Round 2 Oakland County Football Playoff Picks

Last Week's Record: 8-4   Season Record: 97-36

Novi Detroit Catholic Central at Walled Lake Northern
Without a doubt the best matchup of round two, and there may not be a more intriguing game as the playoffs go on. It's power vs. speed. It's a traditional power vs. a team in the playoffs for the first time ever. There are so many intriguing match-ups in this game that there just isn't enough room to mention them all. This is a game that I have changed my mind on several occasions already (and might do so a few more times) but speed kills and the Knights have plenty of it.
WL Northern 34, ND Catholic Central 31 in OT


Melvindale ABT at Waterford Our Lady of the Lakes
While it was a win, last week's first round game against Pittsford wasn't exactly pretty. While the defense played a near perfect game aside from the first drive of the second half, the offense never really got going. Expect that to change against ABT this weekend as quarterback Sal Mastromatteo should have plenty of success through the air.
WOLL 31, ABT 14

Birmingham Detroit Country Day at Pontiac Notre Dame Prep
This is easily the most interesting game of the week. Both teams have electric running backs (Richie Wilson, DCD/ Jermaih Johnson, NDP). Both have playmakers everywhere on a dominant defense. In terms of college prospects, the edge would go to Country Day, but something tells me that the Irish will find a way to pull out a win at home under the lights in a classic.
NDP 41, BDCD 35 in 3 OT

Walled Lake Western at Fenton
This probably isn't the type of reward Fenton was expecting for finishing the season with a nearly perfect 8-1 record. First Fenton topped perennial state power Farmington Hills Harrison and now Western, who was incredibly close to playing for the D-2 state title last year. It was a great round one win for the Tigers, but you have to wonder if they'll have enough left in the tank to pull of another upset. Too much firepower on offense for the Warriors for Fenton to overcome.
WL Western 35, Fenton 24

Utica Eisenhower at Lake Orion
Like I said before, speed kills and Lake Orion has it just about everywhere on the field. From Jacob Miller to Corey Ester to Chaz Miller to Zach Arnold, the Dragons have more playmakers than most teams in the state can handle. Look for Eisenhower to keep the game close for the first half, but the speed and athleticism will start to wear down the power game of Eisenhower.
Lake Orion 42, Eisenhower 28

Grand Blanc at Clarkston
This game has all of the looks of a trap game for Clarkston. The No. 1 ranked Wolves have been dominant all season long, while Grand Blanc has just as much firepower, but has slipped up a time or two this season. But look for the Clarkston defense, behind cornerback Tim Cason and linebacker Chris Calvano, as well as two of the more underrated pass rushers around in Adam Johns and David Beedle to slow down a very capable Grand Blanc offense just enough to pull out the narrow win to move on.
Clarkston 24, Grand Blanc 21

Oxford at Birmingham Brother Rice
With a convincing win over Birmingham Seaholm in the playoff opener, Oxford sent a bit of a message, that they are for real. Unfortunately for the Wildcats, they have to face arguably the most complete team in the state in Brother Rice. Expect a close, low scoring defense behind a strong defensive battle in the first half, but with running back Brian Walker and quarterback Cheyne Lacanaria, the Warriors should pull away in the second half.
Brother Rice 42, Oxford 24

Southfield at Oak Park
Earlier in the season, Oak Park edged out the Blue Jays with an overtime win. This time around, Southfield may return the favor, with the Blue Jays finally back to full strength after dealing with injury problems throughout the season. Look for quarterback Tre Walton and receiver Brandon Bean to once again find the rhythm that they had working early on in the season to help lead Southfield to a district title and keep an eye on Gerald Gates who had a breakout performance in the playoff opener.
Southfield 33, Oak Park 27 in OT

Auburn Hills Avondale at Orchard Lake St Mary's
Avondale's high powered offense should keep the Yellow Jackets in the game in the early stages, but the Eaglets will have too much balance and power for Avondale to handle. With the St. Mary's offense starting to open things up in the passing game with quarterback Matt Linehan to pair with one of the most dominant rushing attacks in the state, St. Mary's should handle an early push from Avondale and then turn to its balanced offense and overpowering defense to lead the way to round three.
OLSM 42, Avondale 24