Prep Insider: Country Day closing in on postseason

High school football teams across the state will be playing with a greater sense of urgency heading into the final third of the regular season with some teams battling it out for conference championships and others still fighting for wins to earn state playoff spots.

Detroit Country Day is a win away from gaining access to the state playoffs following its 70-6 victory over Detroit Cesar Chavez Thursday that made it 5-1.

Country Day, ranked No. 1 in Division 4 by the Associated Press, made the playoffs at 5-4 last year, then advanced to the state semifinals, losing to Lansing Sexton, 28-14.

Warren Mott and Sterling Heights Stevenson are tied for the top spot in the Macomb Area Conference Red Division with Macomb Dakota and Clinton Township Chippewa Valley.

Mott will play Friday at Stevenson while Chippewa Valley hosts Utica Eisenhower and Dakota plays at L'Anse Creuse North.

Top games for Week 7: Canton vs. Plymouth in KLAA clash

West Bloomfield can clinch at least a share of its first Oakland Activities Association Red Division title with a win at home against Oxford.

Country Day looking strong

Country Day made its run to the semifinals last season with strong defense, blanking Chelsea, 21-0, in the regional final and limiting its four opponents to 6 points prior to the loss to Sexton.

Country Day's identity once again is that dominant defense. The Yellowjackets have allowed just 36 points and most of those came in a 23-13 loss to U-D Jesuit in Week 2. Country Day posted consecutive shutouts against Detroit Allen Academy (40-0), Detroit Consortium (38-0) and Escanaba (26-0) prior to facing Cesar Chavez.

"I think we're a pretty good team defensively," Country Day coach Dan MacLean said. "We have a lot of starters back on defense. Jeremiah Tyler is an outstanding defensive end who will be a college player, our linebackers are solid, we have senior corners (Kone Bowman, Tommy Young) and our quarterback, Steve Mann, is a very good athlete anchoring from free safety."

"Tyler is being recruited by three or four MAC schools and he's traveling to Indiana this weekend. He's projected as an outside linebacker, but we play him in the defensive line because he's such a mismatch in there."

"(Mann) does have a really strong arm and does a great job for us," MacLean said. "I thought that was big for him (replacing Pohl). He threw for nearly 300 yards (in 42-21 loss last October) to Brother Rice. He's got a lot of things he brings to the table."

Mann, a junior, gained valuable experience last year at quarterback following an early-season injury to David Pohl, who returned for the state playoffs.

"He does have a really strong arm and does a great job for us," MacLean said of Mann. "I thought that was big for him (replacing Pohl). He threw for nearly 300 yards (in 42-21 loss last October) to Brother Rice. He's got a lot of things he brings to the table."

The road now gets tougher, much tougher for Country Day. It will play at Birmingham Brother Rice Friday, then play host to defending Division 8 champion Muskegon Catholic Central Oct. 17 before the regular-season finale Oct. 23 at Temperance Bedford.

"I think it's going to get us ready," said MacLean. "I would have loved to have won that U-D game and be all set right now and not have to worry, but those will all be good tests for us. We only have 28 kids on the roster so it will be challenging."

Southfield depth prevails

Southfield is 4-2 and closing in on another playoff spot and Tim Conley is pointing to his team's depth as the reason.

Conley and his staff had to replace 20 starters from last year's 9-4 team which lost to Warren De La Salle in the Division 2 state semifinals.

David Goricki's prep football rankings: Week 7

Then, Southfield suffered the tragic loss of promising 6-foot-4, 210-pound tight end/defensive end Darius Cooley, who drowned in July.

Three players transferred and Michigan-bound running back Matt Falcon had a season-ending leg injury the week of the season opener, followed by cornerback Jordan Davidson's injury (broken femur).

"We've had a lot to deal with and the kids have really been great, just a great group to work with," Conley said. "Sure, Sam (freshman quarterback Johnson) has exceeded expectations, but so have a lot of other guys, like Eric McArn (sophomore running back) and Brandon Brown (linebacker/running back).

"We've moved kids all over the field and they've responded well. This will probably be our last year in the White because we'll have an enrollment of more than 2,000 after Lathrup merges with us next year. We'll miss our rivalry games with Harrison and Oak Park."

Harrison (5-1, 5-0) leads the White Division with its 17-14 win over Southfield (4-2, 4-1) in Week 5 being the difference between the teams.

West Bloomfield impressing

West Bloomfield (6-0, 5-0) can clinch at least a share of the OAA Red title Friday with a win at home against Oxford (2-4, 2-3).

The Lakers have played well on both sides of the ball, averaging 40 points a game while limiting opponents to 13.

In 47-6 win over Bloomfield Hills Friday, Michigan State-bound Trishton Jackson had seven receptions for 80 yards in a little more than a half. Brandon Williams played quarterback.

And, Lakers head coach Ron Bellamy is thrilled with his defense, especially Theo Majette who has 12 sacks.

A hit to Romulus

Romulus is finding out just how tough it is to win a league title, something it last accomplished in 1990.

Romulus earned a big win over Dearborn — 12-7 in Week 5 — the first in the series since 2002, also avenging one-sided setbacks in 2009 (48-0), 2010 (49-12), 2011 (48-6) and 2012 (45-28).

However, Romulus lost to Dearborn Edsel Ford, 21-18, Friday, creating a three-way tie for first place.

By the numbers

3 Turnovers caused by Orchard Lake St. Mary's junior linebacker Josh Ross in a 37-0 win over Birmingham Brother Rice. He forced two fumbles and intercepted a pass.

50 Yard field goal kicked by Northville sophomore Jake Moody in his team's 24-14 win over previously unbeaten Livonia Stevenson.

76 Yards rushing by Clarkston all-state running back Nolan Eriksen in his season debut in a 28-0 win over Troy Athens. Eriksen missed the first five games due to an ankle injury.

Top performer

Cam Stella, Plymouth

The senior running back rushed for 270 yards on 26 carries in a 41-7 win over Westland John Glenn.

Quotable

"It was a crazy ending, having our 31-10 lead go away just like that, a 70-yard pass, then a fumble led to another score and then we gave up another post and it's tied before our all-state kicker pulls it out for us."

Mike Zdebski, Walled Lake Western coach, on John Camilleri's 35-yard field goal into the wind with 54 seconds left that gave Western a 34-31 win over Walled Lake Northern

david.goricki@detroitnews.com

twitter.com/DavidGoricki