Regional Finals Picks

Overall Season Record: 113 - 33

Plymouth Canton v. Novi Detroit Catholic Central – The Shamrocks nip and tuck battles with CHSL foes Warren De La Salle and Orchard Lake St. Mary's in the latter half of their regular season will pay dividends against a strong-willed and upset-minded Canton team. CC's Fire and Ice backfield tandem of tailback Anthony Capatina and bruising fullback Niko Palazeti bring the elements and waltz its way into the DI Final Four.

CC 31 Canton 24

Macomb Dakota v. Clarkston – Dakota heads into the Wolves Den looking to hand C-Town its first loss of the year and an exit ticket from the post-season. Worry none Wolves Nation, senior field general, Tyler Scarlett and his best friend and backfield mate "Dandy D"a.k.a. Dakota Bender, are just too good to let that happen.

Clarkston 28 Dakota 21

Birmingham Brother Rice v. Midland – With so many opponents worried about Rice's always-dangerous wideout and third year starter, Kevonte-Martin Manley (Bowling Green) - and rightfully so -, the Warriors number two receiver, Nate Saldivar-Garcia, has been able to make some serious waves this season. Garcia has TD receptions in both Rice playoff wins the last two weeks and will collect one more against Midland as the Warriors, much like CC and benefiting from playing in the toughest conference in the state, march onward towards Ford Field.

Rice 27 Midland 26 (OT)      

Warren De La Salle v. Southfield – You cannot stop Southfield's Maurice Davenport, you can only hope to contain him. The visiting Pilots find that out first hand on Saturday afternoon and the Blue Jays get some good old fashioned revenge against the team that knocked them out of the state semi-finals last year. With or without injured star running back Dae'von Robinson, Southfield is playing great football right now and can't be stopped – at least not this week!

Southfield 30 Warren De La Salle 20

Orchard Lake St. Mary's v. Detroit Crockett – Eaglets senior signal caller Robert Bolden (Penn State) and his play are peaking at the right time. Along with the rest of his team, Bolden started slow, but as the season has progressed, both the entire unit and its QB, have slowly started to regain its championship-caliber form (last seen in 2007 when a sophomore Bolden led St. Mary's to a state championship game). On Saturday afternoon, Bolden with face-off with All-City Crockett field general, Tony Lippett (Michigan State) and it should be a classic, with both blue chip recruits performing at superior levels right now. Ernest Thomas (UCLA) collects another trifecta of touchdowns – he has six over the first two weeks of the post-season – and James Ross picks off Lippett late in the game to send the Eaglets into its second state semi-final in the last three years.

OLSM 34 Crockett 33

Birmingham Detroit Country Day v. Marshall – Coach Mac filled his squad's regular season with a series of rough and tumble road match-ups to prepare for this very type of game against a muscle-bound Marshall team. Junior QB Josh Harris is just starting to heat up and he has the ability to carry Country Day on his back if need be. Running back Lee Bailey gets busy all over the Marshall defense for a buck twenty on the ground to go along with a pair of scores and Brett Bukari boots the game-winning field goal in the 4^th quarter as the Yellowjackets take one step closer to their third consecutive trip to the state finals.

DCD 27 Marshall 24

Jackson Lumen Christi v. Madison Heights Madison – To quote the venerable Chad Ochocinco, "Child, please!" Eagles continue to soar!

Madison 35 JLC 25

Waterford Our Lady of The Lakes v. Beal City – The Lakers junior wonder…er running back, Anthony "Big Coz" Caiozzo is bananas, B.A.N.A.N.A.S!!!

WOLL 33 Beal City 30

Rebounding from a rough patch of lethargic play late in the year, the Yellowjackets of Birmingham Detroit Country Day (8-3) look poised to stage a third straight trip to Ford Field and another return to the D3 state football finals. Behind the play of some hard-working seniors (I'm talking 'bout u Brett Smith, Chris Eddins, Joe MacLean, and Jason Ray) and a tantalizing trio of junior studs (the triumvirate of Josh Harris, Lee Bailey, and Kenny Knight need no introduction, I'm sure) the Jackets are once again stinging the competition and the buzz around town is that DCD is on the war path. Taking their first two playoff games in commanding fashion, including a rip-roaring 45-6 demolition of a quality Madison Heights Lamphere team last Friday night, the ole' Blue and Yellow appear to be shifting gears to overdrive in their playoff push with an explosive offense firing on all cylinders. Junior QB Josh Harris had two TD's in the Lamphere win and so did Joe MacLean (one apiece on 'O' and 'D') and RB Lee Bailey. Sophomore tailback, John Hill, a force to be reckoned with in the running game himself, punched one into the end zone too.

Here's the one difference I see between this '09 Yellowjackets squad and the past two editions of DCD football – This group is going to win a state title. Mark it down, you read it here first. Burney is screaming…er typing loud and far that the Jackets are going to get themselves that ever-elusive wooden mitten (get it, all the state championship trophies are wood shaped state of Michigans).

Harris has the chance to go down as one of the all-time great signal callers in a rich Country Day football history and I think he will. Any sophomore to take his team to a state championship game like he did last year, is one heck of a ball player. Chris Eddins (note to college coaches: someone get this kid locked up now) is a beast in the interior for the Jackets and MacLean is a pesky, little spark plug on both sides of the ball. Bailey is as sweet as homemade peach cobbler running the rock and WR Kenny Knight stretches the field like a colossal Charleston Chew bar. Senior placekicker Brett Bukari (35 yd fg and 4 extra points against Lamphere) just captured a state title in soccer last weekend and he's getting greedy and wants another one. I don't blame ya, Brett. And don't worry, didn't you just the start of this entry….it's in the bag

 

 

 

Top 10 Local Prep Football Home Venues   (In Burney's Humble Opinion, of course)

1 Novi Detroit Catholic Central – The closest thing you'll find to a college stadium and atmosphere in the area.

2 Clarkston – A close number two to C.C. Outstanding fan base and great press box, with homemade goodies provided to visiting media courtesy of the Wolves booster club. Me Likey!

3 Rochester Hills Adams – The Highlanders home field as become host to some classic Adams teams over the past decade and the facilities are all immaculate.

4 Lake Orion – The Dragons own a cobra-clutch of a home field advantage when playing on their home field. Much like down the road in Clarkston, on Friday nights in the fall things virtually shut down in the LO and all eyes are focused on the school's gridiron gladiators, who are notorious for turning the home field into their own personal battle ship, launching prolific aerial assaults and high-scoring outputs on opponents who dare to enter the Dragons Den.

5 Oxford – Head coach Bud Rowley is worth the price of admission alone.

6 Orchard Lake St. Mary's – There's nothing like a crisp, sunny autumn afternoon in the stands watching the always athletically-stacked Eaglets fly past the competition on the corner of Commerce and Orchard Lake Road. I remember as a teenager watching my boys Diallo Johnson (Michigan) and David Bowens (Michigan/W. Illinois/10-year NFL'er) doing damage between the hash marks back in the 90's.

7 Birmingham Seaholm – Could have the most devoted following in the area, great overall environment, the epitome of Friday Night Lights.

8 Pontiac – Anytime you play in a bonafide stadium like the incomparable Wisner Stadium on Dixie Highway, you are big time!

9 Waterford Our Lady of The Lakes – Watching a game at Lakes feels like watching a pick-up game in your backyard (the Lakers field is literally right behind the school, classrooms and all). I say this in the most endearing of terms, as WOLL is as quaint as a high school football experience can be. Not on the field though - the Lakers, a perennial small-school power, are from world beaters and far from quaint to all opposing teams who come and visit Lakes' "backyard".

10 (a) Novi – The Wildcats know how to host a football party and deliver a prime time concession stand to boot.

10 (b) Birmingham Detroit Country Day – The Yellowjackets have the ultimate prep school football venue, giving fans and players alike a great view of the leafy intersection at 13 mile and Lahser.

Honorable Mention: Pontiac Notre Dame Prep, Southfield, RO Shrine, BH Cranbrook, Troy, South Lyon, Farmington, FH Harrison, WL Central, WL Western, Lakeland

I'm going to nickname the Brother Rice receiving corps of Kevonte Martin-Manley and Nate Saldivar-Garcia, "The Firm", because when you say their names one after another it sounds like the name of a law firm - also, because these two bring the heavy hand of the law on the field, taking out cornerbacks like the police do speeders on the local expressways. The Warriors pair of crafty wideouts each hauled in 18-yard TD passes in the first half of their team's district championship wins last Friday night. Can't you just here a secretary answering a phone, "Good morning, law firm of Kevonte, Martin, Manley, Nate, Saldivar, and Garcia, how can I direct your call?"

Make sure the woman and children are safe, the "Coz-Man" is on the loose and he is very dangerous. Waterford Our Lady of The Lakes junior running back Anthony "Big Coz" Caiozzo went ballistic all over visiting New Lothrop on Saturday afternoon in a D8 district final. Caiozzo rushed for 200 yards and three TD's, including the game-winner in the 4^th quarter, as the Lakers staged a late-comeback to prevail 44-34. Tallying over 350 yards of total offense, Big Coz wrecked havoc on the NL defense and special teams all afternoon.

Southfield's Maurice Davenport (6-2 245) is the genuine article. This guy runs like Jerome Bettis and tackles like Ray Lewis. EMU head coach Ron English got himself a real steal, not to mention "The Real Deal Holyfield" when he landed a verbal commitment from Davenport last week. Set to play middle linebacker for the Hurons…..er, Eagles next year, he's sure to be a sleeper and will surprise many with his play (MD was not heavily recruited by the majors, but deserved to be). On Saturday afternoon, Davenport rushed for a game-high 112 yards on offense and made five tackles on "D" as the Blue Jays won their second straight D2 district championship. His 5-yard touchdown run midway through the fourth quarter won it for Southfield.

Congrats to the OC football squads at Clarkston, Birmingham Brother Rice, Birmingham Detroit Country Day, Orchard Lake St. Mary's, and Madison Heights Madison, who all brought home district championships on Friday night with big time wins. Each of these teams - representing the county's elite - brought the the thunder on the field and came away with decisive victories along with the requisite hardware.

 

First off, i lwant to say I ove the fact that Rice's Adam Gorski and DCD's Brett Bukari both booted FG's in Friday's games and then will suit up for their respective school's soccer teams and compete for a state championship on Saturday afternoon. Gorski and Bukari are top of the line competitors and first class gentlemen athletes who deserve commending for their ardent dedication to their schools. Way to go Adam and Brett - Keep getting your "Deon Sanders" on and doing your school colors proud. Two State Titles in the same season? Its possible and would be quite an impressive feat. 

 

St. Mary's continued to show why its a lot better than its .500 regular season record would indicate with the 35-21 road defeat of previously unbeaten Melvindale. The Eaglets treacherous regular season schedule is finally baring fruit with two straight commanding playoff performances - the Melvindale win and the demolishing of Detroit Central last week. Ernest Thomas once again showed why he's one of the most versatile football players in the state and a valued recruit for the Pac-10 UCLA Bruins, scoring three rushing TD's on offense for the second consecutive week and holding down things on the defensive side of the ball for the Eaglets in back-to-back stalwart outings.  

 

Speaking of impressive road wins by Catholic League powers, Brother Rice went on the road and clobbered a very good RH Adams team 24-7. After struggling for much of the second half of the year with a stagnant offense, the Warriors have switched things up - mixing in several alternate formations with some added new personnel-  and is starting to fly right once again. A running game that had looked to have hit a brickwall while the team ended the regular season on a three game losing slide, is showing signs of major life. Rice ran for over 200 against a stout Adams "D". Junior Running Backk, Jimmy Pickens (also a highly-recruited and bellringing strong safety), one of the hardest runners in the area, bruised and banged his way to a game-high 115 yards on 22 carries to go along with one rushing score. Frankie Popp helped Rice jump in front of Adams early with two well-placed TD passes in the first half - a pair of 18-yarders to starting wideouts Kevonte Martin-Manley and Nate Saldivar-Garcia. Breaking out of a minor slump himself, Popp carved up the opposing Highlanders secondary for 122 yards through the air., while connecting on 7-of-13 throws.

 

Country Day made fast work of Madison Heights Lamphere trouncing the Rams 45-6 and hoisting its third straight district title trophy. Joe MaClean scored the Yellowjackets first two td's of the game - one on "D", the other on "O" - and standout junior field general Josh Harris delivered the pill perfectly all night long. Junior tailback Lee Bailey put in two rushing scores and the boyz in blue and gold erupted for 25 points in the second quarter.

 

Clarkston remained undefeated by handedly taking care of Romeo 21-3. Senior QB Tyler Scarlett showed why he's one of the best around by lighting-up the Bulldogs "D" for 170 yards and 3 tds, while connecting on 11-of-20 of his passing attempts. Scarlett also proved an elusive double-threat, sprinting for 88 yards on 16 carries via a number of well-executed qb sneaks and scrambles. His 40-yard scoring bomb to Derek Booker in the first quarter got the scoring started and the Wolves never lookd back from there, limiting Romeo all-state RB Ben Brown to only 85 yards on the ground.

 

Madison trucked Capac 25-7 and got TD's from Tony Lowry and Valdez Showers - both on 1-yard scoring plunges.

With the OC about to jump into the heart of the football post-season, the second installment of Varsity Cinema presents a look at Burney's top three high school football movies of all time;

Note to all prepsters heading into a district final this weekend – watch one, several, or all of these movies in the hours leading up to your game and you are certain to find immense motivation for your respective on the field of battle. Any of these flicks will provide a much-needed PLAYOFF POWER SURGE! So pick one, fire up the dvd,enjoy the movie, and then go out on the field and play your tails off!

1 All The Right Moves (1983) – Probably the best movie ever made about high school football. This epic flick stars Tom Cruise as Stefan Jorgevic, a hard-hitting defensive back for a prep football power in a Pennsylvania "Steel Mill" country, who is trying to win himself an athletic scholarship so he can pursue a degree in engineering in college. "Moves" is the polar opposite of your modern day teen movie, but in a good way. The film is dark, but ultra-real and expertly-told, taking an uncompromising look at a number of issues that face teenagers yesterday, today, and forever. You find yourselves really feeling and relating to almost every one of the characters, all pieces of a complex puzzle that is the fictional pigskin obsessed small town and its HS football team that the movie is centered on. The movie also pulls the curtain back on some of the more negative aspects of a pigskin obsessed small town.

2 Friday Night Lights (2004) – The ultimate tale of Texas high school football and the pressures and expectations that thousands of 16 and 17 year old boys within the state are shouldered with when they suit up each fall. Specifically, this movie takes a look at the true-life story of the 1988 Permian Panthers, a ragtag group of prepsters that overcame serious adversity to make a run all the way to the state finals in the movie, the state semi-finals in real life. The performance of Derek Luke as injured star player, "Boobie" Miles is heart-felt and authentic and the best part of the film overall. Billy Bob Thorton's portrayal of Permian head coach Gary Gaines, a honest and strong-willed man continually tested by a overly-rabid community, was spot on.

3 Go Tigers! (2001) – A gritty documentary that chronicles the 1999 prep football season of the Massillon, Ohio Tigers, alma mater of Lions' great Chris Spielman. The story of the season is told through focusing on four primary characters: The Coach, second year sideline general, Rick Shepas, who was under tremendous pressure to bounce back from an uncharacteristic down year the previous season, The Quarterback, senior David Irwin, a quiet, yet prolific on the field leader, The Linebacker, Danny Studer, a second generation Tiger with a serious Urlacher-like streak running through him, and the Pass Rusher, Ellery Moore, a former juvenile delinquent turned star athlete who makes the team his family. The Tigers, led by Shepas, Irwin, Studer, and Moore, put together a dazzling string of wins throughout the '99 regular season capped by a nationally-televised victory over arch rival Canton McKinnley, the only prep game in the nation with a annually attached Las Vegas betting line. All the while off the field, the team, town and the school face a millage vote that could cost the district, specifically the Massillon athletic program, coaching slots and budget cuts.      

  

Overall season record: 105-32

 

District Finals 2009 - Picks

 

Farmington Hills Harrison v. Southfield – With so many playmakers on the field at one time, this grudge match between the visiting Hawks and host Blue Jays could easily turn into pinball machine-like affair. Harrison's early-season walloping of Southfield is way back in the Blue Jays rear view and really doesn't show the slim difference between these two stellar squads. The match-up on paper is compelling as well – Harrison's aerial assault led by the OC Prince, Vince Salatino and his stable of fleet-footed receivers known as "The Posee" against Southfield's hard-nosed running attack led by super stud Dae'von Robinson and the powerfully-graceful Maurice Davenport. It's a very tough call on this one, but I see the Hawks advantage at the QB spot – an already-hot Salatino could just be warming up – being the difference in the end.

Harrison 27 Southfield 24

Livonia Stevenson v. Novi Detroit Catholic Central – The Shamrocks linebacking duo of Mike Kinville and Justin D'Agostino will be Christopher Columbus and Stevenson's Austin White (Michigan) will be merely the Pilgrims….alas Rock's conquer DI district championship.

CC 38 Stevenson 17

Orchard Lake St. Mary's v. Melvindale – Robert Bolden and Ernest Thomas and the boyz are getting toasty late and that's good news for OLSM head coach George Porritt and the "Red Rage". Senior captain Gary Hunter saves the day again for St. Mary's and returns a punt for a TD in the 4^th to win it for the Eaglets.

St. Mary's 28 Melvindale 27

Birmingham Brother Rice v. Rochester Hills Adams – Junior back-up QB Tyler Lendzion plays Johnny Moxon, Senior gunslinger Frankie Popp, a healthy Lance Harbor, and the Warriors roll to an upset win.

Rice 37 Adams 34 (OT)

Romeo v. Clarkston – Dakota Bender, does the Great Burnzini a small, little favor and goes all DAKOTA BENDER on the Bulldogs.

C-Town 31 Romeo 28 

Hazel Park v. Detroit Crockett – I love me some Killer D's – the Vikings devastating backfield of Dominic Wiggins and Dustin O'Malley – but Tony Lippett (MSU) and Crockett may be too large a giant to slay for a very respectable HP squad.

Crockett 31 HP 24

Madison Heights Lamphere v. Birmingham Detroit Country Day – You can't stop Yellowjackets junior QB Josh Harris, you can only hope to contain him

DCD 33 Lamphere 23

Capac v. Madison Heights Madison – Best way to break down this match-up: Madison= Predator, Capac=Prey, Eagles go Schwartzenager all over the visiting Capac-ers.

Madison 41 Capac 10

New Lothrup v. Waterford Our Lady of The Lakes – Freshman kicker Jake Doetch keeps the dream alive, booting his second straight game-winning FG in the post-season and sending the Lakers into the regionals.

WOLL 27 New Lothrop 24 (OT)