Novi volleyball coach Jennifer Cottrill leads volleyball tryouts at Novi High School on Wednesday, Aug. 10. 2016.

Here are the teams in the USA TODAY Sports/American Volleyball Coaches Association Preseason Super 25 for girls volleyball.

1. Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.)

Players to watch: Shannon Scully, OH, 2017 – Utah; Siena Secrist, OH, 2018 – USC; Kelsey Campeau, L, 2018 – UCLA; Brielle Mullally, S, 2019.

Need to know: Defending CIF-Southern Section champions should be a force to be reckoned with this season as they bring back Scully and Secrist at the outside positions and Mullally directing the offense.

2. Assumption (Louisville, Ky.)

Players to watch: Jacqueline Askin, OH, 2017 – Bowling Green; Payton Frederick, L, 2018 – Western Kentucky; Lexie Hamilton, L, 2017 – Louisville; Brooke Moore – Austin Peay, OH, 2017; Alexis Triplett, L, 2018 – Lipscomb; Kayla Kaiser, MB, 2018 – Georgia Tech.

Need to know: Since 1992, Assumption has won 19 state championships, including the 2015 title.  The Rockets look to make a run in 2016 led by seniors in Hamilton, Moore, Askin, Crockett and Palmer. Kaiser and Frederick are the top juniors.

3. Santa Margarita (Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif.)

Players to watch: Julianna Reisinger, L, 2017 – Purdue; Meghan McClure, OH, 2017 – Stanford; Haley Carmo, MB, 2018; Devon Chang, S, 2018 – Cal Berkeley.

Need to know: Katy Daly’s Santa Margarita squad won the difficult Trinity League last season and began the season with a big win against Southlake Carroll from Texas before heading to Hawaii for the Ann Kang Invitational, where it lost in the final to Mira Costa.

4. Hebron (Lewisville, Texas)

Players to watch: Kylee McLaughlin, S, 2017 – Oregon St; Annie Benbow, L, 2018; Lauren Merrill, MB, 2018; Emma Clothier, MB, 2019.

Need to know: Despite losing eight players from last season, Hebron opened by winning the prestigious Texas Volleyball Invitational, the largest HS tournament in the country with 80 teams.

5. Eagan (Minn.)

Players to watch: Gabrielle Orr, OH/S, 2017 – Iowa; Alyssa Doucette, OH, 2017 – Missouri State; McKenna Melville, DS, 2018 – UCF; Ally Murphy, OH, 2018 – North Dakota State; McKenzie Lee, S, 2018

Need to know: Defending AAA state champions did not lose any players to graduation and have as many as five Division I prospects.

6. Cathedral (Indianapolis)

Players to watch: Payton White, L, 2017 – Auburn; Nia Parker-Robinson, OH, 2017 – Wake Forest; Maria Schorr, S, 2017 – Dayton; Shaney Lipscomb, MB, 2017 – Hawaii; Emily Kleck, 2018; Mattison Norris, MB, 2018; Jean Cripps, MB/RS, 2019

Need to know: Coach Jean Kesterson squad finished last year with their seventh state title, a 36-0 record and No. 1 ranking nationally.  Although they graduated six D-I players, the Fighting Irish look to just reload with four key seniors in the 6-1 Robinson, Schorr (Dayton), White (Auburn) and Brooks.

7. Geneva (Ill.)

Players to watch: Ally Barrett, OH, 2017 – UConn; Grace Loberg, OH, 2017 – Wisconsin; Alexandria Mullen, MB, 2017 – Boston College

Need to know: A big time offense led by Barrett, Loberg and Mullen, the Vikings are primed to have another impressive year.

8. Buford (Ga.)

Players to watch: Gabrielle Curry, OH, 2017 – Kentucky; Vivian Guy, L, 2017; Tatum Shipes, OH, 2018 – Auburn; Sophia Costello, L, 2018.

Need to know:  With the combined efforts of pin hitters Gabrielle Cooney (Kentucky) and Tatum Shipes (Auburn), Buford will look to repeat as Georgia state champions.

9. Jesuit (Portland, Ore.)

Players to watch: Kathryn Decker, OH/RS, 2017 – Santa Clara; Emily Demots, OH, 2017 – Portland; Grace Massey, L, 2017; Claire Zanon, OH, 2017.

Need to know: After back-to-back undefeated seasons, Jesuit is looking to continue its dominance in Oregon.

10. Shawnee Heights (Tecumesh, Kan.)

Players to watch: Megan Cooney, OH/MB, 2017 – Illinois; Jazz Sweet, RS, 2017 – Nebraska.

Need to know: After losing to eventual state champions St. James Academy in last year’s state tournament, Laura Curry should expect her squad to hopefully build on last year’s success thanks to Cooney and Sweet.

11. Mira Costa (Manhattan Beach, Calif.)

Key players: Amanda Montag, OH, 2017 – Navy; Britt Bommer, S, 207 – Northwestern

Need to know: Mira Costa will look to build on a very successful 2015 that saw the Mustangs fall to Mater Dei in the state tournament.

12. Southlake Carroll (Southlake, Texas)

Key players: Annalise Kit, S, 2017 – Clemson; Rachel Meyne, OH, 2017 – Colgate; Haley Hallgren, OH, 2017 – USC; Asjia O’neal, MB, 2018 – Texas.

Need to know: Losses to start the season were to strong California teams – Edison and Saint Margarita.  The team still features a stacked lineup with multiple DI commits.

13. Hamilton (Chandler, Ariz.)

Key players: Preslie Anderson, MB, 2017 – Cal Berkeley; Sydney Lostumo, S, 2017 – Fresno State; Heaven Harris, MB/RS, 2017 – Northern Arizona; Darian Clark, OH, 2018 – Cal Berkeley; Emily Cockell, L, 2018.

Need to know: Hamilton returns this season with a stacked line up that includes multiple DI commits.

14. Fayetteville (Ark.)

Key players: Haley Warner, RS, 2018 – Florida; Ella May Powell, S, 2018 – Washington; Faith Waitsman, MB, 2017; Abbie Kathol, OH, 2017.

Need to know: Youth National team members Warner and Powell lead the team.

15. Sacred Heart (Louisville)

Key players: Paige Hammons, OH, 2017 – Florida; Nadia Dieudonne, S, 2017 – Xavier; Abigail Westenhofer, S, 2017 – Saint Louis; Kaelin Gentile, MB, 2017; Lauryn Bennett, RS, 2017; Megan Crush, L, 2017.

Need to know: Brett Versen takes over the reins at Sacred Heart.  They return many of their starters from last year’s team that lost to Assumption in the regional finals. Leading the way will be senior outside hitter Hammons along with four other senior contributors.

16. Brentwood (Tenn.)

Key players: Kamryn Carter,OH, 2017; Garrett Joiner, OH, 2018; Logan Eggleston, OH, 2019.

Need to know: Brentwood is looking for its fourth straight state title.

17. Novi (Mich.)

Key players: Erin O’Leary, S, 2018 – Michigan; Ally Commings, OH/RS, 2017 – Valparaiso.

Need to know: Any team with O’Leary (USA Youth National Team) setting is going to be competitive, and this one has DI players at the pins to take the swings.

18. Catholic Memorial (Waukesha, Wis.)

Key players: Lexi Alden, OH, 2017 – Maryland; Ivey Whalen, MB, 2017 – Northwestern; Kathryn Christian, MB, 2018; Maddy Rondeau, S/RS.

Need to know: Catholic Memorial brings back their entire starting lineup that won last year’s state title in Wisconsin.

19. Xavier College Prep (Phoenix)

Key players: Makena Patterson, MB, 2017 – Texas A&M; Lanie Wagner, OH, 2018; Shannon Shields, S, 2019.

Need to know: Last year’s Arizona state runner-ups, the Gators bring back a strong group but lose Gatorade National Player of the Year Khalia Lanier.

20. Yorktown (Ind.)

Key player: Kenzie Knuckles, OH, 2019.

Need to know: Knuckles and seniors Olivia Reed, Kendall Murr and Rhyen Neal lead for Stephanie Bloom’s Tigers.

21. Mount Notre Dame (Cincinati)

Key players: Natalie Steibel, OH, 2018 – Deleware; Tori Beckelheimer, 2018, OH; Sarah Reisenberger, MB, 2017; Grace Hauck, MB, 2018.

Need to know: The Cougars have won the Ohio state championship the past three years.  Joe Burke’s squad will once again contend for a state title.

22. Prior Lake (Minn.)

Key players: Maddy Bremer, MB, 2018 – Northern Colorado; CC McGraw, OH, 2018 – Minnesota.

Need to know: State AAA runners-up, the team returns the majority of its roster led by a pair of juniors in Bremer and McGraw.

23. Torrey Pines (Calif.)

Key players: Kiara McNulty, S, 2018 – Northwestern; Brynn Chandler, S, 2017 – Cal Berkeley; Chiara Spain, MB, 2017; Emily Fitzer, RS, 2019.

Need to know: Torrey Pines will once again field a dangerous team for coach Brennan Dean coming off a CIF San Diego Section title.

24. St Joseph Academy (Frontenac, Mo.)

Key players: Gabby Blossom, S/RS, 2018 – Penn State; Marissa Tomek, OH, 2017; Lauren Reding, MB 2017; Hannah Gruensfelder, L,  2017 – Ohio State.

Need to know: The Angles of St. Joseph’s brings back their entire lineup as they look to once again contend of the state title.

25. Scutt Catholic (Omaha, Neb.)

Key players: Brooke Heyne, OH, 2017 – Kansas State; Allison Schomers, S/RS, 2017 – UMKC; McKenna Kirkpatrick, MB, 2017; Lily Heyne, MB, 2019.

Need to know: After a 40-2 season and a state championship, Skutt Catholic is looking to continue its NE Class B dominance behind a strong trio of seniors.

Under consideration: Walton (Marietta, Ga.), Tumwater (Wash.), Oak Ridge (Conroe, Texas)m Plano West (Plano, Texas), St. Thomas Aquinas (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.), Pleasant Grove (Utah(, Immaculate Heart Township (Washington Township, N.J.), Princess Anne (Virginia Beach, Va.), La Cueva (Albuquerque, N.M.)

Detroit Cass Tech LB DeAndre Square

One of the top players on the board for Michigan State for the class of 2018 is Detroit Cass Tech outside linebacker prospect DeAndre Square. The 6-foot-1, 200-pound prospect was in East Lansing on Tuesday learning more about the defending Big Ten champions.

MSU is already looking to 2018 and Square, whom they see as a play-making linebacker, is one of the players the staff is hoping to build the class around. Square has already been offered by Michigan State in addition to scholarships from Kentucky, Iowa State, Missouri, Syracuse and Cincinnati.

“I talk with both Coach (Curtis) Blackwell and Coach (Mark) Dantonio,” Square said. “The visit went great and I love the coaches, the players and how things run. They said I fit their scheme very well.”

The Spartans will lose linebackers Chris Frey and Jon Reschke after the 2017 season and will be looking to bring in players who have the ability to make and early impact. The fact that Square plays for an elite program like Cass Tech means he will be well prepared for the college transition.

“Our team is looking great and we want to win the state championship,” he said. “I am looking for how I fit the defense, the education and how the coaches are.”

Cass Tech is always one of the top programs in Michigan. Under coach Thomas Wilcher, the Technicians have won two state championships and become one of the top talent producing schools in the nation.

Dantonio has made recruiting Detroit a top priority since he first arrived nearly a decade ago. The Spartans have had a lot of success in the Motor City the last few years and players from there have performed very well in East Lansing.

Square already knows several Spartans, such as Demetric Vance and Donnie Corley. His Cass Tech teammate Jordan Reid will be joining the Spartans as part of the class of 2017. You can be sure the MSU coaching staff will be looking to have Square on campus as much as possible over the coming months.

Matt Dorsey is a recruiting analyst for SpartanMag.com and Rivals.com.

Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh.

After a successful BBQ at the Big House to kick off the month of August, Michigan’s football team has retreated into the submarine in preparation for what many believe will be a successful season for the team in 2016.

While recruiting may be on the back burner for the coaching staff, U-M’s recruiting team remains hard at work in preparation for a final push with a 2017 class that already has 19 verbal commitments. The upcoming class is expected to end up with somewhere around 30 signings, although that number fluctuates daily and could move up or down depending on many different factors.

Starting with U-M’s home opener against Hawaii on Sept. 3, the staff can host players and their families on official visits. Official visits are paid for by the university, eliminating the heavy costs that trips normally take. Once those visits start, the final recruiting stretch begins for the staff. With that in mind, here are the major story lines for Michigan to finish out strong on the recruiting trail:

Win: It’s not really a cop out answer. The funny thing about recruiting is despite all of the time and effort staffs put in to reel in the nation’s top prospects, wins are and will always be king. Elite players will always gravitate towards programs that win on a consistent basis, regardless of what else the football program and school as a whole offer. Michigan’s schedule sets up nicely for them to get off to a good start, but their 2017 class could jump to the next level if they can top the 10 wins they had in 2015.

Juggling official visits: One major negative for the staff this year is a lack of attractive home games to host recruits for. If you’re Alabama or Auburn, you host most of your top targets for the Iron Bowl. The same goes for Michigan and Ohio State, as the Buckeyes will likely have a bunch of their biggest recruits in Columbus for The Game in November. Michigan doesn’t have that luxury this year and will have to improvise to an extent. While it’s sometimes a negative to host kids early in the season for an official visit, the Hawaii game featuring Michael Jordan may be a draw. Besides that, you’re looking at Wisconsin and Penn State as the two marquee home games this season. It will be interesting to see how Harbaugh and his staff dictate which players visit during which weekends.

In-state close: Despite Michigan State winning the Big Ten last season and Ohio State winning a national championship in 2014, U-M is in line to potentially sweep the state’s top five prospects in 2017. In fact, they have a legitimate shot with the top seven players in the state, although they appear to be chasing MSU for Flint four-star prospect Deron Irving-Bey. Michigan invested early in what they believed to be a very strong in-state group in the 2017 cycle, making them a priority quickly. The Wolverines have commitments from Orchard Lake St. Mary’s four-star Josh Ross, St. Joseph four-star Corey Malone-Hatcher, Oak Park four-star JaRaymond Hall, Berrien Springs four-star Phillip Paea and Birmingham Brother Rice three-star Carter Dunaway. They’d love to add the state’s top prospect, five-star Donovan Peoples-Jones, along with defensive back targets Ambry Thomas (Detroit King) and Jaylen Kelly-Powell (Detroit Cass Tech).

Offensive line finish: Michigan has four verbal commitments on their offensive line, and may be looking to sign as many as seven. They have a good problem at this point, as they’re either leading for or are in the race with as many as five top 150 level prospects, including the nation’s top center prospect in Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy four-star Cesar Ruiz.

It may turn into a situation where U-M won’t have room for a couple players that almost any other school in the country would line up to take. Credit goes to offensive coordinator Tim Drevno for recruiting the offensive line exceptionally well, with graduate assistant Al Netter also playing an “under the radar.”

Other names heavily considering Michigan are four-stars Isaiah Wilson (tackle), Tedarrell Slaton (guard), Aaron Banks (tackle) and Henry Bainivalu (guard/tackle). How Michigan will finish out with these players is one of the more interesting and intriguing stories of the cycle for the staff.

Steve Lorenz is the editor and publisher of Wolverine247 of the 247Sports Network. You can follow him on Twitter @TremendousUM and give Wolverine247 a try today.

Jourdan Lewis during his time at Cass Tech in 2012.

Jourdan Lewis started his senior year at Detroit Cass Tech practicing up the street from the University of Michigan at Concordia College.

His teammates openly bragged that he was the best player in the state, and Cass Tech coach Thomas Wilcher said he would use him on both sides of the football because of his immense talent.

“He has great athleticism,” Wilcher said. “He plays full speed, every practice, every play, every game. I’m not surprised he has become as good as he is. His senior year, we decided to use him at receiver.”

Now a senior All-American defensive back at U-M, he’s in line to get playing time on both sides of the ball again.

• U-M plans to make Lewis a three-way player

“We’re young and in the prime athletic point in our lives,” Lewis said. “I don’t see being both ways being a problem. We’re college athletes and we’re pretty much in our prime right now. Hey, we’ve been doing this our whole lives, so why put a limit on it now?”

Lewis said being on the field for 90-100 plays shouldn’t be an issue.

He added that his transition from high school to college may not have been as traumatic for him as most because of the tremendous talent he faced every day in practice.

Current U-M freshman offensive lineman Michael Onwenu was a freshman when Lewis was a senior for the Technicians. Like Lewis, he already has drawn praise from the coaching staff.

• Lewis combines big plays with calm demeanor

“Cass Tech is a factory,” Lewis said. “It is just like a college program. We go out there and compete against the whole country. We travel and we do different things and we compete. We compete in practice. That’s something I can see that has transcended to the college game; the competition in practice.

“We had so much skill on the team, it was never a lax day at practice. We always had to compete. That’s what I brought from Cass Tech, that competitive spirit. You can see all of our guys are being successful right now.”

Lewis mentioned defensive back DeJuan Rogers at Toledo and his former mentors: Defensive backs Terry Richardson and Delonte Hollowell.

“DeJuan Rogers, DaQuan Pace, me, Delano Hill, there are a lot of guys going out there competing,’’ said Lewis.

“We all made each other better players, especially Terry Richardson and Delonte Hollowell. Everybody. They made us all better. They tutored us to be some of the top guys in high school.”

And with the likes of All-American high school player Donovan Peoples-Jones, along with standouts Jaylen Kelly-Powell, Donovan Johnson and Jordan Reid, that Cass Tech factory is still in business.

Contact Perry A. Farrell: 313-222-2555 or pafarrell@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @farrellperry.

Detroit King defensive back Ambry Thomas.

When it comes to recruiting, Michigan State football coach Mark Dantonio has always stressed that it is about relationships.

This preseason, the coaching staff is working to get top prospects and their families on campus to build rapport.

The Spartans have shied away from big recruiting events and opted for smaller settings, which allows for more personal contact. Earlier this week, the staff hosted one of the top players on the entire recruiting board in Detroit King defensive back Ambry Thomas.

• Q&A with King’s Ambry Thomas

The 5-foot-11, 170-pound Thomas is one of the best prospects in the nation for the Class of 2017. Rivals.com ranks him the No. 2 player in Michigan and the No. 174 player overall. He is a 4-star prospect and holds scholarship offers from heavyweight programs such as Michigan State, Ohio State, Notre Dame, Michigan and Wisconsin.

Thomas has been to Michigan State on multiple occasions and he was one of the early offers for Dantonio and his staff. His visit this past weekend was more about strengthening his relationship with the coaches and players rather than learning about facilities or recent on-field accomplishments. He tweeted shortly after his time on campus.

“Always a great time when I go visit Michigan State… Had to teach Coach D something about chess #gogreen”

Always a great time when I go visit Michigan State... Had to teach Coach D something about chess 😂 #gogreen ✳️⚪️✳️⚪️ https://t.co/X9hQkYm0NW

—
Ambry Thomas 1⃣3⃣ (@Tavonn_) August 14, 2016

Michigan State has some deep roots Detroit King. Not only are current players Donnie Corley, Tariq Thompson and Kyonta Stallworth graduates of King, but Spartans recruiting coordinator Butler Benton and Curtis Blackwell, director of college advancement & performance, are also former Crusaders.

Thomas was accompanied on the visit by his mother, Carmen Thomas, and she got an opportunity to learn more about the people that make up the Spartan program.

“I met a few more (people) which I had never met,” she said. “They were very genuine people to me. We sat in coach Dantonio’s office he and my son played a very intense game of chess that Ambry won. It was a very welcoming trip to East Lansing.”

All of the opportunities that Ambry has received due to his hard work is something his mother is very proud of. She is also learning a lot about the recruiting process.

• Ambry Thomas simply awesome at recruiting showcase

“It’s all just so overwhelming yet exciting at the same time,” she said. “I am really excited for Ambry to have so many possibilities. I just encourage him as a parent to make the right choice for himself so that he will feel comfortable with school as well as staff. A support system is what I encourage so that he never feels as if it’s him against the world once he has entered college. I’ll truly be glad when his decision has been made, I’ll feel a sense of ease.”

When that decision will come is still anyone’s guess. Thomas is enjoying the process, but he is most excited about defending the Division 2 state championship that Detroit King won in dramatic fashion last fall.

“We are looking young, but we are going to get the job done,” Thomas said.

If the Crusaders do repeat, you can be sure Thomas will have played a big part on both sides of the ball. The Spartans’ coaches will follow every King game this fall and hope that Thomas ends up in East Lansing. The staff would love to see him follow in the footsteps of All-American cornerbacks Trae Waynes and Darqueze Dennard.

  Matt Dorsey is a recruiting analyst for SpartanMag.com and Rivals.com.

Full list: Michigan State recruits (with highlights)

Detroit Cass Tech receiver Donovan Peoples-Jones

Detroit Cass Tech’s Donovan Peoples-Jones has been selected to the American Family Insurance ALL-USA Preseason Football Team, released today by USA Today.

Peoples-Jones is one of six wide receivers listed on the 24-member offense. The defensive All-America team will be released Wednesday, but no one from Michigan is on the team.

As a junior Peoples-Jones caught 69 passes for 1,168 yards and 18 touchdowns. He also has a 3.9 grade point average.

Also on the offense is Michigan commit Dylan McCaffrey, a quarterback from Valor Christian in Littleton, Colo.

View the full American Family Insurance ALL-USA Preseason Football Team offense here.

Contact Mick McCabe: 313-223-4744 or mmccabe@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @mickmccabe1.

Be sure that you follow Freep Sports on Twitter (@freepsports) and Instagram and like us on on Facebook.

Donovan Peoples-Jones plans to go nationwide with recruitment

DB Jaylen Kelly-Powell

The seniors at Detroit Cass Tech hadn’t entered high school when the Technicians won back-to-back Division 1 state titles in 2011-12, both times over Novi Detroit Catholic Central. So last year’s runner-up finish to Romeo gave them a taste of what has come to be expected at the football powerhouse.

It’s a sour taste this year’s team hopes to wash away as it got going Monday on football’s opening day of practice.

“That will have a lot of effect on us,” said Jaylen Kelly-Powell, a heavily recruited defensive back who’s undecided and was very tight-lipped Monday about his college choice. “The same people who played in that game last year know how it feels to lose. This year we’re going to come back and win it all.”

Such bold predictions can be common on the first day of practice, when every team begins with a clean slate and minds full of hopes and dreams.

But Cass Tech has the talent to make a state title more than a dream. Cass Tech is ranked No. 22 nationally by MaxPreps.

“We’re ranked at or near the top every single year for the past 8-10 years,” coach Thomas Wilcher said in reference to state rankings. “It’s expected, but it’s really just me changing their mind-sets to accept it and understand what they have to do to be in that position.”

Excitement in air for two-time defending champ Orchard Lake St. Mary’s

Most of the individual attention goes to one of the biggest recruits in the country, WR Donovan Peoples-Jones, who is also undecided but being chased by all the top programs.

Yet he has lots of support, and that’s the scary part of what heights Cass Tech could reach.

Donovan Johnson

Defensive back Donovan Johnson is a third Cass Tech national recruit who is undecided, but four others have made college commitments: quarterback Rodney Hall (Northern Illinois), offensive lineman Jordan Reid (Michigan State), and linebackers Zach Morton (Syracuse) and DeSean Boyd (Eastern Michigan).

While those players have been in the spotlight, Wilcher pointed out a good share of the 2016 team’s success will lean on the running back tandem of senior Tim Cheatem and sophomore Jaren Mangham.

About two dozen players return from the 2015 squad, Wilcher said. While almost half were starters on one side of the ball or the other, Wilcher added that the remainder had plenty of playing time.

Jordan Reid

Reid and Johnson were similarly as bold as Kelly-Powell’s opening day state title prediction.

“We want to stay healthy, have a good practice, have good tempo so things get started off on the right track to get a state championship,” Reid said.

“It’s pushing us a lot,” Johnson said about last season’s runner-up. “To know we got that far and came up short. This year we’re not going to come up short. We’re not. It’s championship or bust.”

Macomb Dakota football still looking tough under new coach Greg Baur

Ralph Holley, senior, has his portrait taken during the first Orchard Lake St. Mary’s High School football practice on Monday, Aug. 8, 2016 at Orchard Lake St. Mary’s High School in Orchard Lake Village. Tim Galloway/Special for DFP

Mick McCabe’s top players

21. Jordan Ulmer

School: Belleville

Vitals: 6-feet-2, 190 pounds

Position: defensive back/wide receiver

The scoop: He has added a lot of strength and can come up out of the secondary to deliver the big hit. He is terrific in man-to-man coverage. He runs good routes and he has excellent hands. Committed to Iowa State.

22. Keegan Cossou

School: Greenville

Vitals: 6-5, 230

Position: tight end

The scoop: This a recruit on the rise. Big Ten schools are zeroing on him and like his size and speed. He has excellent hands and can make tough catches in traffic. He does a good job blocking for the run. Committed to Central Michigan.

23. Ralph Holley

School: Orchard Lake St. Mary’s

Vitals: 6-2, 290

Position: noseguard/offensive tackle

The scoop: He is a standout blocker and does equally well blocking for the run or the pass. But he excels on defense where he is almost impossible to block one-on-one. He records a lot of tackles considering he is usually double-teamed. Committed to Western Michigan.

24. Davion Johnson

School: West Bloomfield

Vitals: 6-0, 195

Position: running back

The scoop: Look for a breakout year from this guy. He ran for about 700 yards last season, but this fall he will be the featured back in the offense. He can run between the tackles, but isn’t a power back. He can also get outside, but he isn’t just a speed guy.

25. Jairus Grissom

School: River Rouge

Vitals: 6-2, 204

Position: quarterback/defensive back

The scoop: He is coming off an excellent season in which he ran and passed Dearborn Heights Robichaud into the state playoffs. He is now at River Rouge and should have big numbers again. His best spot in college might be in the secondary.

Come back through Thursday for players 2-20.

McCabe’s top 25 players: No. 1 Donovan Peoples-Jones

Detroit Cass Tech receiver Donovan Peoples-Jones poses for a photo during practice Wednesday Aug.17, 2016 at Cass Tech High School in Detroit.

Detroit Cass Tech receiver Donovan Peoples-Jones poses for a photo during practice Wednesday Aug.17, 2016 at Cass Tech High School in Detroit.

It was early in the 2013 Detroit Public School League championship game at Ford Field when Cass Tech quarterback Jayru Campbell dropped back and threw a short under screen pass to a receiver.

The receiver caught the ball in stride and turned on the jets, sprinting 80 yards — untouched — for a touchdown.

People scrambled through the program to find the name of the talented, but unknown receiver. As their eyes scanned across his name, past his height and weight, they were shocked to see that the youngster was only a freshman.

► Related: Cass Tech football eager to ‘come back and win it all’​
► Related: Michigan’s Jourdan Lewis credits Cass Tech ‘factory’ for preparation

That was our introduction to Donovan Peoples-Jones, who has become the No. 1 player in the state and a member of USA Today’s preseason All-America team.

Peoples-Jones, who is currently nursing a hamstring injury, is the state’s lone 5-star recruit and when you combine his speed, size — 6-feet-2, 202 pounds — and catching ability, you see why virtually every top program in the country is after him.

2017 WR Donovan Peoples-Jones 2015 Season Highlight Remix

His first college offer came from Ohio State in his freshman year and it has been non-stop since, especially after he caught 69 passes for 1,168 yards and 18 touchdowns last fall.

He seems a bit overwhelmed by it all and is considering Michigan State and Michigan along with a host of other schools that changes on a weekly basis.

“I had 10 schools, but it kind of changed around so I’m not even sure,” said Peoples-Jones. “I don’t even want to say.”

Detroit Cass Tech receiver Donovan Peoples-Jones, the top 2017 recruit in Michigan.

Whichever school lands the Cass Tech star, it will be getting much more than just one of the nation’s top football players.

It will be getting a genuine student-athlete who has hopes and dreams that go well beyond playing football for as long as possible.

Peoples-Jones carries a 3.9 grade point average at Cass Tech, one of Detroit best academic schools, and earned 1,200 on the SAT.

He is the rare youngster who could earn a college scholarship either academically or athletically.

That was the plan set in motion years ago by his parents — Roz Peoples, a Cass graduate who has an MBA in finance and is a government contracts manager for Verizon, and Dr. Eddie Jones, another Cass grad who is an orthopedic surgeon in suburban Chicago.

Donovan Peoples-Jones catches a long pass in stride and scores in a game against Oak Park at Wayne State in Detroit in 2014.

“It’s from what my mother and father instilled in me at a young age, to always study,” Peoples-Jones said. “My mom, still up to this day, helps me study. When I was younger she made it fun. I always kind of looked forward to it. Me and her would compete. If we were doing flashcards she would help me learn them. She would learn them right with me and we’d see who got the most right.”

Years ago Peoples-Jones won some and his mother won some, and the youngster believes maybe his mother threw a few of their matches to let him win.

But those days are over.

“She probably let me win until the subjects got harder like calculus and that stuff,” he said. “I’m winning now.”

Peoples-Jones attended Montessori school in his early years and his mother adopted that method of teaching when working with her only child.

“They sit on the floor with them so I always sat on the floor with him,” she said. “They said they come down to their level. I would always come to his level and try to learn with him and show him a way to remember it.”

It was apparent at an early age that Peoples-Jones was a superior athlete, but he also showed an aptitude to do well in school, which was vitally important to his parents.

Detroit Cass Tech receiver Donovan Peoples-Jones poses for a photo during practice Wednesday Aug.17, 2016 at Cass Tech High School in Detroit.

“To me education is more important than sports because you’ll be lucky to get five or 10 years out of football,” said his father. “A lot of the athletes you see are completely lost in life after sports and start circling the drain. So it’s really important to do something after your sporting years.”

Peoples-Jones knows exactly what he wants to do when he is finished with football. He wants to follow in his father’s footsteps and become an orthopedic surgeon.

“I’ve dealt with a lot of football injuries and I think I’ll play the part well,” he said. “I know a little something about it. I’ve been around a lot of injuries and I’d love to do something that I love and stick with the sport I love.”

Of course, before you can become an orthopedic surgeon you have to be admitted to medical school, which can be almost as difficult as making an NFL roster.

But Peoples-Jones may have an edge on a lot of students because he competes in the classroom with as much intensity as he competes on the football field.

“I like the feeling of knowing that you’re at the top of the class,” he said. “When the teacher gives back tests and they say it’s highest to lowest and you know you’re one of the highest. Just the confidence you get when you’re filling out a test and you say: ‘Oh, this is that’ and ‘Oh, this is that,’ I like that. It’s a good feeling. It’s better than being: ‘Let’s try this.’ “

Donovan Peoples-Jones runs by Detroit King’s Jalen Embry for a TD in a 2013 game at Ford Field in Detroit.

Dr. Jones has a trampoline is his backyard and he got his son to the point that he could do a flip and catch a football on the way down.

“He started to be able to do that so I really wasn’t as amazed as I could have been with what he’s doing in football,” said his father. “I was a lot more amazed to see him dunk over three guys. I never knew he had those skills, but I did know that he’s got some gravity-defying skills at wide receiver.”

Cass quarterback Rodney Hall began playing with Peoples-Jones in youth leagues, long before they entered Cass Tech. He said it is comforting having him as a receiver because he can bail him out of tough situations.

“His ability to catch the ball sets him apart from everybody,” Hall said. “Everybody has speed, but the way he catches the ball, it’s crazy. When I’m in doubt I know I can throw the ball and if he doesn’t catch the ball I know nobody else is going to catch it.”

Cass coach Thomas Wilcher wasn’t surprised to see Peoples-Jones score on that 80-yard touchdown in the PSL title game as a freshman and he isn’t surprised now that he has developed into an All-America player.

“He’s gotten better and better every year,” Wilcher said. “He works hard and he looks forward to getting better so it’s a great thing. The most important thing I see this year is he’s bigger, stronger and he’s faster and understands the game a lot more.”

Detroit Cass Tech WR Donovan People-Jones catches a pass in the MHSAA football Division 1 finals at Ford Field in Detroit on Saturday, Nov. 28, 2015.

Being able to run faster and jump higher than anyone else on the field is good, but Hall knows there is more to Peoples-Jones than just natural athletic ability.

“What makes him so good is his will to compete,” Hall said. “People assume he’s not a competitor because he’s a quiet kid. He doesn’t really talk much unless you know him for real. He really, really wants to win.”

Peoples-Jones is quiet and understated. He doesn’t go through gyrations after catching a pass for a first down and he doesn’t act like he discovered the cure for cancer after scoring a touchdown.

“I don’t really talk a lot; I wasn’t raised that way,” he said. “My dad wanted me to kind of emulate Barry Sanders. Even plays on the field — making a great play — just coming back with a high five, but not really talking much about it, not doing all the dances, extra things that will take attention away from the team and the goal.”

He also wants to emulate his father and perhaps it is because he is such a serious student that he is planning on a career in medicine. He understands the reality of having choices in life.

“I always wanted to play in the NFL before I wanted to be a doctor,” he said. “Then I was thinking more realistically, what if this doesn’t work? My second love would be being a doctor and helping people who can’t help themselves.”

That is why his father gave him an anatomy book and why he does more than just bounce on a trampoline when he is with his dad.

He has accompanied his father into the operating room on several occasions and has seen exactly what he may be doing some day.

“That’s what I do and he’s been right there the whole time and he’s seen the lifestyle,” said Dr. Jones. “It’s a fun way to practice medicine. I’ve always emphasized life after football. You can end up with a lot of money, but a lot of money and nothing to do, and you’re still relatively a young man, is a recipe for disaster.”

Detroit Cass Tech’s Donovan People-Jones slips a tackle against Southfield.

But none of this would be possible if Peoples-Jones didn’t buy into his parents’ credo that education comes first.

“Education was always important in our home,” said his mother. “He grew up knowing that, he grew up valuing education. He grew up understanding how education can change your life. There was no question what he was going to do after high school, because he was going to college somewhere. I wanted it to be fun so he would enjoy learning, enjoy this journey and want to give back and do something positive with his life.”

While People-Jones has the inner-drive to succeed in school, it was aided by some rewards. Bringing home a good report card proved to be bonanza for the youngster.

“My aunties would give me money for each ‘A,’” he said. “For each ‘A’ that I got they’d give me $10 so if I got seven ‘As’ that’s $70 for the report card. My mom told me when I was younger that if I got a scholarship to college she would give me whatever car I wanted. That’s probably the biggest one.”

That is why even though he hasn’t signed a national letter of intent Peoples-Jones has been driving a Jeep since last November.

But while the rewards were nice, he didn’t need the additional motivation to earn good grades.

Long ago he figured out the secret to being good in the classroom and on the football field.

“I go by three words: confidence, composure and concentration,” he said. “With everything that I’m trying to do — confidence, composure and concentration.”

Contact Mick McCabe: 313-223-4744 or mmccabe@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @mickmccabe1.

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Meet Donovan Peoples-Jones

Who: Senior wide receiver/defensive back

School: Detroit Cass Tech

Vitals: 6-feet-2, 202 pounds

Overview: He has been the top-ranked player in this class since he entered Cass Tech and is rated one of the top receivers nationally. He caught 69 passes for 1,168 yards and 18 TDs as a junior. He has outstanding speed to go with good size.

Romeo Christopher Zanke lifts the MHSAA Football Champion trophy in the air surrounded by his teammates, after defeating Detroit Cass Tech in the Michigan High School Athletic Association football Division 1 finals at Ford Field in Detroit on Saturday, Nov. 28, 2015.

MAC RED

Coach’s poll: Macomb Dakota 59; Romeo 50; Utica Eisenhower 49; Warren Mott 41; Sterling Heights Stevenson 37; Mount Clemens Chippewa Valley 36.

Macomb Dakota (9-3, 4-1)

Strength: Experience, depth

Top players: RB Kaiser Carleton; QB Brett Droski; WR Jalen Hall; LB Nick Carl, DT Coty Bastian

Outlook: Nothing much will change under first-year head coach Greg Baur. The Cougars will be able to run the ball with Carleton, who is back from a knee injury. He’s a three-year starter and Droski is a two-year starter. Baur is in his 12th season at Dakota and knows what to expect. The Cougars are after their fifth straight MAC Red title and odds are they have a chance to make it happen. Eight are back on offense and six on defense. “This could be the best offense we’ve ever had,’’ said Baur.

► Related: Mick McCabe’s team No. 5: Macomb Dakota

Utica Eisenhower (7-4, 3-2)

Strength: Quarterback, defensive front seven

Top players: RB Jack Provencher; DT Salvatore Vultaggio; QB Max Wittwer; OL/DL Matt Surma; DE Logan Smith.

Outlook: Coach Chris Smith returns seven starters on defense so that side of the ball won’t be a problem. However, the offensive line must replace five starters from a year ago. Wittwer is an experienced returning starter and the beef comes from 265-pound Vultaggio and the 260-pound Surma.

Chippewa Valley (7-3, 3-2)

Strength: Skill and athleticism

Top players: RB/SS Darian Greeley; DL/TE Ryan Mullen; WR/DB Maurice McBride; Jr. DB/RB Cardell Snorton; RB/LB Steven Charles.

Outlook: The Big Reds lost a whopping 38 seniors from last year’s team and all but four starters. Many of the top players will have to play both ways. Greeley should have a big year if he stays healthy. Speed and athleticism is all over the field, but CV will be small and has to find some linemen to keep the quarterback upright.

Romeo (13-1, 5-0)

Strength: Offensive line.

Top players: FS/WR Kade Messner; LB/TE Bryan Carie; OL Joey Schneider; OL Louis Thom; DB Andrew Smith; WB Austen Malczewski.

Outlook: The defending Division 1 state champions move back up from the White to the Red with a target on its back. Romeo has a 12-year streak of making the playoffs and despite heavy losses look to get back to Ford Field. Five starters return on defense with others who saw playing time. Three return on offense with six others having seen significant action. Schneider weighs in at 280 and Thom is 230.

Warren Mott (6-4, 2-3)

Strength: Experience and speed.

Top players: OL/DL Kris Campbell; WR/DB Andre Chandler; RB/WR/DB Jayvon Wilson; QB Mike Pond; WR/DB Jaalon Brown.

Outlook: Coach Tom Milanov said it’s the toughest schedule the team has faced in a while so staying healthy is crucial. Pond is an experienced quarterback and stands 5-9. Campbell should be the team’s top lineman as he tips the scales at 290. Wilson should be all over the place in the backfield and secondary.

► Related: Mick McCabe’s top 25 teams: Nos. 21-25

Sterling Heights Stevenson (7-3, 3-2)

Team strength: Offensive/defensive lines

Top players: OL/DL Dez Lance; FB/LB Brad O’Meara; S/RB Jerome Cooper; QB Niko Nickson; OL/DL Luke Gorniak.

Outlook: In Stevenson’s three losses last season they had fourth quarter leads in each game so Coach Kevin Frederick hopes to finish games better. They have a huge offensive line led by 270-pounders Lance and Gorniak and O’Meara should be a load at fullback at 225 pounds. Stevenson could be a threat come playoff time.

MAC WHITE

Coach’s poll: Grosse Pointe South 59; L’Anse Creuse North 55; New Baltimore Anchor Bay 47, Utica 41, Utica Ford 40; Fraser 30.

Utica (4-5, 2-3)

Team Strength: Experience and skill positions.

Top players: WR/DB Cam Mitchell; WR/DB Slater Lutz; QB Patrick O’Connor; RB/LB Nathan Ayers; OL/DL Colin Motloch.

Outlook: “We feel very good about the upcoming season,’’ said Coach Matthew Marulli. “The players had a great offseason and a great summer.’’ Motloch will be the imposing lineman at 265 pounds and O’Connor will be at the controls at quarterback. Lutz and Mitchell are the targets while Ayers will lead the running game.

New Baltimore Anchor Bay (3-6, 1-4)

Team strength: Skill players

Top players: QB/LB Jordan Irwin; RB/LB Matt McDonald; Jr. K/P Eric Hildebrand; WR/DB Cole Anderson; OL/DL Jesse Duvall.

Outlook: Mike Powell’s team looks to improve with speed on the outside and Irwin running the show at quarterback. There is some size up front with 270-pound junior Andrew Brissom and 260-pound Christian Morgan. The young players have to step up for the program to get to .500.

L’Anse Creuse North (4-5, 0-5)

Team strength: Quarterback, depth and linebackers.

Top players: MLB Brenden Jackson; SS/HB Matt Alanskas; OLB/HB Jaylin Allen; OLB/WR Joey Schulwitz; QB Blake Daniels.

Outlook: North was 4-0 against every team outside the MAC Red last year so the move down should help. Senior leadership is good and the program now has quality depth. Daniels is 6-5 so he shouldn’t have a problem finding Schulwitz downfield if the offensive line protects him. Jackson is a 230-pound punisher in the middle of the defense.

Fraser (3-6, 3-2)

Team strength: Speed

Top players: Jr. QB Ian Casey; OL Davis Herrera; DL Kelvon Roberts; WR Gelos Wright; Jr. RB Charles Brown; OL Kameron Martin.

Outlook: Fraser will be young, but has some talent. Six juniors are expected to contribute led by Casey at quarterback and Brown at running back. Herrera and Martin are the top offensive linemen while junior linebacker Austin West-Houck hopes to lead the defense.

Utica Ford (5-5, 3-2)

Team strength: Large junior class, new offense and defense.

Top players: LB/RB Zach McCrory; QB/DE Noah Heide; WR/FS Alex Iafrate; WR/SS Preston T. Smith; WR/HB/SS John Marden; HB/CB Elijah Graham.

Outlook: First-year coach Todd Koehn has a ton of coaching experience on his roster in Jason Byers, Tony Smith, Jay Anthes, Bret Davis and Mark Simms. He’s installing a new offense and defense and hired one of the top strength and conditioning coaches in the area in Shaughen Tahrebandhi. He led New Haven to a playoff back in 2007 and hopes to take Ford to another level.

Grosse Pointe South (7-4, 3-2)

Top players: OL Nathan Lawrence; TE Andrew Sharpe; FB Aidan Comes; QB Logan Mico; DT/OT Patrick Nauert.

Outlook: Don’t be surprise if Tim Brandon’s crew makes a playoff run. Five starters return on offense and three on defense but the depth is there. Sharpe has already committed to Miami of Ohio. Nauert has 13 offers, including some Ivy League schools. The offensive line returns three starters, so Mico should be well protected.

MAC BLUE

Coach’s poll: Warren Cousino 58; Grosse Pointe North 53; Port Huron 47; Sterling Heights 42; Roseville 39, L’Anse Creuse 31.

Warren Cousino (5-4, 4-1)

Team strength: Team Unity

Top players: RB Karry Debose; QB Ben Maleszyk; K/P Anthony Secchi; C/MLB Mike Rice; OT/DT Jordan and Jared Jones.

Outlook: Cousino tied for first in the Blue for its second straight title and now looks to make it three in a row and a deeper run in the playoffs. The Jones twins are both 240-pounds and Maleszyk will handle the offense, handing the ball off to Debose.

Sterling Heights (7-3, 4-1)

Team strength: Team mentality

Top players: WR/DB Oliver DeQuan; WR/DB Paul Ches; QB/FS Jacob Cadle; OL/FB/DL Sean Adour; WR/OLB Stephen Robinson.

Outlook: Sterling Heights broke through with a great season and made the playoffs under Brent Widdows. The team will be small this year, but “We have great kids and they are working hard for each other,’’ said Widdows. “It should really be a fun season.’’

Grosse Pointe North (5-4, 4-1)

Team strength: Experience

Top players: TE/DE Dillon Webb; TB Jared Jordan; C John Cwiklinski; CB Trent LaCroix; OL Garrett Clark; OT Ryan Doss.

Outlook: Coach Frank Sumbera has been coaching for 48 years and been a head coach for 35. This should be an even better season with the Norsemen returning 15 starters, eight on offense and seven on defense. The offensive line will average 240. Junior quarterback Bjorn Bjornsson’s favorite target will be Pete Caravino and Webb is entering his fourth year on the varsity.

Roseville (4-5, 2-3)

Team strength: Athleticism

Top players: DE Javion Boyd; RB/DB Joshua Butler; QB Dhamon Riley; RB/DB Derrick Lawrence; S Rickey Shackleford.

Outlook: Boyd weighs in at 280 pounds and will anchor the defensive line. Riley is a little quarterback at 5-9, but is elusive. Shackleford is a big safety at 6-2, 195.

Port Huron (3-6, 1-4)

Team strength: Senior leadership

Top players: QB DeAngielo Sanderson; C Jeff Segar; TE/DE Tyler Lee; DE Clay Carter; DB Ogric Anderson

Outlook: Moving up to the MAC Blue will be a challenge for Coach Ryan Mullins. Segar and Lee both tip the scales at 240 for Port Huron and Sanderson is back to lead the team at quarterback.

L’Anse Creuse (1-8, 1-4)

Team strength: Skill positions

Top players: WR/DB Lee Kennedy; Jr. WR/OLB DaShawn Mills; Jr. WR/TE Michael Alter; C/LB Nick McNamara; DL Cecil Trigg.

Outlook: Tyler Boyd has a young team that is hungry and willing to learn. Trigg will be the key on the defensive line at 240 pounds. There’s inexperience at wide receiver and defensive back, but Kennedy, Mills and Alter are all solid athletes.

MAC GOLD

Coach’s poll: Marysville 58; St. Clair 53; (tie) Marine City and Warren Woods Mott 47; Port Huron Northern 38; St. Clair Shores Lake Shore 30.

Port Huron Northern (4-5, 2-3)

Team strength: Veterans

Top players: OT Noah Steinhauer: QB Billy Fealko; LB Logan Culp; FS Michael Burrell, RB Travis Hughes.

Outlook: Seven return on defense and five on offense for Coach Larry Roelens. Fealko is a solid quarterback and will be handing off to running backs Hughes and junior Steven Mason.

Warren Woods Tower (1-8, 0-5)

Team strength: Youth, athleticism, excitement

Top players: FS Jajuan Lovejoy; RB/OLB Trey Barbour; RB/OLB Nico Martini; QB/DE Matt Bell; SS/HB Joey Schindler.

Outlook: Coach Al Gulick hopes a great offseason and some new assistant coaches bring more than one victory in 2016. Bell will hand off to Martini and Barbour in the backfield and on defense try to stop the opponent at 6-feet, 190 pounds.

St. Clair (3-6, 1-4)

Team strength: Team speed

Top players: DE/TE A.J. Aguilo; LB/FB Noah Gabriel; DB/WR Ian Janssen; LB/WR Sam Winston; WR/DB Ben Davidson.

Outlook: Experience in the backfield and in the secondary has Coach Bill Nesbitt II excited. “The key is how well we develop on the line of scrimmage,’’ he said. Five starters return on defense and four on offense. The numbers are down at St. Clair this year and the team must run the ball to set up the passing of junior Collin Agosta.

Marysville (7-3, 4-1)

Team strength: Offensive backfield

Top players: FB Dante’ Chreek; RB/DB Zane King; DT Austin Keeley, T Evan Foster; WR/DB Dylan Kiger.

Outlook: The Vikings have been solid under Coach Mark Caza and should be the same this year. Five to six potential starters in the backfield give the team depth. “We’ll try to play ball control and limit our opponent’s possessions,’’ said Caza.

Marine City (6-4, 4-1)

Team strength: Junior class

Top players: QB Kohle Sobol; RB Ryan Alexander: OL Andrew Steinmetz; LB Justin Headlee; DE M.J. Frank.

Outlook: The team was in a three-way tie for first place in the Gold, but Coach Ron Glodich considered it a down year. “It was our worst record in about 25 years,’’ he said. Marine City is looking for a better mix of running and passing this year behind Sobol.

St. Clair Shores Lake Shore (3-6, 1-5)

Team strength: Defense

Top players: OL/DL Tanner Konal, S/WR Brian Gnacke; Jr. RB/LB Decarlo Bowden; Jr. OL/DL Trevor Scott; Jr. LB Kyle Barbera.

Outlook: First-year coach Rich Popp is building a family at Lake Shore. Hopefully, his defense will be good early until the offense comes around. Konal is 260 pounds and Scott is 265 so the Shorians hope to run the ball. “The kids (defensively) have taken to the scheme and have been learning quickly,’’ he said.

MAC SILVER

Coach’s poll: St. Clair Shores South Lake 60; Madison Heights Madison 53; Warren Fitzgerald 49; St. Clair Shores Lakeview 42; Clawson 36; East Detroit 30.

Clawson (6-4, 4-1)

Team strength: Speed and experience

Top five players: RB/DB Justin Rudnicki; WR/DB Kourtney Manley; Jr. OL/LB Mitchell Payne; Soph. WR/DB Kamariell Manley; DB/QB Matt Stewart.

Outlook: Stewart tips the scales at just 154 pounds so the offensive line will have to protect him. Moving up to the Silver is a challenge Coach Jim Sparks is looking forward to. “We have a large number of returners with experience to lead a good crop of talented underclassmen,’’ said Sparks. Rudnicki had 503 yards rushing last season and Manley had 34 receptions for 506 yards and six TDs.

East Detroit (0-9, 0-5)

Team strength: Senior leadership

Top players: WR Stephen Herd; LB E’Dris Brown; RB Anthony Harris; QB Christian Robinson.

Outlook: Coach Ronald Bell expects to win some games this year thanks to getting an influx of players that participated in the Police Athletic League. Last season the team scored just 44 points while allowing 435. “Some of the worst in the state,’’ Bell said of those numbers. An experienced staff expects the program to become competitive.

St. Clair Shores Lakeview (2-7, 1-4)

Team strength: Offensive and defensive lines, running back.

Top players: RB/DB Jacen Norman; RB/OLB Chris Wise; RB/OLB Korey Majewski; OL/DT Austin Bausglaugh; OL/DT Will Vargas.

Outlook: Coach Pat Threet and his Lakeview squad will have its work cut out. The team will run the same system on both sides of the ball for the second year in a row with a stable or running backs expected to give the offense balance.

Madison Heights Madison (9-2, 5-0)

Team strength: Speed, athleticism

Top players: MLB Ryan Crews; OLB T.B. Brown; WR/DB Dre Williams; OL/DE Deron Hood; S/WR Brandon Cooper.

Outlook: First-year Coach and former Michigan star James Rogers has his work cut out replacing Drake Wilkins. Madison always has speed and can score in bunches. Rogers said discipline and fundamentals are the goals heading into camp. Hood is the big man across both lines at 240 pounds.

Warren Fitzgerald (6-4, 3-2)

Team strength: Skill positions

Top players: RB Najon Moore; WR Bryan Gordon; DE Mike Kizer; CB Dayvon Garner; T Jaylen Clark.

Outlook: It’s a safe bet to say that Moore will run behind Clark if he hopes to gain any yardage. He stands 6-6 and weighs 315 pounds. Coach Gary Skop has a solid core of seniors who will need to set the tempo every day for the youngsters if they want to make the playoffs again.

South Clair Shores South Lake (8-2, 4-1)

Team strength: Speed

Top players: RB/DB/WR Jerod Vines; QB Datrell Milling; RB Lance Mitchell; NG Jajon Dessasure; WR Terrell Cummings.

Outlook: Coach Vernard Snowden’s numbers are low but the talent level is extremely high. Vines is one of the most dangerous players in the state and Milling is elusive and quick at quarterback. Mitchell has the ability take it to the end zone on any play. South Lake will be fun to watch on offense.

MAC BRONZE

Coach’s poll: Clintondale 48; Centerline 43, Warren Lincoln 39; New Haven 36; Madison Heights Lamphere 34.

New Haven (2-7, 2-3)

Team strength: Size and speed

Top players: Soph. QB Romeo Weems; RB William Moore; LB Tony Hamilton; Jr. WR/DBs Tyler and Trevor Dusty

Outlook: First-year coach Dominic Swope has one of the great basketball players in the state playing quarterback in Weems. At 6-6, Weems can see over the defense and has elusiveness. Please don’t get hurt for hoops. Thirty have come out for varsity and 62 make up the junior varsity and varsity so the numbers are getting better.

Madison Heights Lamphere (2-7, 2-3)

Team strength: Offensive line, defensive line, run game.

Top players: RB Tony Newman; Jr. OL/LB Zach Hilliard; OL/DL Dalton Templeton; QB Nick Gitary; TE/DE Ethan Springsteen.

Outlook: Experience will hopefully translate to victories for Lamphere. Newman, Hilliard and Templeton are all three-year starters and Springsteen has started for two along with Gitary.

Center Line (4-5, 3-2)

Team strength: Running game

Top players: RB/LB Steven Lucas; QB/FS Andrew Leutzinger; OT/DT Tyler Anderson; WR/CB Christon McNelly; WR/SS Zach Senyko

Outlook: Only 13 varsity players return from last season so it’ll be a learning experience for the young guys. Lucas will lead the running game behind offensive tackle Anderson (270).

Warren Lincoln (5-4, 4-1)

Team strength: Offensive line, defensive line

Top players: OL Xavier Aikens; FS Delvon Hawkins; RB Sean Russaw; TE/DE Tremaine Dent; DT Kalief Foster.

Outlook: The program is in great hands with Darrius Alexander at the helm. Foster tips the scales at 325 pounds and Aikens is 270 to Russaw should find some running lanes. Lincoln tied for the division title now the team wants to win it outright.

Clintondale (5-5, 2-3)

Team strength: Leadership

Top players: RB/LB Cleo Wade; RB/DB Glenn Carter; QB/FS Deonte Higgins; RB/DB Seth Maisano; RB/DB Omar Warlick.

Outlook: .500 is a bad year for Coach Dave Schindler so expect the team to rebound. Many of the returners were part of the playoff game a year ago, which has left the group hungry for me. “They’ve worked extremely hard this summer,’’ said Schindler.

Chelsea quarterback Jack Bush completes a short pass to Trey Seitz for a first down in the second half to their 35-12 win over Allen Park in high school football on Friday, November 13, 2015, in Allen Park. Julian H. Gonzalez/Detroit Free Press

Mick McCabe’s 25 top teams

All players are seniors unless noted. (2015 records in parentheses).

21. Chelsea (12-2)

Top players: Slot/DB Cam Cooper; QB Jack Bush; TE Alex Vasquez; WR/K Chris Roush; DT Cash Shegan.

State playoff record: 20-18.

Coach: Brad Bush, 20th season (149-57).

Overview: The Bulldogs lost many quality starters from last season’s Division 3 runner-up team, but there are some key ingredients returning. Cooper is dynamic when he gets his hands on the ball and Bush, who threw for over 2,200 yards last season, is capable of getting him the ball in space. The offense will have to score a lot of points early as the defense undergoes a rebuilding process.

22. Warren Mott (6-4)

Top players: C-G/NG Kris Campbell; DB-Slot/DB Jatvon Wilson; WR/DB Andre Chandler; QB Mike Pond; WR/DB Jaalon Brown.

State playoff record: 3-10.

Coach: Tom Milanov, 17th season (83-74).

Overview: This veteran Marauders team will have a high-powered and balanced offense behind the play of Pond at QB and Wilson, a fourth-year starter who can make plays at a variety of positions. Another four-year starter is Campbell, who will anchor both lines and provide leadership in the trenches.

23. Detroit East English Village (9-3)

Top players: Junior C Tyrone Sampson; junior RB/DB Zhamaine March; QB Delvin Washington; OG/DT Orniska Webster; WR/DB Samuel Womack; OT/DT Jaylin Phillips.

State playoff record: 6-4.

Coach: Rod Oden, 11th season at Crockett/East English (83-32).

Overview: The running game should be effective because four junior linemen will be starting for their third season. Washington should be improved with a year of experience under his belt. There is no superstar on this team, but plenty of quality players.

24. West Bloomfield (9-1)

Top players: RB Davion Johnson; Slot Garrett Winn; LBs Chris Kalaj and DeQuincy Lewis; DT Tyree Jones; OT Domenik Vulaj; DE Alex Palazolla.

State playoff record: 1-4.

Coach: Ron Bellamy, sixth season (27-21).

Overview: The Lakers enjoyed the best season in school history and qualified for the state playoffs for only the fourth time. To continue the momentum Johnson, who ran for over 700 yards last season, will have to be an effective focal point of the inexperienced offense. The defense will have to carry the load early in the season.

25. Utica Eisenhower (7-4)

Top players: Junior QB Maz Wittwer; TB-Slot/DB-LB Jack Provencher; WR Ryan Chargo; DT Sammy Vultaggio; LB Danny Smyk; DE/WR Logan Smith.

State playoff record: 33-23.

Coach: Chris Smith, 20th season at Eisenhower, 5th as head coach (25-16).

Overview: Only three starters return on offense, but one of them is Wittwer, who does an excellent job running the triple option. If the Eagles can cut down on turnovers the offense will be fine. Vultaggio and Smith will provide a strong defensive front and Smyk is one of the keys at linebacker.

Come back through Thursday for teams Nos. 1-4, 6-20.

Mick McCabe’s top 25 players: Nos. 21-25
McCabe’s top 25 players: No. 1 Donovan Peoples-Jones

Quarterback Brett Droski, right, hands the ball to Kaiser Carleton during Macomb Dakota High School football practice on Wednesday, Aug. 17, 2016 at Macomb Dakota High School in Macomb Twp.

The game is football, but to Macomb Dakota senior tailback Kaiser Carleton it is something else altogether.

It is more of a game of hide-and-go-seek.

Carleton is a bit on the short side, even though he is proud to announce he underwent something of a growth spurt.

“I grew a little bit from last year,” he said. “I got measured at 5-feet-8 the doctor said.”

Even at all of 5-8, Carleton can be difficult to find if you are a defensive lineman.

“I don’t so much hide behind my linemen, but I use it to my advantage because I’m a smaller guy,” he said. “We’ve got a lot of big linemen this year so that should help.”

Carleton has learned to use his linemen to run interference for him as looks for a crack in the defense.

“It all depends on the linemen up front,” he said. “I just try to look around the field and use my speed to my advantage and be smart about it. I’m just looking for daylight. I just try to explode out of the hole when they can’t really see me.”

To be honest, a lot of people couldn’t see Carleton being much of a football player because of his short stature.

“Oh, yeah, college coaches, high school coaches, players, parents, everybody talked about my size,” he said. “It’s tiring at times. I don’t really get sick of it, I try to use it as motivation for myself to keep that chip on my shoulder.”

Long ago Carleton learned size doesn’t mean much, not even in basketball — and Carleton doesn’t have to look far for a perfect example.

“We’ve got a great basketball player at our school, Jermaine Jackson Jr.,” Carleton said. “He’s about the same size as me and that’s even worse for basketball. He does the same thing. He uses that as a chip on his shoulder.”

Late in his freshman year, Carleton was summoned to the varsity, and former coach Mike Giannone made him the starting tailback as a sophomore.

That season Carleton ran for over 1,200 yards. Shortly after the season, Ohio U. offered him a scholarship and all of a sudden he came to the realization that college was not going to cost his parents a dime.

He now holds additional offers from Eastern Michigan, Kentucky Christian and Western Michigan — although those schools are looking at him as a slot receiver, which is fine with Carlton because he loves catching passes.

Last season, Carleton gained over 1,400 yards before tearing his meniscus in the first round of the state playoffs.

Working with former assistant and new head coach Greg Baur, Carleton has regained his 4.4 speed in the 40.

“Coach Baur really helped me out through the whole training process,” Carleton said. “He got me back to where I was before, if not better.”

He better be better, because Thursday at 7 p.m. the Cougars host two-time defending Division 3 state champ Orchard Lake St. Mary’s, featuring Dream Team linebacker Josh Ross.

“He’s a tremendous athlete,” Carleton said of Ross. “I wouldn’t take anything away from that kid. He’s a well put together kid. He comes from a great family and he’s committed to Michigan. That about sums it up right there, what kind of player he is.

“Orchard Lake St. Mary’s is a great team. We’re very excited to play them. Who doesn’t want to play the best of the best?”

Especially if you can make it a game of hide-and-go-seek.

Contact Mick McCabe: 313-223-4744 or mmccabe@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @mickmccabe1

Meet the Cougars

Last season: 9-3

Top players: TB Kaiser Carleton; QB Brett Droski; WR Jalen Hall; DTs Coty Bastain and Brendan Siwajek; LB Nick Carl; DB Colin Macklen; DB Chris Magge.

State playoff record: 33-14.

Coach: Greg Baur, 25th year, first year as head coach.

Overview: After 11 seasons as Dakota’s defensive coordinator, Baur takes over a loaded team which returns 15 starters, eight offensively and seven defensively. The offense will revolve around Carleton, who ran for over 1,400 yards in 10 games. Droski has a reliable arm to make the running game more effective. Bastian and Siwajek will make running on Dakota difficult.

Mick McCabe’s top 25 teams: Nos. 21-25
McCabe’s top 25 players: No. 1 Donovan Peoples-Jones

On Sunday, May 15, the Free Press observed more than 60 kids on the field at Waterford Mott. MHSAA rules prohibit coaches from providing instruction to more than four of their players at a time until early June.

Sometimes I wonder why the Michigan High School Athletic Association even bothers to have rules. This is one of those times.

Waterford Mott football coach Chris Fahr has been prohibited from coaching in a preseason scrimmage as well as Mott’s first two regular-season games. He also was banned from coaching in his team’s summer activities for 30 days and can’t coach in the state playoffs should Mott qualify this season or next.

That’s it?

This is the result of MHSAA rules violations related to undue influence for athletic purposes and out-of-season workouts brought to light in a Free Press story published in May.

Waterford Mott may have broken MHSAA rules for off-season workouts

Many football coaches and athletic administrators I spoke to were hoping the MHSAA would seize the opportunity to do even more when a coach is caught cheating. Some consider Fahr’s punishment a little more than a slap on the wrist.

Twice the MHSAA has levied a two-year ban on coaching, the most severe penalty handed out. The maximum penalty for undue influence violations is a four-year ban, though that has never been imposed.

This was an opportunity for the MHSAA to send a strong message to coaches around the state that it won’t stand for cheating — and it failed miserably.

MHSAA officials have no idea the sense of exasperation coaches around the state experience when it comes to the state of high school athletics and the way some coaches ignore the rules.

It is the MHSAA’s job to create a level playing field for everyone, and the best way it can do that is by severely punishing those who violate its rules, which it clearly has not done in the case of Fahr, a coach who apparently has little regard for such rules.

There’s reason to believe Fahr may have violated his 30-day summer coaching restrictions by helping with 7-on-7 scrimmages in Clarkston on June 21 and 28, according to a person present who told the Free Press but does not want his name used for fear of repercussions.

Fahr, 41, who is in his fifth season as coach at Mott, has not returned calls from the Free Press seeking comment. Neither has Waterford district athletic director Allison Sartorius.

Waterford superintendent Keith Wunderlich told the Free Press this past week: “We worked with MHSAA through a fairly lengthy investigative process and they issued some consequences which we didn’t entirely agree with. Went through that (appeal) process as well. At this point I just want to start a football season. So right now we’re looking forward instead of backward.”

Embattled Waterford Mott football coach Chris Fahr skips media day

MHSAA rules prohibit football coaches from providing instruction to more than four players at a time from season’s end to the Sunday after Memorial Day. The Free Press reported in May that Fahr had been behind organized workouts long before May, and that he and freshman football coach Nick Linseman also made attempts to recruit players from other schools.

The MHSAA has a rule that prohibits “use of undue influence for athletic purposes” to “secure or encourage” students to enroll in a school. This means coaches cannot recruit players from other schools at any level.

Tom Rashid, associate director of the MHSAA, investigated the charges against Fahr, but last week refused to discuss specific charges or what he uncovered in his investigation.

The Waterford School District fired Linseman and the MHSAA also barred him from coaching in the playoffs for the next two years should he land another coaching job.

The MHSAA’s punishment to Fahr left Linseman puzzled.

“I know that the things that we did were not the right way to do it, but I feel my punishment should match his,” Linseman told the Free Press. “We did the exact same thing. So, if I’m fired, I don’t see how he’s not. I don’t understand it. I don’t know how it works.”

Wunderlich was asked by the Free Press whether the firing of Linseman was fair considering Fahr’s punishment. “Given the circumstances, yes,” Wunderlich said.

Mott frosh coach Nick Linseman ‘asked to leave,’ feels like fall guy

While it’s unclear what the MHSAA determined were violations of undue influence since the MHSAA and Mott reports were not made available, it’s fair to question the thoroughness of the MHSAA’s investigation.

Among the allegations found in the Free Press reporting was that Fahr asked former West Bloomfield player Eddy Wilson to practice with Mott following the 2012 season and asked him to transfer to Mott, according to Wilson. Wilson is now a sophomore at Purdue.

Rashid told the Free Press that Wilson’s mother said Fahr did not attempt to recruit her son, but he admitted the MHSAA never contacted Wilson.

Wilson told the Free Press that Fahr called him after the initial story was published in May and asked him to post something online, basically to change his story. But Wilson refused and reiterated to the Free Press that Fahr tried to recruit him.

The Free Press also reported an incident in which Pontiac athletic director Lee Montgomery saw multiple Pontiac players in an Oakland Press photo gallery last August wearing Mott gear for a 7-on-7 game.

Pontiac’s Marquan Cureton said he got word from Fahr, through a former Mott player, to join the workouts at Mott. Daniel Lenox of Pontiac also participated.

Mott officials told the MHSAA that the players showed up on their own, asking to work out with Mott. Cureton and Lenox told the Free Press that the MHSAA never contacted them and that they were encouraged by Fahr to attend.

The Free Press also reported in May that there were Facebook posts between an account bearing the name of Fahr and an Avondale athlete, but Mott officials told the MHSAA the athlete initiated contact with Fahr. Avondale AD Keith Gust maintains a Mott coach made the first contact.

Though he said he was not involved in the investigation, Wunderlich said he thinks the process was thorough.

“Absolutely,” he said. “MHSAA required a lot of documentation and paperwork and meetings, and I know our athletic director had numerous communications with them, both by e-mail and by phone, and it seemed like they went over every single point very thoroughly.”

MHSAA executive director Jack Roberts frequently talks about good sportsmanship. What is more paramount to sportsmanship than playing by the rules?

Fahr, whose teams have made the state playoffs the last two seasons, told the Oakland Press earlier this month that his situation was “unfortunate” and “unfair.” He added: “Is this what high school football has come to?”

Yes, this is what high school football has come to. Coaches cheat and the MHSAA does little about it.

Tear up the rule book.

Contact Mick McCabe: 313-223-4744 or mmccabe@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @mickmccabe1.

McCabe’s top 25 players: No. 1 Donovan Peoples-Jones

Muskegon senior quarterback Kalil Pimpleton practices Tuesday, Aug. 16, 2016, in Muskegon, Mich.

16. Corey Malone-Hatcher

School: St. Joseph.

Vitals: 6 feet 3, 248 pounds.

Position: Defensive end/linebacker.

The scoop: This youngster is a monster as a defensive end, where he can be a tenacious rush end. He also has enough quickness to be an outside linebacker and can handle some pass- coverage duties. Committed to Michigan.

► Mick McCabe’s top 25 players: Nos. 21-25

17. Kalil Pimpleton

School: Muskegon.

Vitals: 5-7, 160.

Position: Quarterback/slot receiver.

The scoop: Although he will run Muskegon’s offense, he will be a slot receiver in college, where his quickness makes it easy for him to find a hole in the defense. He is a versatile athlete and could be one of the top kickoff and punt returners in the state. Committed to Virginia Tech.

18. Scott Nelson

School: U-D Jesuit.

Vitals: 6-2, 184.

Position: Wide receiver/defensive back.

The scoop: He is a jack-of-all-trades for the Cubs, amassing 1,955 all-purpose yards. He is a standout in the secondary, where he had five interceptions, three fumble recoveries, eight pass break-ups and five tackles for loss. He can hurt the opposition in a lot of ways.

19. Rob Hudson

School: Walled Lake Western,

Vitals: 6-8, 310.

Position: Offensive tackle/defensive tackle.

The scoop: His improvement since his freshman year has been phenomenal. He has molded himself into a player and has become a two-way standout. Committed to Purdue.

20. Carter Dunaway

School: Birmingham Brother Rice.

Vitals: 6-5, 231.

Position: Tight end

The scoop: He does everything you need a tight end to do. He is an outstanding blocker and has good hands. He has surprising speed for someone his size, and he knows how to find seems in the secondary to get open. Committed to Michigan.

► McCabe’s top 25 teams: Nos. 21-25
► McCabe’s top 25 players: No. 1 Donovan Peoples-Jones

Come back through Thursday for players 2-15.

Contact Mick McCabe: 313-223-4744 or mmccabe@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @mickmccabe1.

Allen Park’s James Jr. Whiteford sacks Taylor Kennedy’s Patrick Jackson during first-half action in the Prep Kickoff Classic on August 28, 2015 at Wayne States Tom Adams Field in Detroit Michigan.

All players seniors unless noted, 2015 records in parentheses.

Coaches’ Poll: Allen Park 96; Wyandotte 87; Gibraltar Carlson 73; Trenton 62; Woodhaven 58; Melvindale 53; Southgate Anderson 41; Lincoln Park 37; Taylor Truman 24; Taylor Kennedy 17.

Allen Park (10-2, 8-1)

Team strength: Senior leadership, experience.

Top players: QB Antonio Mangiapane; CB/HB Ryan Fish; TE/DB Alexander Hinojosa; WR/S Tyler Beachnau; OG/DT Carlos Agnes

Outlook: First-year Coach Tom Danosky knows what to expect because he played and has been an assistant coach in the program. “Team chemistry has come a long way with this group over summer and I believe playing together will be a strength,’’ said Danosky. The Jags expect to be balanced on offense.

► Breaking down the Macomb Area Conference
► McCabe’s top-25 players: Nos. 16-20

Trenton (9-2, 8-1)

Team strength: Experience

Top players: RB/DB Dontel Hampton; C/DL Ean Purcell; QB/DB Connor Charping; WR/QB/DB Kenny Styles; WR/DB/K Trevor Goodman; OL/DL Christian Short.

Outlook: This team must mature quickly because of graduation losses. Purcell tips the scales at 290 and Short weighs in at 240. Depth at certain positions could be an issue.

Wyandotte (8-3, 7-2)

Team strength: Skill positions; depth

Top players: Jr. WR/DB Kendrick Stanley, OL/DL Julian Ezell; Jr. WR/DB Andrew Murasky; Jr. RB/LB Allen Woodward, Soph. WR/DB Cam Garrison.

Outlook: Ron Adams’ Team 118 has size, speed and depth and should be a playoff threat. Ezell is expected to have an All-State kind of year and Stanley is expected to be really good. Adam Groat and Richie Miller are battling it out for the starting spot at QB. The trio of Stanley, Murasky and Garrison can get to the end zone.

Lincoln Park (6-4, 6-3)

Team strength: Team unity.

Top players: WR/S Devon Carson; Jr. QB/S Elijah Cross; Jr. OG/NT Sylvon Wrey; Jr. OG/DE Elijah Adams; Jr. OG/DE Matthew Welch-Phillips; Jr. C/DL Tony Medal; HB/LB Will Bujacki; OT/DT Jordon Hottum.

Outlook: Good size and some speed has the team optimistic. Wrey is 255, Welch-Phillips 250, Adams 290 and Medal 275. Hottum is no baby at 285, so size won’t be a problem.

Gibraltar Carlson (5-4, 5-4)

Team strength: Intelligence, chemistry

Top players: Jr. QB/WR/OLB Jaylan Franklin; Jr. TE/OLB Matt Harmon; OL/DT Jonas Manning; WR/DB Lance Nitzkorski; Jr. DB/RB Jacob Shoemaker.

Outlook: Franklin is 6-5 and 205 and is a great athlete. “We are a young, intelligent team that is selfless and love to play for each other,’’ said Coach Kent Sikora. We have a lot of players who have had success at the lower levels.’’

Melvindale (4-5, 4-5)

Team strength: Athleticism and physicality

Top players: QB/WR/DE Koby Boynton; WR/DB/KR Treshon Alexander; Soph. RB/DB/KR DaRaun McKinney; TE/WR/LB Justin Allen; OL/DL Jeff Wilson.

Outlook: A large senior class has nine returning on offense and eight on defense, which could mean a big year for the team and Coach Jason Carriveau. Speed, strength and toughness will help. “The question is do we have enough mental toughness to handle adversity that will undoubtedly strike during the season,’’ said Carriveau.

Southgate Anderson (3-6, 3-6)

Team strength: Experience

Top players: RB/WR/S Ross Bogart; FB/LB Michael Baker; WR/CB Jacob Leija; WR/S Ramiro Rodriguez; C/DL Tony Lozano; OL/LB Travis Harris.

Outlook: Coach Mitchell Dobek said the team needs to focus on being competitive each day. “Expectations will be focused 100% on effort,’’ said Dobek. Staying healthy while many players go both ways will be important.

Woodhaven (3-6, 3-6)

Team strength: Offensive and defensive lines

Top players: RB/S Jalen Wellons; DB/RB Raequan Castelow; QB/DB Ales Theisen; Jr. OL/DL Joe Barney; OL/DL Josh Barney.

Outlook: The team returns both lines and should be strong up front. The Barney’s both weigh 270 and should open up some holes. Several players in the backfield are back so Coach Keith Christnagel is optimistic.

Taylor Kennedy (1-8, 1-8)

Team strength: Defense

Top players: OL Kevin Williams; Soph. WR Savion Gray; Soph. DB Keyon Chambers; Jr. QB Tyler Lawrence; TE Thomas Caulfield.

Outlook: Kennedy will be faster and stronger and will rely on its defense early in the season. Youth is everywhere, but the sophomores are expected to hold their own.

Taylor Truman (0-9, 0-9)

Team strength: Skill position.

Top players: RB Dajon McGregor; QB Martonio Lawler; LB Dallas Butler; Jr. LB Raynard Curry; OL Brandon Denby.

Outlook: The Cougars will run the T-formation on offense with senior right tackle Tyler Goodwell anchoring the offensive line. Truman led in the fourth quarter in six games last season, which has been a point of emphasis during the summer. The defense should be much improved.

► Related: McCabe’s team No. 5: Macomb Dakota
► Related: McCabe’s top 25 teams: Nos. 21-25

Contact Perry A. Farrell: 313-222-2555 or pafarrell@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @farrellperry.

A quivering guinea pig was made to decide its own fate when it was placed on a table where if it moved to one side it would be spared or to the other side where it would be killed, witnesses testified Monday, as two high school students were ordered to stand trial on charges of torturing and killing the small animal.

From left, defendant Michael Roth, 17, with his attorney James Sparrow; and Tanner Coolsaet, 18, with his attorney, Edward Holmberg, appear in Woodhaven District Court for their Aug. 15, 2016, preliminary examination on charges of torturing and killing a Guinea pig April 30 on Grosse Ile.

Tanner Coolsaet, 18, and Michael Roth, 17, both of Grosse Ile, sat quietly in Woodhaven District Court as fellow Grosse Ile High School lacrosse players detailed the fatal slashing and beating of the guinea pig purchased at a local pet store and then killed last April on a Grosse Ile beach.

Witnesses testified that about 10 young men were at the beach when the animal was placed on a table. The hapless guinea pig — at times, quaking with fear — moved to the kill side.

“Mike (Roth) struck it on the back of the head” with a small bat, a witness, age 15, said. “Then it was dazed and struggling. You could see its foot kind of twitch. It was struggling to stand.”

Roth and Coolsaet each face two counts of felony animal cruelty — killing or torturing animals and conspiracy to kill or torture animals, according to the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office.

► Related:3rd Grosse Ile teen charged in guinea pig torture case

► Related:Grosse Ile teens face charges in guinea pig mutiliation

A previous statement from the prosecutor’s office had said Coolsaet cut the guinea pig with a knife. But Monday’s testimony indicated a third person did the cutting and Coolsaet threw the animal in the river.

A third, 16-year-old defendant charged as a juvenile with killing or torturing an animal and animal cruelty, is set for a 3 p.m. Sept. 7 pre-trial conference before Referee Viola King at the Lincoln Hall of Justice in Detroit.

District Judge  James Kersten ordered Monday that media not identify the two male witnesses under 18, on a request from the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office.

The 15-year-old testified that after Roth hit the guinea pig with a small bat, another person came with a fixed-blade knife “and just put it out of its misery,” stabbing it once or twice. The blood spread on the table.

“Some people dipped their fingers in the blood and wore it as a sort of face paint, like you would do in sports,” the witness said.

He said Roth picked it up and tried to get blood in his mouth. When that didn’t work, he  “dipped his tongue into blood on the table,” the witness said.

Then, he said Coolsaet threw the guinea pig into the river. Both minor witnesses said they didn’t see Coolsaet hurt the Guinea pig.

But the group of 10 was divided on what to do with it, and witnesses said Coolsaet had been on the side voting for it to be killed.

A 17-year-old witness said that before the killing, lacrosse players had talked about killing a small animal “for good luck.”

On April 30, they drove in cars from the high school to the beach on the Detroit River. When they arrived, the guinea pig was in a box.

The witness said that at the beach, some of them wanted to keep the guinea pig as a pet.

“Some of us didn’t want to kill it,” the 17-year-old said.

But he said that since they’d already spent the money, some didn’t want to see the animal end up as a pet. He said that Coolsaet grabbed guinea pig, put it on ground and said, “Let’s just get it over with.”

The 15-year-old witness said Roth was holding the guinea pig to the ground.

“Tanner had (a) knife pressed to it,” he said. “It started squealing. Tanner backed off because he couldn’t do it… I felt relieved.”

The 17-year-old said the small animal was shaking, so he put it in his pocket.

“Once I put it in my pocket, it stopped shaking,” he said.

A short time later, the 10 took a vote about what to do. It was evenly split. So they put the small animal on a table and stood five on each side, coaxing it toward life or death.

The two male witnesses said they didn’t want the guinea pig to die. The 15-year-old said they’d been told to each bring $2 to pay for the small animal.

Coolsaet’s attorney, Edward Holmberg, argued Monday that the charge against him of killing or torturing the animal should be thrown out because there was no evidence Coolsaet hurt it. But Kersten, binding over both counts, said the evidence indicates he aided and abetted the crime.

Aria Ganz-Waple testified she was a clerk at Woodhaven Pets Mart when Roth and Coolsaet came into the store April 30 to buy a guinea pig. She said Coolsaet used his driver’s license for proof of age to buy the small animal.

Contact Robert Allen @rallenMI or rallen@freepress.com. 

Farmington Hills Harrison coach John Herrington.

All players are seniors unless noted. (2015 records in parentheses).

16. DeWitt (9-2)

Top players: DB/slot J.D. Ross, OT Cam Fegeur, junior WR/DB Allen Smith, OT/DE Cade Skaar, TE/DE Alec Guillaume, LB Michael Stygles.

Coach: Rob Zimmerman, 18th year (168-37).

Overview: With eight offensive and seven defensive starters back, DeWitt should be quite good. The Panthers might have the best all-around player in the Lansing area in Ross, and the overall team speed is impressive. Fegeur and Skaar will lead an experienced offensive line.

► McCabe’s top 25 teams: Nos. 21-25
► McCabe’s top 25 players: No. 1 Donovan Peoples-Jones

17. Ann Arbor Pioneer (7-4)

Top players: LB/RB

Antjuan Simmons, DEs/TEs Derrick Hubbard and Jordan Nwogu, WR-QB/DB Cedric Benton, WR/DB Jordan Harris, DL/Justin Collier.

Coach: Jari Brown, fourth year (15-14).

Overview: With eight returning starters from a defense that gave up 15.5 points per game in reaching the district final last year, Pioneer will be difficult to move the ball against.

18. Oak Park (5-5)

Top players: RB/LB Dylan Stackhouse, OT/DT JaRaymond Hall, junior OG/DT Marquan McCall, WR Robert Zanders, TB Najee Trinity, QB Dawan Mathis, DT/OG Dominic Williams, freshman OT/DE Justin Rogers.

Coach: Greg Carter, 22nd season (163-81), sixth season at Oak Park (31-22).

Overview: With Hill and McCall leading the way on the massive offensive line, look for Trinity, who gained over 900 yards last season while sharing the spot last season, to have a breakout year.

19. Warren De La Salle (6-4)

Top players: RB/DB Allen Stritzinger, DBs Kevin Lee and junior Brendan Madigan, LBs Steve Killop and Evan Holland, junior Edwin Dotson.

Coach: Mike Giannone, firsy year at De La Salle, 19th overall (158-51).

Overview: Giannone inherits a program with an excellent defense that will be able to compete in the tough Central Division. The offense will revolve around Stritzinger (Syracuse), who is a threat to score every time he touches the ball.

20. Farmington Hills Harrison (7-4)

Top players: Junior LB/TE Ovie Oghoufo, LB/FB Guam Lee, TB/LB Brendan Brown, QB Jim O’Connor, OT Linden Ivezic, LB Mike Knox, K/P Carl Hanpeter, junior C/OG John O’Connor.

Coach: John Herrington, 47th year (420-100-1).

Overview: The Hawks should play excellent defense, led by Oghoufo, Brown and Knox. A tough offensive line should provide a boost to the running attack.

► McCabe: MHSAA fails the test in dealing with Chris Fahr

Come back through Thursday for teams 1-3, 6-15.

Contact Mick McCabe: 313-223-4744 or mmccabe@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @mickmccabe1.

Former Allen Park coach Tom Hoover

For the past few years, Tom Hoover had been telling Tom Danosky that Danosky would be Allen Park’s next head football coach.

It made sense. Danosky had been the starting quarterback on Hoover’s first team as head coach, and he had become a trusted assistant the past 13 years.

“I would laugh at him when he was dealing with something,” Danosky said. “Then he’d say: ‘Just wait, your turn’s coming.’ ”

Danosky’s turn has come.

Hoover resigned in April after 20 seasons calling the shots, which followed 10 seasons as former coach Ed Bellas’ assistant.

Hoover’s resignation caught many by surprise, but when you consider Hoover suffered a heart attack before the 2014 season, it made sense.

It’s a good opportunity for Danosky, 37, but it comes with high expectations. The Jaguars have become one of the top programs in the state, qualifying for the state playoffs 15 of the past 17 years. Besides 4-5 seasons in 2008-09, their last losing season came in 1981.

►Related:McCabe says MHSAA failed test in dealing with Waterford Mott’s Chris Fahr

And now Danosky is running the show with no safety net.

“That’s the scary part,” he said. “Everything I’ve done in football has been because of Hoov. Now doing it without him … is a little different. I talk to him daily. I’ve learned so much. It was privileged to play for and coach with a lot of good coaches.”

There has never been a shortage of quality assistants at Allen Park. Aides like Jim Buttson and Bob Marten Sr., former head coaches at other schools, made things easier for Hoover.

“It’s quite a tradition, and that’s one of the things I love about it,” Danosky said. “That’s why I wanted to come back and teach and coach here. We’ve got a lot of alumni on the staff. Everybody’s got that same mentality of wanting to be a part of that tradition to continue.”

Mick McCabe’s top-25 teams: Nos. 16-20
Mick McCabe’s top-25 players: Nos. 16-20

Like all good head coaches, Hoover spent time coaching the assistants, preparing them to be head coaches. He especially spent time with Danosky, explaining what he did and why he did it.

“Every year I’ve been on varsity, he’d been giving me more responsibility and more responsibility,” Danosky said. “When he had that heart attack, it was a lot, lot more, so I knew it was getting closer.”

Danosky went through the entire interview process before being named head coach, but the choice was a no-brainer from the get-go.

Being a graduate and a 13-year veteran of the coaching staff meant his hiring would assure continuity in the program.

“I think the big thing was like when Hoov got the job,” Danosky said. “He said we’ve got something good going here, and nobody wanted to blow it up. We wanted to keep it in-house, for sure.”

Now Danosky has the keys to the house. He said he isn’t nervous, but wait until 4 p.m. Thursday, when the Jaguars open the season against Taylor Kennedy in the Prep Kickoff Classic at Wayne State.

“I keep telling the players, this is not about me and not about the coaches, it’s about them,” he said. “They’re the ones that carry on the tradition. They’re the ones that continue the legacy.”

Contact Mick McCabe: 313-223-4744 or mmccabe@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @mickmccabe1. Be sure that you follow Freep Sports on Twitter (@freepsports) and Instagram and like us on on Facebook.

Clarkston players celebrate their Division 1 title win against Novi Detroit Catholic Central on Nov. 30, 2013, at Ford Field.

Red Division

Coaches’ poll: 1. Southfield Arts and Technology 66, 2. Clarkston 62, 3. West Bloomfield 54; 4. Lake Orion 49, 5. Troy Athens 41, 6. Oxford 39, 7. Rochester Hills Stoney Creek 32.

Southfield Arts and Technology (first season)

Strength: Experience

Top players: LB Lorenzo McCaskill, G Eric Eldridge, LB Keith Powe, Slot/DB Marquise Thorn, junior RB Eric McArn, SE Justin Cain, S Isaiah Moon, DL Kwai Cooper, soph. QB Sam Johnson, DE Torey Barclay

Outlook: Take two playoff-qualifying teams (Southfield and Lathrup), mesh them together, and you get a deep squad with talent to spare. Coach Tim Conley guides a two-platoon team with noticeable size and speed. “It will take a lot of depth to prepare for the Red (Division); you have to be prepared for a lot of grinding week to week,” he said. “Splitting the kids up on offense and defense helps.”

Clarkston (7-3, 6-1)

Strength: Offensive line

Top players: LB Nick Stallworth, QB J.T. King, C Carter Gale, junior RB/CB Michael Flugle, junior OL Noah Nicklin, OL Ben Spiker, WR/DB Tyler Retford, TE/LB Ryan Prisby

Outlook: The bar is always set high for the Wolves, who won back-to-back state championships in 2013-14 and lost in the pre-districts to eventual champ Romeo last year. Coach Kurt Richardson knows the keys to reaching Ford Field again: “We can’t turn the ball over, can’t put the ball on the ground,” he said. “Our kicking game needs to be as strong as it was last year, and we’ve got to stay healthy.”

West Bloomfield (9-1, 7-0)

Strength: Skill players

Top players: Slot/DB/KR Garrett Winn, RB Davion Johnson, OL Domenik Vulaj, DB Prince Linus, LB DeQuincy Lewis, DL Kyle Wilson, DL Tyree Jones, TE/DL Alex Palazolla

Outlook: West Bloomfield is coming off its first undefeated regular season since 1962, but following it up comes at a price. The Lakers lost a lot from last year – 29 seniors, including 6 Division 1 athletes. “We’re trying to create a legacy. We’re fortunate to have talented kids in our program, but that’s a tough act to follow,” Coach Ron Bellamy said. “We’ve been doing a lot of teaching – we’ve just been grinding.”

Lake Orion (4-5, 3-4)

Strength: Physicality

Top players: OT/DT Nick Novak, RB Chris Wilson, C Jeff McCarty, RB Shaun Wilson, RB/LB Danny White, LB Roger White, WR Max Horneffer, junior LB Tyler Vestrand, P Taylor McCarty, S Joe Slaton, DB Jarrin Albright

Outlook: This perennial contender has suffered back-to-back losing seasons – the first time that’s happened in 20 years – so the Dragons are aiming to generate a more typical output this fall. “We were very one-dimensional the last couple of years; we have got to put all phases of the game together,” Coach Chris Bell said. “We’re not a finesse team; we’re going to play smash-mouth, here-it-is football.”

►Related:McCabe’s top 25 players: Nos. 16-20

Troy Athens (5-4, 5-2)

Strength: Work ethic

Top players: QB Joey Stark, OL/DL Mitch Wochoski, OL/DL Jared York, FB/LB Griff Goodin-Smith, OL/DL Jared Willis, junior TB Jake Cavazos, WR Zack Spinek, junior FB/LB Andrew Yan

Outlook: Are the Red Hawks a diamond in the rough, or was last season a fluke? That will be answered by how they play this fall. “I like to think we’re on the rise. We’ve got a great dynamic and these guys get it,” Coach Josh Heppner said. “We’ve got the talent; we’ve got the game plan. We have a great amount of confidence from an offensive standpoint, but from a defensive standpoint, we’re young.”

Oxford (3-6, 3-4)

Strength: Seniors

Top players: LB Drake Berry, TB Ethan Willians, TE Josh Allen, TE Ryan Moatoa, junior WR Ben Nuss, OL Chad Brown, junior LB Ted Krause, junior QB Parker Fleming, junior WR Garrett Tyrrell

Outlook: If anyone’s capable of shaking things up in the Red, it’s the Wildcats — if they can grab a signature win. That might be tough, as their first three games are against Romeo, West Bloomfield and Clarkston. “We need to play well and win a big game, either by one point or three touchdowns,” Coach Bud Rowley said. “It’s a wait-and-see kind of team. There’s not a lot of experience but we’re going to be OK.”

Stoney Creek (3-6, 3-4)

Strength: Team speed

Top players: TE/DE Brady Campbell, TB/MLB Victor VanAlmen, TB/LB Dylan Trudo, soph. QB Frank Potenza, TB Tristan Leinen, WR Anthony Miller, WR Adam Hilton, OT/NT James Stirnemann

Outlook: Stoney Creek lured legendary Eisenhower coach Bob Lantzy back to the sidelines, and his first impression is positive. “I really enjoy the on-the-field part of coaching, and the kids have really jumped on board,” he said. “I look for courage, heart and brains, and you find it all over Stoney Creek.” Lantzy said developing defensively is the key since the Cougars appear to be smaller than the other OAA Red teams.

Breaking down the Downriver football conference

White Division

Coaches’ poll: 1. Farmington Harrison 65, 2. Oak Park 64, 3. Rochester Adams 53, 4. Birmingham Groves 52, 5. Farmington 41, 6. North Farmington 38, 7. Birmingham Seaholm 34.

Harrison (7-3, 7-0)

Strength: Conditioning

Top players: LB Guam Lee, T/DT Lindon Ivezic, WR/LB Ovie Oghufo, Slot/SS Cam Cooley, junior C/LB John O’Connor, junior G/DT Caleb Sparks, LB Mike Knox, LB Brendann Brown

Outlook: The Hawks have put the off-season drama surrounding the school’s eminent closing behind them and are ready to play some football. Despite the distractions, no one ever writes off any of John Herrington’s teams. “If it is our last three years, we’re going to make them the best three years we’ve had – we’ll go at it full-speed,” he said. “We didn’t lose anybody due to the school situation and we have a freshman class.”

Oak Park (5-5, 5-2)

Strength: Backfield

Top players: WR/CB Jordan Level, DB Abdullah Yaseem, RB/LB Dylan Stackhouse, QB Chauncey Lowman, WR/DB Miles Daniels, OL/DL JaRaymond Hall, junior DB Robert Daniel, RB Najee Trinity, OL/DT Dominic Williams

Outlook: The Knights have the talent, but now Coach Greg Carter is looking for more consistency from a team that dropped its first three contests and had to win its next five to squeak into the playoffs. “Just because you think you have a good team, you can’t lose the 20-19 games. We’ve got to give ourselves a chance,” he said. “Our schedule is tremendous from start to finish, so it makes our kids prepare every week.”

Adams (4-5, 2-5)

Strength: Balance

Top players: QB Kyle Wood, OG/LB Ben Petersmark, junior WR/CB Vincent Gray, OG/DL Tyler Wineke, junior RB Chase Karetta, WR/DB Mark Patritto, junior RB/LB Steven Roncelli

Outlook: After reaching the playoffs for 15 straight years, the Highlanders have missed out in three of the past four seasons, so their goals are clear. “We got the short end of the stick last year; we’ve got to get back to playing Adams football,” Coach Tony Patritto said. On the upside, the team only has to replace four graduated starters, and having Wood as a four-year starter under center should help immensely.

►Related:McCabe’s top 25 teams: Nos. 16-20

Groves (10-1, 7-0 OAA Blue)

Strength: Leadership

Top players: OL/DL Brady Anderson, RB/LB Earnest Allen, junior RB/DB Collin Heard, WR/DB/KR Nate Higley, WR/DB Ryan Flaherty, QB/DB Beau Kewley, RB/DB Dylan Sutton, FB/LB Nate Wagner

Outlook: Even though the Falcons are new to the OAA White this fall, they’ve already earned credibility by shutting out Harrison in the first round of last year’s playoffs. “We had good success last year and built some momentum. Our lifting numbers shot through the roof,” Coach Brendan Flaherty said. “It might be one of our best teams ever. We’ve got a strong group coming back with lots of three-year starters.”

Farmington (5-5, 4-3)

Strength: Speed

Top players: OG/LB Victor Dedvukaj, TB/SS Zach Purry, OG/DE-LB Cameron Coffey, WR/DB T.J. Noble, junior FB Calvin Whitlow, QB Roger Ayers

Outlook: There’s a lot of turnover on the Falcons’ roster, but Coach John Bechtel said fans and foes may not notice if things jell. He said, “We have to replace most of the offense and defense, but we have some real fine athletes. This group fits into the same mold as some of those players. Our top 11 are pretty good.” If there’s any drawback for Farmington this fall, it could be a lack of depth.

North Farmington (5-4, 3-4)

Strength: Ground game

Top players: G/DL Jordan Machlis, junior RB Dylan Gordon, RB/DB Juan Stanfield, RB/DB Adam Dunning, junior RB/DB Quran Rozier, WR/DB Bryce Gresham, QB/LB Brendan Huston, LB Josh Brunette

Outlook: After graduating a core group of 29 seniors, the Raiders enter they year with a few more uncertainties, particularly with junior and senior classes that aren’t particularly large. North has cancelled its JV program and moved the sophomores up. “We have talent but we’re not really deep,” Coach Todd Schultz said. “On the flip side, they have that opportunity to make a mark, now let’s get to work.”

Seaholm (3-6, 2-5)

Strength: Intelligence

Top players: OT Zach Brazil, C Michael Schultz, WR Sebastian Fettig, junior RB Nick Lang, DL Carter Stagner, LB-NG Michael Aquino, QB/CB Andrew Wilt

Outlook: The Maples have not been a playoff qualifier since joining the OAA White three years ago, so Coach Jim DeWald hopes to break the hex this fall. “We need to cut down the turnovers – that’s the main thing,” he said. “And we have to be more competitive longer. We need to get to the fourth quarter up a score, down a score or tied.” There’s just 4 offensive and 3 defensive starters returning, but DeWald has a hard-working group.

Football: Breaking down the Macomb Area Conference

Blue Division

Coaches’ poll: 1. Berkley 89, 2. Rochester 65, 3. Auburn Hills Avondale 55, 4. Troy 54, 5. Bloomfield Hills 52, 6. Ferndale 50, 7. Royal Oak 47, 8. Hazel Park 39, 9. Pontiac 38.

Berkley (9-3, 6-1)

Strength: Momentum

Top players: OL/DL Cullen Sanners, DT Floyd Hudson, DT Dante’ Little, WR Chauncey Bridgewater, DB Matthew Kerr, RB Dominic Morelli, QB Ross Herron, junior RB/DB Kedar Browning

Outlook: Berkley reached the regionals last year, returns 30 players and is heavily favored, so there’s a good feeling along Catalpa Drive. “We’re as big, as strong and as fast as we were last year, and we have the potential to do pretty well, but we’re taking it day to day,” Coach Chris Sikora said. “The 2015 season was our best in school history but that’s behind us. Everyone knows that if we don’t win this year, it will be a fluke.”

Rochester (1-8, 0-7 OAA White)

Strength: Experience

Top players: Slot-QB Thomas Loftus, junior QB Brent Burtraw, WR/DB Jacob Jackson, TE/DE David Nagrant, WR Brandon Wright, FB/LB Ethan Wahla, DE Logan Mueller

Outlook: Timing is everything for Rochester. After taking their lumps in other OAA divisions, the Falcons’ move to the Blue coincides with a spike in football fluency. “We’ve got 25 seniors returning, and five are three-year starters,” Coach Erik Vernon said. “Experience is a big thing. We made a commitment a couple of years ago to play some young guys. It looks like it could pay off for us this year.”

Avondale (4-5, 4-3)

Strength: Skill positions

Top players: RB/LB Vince Wright, SE Mitch Riley, QB/S Chance Chatman, junior FB/S Anthony Moran, soph. Slot/CB Derrick Hinton, T/DE Andrew Gordon, G/DT Stephan Jackson

Outlook: Last year was Avondale’s first losing season in eight years, but the Yellow Jackets are looking for consistency once again as Ed Couturier is their third head coach since then. “We’re in a transition phase and we have to hit the ground sprinting,” said the former Seaholm assistant, who took over in July. “We’re returning a lot of skill kids, some talented kids. These kids have picked it up in a very short amount of time.”

Troy (0-9, 0-7 OAA Red)

Strength: Attitude

Top players: LB Chris Kroll, Slot/DB Connor Wilson, DB Will Johansson, junior DE Max Guitar, QB Scott Mittlebrun, junior OL Alex Samson, C Kyle O’Brien, junior DB Fred Reynolds

Outlook: The Colts, who suffered through their first winless season in 60 years, hope a move to the Blue division cures them of their ills. “Circle the wagons and get ready – hopefully we’ll get the thing righted and have some fun,” Coach Gary Griffith said. “We’re looking forward to the new challenges of the new division. The preparation is new and fresh and we want to see how we measure up.”

Bloomfield Hills (1-8, 1-6 OAA Red)

Strength: Motivation

Top players: WR/CB Kit Martin, RB/S Eli Sherman, G Howard Shoda, WR/S Derek Lynch, T Casey Witt, junior T Malcolm Clark, LB Patrick Najor, DL Spencer Hasias

Outlook: The Black Hawks really haven’t hit their stride since merging the Lahser and Andover programs three seasons ago.

“The last couple of years were rough, so there’s a sense of urgency trying to get things on track,” Coach Dan Loria said. “Results need to happen this year. We’ve got to win games. Ultimately, it comes down to how we perform on the field. We need a focused mindset, and we need to execute.”

Ferndale (2-7, 2-5)

Strength: Development

Top players: C/DL Kobe Falls, T/DT Joseph Welbeck-White, FB/LB Kobie Davis, junior TB Zoser Little, WR/CB John Adams, QB-WR/CB Matt Hall, QB Keyshawn Smith

Outlook: Ferndale seeks its first playoff berth since 2008, and the Eagles might have contended for one last year if they hadn’t been outscored 90-14 in the fourth quarters. Coach Eric Royal thinks he’s solved that. “We’ve got added depth, and that’s going to allow us to have fewer players going both ways,” he said. “We’re getting to be the type of team I’d really like to have. I’m very, very optimistic about this group.”

Royal Oak (4-5, 4-3)

Strength: Competitiveness

Top players: QB Bobby Green, RB/DE Brian Barge, OL/DT Ethan Davis, Slot Darryl Davenport, DL Zarek Ray, OL Ben Hebron, junior S Patrick Tesho

Outlook: Pride in the program is starting to resurface as the Ravens are no longer the pushovers they were a few years back. “We want to get over the hump of what it used to be,” Coach Ray McMann said. “We’re seeing a number of indicators – the same kids are in the weight room from week to week, the community feel is on the upswing. We expect a lot of great things – it’s more fun to go to a game when you win.”

Hazel Park (1-8, 1-6)

Strength: Improvement

Top players: T Bruce Kish, RB T’Shawn Green, WR/LB Malik Harris, junior QB Damien Ewald, OL/DL Nathan Young, WR/CB Logan Hamilton-Mathy

Outlook: While coach Kyle Rowley admitted “When you win one game in three years, it grinds on you,” his optimism has grown when comparing this year’s group to his previous Viking squads. “We want to improve every year and improve every week,” he said. “We’ve got kids coming out – we’ve doubled our numbers program-wide and it’s exciting. We worked out and lifted and ran all summer and winter. The kids are getting after it.”

Pontiac (0-9, 0-7)

Strength: Athleticism

Top players: FB/LB Jonathan Santana, RB/DB Keondre Hill, TE/LB Bryce O’Neal

Outlook: New coach John Thompson is Pontiac’s fourth in four seasons, and he’s aiming to make the program relevant once again. “We’ve got hard-working kids but they need some direction,” said the former Detroit Central boss. “We’re looking for discipline among the group and we need to be organized, get back to fundamental football and change the culture.” Thompson hopes the Phoenix can win four games this fall.

Kalil Pimpleton had to “get faster” to avoid “those bigger guys.”

It wasn’t long ago that Kalil Pimpleton wanted no part of football.

Pimpleton was the smallest player on his youth team, and he wanted out.

“At first, I used to hate football when I was a kid,” he said. “I hated getting hit.”

The problem was that Pimpleton lives in Muskegon, and when it comes to football in that town, well, it is not a sport you abandon.

“I finally realized I had to learn to take it because my parents weren’t going to let me stop,” he said. “My uncles, they have a great legacy here — the Sandfords. My parents pretty much wanted me to live up to that also.”

Pimpleton’s mother, Tawana, was a cheerleader for the 1986 state championship team, and his stepfather, Jeff Brown, played on that team.

►Related: No. 5 team in state: Macomb Dakota

►Related:Pimpleton among the top 25 players in the state

So much for wanting to find a different sport.

Before entering high school, Pimpleton learned that the only way not to get hit was to use his quickness to make it difficult for defensive players to catch him, and the less he got hit, the more he learned to like the sport.

Muskegon quarterback Kalil Pimpleton holds firmly onto the ball as a teammate attempts to strip it from his hands during the team’s last day of two-a-day practices at Muskegon on Tuesday.

“It obviously grew on me,” he said. “I saw it was a God-given talent, and I put it to use. I worked hard at it, and I became the best I could. People would tell me when I was a kid I was going to do big things. They said the only thing working against me was my size, so I had to get stronger, get faster so those bigger guys couldn’t keep up with me, couldn’t catch me. I avoided them.”

At 5 feet 7 and 160 pounds, Pimpleton is small for a quarterback, but he does an amazing job running the veer option offense, and when he keeps the ball, he is a nightmare for the defense to catch.

►Related:No. 1 player in state: Detroit Cass Tech’s Donovan Peoples-Jones

But this will be his final year of playing quarterback. Pimpleton accepted a Virginia Tech offer, and next season he will be a slot receiver.

To say Virginia Tech’s offer surprised the youngster is a grand understatement.

Muskegon quarterback Kalil Pimpleton, right, works on perfecting his form during the team’s last day of two-a-day practices at Muskegon.

“That pretty much came out of nowhere,” he said. “It caught me off guard. It was my very first Division I offer. It’s always been my dream to play Division I football and showcase my skills at that level.”

The offer reduced him to tears. It was something he had hoped for, but didn’t know if it would come.

The only knock on Pimpleton was his size, and that is a battle he has fought his entire life. But through three-time NBA slam dunk champ Nate Robinson, who is 5-9, Pimpleton has found a mantra.

“It’s ‘Heart over Height,’ ” he said. “I believe Nate Robinson named one of his books ‘Heart over Height,’ and I’ve gone by that ever since.”

Muskegon, the winningest program in state history, opens its season at 7 p.m. Saturday in Michigan Stadium against Ann Arbor Pioneer, the second-winningest program.

Contact Mick McCabe: 313-223-4744 or mmccabe@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @mickmccabe1. Be sure that you follow Freep Sports on Twitter (@freepsports) and Instagram and like us on on Facebook.

McCabe: Danosky’s turn to lead consistently good Allen Park program

Meet the Big Reds

Last season: 9-3.

Top players: QB Kalil Pimpleton, WR/DB Jacorey Sullivan, slot/DB Raquis McDonald, WR Jaden Mcgough, RB/LB Andrew Ward, junior slot/DB Davion McCall, C Devin Sanders, sophomore OT Anthony Bradford.

State playoff record: 46-19.

Coach: Shane Fairfield, seventh season at Muskegon (87-37).

Overview: There is tremendous depth with talented players at all the skill positions, bringing with them the usual high expectations. Pimpleton’s ability to run and pass adds a dimension to the offense. The defense should be its usual solid self.