Oakland County

Plenty of talent to go around as All-Westside honorees take shape

By Christian Davis, Jon Malavolti and Mike Moore
C & G Sports Writers

» Click on image to view full size « Photo by David Schreiber Rochester Adams senior Tony Annese steps in front of a pass for an interception during a game earlier this season. For his impact on both sides of the ball, Annese is an All-Westside honoree. Photo by David Schreiber Rochester Adams senior Tony Annese steps in front of a pass for an interception during a game earlier this season. For his impact on both sides of the ball, Annese is an All-Westside honoree.

The prep football season has come and gone, and what time better than now to look back on the season and honor those athletes who made it so enjoyable to watch.

Covering nearly 70 teams across Macomb, Oakland and Wayne counties, the C & G football staff has seen its share of big games and is now ready to name its All-Eastside and All-Westside teams.

The selection process for our seventh installment of the honor squads involved our football writers polling coaches, reviewing statistics and other research.

Here is the All-Westside team.

First-team offense:
Justin Danzy, QB, Southfield High — A three-year starter, Danzy has gone 17-9 in the regular season and 5-2 in the playoffs. As a senior this season, he finished with 1,722 yards passing, 23 touchdowns and only four interceptions.

Devin Church, RB, Birmingham Brother Rice — The unofficial MVP of the Division 2 title game, Church had a season that will forever highlight the Rice record book. The senior set records for single-season yards (1,918), rushing attempts (288), points (132), and length of a kick return for touchdown (96). He also totaled 20 touchdowns. In a 24-14 win against Lowell in the state final, Church rushed 33 times for 244 yards, sixth most in an MHSAA final, and three scores. He eclipsed the 100-yard barrier in 11 games, and in five postseason contests, totaled more than 1,100 yards of offense and 10 touchdowns. Church is committed to Northern Illinois University.

Spencer McInnis, RB, Orchard Lake St. Mary’s — McInnis capped his career with 213 yards rushing and three scores in the D-3 final victory for the Eaglets. The senior finished 2011 with 1,544 yards rushing on 207 carries and 25 touchdowns while helping OLSM to its first title victory since 2000.

Aaron Burbridge, WR, Farmington Hills Harrison — The top target the past two seasons, the Michigan State University-bound receiver was always a threat and helped lead the Hawks to a 10-1 finish this season after a state title last year.

Ted Lilley, WR, Walled Lake Northern — Helping lead the Knights to one of the best seasons in school history at 5-4 overall, Lilley was a dual threat, finishing with 606 yards receiving, 254 yards rushing and 10 total touchdowns.

Ron Thompson, TE, Southfield — Standing at 6 foot 4, 240 pounds with quick feet and soft hands, Thompson was a nightmare for defensive coordinators. He finished with 61 receptions for 691 yards and 11 touchdowns. At defensive end, he tallied 68 tackles, 11 for a loss and three forced fumbles. The senior is a verbal commit to Syracuse University.

Andrew Aurand, OL, Troy Athens — Measuring 6 feet 5 inches, 295 pounds, Aurand dominated the line of scrimmage and is currently entertaining offers from Division 1 and Division 2 programs.

Dan Gibbs, OL, Birmingham Seaholm — Another powerful senior tackle at 6 feet 8 inches and 320 pounds, Gibbs used his size and quickness to help lead the Maples to their first playoff berth since 2005.

Austin Johnson, OL, St. Mary’s — The junior started for the second straight season and was the Eaglets’ leading blocker. He earned All-Catholic honors and was a big reason St. Mary’s rushed for 478 yards in the D-3 final. He’ll be back and expected to dominate even more in 2012.

Dylan Anderson, OL, Brother Rice — A defensive starter as sophomore, Anderson switched to the O-line last year and flourished for the past two seasons. He spent time at tackle and guard, and earned a scholarship to Central Michigan University for next fall. “We can always count on Dylan to clear the way for our running backs,” coach Al Fracassa said. “He has shown great versatility by playing both the tackle and guard positions this year.”

Josh Strange, K/P, Walled Lake Western — A four-year starter, Strange helped the Warriors win the field-position battle by kicking 40 touchbacks in 67 kickoffs.

First-team defense:
Mario Ojemudia, DL, Harrison — The senior was a terror for offensive lines across the Oakland Activities Association, leading the Hawks’ defense, which allowed less than 13 points per game. Next season, Ojemudia is slated to play for the University of Michigan.

Mike Condon, DL, Walled Lake Western — The Warriors were a Division 2 semifinalist and in no small part to this senior. Condon finished with 45 tackles, 24 assists, 12 sacks and two forced fumbles.

David Talley, DL, St. Mary’s — Part of the defense that shut down Mount Pleasant in the final, Talley ended the year with 89 solo tackles (148 total), 17 tackles for loss, 5.5 sacks, three caused fumbles and one fumble recovery.

Joe Eroyan, DL, St. Mary’s — Eroyan split time at linebacker and defensive line, but was a force everywhere on the field. The three-year starter finished with 81 solo tackles and 47 assists. He had nine tackles for loss, 4.5 sacks, two forced fumbles and a fumble recovery.

Kevin Miller, LB, North Farmington — A key player on both sides of the ball at linebacker and running back, the senior led the Raiders back to the playoffs for the first time since 2005.

Jamal Lyles, LB, Southfield-Lathrup — Whether he was catching a touchdown pass, throwing one or running one in, Lyles made his mark all over the field, and perhaps no where bigger than on defense. The senior is a verbal commit to Michigan State University.

James Ross, LB, St. Mary’s — A verbal commit to the University of Michigan, Ross was simply dominant in his final year at St. Mary’s. The third-year defensive starter had 174 tackles (118 solo), 56 tackles for loss, 5.5 sacks, three caused fumbles, two fumble recoveries and one interception. He’ll play in the 2011 U.S. Army All-American Bowl before heading to Ann Arbor next fall.

Leviticus Payne, DB, Southfield — Showing skill in all facets of the game, Payne finished with 38 tackles, five pass breakups, two forced fumbles and five interceptions. On offense, the University of Cincinnati commit tallied 35 receptions for 403 yards, 66 rushes for 618 yards and eight total touchdowns.

Jake Vento, DB, Harrison — The senior was a do-everything player for the Hawks, playing safety and quarterback, and returning kicks and punts. In his first year as the starting quarterback, Vento led the squad to a 10-1 finish, going 10-0 as a starter.

Danny Larkins, DB, Madison Heights Madison High — Madison coach Drake Wilkins often praised Larkins, a four-year starter, for his leadership on and off the field. He was one of the biggest reasons Madison had the season it did in 2011, going 8-3 and reaching the playoffs when many predicted a sub-500 record. The senior was fourth on his team with 50 tackles, had 10 interceptions this year and 26 in his career. He also scored 15 touchdowns, which was second on the team. He’s committed to the University of Toledo.

Co-coaches:
Al Fracassa, Brother Rice — Fracassa won’t soon forget the 2011 season, one in which he won his 400th career game and then added another state title to his legendary résumé. He called his team this fall “special,” but his players would be quick to return the praise. Consider this: Fracassa won the D-2 championship after a 5-4 regular season, barely making it into the postseason. Once in, however, Fracassa took his guys to a whole new level — again.

George Porritt, St. Mary’s — After ending three of the past four years in state-finals losses, Porritt finally got his Eaglets over the hump in 2011. While he had a team loaded with experience and talent, the longtime coach did a masterful job keeping the guys focused during the grind of the season, all the while building toward the ultimate goal. St. Mary’s ended the season 12-2 and won the Catholic League Central Division regular-season title, with Porritt taking home Coach of the Year honors. In five playoff games, Porritt’s squad outscored its opponents 226-50.

Second team:
• Zach Leimbach, QB — Walled Lake Northern
• Brandon Watkins, RB — Southfield
• Keon Collier, RB — Birmingham Groves
• Brandon Bean, WR — Southfield
• Jack Wangler, WR — Royal Oak Shrine
• Devon Funchess, TE — Harrison
• Matt Fisher, OL — Rochester Adams
• Jake Slobin, OL — Harrison
• Alex Oles, OL —Brother Rice
• Jesston Vanderhoff, OL — St. Mary’s
• Brandon Davis, DL — Ferndale High
• Marvin Jefferson, DL — Farmington
• Colin Kelly, DL —Shrine
• Sergio Perkovic, DL — Brother Rice
• Jon Reschke, LB —Brother Rice
• Jarrett Bochniak, LB — Troy High
• Sterling Johnson, LB — Seaholm
• Tony Annese, DB — Adams
• Sam Haskell, DB — Athens
• Jacob Romeo, DB — Pontiac Notre Dame Prep

Honorable mention:
Dylan Zerki and Grant Niemiec, St. Mary’s; Joe Warner, James Hendrix, DeShun Brown, Brian Roney and R.J. Bain, Brother Rice; Will Bradley, Juan Johnson, Alvin Mingo, Danny Manning and Rodney Spikener, Madison; Leno Corradi, Pat Dugan, John Hill, Reid McManus and Trevor Potter, Beverly Hills Detroit Country Day; Max Himelhoch, Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook-Kingswood; Nathan Drews and Colin Sheehan, Rochester Hills Lutheran Northwest; Ambrahem Balawi, Madison Heights Lamphere; DeShawn Gilbert and Deonte Hill, Clawson High; Harding Fears, Southfield Christian; Daniel Durkin, Shane Frakes, Troy Sassack, Max Spadafore and David Terzano, Notre Dame Prep; Scott Gwisdalla, Gabe O’Neil and Nick Harris, Madison Heights Bishop Foley; Raymond Brown, Harry Cooney, Connor Francek and Brian Mischle, Shrine. Corey Tai, Lonnie Bolden, Jake Spinek, Ben Bartnowak, Kris Gervin, Matt Fitzpatrick, Brandon Neal, Branden Terry, Tony Shayoka and Sandy Mouch, Athens; Mitch Robinson, Michael Johnson, Kyle Sroka, Chris Wilson, Clark Clancy and Troy May, Auburn Hills Avondale; Omar Sitto and Jason Taylor, Berkley; Juarrezz Smith and Winston Urwiller, Bloomfield Hills Andover; Tyler Roth, Nate Cole, Nick Dimaggio and Dajuan Burnley, Bloomfield Hills Lahser; KJ Schultz, David Eisenberg, Jurgen Collaku, Andrew Goor, Joe Preni and Zach Hill, Central; Bryan Green, Jordan Degreffenrred and Chris Morgan, Farmington; Chevez Farris, Eric Ellis and Shaquan McGriff, Ferndale; Joe Mayong, Mark Corless and Matt Simpson, Groves; Lamarr Marshall and Aaron Johnson, Harrison; James Laube and Thomas Baker, Hazel Park High; Jon Gall, Andrew Shafkalis and Sean Charette, Lake Orion High; Chris Davis and Collin Parks, Lathrup; Kirk Thomas, Ryan Soulet, Matt Kosmalski and Mike Peer, Northern; Josh Abruzzo, Majd Mokbel and Jacquis Woods, North Farmington; Cody Devoe and T.J. Dean, Rochester High; Nick Gajdzik, Brandon Arduino, Serge Andreou and Connor Dean, Rochester Hills Stoney Creek; Wesley Howell and Nolan Jones, Royal Oak High; Chris Barr and J.D. Hess, Seaholm; Willie Duncan and Brandon Bean, Southfield; Davion Rice, Greg Webber, Tommy Richardson, Justin Losey and Oliver Jiang, Troy; Vinny Gjokaj, Jordan Audritsh, Jason Dreyer, Dillon LaFontaine, Alex Buchanan, Austin Sarah, Nick Heglin, Gabe Costanzo, Matt Carreathers and Brent Zdebski, Western; C.J. Bratwaithe, Chauncey Briggs, Zach Root and Jalen Campbell, West Bloomfield High.

You can reach C & G Sports Writer Christian Davis at cdavis@candgnews.com or at (586)498-1062.

You can reach C & G Sports Writer Jon Malavolti at jmalavolti@candgnews.com or at (586)498-1040.

You can reach C & G Sports Writer Mike Moore at mmoore@candgnews.com or at (586)498-1038.