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Friday, April 19, 2013

Bloomfield Hills High School Names Graves as Head Basketball Coach

Over the course of the past few years Bloomfield Hills Lahser has seen its basketball program go to new heights behind the trio of Yante Maten, Armand Cartwright and Khalil Gracey, along with head coach Duane Graves..

But with Lahser merging with Bloomfield Hills Andover to form the new Bloomfield Hills high school starting next year, there was some doubt that the junior trio along with Graves would still be together as the Blackhawks opened up their coaching search which rumored to come down to Graves and Andover head coach Jeff Rubin.

But as of Friday morning it was rumored that Graves had received and accepted the job offer to be the head coach of the Bloomfield Hills Blackhawks, however Bloomfield Hills Schools only said that the job had been offered to Graves.

Graves later confirmed that he received the job on twitter.


Since Graves took over for Lahser back in 2011, the Knights have been one of the fastest rising basketball programs in Oakland County as the Knights have won both district and league titles in each of the past two seasons, and made a trip to the regional final in this past season.

Keeping Graves was the right choice for Bloomfield Hills considering that in just a couple of years, Graves helped turn things around in a hurry for Lahser as he helped lead the Knights to a pair of district titles after they had a drought of over 10 years. The hiring also made a lot of sense because Graves has helped develop the Knights with the core of Maten, Cartwright and Gracey and has now helped put the Blackhawks into a position where they could be serious contenders to make an appearance at the Breslin Center for next year's state finals.

This is no knock on Rubin, who proved to be one of the area's top coaches over the past couple of years as well in his time with Andover as he helped lead the Barons to an 11-10 record. There's no doubt in my mind that Rubin will once again be on the sidelines, helping lead another strong team in the area.

Next season, the Knights will have high expectations as they will return the soon-to-be senior trio as well as a number of other steady contributors that suited up for the Barons and Knights last season.

Wednesday, April 17, 2013

Oakland County Softball Preview - Top Players

1. Haley Zemmer - Troy Athens
Zemmer is arguably the area's best pitcher, but what gives her the edge over some of the other players in Oakland County is her ability to not only dominate in the circle, but her ability to dominate in the batter's box as well. Zemmer finished last year with an ERA of just over 1.00 and struck out a whopping 323 batters while tallying 31 wins. Offensively, she was nearly just as good as Zemmer hit nearly .500 on the season, while driving in almost 50 runs. Zemmer is already committed to play for Oakland..

2. Sarah Gutknecht - Farmington
Without a doubt the best offensive player that Oakland County has to offer, Gutknecht makes it look easy at the plate as she hit just under .600 last season in her junior campaign, while driving in and scoring 30 runs. Gutknecht is also one of the area's top defensive players as you will rarely, if ever, see her make an error at her shortstop position. Gutknecht has signed to play for Michigan State.

3. Selena Hicks - Lakeland
Hicks is the second half of the argument when it comes down to the best pitcher in Oakland County as she's proven to be an ace since she started pitching for the Eagles. Hicks finished with a 16-3 record last season in the circle for the Eagles as she helped lead Lakeland to Battle Creek after going 23-5 with an ERA of just over 1.00 in her sophomore campaign.

4. Sydney Heath - Troy
It's not often you find someone who hasn't played a specific sport on the high school scene for two years, but still manages to earn a scholarship offer to play that sport. But that's exactly the case for Heath, who spent the last couple of years as a star on the Troy track and field squad, but will play softball for the Colts after receiving and accepting an offer to play for Michigan State. Look for Heath to be a steady force in the Troy lineup, while also being one of the best defensive outfielders that Oakland County has to offer.

5. Jordan Lennington - Birmingham Seaholm
Lennington has been as consistent as it gets over the past four years for the Maples, as she's entering her fourth year as a starter for Seaholm. Last season, Lennington hit over .500 and almost 30 RBI in her junior season, while hitting three home runs and five triples, but what might be the most impressive stat from last season for Lennington was the fact that she struck out just two times all season long.

6. Sydney Hasselbach - Clarkston
The most imposing power threat in Oakland County, Hasselbach has the ability to change the outlook of a game with just one swing. Last season Hasselbach hit over 10 home runs and drove in over 60 runs while hitting .546 in the middle of the Clarkston lineup. Look for the senior catcher to do plenty of damage from behind the plate as well as she's proven to be one of the best when it comes to slowing down opposing running attacks.

7. Kelly Merkle - Lakeland
Merkle is another power hitter that will likely give opposing teams nightmares after her big season in 2012. Look for Merkle to help solidify a dangerous Lakeland lineup from the middle of the order and will have plenty of opportunities to pick up the RBI this season. Last year, Merkle hit over .500 for the Eagles as she helped lead the Eagles to a somewhat surprising season, which ended in Battle Creek.

8. Jackie Murphy - Farmington Hills Mercy
Murphy has some big shoes to fill this season as she'll replace Kayce Nieto as the ace of the Mercy pitching staff and she'll likely do some serious damage for the Marlins in the circle this year. Look for a big season from Murphy offensively as well as she proved to be one of the most consistent and lethal hitters that Oakland County had to offer last season.

9. Madison Burgess - Lakeland
Burgess is as good as it gets when it comes to lead-off hitters as she had a monstrous sophomore season last year and figures to do much of the same in her junior year this season. Last season Burgess hit over .450 and had an on-base percentage of .525 while proving to be arguably the best base-stealing threat in the county after swiping nearly 40 bases last year.

10. Zoe Schmerin - Birmingham Groves
Schmerin can flat out hit the ball as well as anyone in Oakland County as she's proven to be able to hit for both power and average and is one of, if not the best defensive catcher in the area. Last year, Schmerin hit well over .500 in her junior campaign, while also tallying two home runs and hitting 45 RBI to help lead the offensive attack for the Falcons and you can expect more of the same out of the senior catcher this season as well.

11. Devon Schomberg - Waterford Mott
One of the best when it comes to finding ways to get hitters out and is capable of striking out just about anybody, at any time.

12. Meg Tarrance - Farmington Hills Mercy
One of the leaders of the Mercy squad and has proven to be an offensive threat over the last couple of years in the middle of the Marlin's batting order.

13. Rachel Waynick - Waterford Mott
Will miss some time early on because of a torn ACL, but when she returns near midseason will likely pick up where she left off as one of the top hitters in the area, capable of getting on base at any time.

14. Jessica Mehr - South Lyon
It's almost impossible to keep Mehr off the base-paths, especially after last season where she hit nearly .600 as a sophomore and should do more of the same this year.

15. Madeline Maday - Clarkston
One of the rising stars of the circle, Maday was flat out dominant in her freshman campaign as she posted an ERA just north of .90 and struck out almost 230 batters.

16. Sydney Jones - South Lyon East
Another player who is one of the area's fastest rising players, Jones had a dominant season in 2012, and will look to have yet another strong season in her junior campaign.

17. Alicia Gronowski - Lake Orion
Gronowski has proven to do just about everything for the Dragons as she is not only one of the area's best hitters, but has also been a top defensive player and pitcher as well.

18. Taylor Steinhelper - Waterford Kettering
One of the best top of the order hitters out there, Steinhelper has proven she can get on base with the best of them after hitting .470 last year and his a threat on the bases after stealing 32 bases and scoring 42 runs.

19. Carly Banchiu - Waterford Mott
Another piece to the terrific trio that Mott has to offer, Banchiu figures to have a big senior season after missing her junior campaign with a torn ACL, look for her to return to her sophomore form where she became one of the best hitters around.

20. Karissa Gawronski - Lakeland
Another Lakeland player who had a breakout season of sorts last year, Gawronski was as consistent of a No. 2 hitter as there is after posting a .495 batting average as a sophomore.

21. Nikki Wald - North Farmington
Should help lead the offensive attack for the Raiders after hitting nearly .500 with 45 runs last year and is also a top notch defender at her third base position.

22. Kaitlyn Kendall - North Farmington
Will help solidify the middle of the North Farmington lineup as she's shown she can be one of the best around when it comes to driving in runs after tallying 44 RBI in her junior seasons.

23. Mackenzie Norton - Waterford Kettering 
The ace of the Captains pitching staff, Norton picked up 25 wins in her sophomore season should be dominant once again this year and should be one of the main hitters in the Kettering order.

24. Anika Wiesinger - Lakeland
Wiesinger is as good of an ace as there is in Oakland County, but is the No. 2 pitcher on the Lakeland staff. As a junior, Wiesinger picked up 20 wins in the circle last season and pitching along with Selena Hicks should prove to be a dominant 1-2 punch for the Eagles this year.

25. Megan Keller - North Farmington
Keller should be another consistent bat in the middle of the Raider's order after posting a .463 batting average and had five home runs along with 33 RBI as a sophomore.

15 More To Keep An Eye On (NO ORDER)
1. Autumn Cervantez - Oxford
2. Cori Mittelbrun - Troy
3. Julie Malear - Lake Orion
4. Taylor Krumm - Walled Lake Central
5. Veronica Dyer - Birmingham Detroit Country Day
6. Emma Colegrove - Waterford Kettering
7. Maggie Vosler - Southfield Christian
8. Angie Mastromatteo - Waterford Our Lady of the Lakes/Clarkston Everest
9. Kelly McCassland - Rochester Adams
10. Erika Meyers - Birmingham Detroit Country Day
11. Katelyn Hendershott - Ortonville Brandon
12. Elizabeth Carlson - Farmington Hills Mercy
13. Mamie Talty - Birmingham Groves
14. Verca Barnwell - Birmingham Detroit Country Day
15. Lexi Hamilton - Birmingham Seaholm

Thursday, April 11, 2013

Oakland County Baseball Preview - Top Players

1. Matt Ruppenthal - Birmingham Brother Rice
Ruppenthal was as dominant as it gets in his freshman and sophomore campaigns and only figures to get better in the next two seasons on the mound for the Warriors. The junior ace finished last year with an ERA of under 1.00 and averaged about 1.5 strikeouts per inning last year and will help lead the way for a loaded but youthful Brother Rice squad this year which has its eyes on a state title. Ruppenthal has already committed to play for perennial college power Vanderbilt.

2.  Nick Deeg - Lake Orion
The OC's "Big Unit," Deeg is the definition of a power lefty who can carve batters up, or just simply overpower them. Last year Deeg averaged nearly two strikeouts per inning and finished with an ERA of just a hair over 2.00 and should have another big year as one of the two aces for the Dragons. The senior will also be one of the most dangerous hitters in Oakland County this year as well as he hit over .400 last year and drove in just under 40 runs in his junior campaign. Deeg has signed with Central Michigan.

3. Brad Schaenzer - Lake Orion
Speaking of dominant lefties, Schaenzer is another Lake Orion left handed hurler that can shut down opposing offensive attacks. Much like Deeg, Schazenzer had an ERA just over 2.00, while tallying nine wins last season and showed the ability to rack up the strikeouts at any given time. Schaenzer has continued to pick up some big time D-1 offers and the 1-2 punch of him and Deeg could help lead the Dragons to Battle Creek this year.

4. Sterling Sharp - North Farmington
Whenever Sharp is on the mound for the Raiders, it's almost a guarantee that North Farmington will pick up the win after the senior hurler went a perfect 7-0 as a junior last year with an ERA south of 2.00. Sharp is committed to Eastern Michigan, but could be one of a handful of Oakland County players who could be drafted in the MLB draft.

5. Garrett Schilling - Madison Heights Bishop Foley
Only a junior this year, but in the past two seasons Schilling has become one of the best aces in Oakland County this season. In his freshman and sophomore seasons, Schilling has yet to lose a game on the mound for the Ventures as he's posted a 15-0 record while playing a key role on the back-to-back Division 3 state championship teams at Bishop Foley. The junior ace is also a dangerous hitter and is an outstanding defensive shortstop as well.

6. Johnny Slater - Southfield-Lathrup
Slater is already arguably the best player in Southfield-Lathrup history after hitting almost .600 in his junior season last year. This year you can expect more of the same from the Charger's star as he figures to be not only one of the best hitters in the area, but he's also an excellent defender in the outfield and will once again be the ace of the Southfield-Lathrup staff. Slater has signed to play for Michigan in college.

7. Connor Mohr - Farmington
Mohr has shown over the last few years that he can do just about everything as the Michigan State commit has proven to be a stellar defensive player and has been an ace on the Falcon pitching staff. Mohr is also a big time hitter and a speedster on the base-paths as he continued to rack up the triples and steals in his junior season which got him serious recognition from D-1 colleges.

8. Grant Reuss - Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood
Another Oakland County pitcher that can impose his will on hitters as Reuss has a lethal fastball that can blow batters away and also has the off-speed pitches to fool hitters as well. Reuss fanned a number of batters last season in his sophomore campaign and should continue to pile up the strikeouts in his junior season. Reuss has already committed to play for Michigan at the next level.

9. Dazon Cole - Pontiac
Much like Slater, Cole is arguably the best player in Pontiac history, and will have a chance to solidify that in his final two year of high school. Cole is as good of an ace as there is out there as he had an ERA under 1.00 as a sophomore last season and averaged more than a strikeout per inning. The junior is also a dangerous offensive player after hitting over .400 in his sophomore season and is a defensively sound shortstop as well. Cole has committed to play for Central Michigan.

10. Andrew Gonzalez - Walled Lake Western
Gonzalez is the definition of a fireballer, a pitcher who can just blow hitters away with his fastball and also knows how to put hitters away with some of his off-speed pitches as well. After sitting behind Cam Vieaux and Jason Gamble in the rotation last year, Gonzalez will step into the role of being the Warrior's ace this season. Look for Gonzalez to be a key contributor in the Western lineup as well as he's proven to be a dangerous hitter as well. The junior has already committed to play for Michigan State.

11. Nik Heglin - Walled Lake Western
Heglin is as pure of a hitter as you're going to find as he's been a .500 hitter in each of the last two seasons and we'll likely see more of the same in his senior season this year. Heglin is also a standout defensively as he's made big time plays from the outfield with his glove and can get to just about any ball hit in his general direction with his speed. Heglin hasn't committed as of yet, but could start to see the offers start to pile up late, like his former teammate Cam Vieaux saw last season.

12. Ty Kiafoulis - Birmingham Brother Rice
Arguably the most powerful bat in the county this season, Kiafoulis can flat out punish opposing pitching on at almost any time and against almost any pitch. This year, Kiafoulis will be one of the few veteran presences on this year's Warriors squad as he will be playing in his third season at the varsity level. Kiafoulis recently committed to play for Michigan.

13. Nick Plummer - Birmingham Brother Rice
Plummer is the definition of a 5-tool player as the Brother Rice star soph proved in his freshman season that he can do it all. A very good hitter who can hit for average and power and is a legitimate threat to swipe a bag at any time and is one of the best outfield defenders you're going to find in terms of his glove as well as his arm.

14. Nate Morris - Oxford
Another fireballer with a live arm that Oakland County has to offer this season, whenever Morris is pitching for Oxford, the Wildcats have a better than good chance to win because of the junior ace's ability to shut down opposing bats. Morris has verbally committed to play for Michigan State.

15. Mike Azzopardi - Birmingham Detroit Country Day
Azzopardi proved that he could do it all last season as a junior, showing the ability to be one of the most consistent bats that Oakland County had to offer, hitting just under .500 for the season, while also flashing the leather several times in the field as well. Look for Azzopardi to take over the Country Day pitching staff as well as the senior could step into the role of being the Yellowjackets' ace this spring.

16. Nick Bredeson - Bloomfield Hills Andover
It's not often you see a Division one commit transfer into a school, but that's exactly what Andover saw this season. Bredeson, who spent the last few seasons at Brother Rice and caught the eye of several college scouts while led to him receiving and accepting an offer to play for Ohio. Look for Bredeson to help manage an Andover pitching staff which should be good once again this year.

17. Will Salter - Orchard Lake St. Mary's
Salter, much like Bredeson, is a stellar defensive catcher that will not only does a good job of helping pitching staffs, but also makes life hard for opposing base-stealers. Look for the junior to also do some damage offensively this year as he will look to help solidify the middle of the Eaglets batting order. Salter has committed to play for Michigan State

18. Ryan Roman - Madison Heights Lamphere
Roman can do just about everything offensive and showed that last year in his junior season where he showed he could hit for average and for power, while also proving to be one of the area's biggest base-stealing threats. Look for much of the same this year from Roman, who is also a top of the rotation pitcher for the Rams.

19. Josh Smith - Birmingham Brother Rice
One of the unknown stars that Oakland County has to offer, but is likely to have a big breakout year as he will pair with Ruppenthal to make a stellar 1-2 punch for the Warrior rotation. Smith, a lefty, obviously shined in the high school offseason and during the summer where he pitched so well that he earned a scholarship offer from Kentucky, which he later accepted.

20. Nate Grys - Madison Heights Bishop Foley
Grys, who was a key contributor for the Ventures in their state championship run, has proven to be a lethal hitter in the Bishop Foley lineup, and made opposing teams pay all year long from his No. 9 spot in the order. Grys, who's committed to Western Michigan, figures to only get better in the next three seasons at Bishop Foley.

21. Marlon Pruitt - Bloomfield Hills Andover
Pruitt has some big shoes to fill at Andover as he will look to step into the role of being the ace of the Baron's pitching staff, replacing Gabe Berman, who was the ace last season. But so far, so good for Pruit who looks like he's in midseason form as he pitched a complete game one-hitter on Tuesday as he struck out 16 Avondale batters for the win. Look for Pruitt to continue to dominate in the role of ace of the final edition of the Andover squad.

22. Brad Baldwin - Madison Heights Bishop Foley
Baldwin is entering his third year as a starter for the Ventures this year, where he will be the everyday second baseman for Bishop Foley in his junior season. Baldwin has been one of the most consistent offensive and defensive players in Oakland County over the course of his career and hit .450 last year and committed just three errors as a sophomore.

23. Nick Harris - Novi Franklin Road Christian
Harris is as consistent as it gets for Franklin Road as he's shown the ability to be not only one of the most consistent and dangerous hitters around, but one of the most sure-handed players around from his shortstop position. Harris hit over .500 last season offensively for the Warriors and rarely makes any defensive mistakes in the field.

24. Trevor Bonnivier/Todd Bonnivier - Waterford Mott
The brotherly duo makes up one of, if not the best 1-2 punch on the left side of the infield as Trevor handles the duties at third base, while Todd holds down shortstop. Last season, Trevor batted nearly .450 last season, while Todd hit well over .300 and both hit over 25 RBI to help lead the offensive attack for the Corsairs.

25. Nick Mazzone - Clarkston
Mazzone is a flat-out speed demon on the base-paths and uses that same speed to track down just about any ball hit his way in the outfield. Mazzone hit over .450 last season in his junior season and also swiped 20 bases as well and will help solidify the Clarkston lineup this spring.

15 More players to keep an eye on (NO ORDER)
1. Tyler Thompson - Farmington
2. Michael Hodgins - Orchard Lake St. Mary's
3. Brett Gustafson - Walled Lake Central
4. Randy Righter - Birmingham Brother Rice
5. Ryan Lambrecht - Lake Orion
6. Julian Jones - Orchard Lake St. Mary's
7. Alex Malzone - Birmingham Brother Rice
8. Jack Flynn - Lakeland
9. Austin Lukaschewski - Madison Heights Bishop Foley
10. Nick Vogelmeier - Lake Orion
11. David Walczyk - Walled Lake Western
12. Cole Lubin - Walled Lake Northern
13. Nate Wierzgac - Novi Detroit Catholic Central
14. Ian Kobernick - Berkley
15. Billy Malak - Madison Heights Bishop Foley