.

Kosmo's big soccer questions

2011-08-18T07:33:00.000-07:00

Friday is the first day boys soccer games around the state can be contested, so yet another sign that summer is fast dwindling.
Given that, Kosmo has a few things he's looking out for as the soccer season gets going.

Who will emerge as the dominant player in the area?
Last year, there multiple "superstar" players from the area, whether it was Caleb Stanko of Auburn Hills Oakland Christian, Sean Cunningham of Troy, Jarret Kersten of Clarkston or Eric Webberman of NOrth Farmington, just to name a few.
This year, Kosmo hopes similar Dream Team candidates can emerge. Dylan Knott of Rochester Adams for Matt Habrowsky of Birmingham Brother Rice might be the best, but we'll see.

How will Todd Heugh do in his first year at Troy Athens?
Very well. Even though the only coach Athens has ever known, Tim Storch, retired from the district and is now at Alpena, don't expect the Red Hawks to have much of a dropoff with what is the perfect successor. Heugh played at the school (he was a part of the 1989 team that won a state title) and knows the tradition, and he's a great coach at both the club and high school level. He led the Rochester boys to a state title in 2002 and the Rochester girls to the state final in 2007.

Which team has the best chance to win a state title?
Not sure. Troy and Rochester Adams should be the best in the top division of the OAA, but that league is balanced each year and several teams could emerge. An OAA Red team usually makes a deep run in the state tournament. Beyond that, Birmingham Detroit Country Day in Division 2 is a solid bet also.

Potential in Flint Metro

2011-08-15T12:50:00.000-07:00

For the past few years, Kosmo has seen the Flint Metro conference be ruled by non-county opponents such as Linden, Lapeer East or Lapeer West.
Well, this year, there's a chance that it'll be a battle of the two Oakland County teams for supremacy.
Holly and Ortonville Brandon met in the final game of the regular season last year with identical 5-3 records (Holly ended up winning to make the playoffs) and both could be more improved this year.
Brandon has a big offensive line led by potential college player Justin Mezsets and a returning quarterback capable of throwing for lots of yards in senior Shane Mahaffy.
Holly put it all together late last season and with a lot of returnees, could have its best team in school history.
Yes, Linden and the Lapeer schools should be solid again. But Kosmo feels there'd be nothing better than to have the Flint Metro title come down to the Week 9 showdown between Holly and Brandon at Brandon.
Hopefully the famous A & W will be open for business for that one.

Linebackers a position of strength in 2011

2011-08-12T21:30:00.001-07:00

Every year, there seems to be one position that stands out most in regards to the talent in the county during a given football season.
This season's top position?
No doubt, it's linebacker.
Kosmo probably can't count on two hands the number of great linebackers that'll be on the area gridiron.
The best of the bunch of course is Orchard Lake St. Mary's senior James Ross, who has committed to Michigan. But St. Mary's has two other potential college players in Joe Eroyan and David Talley at the position as well.
Southfield-Lathrup senior Jamal Lyles has committed to Michigan State, while Clarkston might have the best tandem of linebackers in the state, seniors Matt Dellinger and Zach Collins.
Prescott Line of Oxford will play at Southern Methodist as either a linebacker or running back, Brent Zdebski of Walled Lake Western had a state-best 149 tackles last season, while there a couple of probably Division I college linebackers in the junior class, Jon Reschke of Brother Rice and Eddie Huckleby of Harrison.
Trust Koz when he says there are many more. Just look at the top players list in the upcoming football preview section just to see how many outstanding linebackers there will be in the county this fall.

Not a good start at Harrison

2011-08-09T07:37:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was one of the most anticipated days on the high school sports calendar with the first official day of high school football practice. Yes, teams have been conducting camps and scrimmages all summer, but there's still something special about the first official day.
Unfortunately, the excitement didn't seem to be felt by a couple of the state's best players. Kosmo has heard through the grapevine that two of the "Big Three" players at Farmington Hills Harrison, Devin Funchess and Aaron Burbridge, showed up late for the first day of practice on Monday.
Kosmo rarely calls out kids, but this is an exception because Funchess and Burbridge are two big-time recruits who will be playing Division I college football next year.
Funchess is going to Michigan and Burbridge to Michigan State, so talents like these two are held to a loftier standard, especially since they're now senior leaders.
To be fair, there might be a legitimate excuse that Kosmo doesn't know about. If that's the case, then disregard this words and accept an apology from Kosmo.
But still, this is not the way to open up a season and a state title defense to have two senior leaders showing up late to the first day of practice.
That's never a good sign to have two of your best players and leaders do that.
Hopefully the two learned their lesson and make up for it, because their one chance to make an impression on the first day of practice is gone.

First year coaches ready to start

2011-08-05T07:28:00.000-07:00

The official start of high school football practice is on Monday, and while it's the most exciting time of year for all coaches, it's especially thrilling for the coaches who will be leading their teams for the first time this year.
There are plenty of new faces this year who will hope to either continue the foundation of success that's been laid, or turn a program around.
Birmingham Seaholm has a new coach in Jim Pobursky, who was named the head coach after Nick Deane, the replacement for the head coach of the previous five years, Chris Fahr, died tragically of a heart attack in the summer.
After longtime coach Jim MacDougall turned around yet another program at Berkley, the Bears will welcome in Jeff Burnside to take over after MacDougall retired.
In its fourth year as a program, Auburn Hills Oakland Christian has a new coach in Bill Schaffer.
At Oak Park, legendary coach Greg Carter, who won state championships with Detroit DePorres and helped turn Inkster into a state power, is now the head man for the Knights.
Finally, an old Fox returns to the sidelines. After a three-year hiatus from coaching, Pat Fox is back on the sideline at Milford. He takes over for Jeff Hill, who is the new head coach at Royal Oak.

New home for Storch

2011-08-03T08:21:00.000-07:00

One of the worst-kept coaching secrets is now official. Ever since Tim Storch announced he was retiring as a teacher in the Troy School District and as soccer coach at Athens back in the spring so he could move to Alpena, Kosmo figured Storch would be landing a coaching gig up there.
Sure enough, he has.
According to a good friend of the Oakland Press, Dan Stickradt of www.northoaklandsports.com, Storch has been named the boys and girls soccer coach at Alpena High School.
Alpena has never been a soccer power, but the K-Man has a feeling that'll change now that the state's best coach is in charge up there.
It's a great hire for Alpena and it's nice to know such a great man like Storch will stay in coaching.

Breaking local basketball news

2011-08-02T07:42:00.000-07:00

First of all, Kosmo is sorry for his extended absence. Even he needs time away from his cave and to go for an extended cruise in the Kozmobile, particularly in the dead period for high school sports.
Anyway, the K-Man is back and ready to roll and has some breaking news. Weeks after another senior girls basketball player in the Troy district, Troy point guard Karin Moss, announced she was committing to Buffalo, another upcoming senior in the district has made a commitment.
Sinclair Russell of Troy Athens, an outstanding forward/center for the RedHawks, has announced she has committed to Oakland University.
It's a fine catch for OU head coach Beckie Francis and it's always nice to see great local players will indeed stay local.
Now that their commitments are out of the way, here's hoping Russell and Moss will have big senior seasons.

Moss to Buffalo

2011-07-18T08:56:00.000-07:00

Even though it's the heart of summer and Kosmo has enjoyed chilling in his cave, he does have a little breaking news to report. Troy point guard Karin Moss, who will no doubt be one of the top seniors in the county this upcoming girls basketball season, has verbally committed to play in college at the University of Buffalo.
Congrats to Moss, a supreme ballhandler who is poised to have a big senior season for the Colts.

Michigan can produce good baseball players

2011-07-11T11:56:00.000-07:00

Kosmo isn't all of a sudden going to proclaim anything nonsensical, such as Michigan is all of a sudden America's hotbed for producing Major League baseball talent.
As long as there are such things as snow and ice, that'll never be the case.
However, recent proof has been given that you can't completely ignore our state in terms of baseball talent.
Former Brother Rice standout D.J. LeMahieu, who was the Mr. Baseball Award winner in 2007, was called up to play for the Cubs in June, completing a fast rise to the majors after success in the minors.
Kosmo still remembers hearing about all the monster numbers LeMahieu was putting up at Brother Rice, so to see him shine at LSU and now in the majors is quite something.
In addition, Arizona has a pitcher from the state named Josh Collmenter. He was a member of those national powerhouse teams from Homer in the middle of last decade that not only put that tiny little community in the national spotlight, but also the state as well.
These two examples go to show that no matter how much snow, ice and cold there is, Michigan can still be home to some fine baseball players.

Unofficial practices in name only

2011-07-05T14:00:00.000-07:00

In just over a month, the high school football season will begin with the official start of practice.
However, you could've fooled Kosmo, because given what he's been seeing, football practice has already started.
While spending time driving around the area in the Kozmobile, your seer has happened to pass by several high schools.
Of course, what has he seen while going past these schools?
Football players in helmets (no pads) practicing.
Call it "camps" or "voluntary workouts" if you will. It's all practice to the K-Man, which means the high school football season has "officially" begun if you ask Kosmo.
— Kosmo wishes to give a hearty congratulations to Birmingham Seaholm sophomore Francesco Ruffino, who was named Mr. Golf in the state of Michigan last week. It's definitely and an honor for anyone of any grade to be named Mr. Golf, let alone a sophomore.

All-State slights

2011-06-29T12:43:00.000-07:00

First of all, Kosmo wants to relay that he knows it's a tough job for any high school coaches association to pick an all-state team.
There are so many kids around the state battling for so few spots that someone usually gets slighted.
But Kosmo has to admit there were a few kids who he felt deserved better as far as all-state recognition in baseball goes.
Chase Toth of Clarkston and Nick Bradley of Rochester each had dominant years and clearly are two of the best players in the state.
Both are Division I college players, with Toth going to Big Ten champion Michigan State and Bradley signed with Western Michigan.
Neither one got any all-state recognition, which was a shame.
Birmingham Brother Rice senior Andrew Sohn was named second team all-state in Division 1, but he had a tremendous season that should've warranted him on the Dream Team. He was the team's leadoff hitter and ace pitcher with an ERA under 1.00.
Second team is better than what Toth and Bradley got, but Kosmo felt Sohn should've been recognized further.
Just one seer's opinion

Grand day for Bishop Foley

2011-06-27T07:12:00.000-07:00

Yes, it was over a week ago, but Kosmo still can't get over the day enjoyed by Madison Heights Bishop Foley athletics on June 18. Some schools hope they can win one state title in a given year. Bishop Foley won two on the same DAY.
First the baseball team captured the Division 3 state crown with an 8-2 win over Bridgman.
It was the first state championship in school history for the Ventures in baseball.
Then, the girls soccer team pulled out a 2-1 win over Lansing Christian in the Division 4 final to win its state record 12th championship.
That wouldn't be a bad day at all for the biggest schools in the state, let alone a smaller-sized one in Madison Heights.
- Now that summer is here, it's usually peak time for college commitments from area high school athletes in a variety of sports. One in particular that Kosmo is interested in seeing is where Farmington Hills Harrison wideout Aaron Burbridge will go. He has two teammates that have already committed to Michigan, so will see if Burbridge also pledges his services to the Wolverines, or if he goes to another program.

Better slot for all-star game

2011-06-23T14:48:00.000-07:00

Last season, the timing couldn't have been worse in terms of the date of the annual Michigan High School Football Coaches Association All-Star game.
Due to a scheduled U-2 concert (that was eventually postponed to this summer) at Spartan Stadium, the coaches association had to change the date of the all-star game, and the only Saturday available was the same day as the state finals in baseball, softball and girls soccer.
Obviously, this wasn't good for families that had kids playing both in the football all-star game or in the championships of the aforementioned sports, and there was little media coverage of the game since most of the state's media were rightfully focused on the state finals.
This year, the coaches association made a nice adjustment.
The game was moved to Central Michigan so it could take place this Saturday, a week after the finals for baseball, softball, girls soccer and boys golf.
The game will have all the attention of media since it's now summer and there's no risk of families being torn as to which of their kids games to attend, should a family have a kid in the all-star game or playing for a state title in on of the other sports.

All hail the champs

2011-06-20T07:21:00.000-07:00

The 2010-11 high school sports season in the state of Michigan is officially over, but as the saying goes, area teams "Saved the best for last."
On the last weekend of the season, four area teams brought home state titles on what was championship Saturday for baseball, softball, girls soccer and boys golf.
In Battle Creek, Madison Heights Bishop Foley capped off one of the finest season a county baseball team has ever had, finishing 39-3 after beating Bridgman in the Division 3 state championship.
For the 23rd time in the last 24 years, at least one area girls soccer team won a state title, and in fact, there were two.
Novi on its millionth state championship in the last seven years (OK, it's only five, but it seems like a million with all the success the Wildcats have had) with a 1-0 win over fellow county power Troy.
Then finishing off one of the greatest days in the history of the Bishop Foley athletic program, the girls soccer team, hours after the baseball team raised the trophy in Battle Creek, won its state record 12th state title with a 2-1 win over Lansing Christian.
Then, the Auburn Hills Oakland Christian boys golf team won its first state championship in school history, proving why it was the No. 1 team in the state at the Division 4 tournament.
There's nothing like finishing a preps season on top, and thanks to these four, that's exactly what happened.
Kudos also go out to North Farmington junior Max Kollin and Pontiac Notre Dame Prep junior Aaron Knutson, who won individual state titles at the Division 1 and Division 3 state tournaments, respectively.

Kosmo's two cents on Oxford golf

2011-06-16T10:33:00.000-07:00

The Division 1 state golf tournament starts on Friday at Oakland University, and Oxford will be one of the Oakland County participants in the field.
The K-Man knows that Oxford has had to deal with a lot lately with the controversy surrounding one if its players that allegedly erased scores on a scorecard in the district tournament.
Kosmo admits he doesn't know all that's going on other than what he's read. Based on that, here is what your seer thinks about the issue.
If there is more to the story and the kid didn't cheat, then somebody from Oxford Schools needs to come forward and say what really happened. It's very possible there was a misunderstanding and the kid didn't do anything wrong.
However, the company line being toed by the school district at Oxford is evidence that he did, unfortunately.
Not talking about it and hiding under the line of "It was the MHSAA's ruling and that's all there is to it" is a cop-out. If the kid is innocent, somebody come forward and explain why.
Otherwise, it's one of those matters of being guilty by silence.
Not revealing what was said in its letter to the MHSAA is a poor move by Oxford.
School districts are public entities, not private ones, and you bet it's the public's business when something like this comes up.
If the kid did cheat, than Oxford should've immediately pulled out of the state tournament.
Period. End of story.
It only makes what's otherwise a terrific and model Oxford community look worse and it can't be much fun for the team to compete at the state tournament with such a microscope under them.
That can't be enjoyable at all.

More evidence on power of girls soccer

2011-06-14T14:04:00.000-07:00

The state girls soccer semifinals will take place on Wednesday, and once again, there can't be more blatant evidence that the most successful high school sport within Oakland County is girls soccer.
The area has produced a state champion 22 out of the last 23 years (or is it 23 of the last 24? Whatever.), and there are still five teams left playing in the semifinals.
All this comes one year after county teams won state championships in three of the four divisions.
There's a good chance that Saturday will feature the second all-county state Division 1 final in the past five years, as Novi and Troy could be on a collision course to meet for all the marbles.
Madison Heights Lamphere is an underdog in its Division 2 semifinal against Livonia Ladywood, but the Rams have bucked the odds all season in getting this far.
Traditional powers Birmingham Detroit Country Day in Division 3 and Madison Heights Bishop Foley in Division 4 are also alive, so there's a good chance those teams will look to add to their collection of state title trophies on Saturday.
Again, if there's a more successful high school sport within the county than girls soccer, Kosmo doesn't know what it is.

High softball scores indeed

2011-06-13T07:41:00.000-07:00

Before the start of the softball season, Kosmo wondered how much of an impact moving the pitching rubber back three feet would have on players and teams around the state.
It had a huge impact during the regular season, but Kosmo thought things would calm down a bit to normal once the state tournament started.
However, it's gone the opposite direction. Moving the rubber back three feet has made MORE of a difference in the state playoffs with how many runs are being scored.
The evidence is all over the place.
In the Waterford Our Lady of the Lakes region, there were 55 runs scored in the three games, with WOLL winning 18-0 and 12-4 to capture a regional crown.
The highly-anticipated regional semifinal between Walled Lake Northern and North Farmington, which each had all-county pitchers from last year, ended up being a 10-6 North Farmington win.
The Raiders then gave up 11 runs in a regional final loss to Canton.
It seems like nowadays, even in the most pressure-packed games, you don't have a chance if you don't score at least three runs. Kosmo would like to think there will be some traditional 1-0 or 2-1 games this week in the quarterfinals and at the Final Four in Battle Creek, but given the way things have gone this season, it doesn't appear likely.

Prom controversy strikes again

2011-06-08T08:02:00.000-07:00

Tis the time for the playoffs in the spring sports season, and with it, comes the usual controversy regarding proms that take place on the same day state tournament games are scheduled.
Last week, Walled Lake Central was missing eight seniors in a district soccer semifinal against Troy because of prom.
And earlier this week, quite a firestorm was caused when Utica Eisenhower vehemently lobbied to have its regional soccer semifinal at Troy Athens on Tuesday moved because its prom was that night.
People clamored to have the game moved up to early afternoon or to Wednesday. Eventually, the game was moved from 8 p.m. to 6 p.m., but since the start of Eisenhower's prom was 7, that still made people at the school upset.
First of all, Kosmo feels for the kids at Eisenhower. None of this was their fault. They were put in a tough position and it's too bad they had to be punished somewhat.
But Kosmo doesn't blame Athens or the MHSAA for not moving the game to Wednesday or up in the day further because the time and date was set well in advance. The school should've taken this into its thinking when it planned prom.
It's actually a great life lesson: Life isn't fair, adverse and unjust things come up, but you have to deal with it.
Think these kids won't deal with similar situations in the real world? You can rest assured the proper response won't be to moan and groan until they get what they want.
That'll lead to a sure firing from a boss, arrest, whatever you want to imagine.
You can't get what you want whenever you want it.
To the credit of the Eisenhower kids, they made the best of an unfortunate situation. They stuck together, played the game, and ended up winning in a shootout.
Oh, and even though they got there late, they probably got to enjoy much of their prom.
They got to experience the best of both worlds, honoring commitment to their team and getting to prom, by handling the adversity how grown adults should.
Hopefully the kids provided a lesson to the parents who grumbled so much.

ATTENTION READERS: We need timeline help

2011-06-03T07:27:00.000-07:00

Well, the big day is already upon us. The busiest day of the entire high schools sports season is on Saturday, a day we at the Oakland Press like to refer to as "Super Preps Saturday."
There's no busier day, with state finals in track and tennis, district semifinals and finals for baseball and softball teams around the state, girls soccer district finals and lacrosse regional finals.
Wow. That's a lot of kids competing in pressure-packed environments.
The last few years, Kosmo's spies have chronicled the big day by doing a timeline column the following week on the day.
We'd like to do that again this year, but we don't only want it to be Kosmo's spies submitting times of significant happenings.
We want the readers involved as well.
If you have the time of an important happening in a sporting event on Saturday, feel free to e-mail it keith.dunlap@oakpress.com. You'll have your name mentioned in the timeline column as a result.
Here's an example of what we're looking for:

1:53 p.m. - John Smith of Clarkston hits a home run to give the Wolves a 3-0 lead over Lake Orion in the second inning of a district final.

Of course, there probably isn't a John Smith on Clarkston and the Wolves and Lake Orion aren't in the same district, but that's just an example.
Feel free to send something like that for any sport.

Big opening wins for North Farmington, Athens

2011-06-02T10:03:00.000-07:00

In playoff action for any sport on any level, from the pros to youth leagues, teams often have to rally and find a way to win games they have no business winning in order to be crowned champion.
Adversity must be overcome and the test of close calls must be passed.
If that's the case, than the North Farmington softball team and the Troy Athens baseball team might be in for deep runs in the state tournament.
Both were on the edge of the cliff called elimination on Tuesday, and both managed to avoid losing their balance.
North Farmington was trailing by two runs and down to its final strike in a district opener against Northville, but rallied to score three runs on a pair of hits to stay alive.
Athens trailed Utica going into the seventh inning, 5-3, but scored three runs to pull out a 6-5 win.
Granted, each team has to take advantage of being able to survive close shaves. North Farmington has to beat a good Farmington Hills Mercy squad and Athens has to beat a solid Utica Eisenhower team on Saturday in respective district games.
But given how each went to the brink on Tuesday and survived, you have to like their chances with newfound life.

More tragedy at Seaholm

2011-05-31T11:25:00.000-07:00

Birmingham Seaholm has seen more than its fair share of tragedy in the past year in the athletic department.
Last summer, longtime softball and wrestling coach Mike Hessling died of a heart attack. Then, longtime tennis coach Keith Bernacki lost his long battle with cancer.
Losing two coaches is more than enough for anybody to handle, but now Seaholm has to deal with the tragic death of another.
On Sunday night, new football coach Nick Deane, who took over during the offseason for Chris Fahr, died tragically of a heart attack.
Deane was 62 years old and a respected coach who was an assistant at Troy, Grosse Ile and Seaholm.
It's another blow to a Seaholm community that's dealt with so much of late. In addition to the death of three aforementioned coaches, Seaholm had to deal with a situation that saw racist graffit messages get written all over the school, and a racist letter sent to a teacher.

Avondale-Marian a great nightcap

2011-05-31T07:28:00.000-07:00

Today is a signature day on the preps sports calendar, as its the first day of the state baseball, softball and girls soccer tournaments around the state. There will no doubt be plenty of good action in baseball and softball, especially given the weather actually looks like it'll be nice for once.
However, the game Kosmo is keeping an eye on will be indoors on Tuesday night at Ultimate Soccer Arenas when Birmingham Marian takes on Auburn Hills Avondale in a Division 2 district opener.
Marian has won the last two state titles in Division 2 and is favored to win it again, but this will be a major test against Avondale, which is a hard team to score against with all-state Andrea Strauss in net.
Avondale and Strauss held Marian scoreless in a district final last year, and Marian had to prevail in penalty kicks to advance.
It should no doubt be a great capper to what should be a fun Tuesday of games.

A great three weeks upon us

2011-05-27T08:06:00.000-07:00

First of all, Kosmo wishes everyone out there a happy Memorial Day weekend. Hopefully the weather cooperates and people can finally enjoy some sun, although while doing so please remember why we celebrate this holiday. If not for the brave men and woman who have sacrificed their lives in our country's history, we couldn't enjoy cookouts and other great things about this weekend.
Second, when the weekend ends, an underrated time of year for the high school sports will begin.
The state playoffs for baseball, softball and girls soccer start on Tuesday, and it's truly a wonderful three weeks of the season. It's a great way to close out the prep sports year in what truly is a unique postseason.
It's different in the spring because it's the preps season, fall or winter included, where the most meaningful games take place in the best weather. With seniors done with school also, they can fully concentrate on their sport. Some coaches don't like that because they prefer their athletes to be in a routine, but Kosmo thinks it's a plus to just worry about playing the sport and have all the school stuff done with.
The K-Man can't wait to see what happens in the next three weeks.

Honoring a legend

2011-05-25T10:53:00.000-07:00

Thursday night figures to be an emotional night at Troy Athens High School, and not because it's the last girls soccer home game of the season.
Since head coach Tim Storch, the only soccer the coach the school has ever had, has announced he is retiring at the end of the season after 30 years, there will be a big ceremony/gala after the game to honor him.
There will be countless former players, colleagues and other school officials who will be at the game to honor a man who has won 900 career games and a combined nine state titles, five with the girls and four with the boys.
Kosmo hopes it's a grand celebration because Storch is one of the legends as far as county coaches go.
No doubt, Troy Athens will be the place to be on Thursday night.

Later golf season has its pluses and minuses

2011-05-23T18:27:00.000-07:00

Ever since the season switch that moved boys golf from fall to spring, the boys have played district tournaments, where the top six teams qualify for regionals the following week.
From there, the top 3 teams at regionals move on to states. It's not like this for the girls, who just have regional tournaments in the fall.
The protocol the past three years has been that district tournament are held the Thursday and Friday before Memorial Day, but this year they'll be held at Memorial Day because the season has been moved back a week.
In fact, the state finals will be held the last weekend of the high school sports season, the same weekend finals in baseball, softball and girls soccer are held.
This has some benefits and some hindrances if you ask Kosmo. The most notable benefit is that it gives the boys an extra week to get their games sharp in what should be good weather.
The biggest drawback though is that when the state finals were held the weekend before baseball, softball and soccer, golf and lacrosse had the stage all to themselves with their state finals.
Now, golf might get the short end of the stick as far as attention and media coverage goes ending on the same weekend as baseball, softball and soccer

Good times ahead for MSU baseball

2011-05-21T07:42:00.000-07:00

First of all, Kosmo is shocked that he's still here writing this blog from his cave in northern Oakland County. The world hasn't ended yet!
Second, the K-Man was reading up on how Michigan State won its first Big Ten baseball title since 1979.
Congrats to the Spartans, and it looks like the future will be even brighter thanks to Oakland County.
MSU is not only the best in the Big Ten, but it has raided the county in terms of recruiting.
Orchard Lake St. Mary's senior catcher Blaise Salter, Birmingham Brother Rice senior outfielder/catcher Jimmy Pickens, Birmingham Groves senior pitcher Mike Mestdagh and Clarkston senior Chase Toth all have a chance to be named to the all-state Dream Team at the end of the year, and all have signed to play in college at MSU.
One of MSU's best players, pitcher Andrew Waszak, is a graduate of Rochester Adams.
He's only a sophomore.
Given all that, the Big 10 champions will have a big Oakland County flavor for years to come.

Big showdown at Comerica

2011-05-19T07:07:00.000-07:00

Usually when the Catholic League baseball finals take place at Comerica Park every year, the showcase game is the A-B final between two larger schools, not the C-D one.
Well, that definitely won't be the case on Friday.
Not to take anything away from Novi Detroit Catholic Central or Warren De La Salle, who'll meet in the 7 p.m. A-B final, but the game most will want to see is the 5 p.m. C-D final between Madison Heights Bishop Foley and Ann Arbor Gabriel Richard.
Bishop Foley and Gabriel Richard might be two of the top-10 teams in the state regardless of division and on paper are better than Catholic Central or De La Salle.
They met in the C-D championship and the Division 3 state semifinals last season and each returned every key player this season. Gabriel Richard didn't lose anybody, while Bishop Foley not only returned its nucleus, but added some impact freshman.
Gabriel Richard won all six meetings last season, but Bishop Foley has won three of the four games this season.
It should no doubt be a great showcase game at Comerica between two of the state's best teams regardless of school size.
- This will be an exciting weekend with tennis and track regionals taking place around the state and the Catholic League soccer finals being held on Saturday at Livonia Ladywood. Hopefully the weather will cooperate.

First of what could be many honors for Olivia Brannon

2011-05-16T12:53:00.001-07:00

There's still a couple of weeks left until the start of the state high school girls soccer tournament, but already Troy Athens senior Olivia Brannon has received a prestigious honor.
Brannon last week was named the recipient of the Gatorade Michigan Girls Soccer Player of the Year for 2011.
Signed with Virginia, Brannon is a member of the U.S. under-18 national team, so she's obviously one of the top high school seniors in the nation, not just the state.
It could be the start for Brannon also. She'll likely win the Miss Soccer Award, and of course, she hopes to help lead Athens to a Division 1 state title in June.
We'll see what happens.
— Another area female athlete earned an honor last week. Auburn Hills Avondale senior Sarah Pink was awarded the Michigan Interscholastic Volleyball Coaches Association educational scholarship.
A member of Avondale's team for three years, Pink will be attending college at Michigan State.

Better players should play

2011-05-13T11:03:00.000-07:00

On Saturday, Birmingham Brother Rice will meet Warren De La Salle in a Catholic League baseball semifinal.
The Warriors have been dominate this season, losing just two games and rightfully are near the top of the state rankings.
There's been some controversy surrounding Brother Rice this season because the coaching staff elected to cut some seniors and put eight freshman on the roster.
For all the people upset that the Warriors did that, all Kosmo has to say to you is this: Hush up.
Bottom line is the best players are on the team. There's no favoritism to elder players.
Can you imagine if pro or college sports were run like that. Where would all the impact rookies or freshman be?
In real life, the best people in a corporation are the ones on the team. No favors are done to those have been around a long time.
Kosmo applauds the Brother Rice staff for making a stand and not caring what others think.
They did what they should do, which is make decisions in the best interest of the team, not a few whiny parents.

U-M lands another county gem

2011-05-10T12:56:00.000-07:00

Like any great vacuum, University of Michigan football coach Brady Hoke is reeling in top-notch high school players within the Oakland County.
After getting pledges from Farmington Hills Harrison tight end Devin Funchess and Orchard Lake St. Mary's linebacker James Ross, the Hawks received a verbal commitment over the weekend from Harrison defensive lineman Mario Ojemudia, one of the state's best juniors last season.
Ojemudia was a pass-rushing and run-stuffing force for the Hawks, and he should be a fixture on U-M's defensive line for years to come.
The only one of Harrison's "Big Three" that hasn't committed is wide receiver Aaron Burbridge.
If U-M lands him, it'll be a clean sweep of the county's best football players and a major coup for Hoke in his first full recruiting class.