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CENTRAL DIVISION
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Coaches Poll: 1. Warren De La Salle, 57; 2. Orchard Lake St. Mary's, 55; 3. Birmingham Brother Rice, 48; 4. Novi Detroit Catholic Central, 43. 5. Dearborn Divine Child, 34; 6. U-D Jesuit, 33.
Birmingham Brother Rice
2007 record: 4-1, 8-3.
Strength: Defense.
Top players: SS Shamari Benton; OT Zach Cherocci; OT Jareth Glanda; RB Dan Henneghan; LB Shaquilla Marshall; DE Pete Plaskey; sophomore S Jimmy Pickens; junior WR Kevonte Martin.
Outlook: Rice will play non-league opponents Oak Park, Muskegon and Penn High near South Bend, Ind. (3,000 students) before hitting the always tough Catholic League schedule. "Our defense will have to play their tails off," said coach Al Fracassa.
Divine Child
2007 record: 1-4, 3-6.
Team strength: Depth.
Top players: Junior QB Marty Mitchell; OT Anthony Vella; DT Shea Marentette; DE Devin Kachinosky; C Sean Heiss; TE Sean Frank (6-4, 220); junior RB/LB Adam Forster, NG Rudy Fiscelli; LB Zack DeBiasi; RB Jason Popiel.
Outlook: Multiple two and three-year starters return to try lifting the program back up. "We've not had great success in the last few years, but these kids are looking forward to bringing back the great Divine Child tradition," said coach Jack Masserang.
Novi Detroit Catholic Central
2007 record: 3-2, 10-3.
Team strength: Defense.
Top players: WR/DB Steve Harding; WR/DB Kam Leiter, OT/DT Nick Landry; OT/DT Khaled Mheisen; junior TB/DB Anthony Capatina; FB/DT Niko Palazetti.
Outlook: DCC reached the state semifinals last year before losing to Macomb Dakota, but only three return on offense; one on defense. "Championships are won with defense and that's what we're stressing number one," said veteran coach Tom Mack. "We are relatively inexperienced compared to the past but we should have more overall speed this year to hopefully make us a better football team.
Orchard Lake St. Mary's
2007 record: 4-1, 11-2.
Team strength: Defense.
Top players: FB/LB Justin Semmes; WR/DE Dion Sims (6-6, 235); WR/CB Suave Lavallis; OT/DE Gabe Sharette (6-6, 230); FB/LB Pierce Niemic; WR Tayler Peruski; RB Sam Fioroni; junior QB Robert Bolden.
Outlook: St. Mary ended last season with a five-overtime loss in the state finals to East Grand Rapids. The Eaglets start this season at EGR's home field. "We need to play really good defense early this season to let the offensive line get their feet under them and grow up quick," said coach George Porritt.
Detroit U-D Jesuit
2007 record: 0-5, 0-9
Team strength: Offensive speed.
Top players: OL/DL Justin Abney (6-4, 265); RB/DB Michael Joyner Hill; RB/LB Jamal Butler; OL/DL Jeff Baker; OL/DL William Lamping; WR/DB Mike Wenderski (6-5, 215); junior OL/LB Keith Jones.
Outlook: With low numbers of players in the program the team will have to play together as a unit. "We should be successful due to experience coming back," said coach Paul Windham. "There's some speed on offense and some tough kids on defense. The defense will have to do well for us to win."
Warren De La Salle
2007 record: 3-3, 6-4.
Team strength: Experienced defense.
Top players: DB Jim Martinez; DB John Martinez; FB/LB Chet Privett; OL/ Jordan King (6-3, 275); S/RB Alex Pierse; junior DL Steve O'Shell (6-1, 255) and junior DL Matt Privett (5-11, 265), OL Brad Neaton.
Outlook: More starters return on offense and defense (16 total) than ever in last seven years. Coach Paul Verska said: "We have to stay healthy, which everyone says, but if you look back at our state championship in 2006, we had the same core of guys playing at the end of the year that we started the season with."
INTERSECTION I
Coaches Poll: 1. Ann Arbor Gabriel Richard, 38; 2. Detroit Loyola, 34; 3. Madison Heights Bishop Foley, 32; 4. Pontiac Notre Dame Prep, 32; 5. Riverview Gabriel Richard, 24.
Ann Arbor Gabriel Richard
2007 record: 3-1, 5-4.
Team strength: Skill positions.
Top players: junior QB Josh Herbeck (hon. men. All-state); junior WR/K Mike Yocum; junior OT Joe Miekstyn; RB Max Hartsell; WR Jeff Lemanski; DT Patrick Didonato; DE Houston Staub; LB Jeff Rowinski.
Outlook: Scoring should be Richard's best option under new interim coach Brian Lemons, who said the team is very talented offensively with four offensive linemen returning, plus all skill positions return except one. "Last year we relied on passing, but we are much more balanced and can run the ball this year," Lemons said.
Detroit Loyola
2007 record: 2-2, 7-3.
Team strength: Speed.
Top players: RB Kevin Harris (averaged 170 yards per game); OG/NT Ozurumba Nyeche; QB/LB DeAndre Ulmer; OG/LB Thomas Hervey; WR/QB Desmond Hill; FB D'Angelo Harris; sophomore OT/LB Tanez Hervey.
Outlook: Just three starting seniors graduated, but many linemen won't return in '08, turning this season into a rebuilding year. Former Pontiac ND Prep head coach John Callahan is new offensive coordinator.
Madison Heights Bishop Foley
2007 record: 1-3, 3-6.
Team strength: Experience (17 returning starters)
Top players: LB/TE Brad Bochniak (6-3, 210); OT/DT Mason Kasier (6-1, 295); DE/WR Dylan Nabozny (6-3, 210); TB/S Sean Patwell; junior QB/LB Josh Blakeslee (6-5, 215); DB/WR James Fredal; OT/DT D.J. Finwall.
Outlook: If the team stays healthy, the experienced starters should make the Ventures very competitive to make a run at the division title and get back to the state playoffs for a fourth time in the last five years, said coach Paul Stanton.
Pontiac Notre Dame Prep
2007 record: 4-0, 8-2.
Team strength: Skill positions.
Top players: Junior S Evan Sassack; WB/CB Phil Sakalian; QB David Owenby (from Stoney Creek); sophomore WB/SS Branch Kampe; junior FB/LB Chad Powers; OG/DT Joe Koterba; junior OG/LB Mike Maltese; WR/CB Matt Rzepecki.
Outlook: New coach Greg Ganfield, who moved back to southeast Michigan after five years in North Carolina, said: "We have kids that can make plays, but most haven't done so before at the varsity level. We'll be able to throw, catch and run, but that's of course all predicated by if we can block well."
Riverview Richard
2007 record: 0-4, 2-7.
Team strength: Depth.
Top players: QB/CB Phil Adkins; OT/DT Trevor Razo; WR/S Patrick Piszker; OT/DT John Friedrich; OG/LB Ron Hall; OG/NT Sean Miller; FB/TE Frank Hayes; OT/DT Nick Hovey; OG/LB Mike Kruso.
Outlook: Offense is getting a makeover from a spread run to a I-Power running formation, to get the hand-off closer to the line of scrimmage. "We want to make sure we gain positive yardage on every play," said new coach Mark Angellotti. The program has grown 50% since the end of last year, "and the enthusiasm level has grown about 200%."
INTERSECTION II
Coaches poll: 1. Royal Oak Shrine, 47; 2. Allen Park Cabrini, 43; 3. Waterford Our Lady of the Lakes, 42; 4. Marine City Cardinal Mooney, 35; 5. Detroit Urban Lutheran, 32.
Allen Park Cabrini
2007 record: 5-0, 9-2.
Team strength: Strength, toughness and position diversity.
Top players: FB/LB Matt Kling; OG/NG Brian Obrycki; WR/OLB Jake Femminineo; OT/DT Tim Gering; OG/DT Chris Sekerak; WR/DB Joe Page; junior C/DT Joshua Sugg.
Outlook: Team can surprise this year due to core players' ability to play multiple positions, helping fill many holes left by experienced graduates - but many players are still young. Looking for fifth consecutive trip to state playoffs.
Waterford Our Lady of the Lakes
2007 record: 3-2, 9-3.
Team strength: none.
Top players: RB L.J. Stolarski; HB Jamie DiDio; junior LB John Kroll; junior OT Nick Burham; LB Karl Romkema.
Outlook: After reaching the regional finals last year, coach Mike Boyd said: "This is our first year going in which no positions are a lock, we lost so many players. We saw this coming three years ago because this year's senior class had only a few guys come out as freshmen. We're young and we lack size; their dad's are huge so they must have gotten their mothers' genes."
Marine City Cardinal Mooney
2007 record: 2-3, 3-6.
Team strength: Defense, experience.
Top players: LB Justin Distelrath (6-4, 210); WR/DE Brad Meyers (6-4, 220); QB/S Ryan Beaton (6-5); HB/DL Tony Campbell; TE/S Joe Broderick; HB/LB Cameron Pytleski.
Outlook: This year's team, which has about two dozen players, started taking shape last season when, "this year's seniors took control of the team as juniors near the end of last year so there is good leadership going into this season," said coach Eric Lamont. "They're hoping to take the team to a different level."
Royal Oak Shrine
2007 record: 4-1, 7-3.
Team strength: Experience.
Top players: QB Jamal Townsall (6-3, 200), RB/LB Anthony Cade (15 TDs); OG/LB Brent Castine; OT/DT Patrick Sterk (6-4, 265); WR/DB Adam Jensen; WR/DB Billy Konzal; OT/DT Josh Wilt.
Outlook: Shrine will have a senior starting at every position this year compared to no retuning players on offense when the season began last year. The Knights will be strong at the skill positions, and the offensive line is the largest of any Shrine team in the last 16 years.
Detroit Urban Lutheran
2007 record: 1-5, 2-7.
Team strength: Offense.
Top players: QB Kevin Kennedy; junior RB Sean Crump; MLB Anthony Lisbon; OT/DT Daniel Jackson; OT/DT Jamal Williamson; junior WR Julius Hope; SS Dorian Lancaster.
Outlook: Offensive line will lead what's expected to be a strong running game. Many seniors are in their third year as starters in a young program, so their leadership will guide the results.
By Tom Lang, special writer.
CENTRAL DIVISION
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Coaches Poll: 1. Warren De La Salle, 57; 2. Orchard Lake St. Mary's, 55; 3. Birmingham Brother Rice, 48; 4. Novi Detroit Catholic Central, 43. 5. Dearborn Divine Child, 34; 6. U-D Jesuit, 33.
Birmingham Brother Rice
2007 record: 4-1, 8-3.
Strength: Defense.
Top players: SS Shamari Benton; OT Zach Cherocci; OT Jareth Glanda; RB Dan Henneghan; LB Shaquilla Marshall; DE Pete Plaskey; sophomore S Jimmy Pickens; junior WR Kevonte Martin.
Outlook: Rice will play non-league opponents Oak Park, Muskegon and Penn High near South Bend, Ind. (3,000 students) before hitting the always tough Catholic League schedule. "Our defense will have to play their tails off," said coach Al Fracassa.
Divine Child
2007 record: 1-4, 3-6.
Team strength: Depth.
Top players: Junior QB Marty Mitchell; OT Anthony Vella; DT Shea Marentette; DE Devin Kachinosky; C Sean Heiss; TE Sean Frank (6-4, 220); junior RB/LB Adam Forster, NG Rudy Fiscelli; LB Zack DeBiasi; RB Jason Popiel.
Outlook: Multiple two and three-year starters return to try lifting the program back up. "We've not had great success in the last few years, but these kids are looking forward to bringing back the great Divine Child tradition," said coach Jack Masserang.
Novi Detroit Catholic Central
2007 record: 3-2, 10-3.
Team strength: Defense.
Top players: WR/DB Steve Harding; WR/DB Kam Leiter, OT/DT Nick Landry; OT/DT Khaled Mheisen; junior TB/DB Anthony Capatina; FB/DT Niko Palazetti.
Outlook: DCC reached the state semifinals last year before losing to Macomb Dakota, but only three return on offense; one on defense. "Championships are won with defense and that's what we're stressing number one," said veteran coach Tom Mack. "We are relatively inexperienced compared to the past but we should have more overall speed this year to hopefully make us a better football team.
Orchard Lake St. Mary's
2007 record: 4-1, 11-2.
Team strength: Defense.
Top players: FB/LB Justin Semmes; WR/DE Dion Sims (6-6, 235); WR/CB Suave Lavallis; OT/DE Gabe Sharette (6-6, 230); FB/LB Pierce Niemic; WR Tayler Peruski; RB Sam Fioroni; junior QB Robert Bolden.
Outlook: St. Mary ended last season with a five-overtime loss in the state finals to East Grand Rapids. The Eaglets start this season at EGR's home field. "We need to play really good defense early this season to let the offensive line get their feet under them and grow up quick," said coach George Porritt.
Detroit U-D Jesuit
2007 record: 0-5, 0-9
Team strength: Offensive speed.
Top players: OL/DL Justin Abney (6-4, 265); RB/DB Michael Joyner Hill; RB/LB Jamal Butler; OL/DL Jeff Baker; OL/DL William Lamping; WR/DB Mike Wenderski (6-5, 215); junior OL/LB Keith Jones.
Outlook: With low numbers of players in the program the team will have to play together as a unit. "We should be successful due to experience coming back," said coach Paul Windham. "There's some speed on offense and some tough kids on defense. The defense will have to do well for us to win."
Warren De La Salle
2007 record: 3-3, 6-4.
Team strength: Experienced defense.
Top players: DB Jim Martinez; DB John Martinez; FB/LB Chet Privett; OL/ Jordan King (6-3, 275); S/RB Alex Pierse; junior DL Steve O'Shell (6-1, 255) and junior DL Matt Privett (5-11, 265), OL Brad Neaton.
Outlook: More starters return on offense and defense (16 total) than ever in last seven years. Coach Paul Verska said: "We have to stay healthy, which everyone says, but if you look back at our state championship in 2006, we had the same core of guys playing at the end of the year that we started the season with."
INTERSECTION I
Coaches Poll: 1. Ann Arbor Gabriel Richard, 38; 2. Detroit Loyola, 34; 3. Madison Heights Bishop Foley, 32; 4. Pontiac Notre Dame Prep, 32; 5. Riverview Gabriel Richard, 24.
Ann Arbor Gabriel Richard
2007 record: 3-1, 5-4.
Team strength: Skill positions.
Top players: junior QB Josh Herbeck (hon. men. All-state); junior WR/K Mike Yocum; junior OT Joe Miekstyn; RB Max Hartsell; WR Jeff Lemanski; DT Patrick Didonato; DE Houston Staub; LB Jeff Rowinski.
Outlook: Scoring should be Richard's best option under new interim coach Brian Lemons, who said the team is very talented offensively with four offensive linemen returning, plus all skill positions return except one. "Last year we relied on passing, but we are much more balanced and can run the ball this year," Lemons said.
Detroit Loyola
2007 record: 2-2, 7-3.
Team strength: Speed.
Top players: RB Kevin Harris (averaged 170 yards per game); OG/NT Ozurumba Nyeche; QB/LB DeAndre Ulmer; OG/LB Thomas Hervey; WR/QB Desmond Hill; FB D'Angelo Harris; sophomore OT/LB Tanez Hervey.
Outlook: Just three starting seniors graduated, but many linemen won't return in '08, turning this season into a rebuilding year. Former Pontiac ND Prep head coach John Callahan is new offensive coordinator.
Madison Heights Bishop Foley
2007 record: 1-3, 3-6.
Team strength: Experience (17 returning starters)
Top players: LB/TE Brad Bochniak (6-3, 210); OT/DT Mason Kasier (6-1, 295); DE/WR Dylan Nabozny (6-3, 210); TB/S Sean Patwell; junior QB/LB Josh Blakeslee (6-5, 215); DB/WR James Fredal; OT/DT D.J. Finwall.
Outlook: If the team stays healthy, the experienced starters should make the Ventures very competitive to make a run at the division title and get back to the state playoffs for a fourth time in the last five years, said coach Paul Stanton.
Pontiac Notre Dame Prep
2007 record: 4-0, 8-2.
Team strength: Skill positions.
Top players: Junior S Evan Sassack; WB/CB Phil Sakalian; QB David Owenby (from Stoney Creek); sophomore WB/SS Branch Kampe; junior FB/LB Chad Powers; OG/DT Joe Koterba; junior OG/LB Mike Maltese; WR/CB Matt Rzepecki.
Outlook: New coach Greg Ganfield, who moved back to southeast Michigan after five years in North Carolina, said: "We have kids that can make plays, but most haven't done so before at the varsity level. We'll be able to throw, catch and run, but that's of course all predicated by if we can block well."
Riverview Richard
2007 record: 0-4, 2-7.
Team strength: Depth.
Top players: QB/CB Phil Adkins; OT/DT Trevor Razo; WR/S Patrick Piszker; OT/DT John Friedrich; OG/LB Ron Hall; OG/NT Sean Miller; FB/TE Frank Hayes; OT/DT Nick Hovey; OG/LB Mike Kruso.
Outlook: Offense is getting a makeover from a spread run to a I-Power running formation, to get the hand-off closer to the line of scrimmage. "We want to make sure we gain positive yardage on every play," said new coach Mark Angellotti. The program has grown 50% since the end of last year, "and the enthusiasm level has grown about 200%."
INTERSECTION II
Coaches poll: 1. Royal Oak Shrine, 47; 2. Allen Park Cabrini, 43; 3. Waterford Our Lady of the Lakes, 42; 4. Marine City Cardinal Mooney, 35; 5. Detroit Urban Lutheran, 32.
Allen Park Cabrini
2007 record: 5-0, 9-2.
Team strength: Strength, toughness and position diversity.
Top players: FB/LB Matt Kling; OG/NG Brian Obrycki; WR/OLB Jake Femminineo; OT/DT Tim Gering; OG/DT Chris Sekerak; WR/DB Joe Page; junior C/DT Joshua Sugg.
Outlook: Team can surprise this year due to core players' ability to play multiple positions, helping fill many holes left by experienced graduates - but many players are still young. Looking for fifth consecutive trip to state playoffs.
Waterford Our Lady of the Lakes
2007 record: 3-2, 9-3.
Team strength: none.
Top players: RB L.J. Stolarski; HB Jamie DiDio; junior LB John Kroll; junior OT Nick Burham; LB Karl Romkema.
Outlook: After reaching the regional finals last year, coach Mike Boyd said: "This is our first year going in which no positions are a lock, we lost so many players. We saw this coming three years ago because this year's senior class had only a few guys come out as freshmen. We're young and we lack size; their dad's are huge so they must have gotten their mothers' genes."
Marine City Cardinal Mooney
2007 record: 2-3, 3-6.
Team strength: Defense, experience.
Top players: LB Justin Distelrath (6-4, 210); WR/DE Brad Meyers (6-4, 220); QB/S Ryan Beaton (6-5); HB/DL Tony Campbell; TE/S Joe Broderick; HB/LB Cameron Pytleski.
Outlook: This year's team, which has about two dozen players, started taking shape last season when, "this year's seniors took control of the team as juniors near the end of last year so there is good leadership going into this season," said coach Eric Lamont. "They're hoping to take the team to a different level."
Royal Oak Shrine
2007 record: 4-1, 7-3.
Team strength: Experience.
Top players: QB Jamal Townsall (6-3, 200), RB/LB Anthony Cade (15 TDs); OG/LB Brent Castine; OT/DT Patrick Sterk (6-4, 265); WR/DB Adam Jensen; WR/DB Billy Konzal; OT/DT Josh Wilt.
Outlook: Shrine will have a senior starting at every position this year compared to no retuning players on offense when the season began last year. The Knights will be strong at the skill positions, and the offensive line is the largest of any Shrine team in the last 16 years.
Detroit Urban Lutheran
2007 record: 1-5, 2-7.
Team strength: Offense.
Top players: QB Kevin Kennedy; junior RB Sean Crump; MLB Anthony Lisbon; OT/DT Daniel Jackson; OT/DT Jamal Williamson; junior WR Julius Hope; SS Dorian Lancaster.
Outlook: Offensive line will lead what's expected to be a strong running game. Many seniors are in their third year as starters in a young program, so their leadership will guide the results.
By Tom Lang, special writer.
