High School Football Notebook: West Bloomfield rebounds; 5 Metro Detroit games to watch

Farmington Hills Harrison coach John Herrington closes in on MHSAA record

West Bloomfield’s football team has found the beat thanks to the Lakers’ senior quarterback.

“The heart and soul of our offense lies in the hands of Bryce Veasley,” West Bloomfield coach Ron Bellamy said.

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Veasley, a Bowling Green recruit, has helped the Lakers win two straight games after a tough start to the season.

The offense has cranked it up the last two weeks in victories over Lake Orion and previously unbeaten Clarkston, averaging 41 points in those games.

“We’re starting to click,” said Bellamy, whose team is 2-2 overall and 2-1 in the Oakland Activities Association Red Division. “We’re starting to play better offensively and defensively.”

Veasley has keyed West Bloomfield’s surge. He has passed for more than 800 yards in the last two games, including a four-touchdown effort in the 37-16 victory over Clarkston last week.

“His decision-making has been good,” Bellamy said.

Veasley has spread the ball around to a trio of talented receivers.

Seniors A.J. Abbott and Taj Mustapha have both committed to play college football at Wisconsin. Junior Tre Mosley caught three touchdown passes against Clarkston, and Abbott had 270 receiving yards and four TD catches against Lake Orion two weeks ago.

“They don’t really care about their stats,” Bellamy said. “They want to win.”

West Bloomfield dropped the first two games of the season by a combined total of nine points. The Lakers led in the fourth quarter both times, but couldn’t hold off either Walled Lake Western or Bloomfield Hills. In the latter game, they had a 17-point lead with less than seven minutes remaining.

“The expectations were very high,” Bellamy said. “We were probably one of the best 0-2 teams in the state of Michigan.”

West Bloomfield will need to be at its best again this week when the Lakers play at unbeaten Rochester Adams. The Highlanders are all alone in first place in the OAA Red Division.

“They do what they do well,” Bellamy said. “They run the triple option. We have to play smart assignment football.”

High-powered Highlanders

Like West Bloomfield, Rochester Adams has a high-powered offense.

The Highlanders are averaging 41 points per game and are coming off a 54-14 victory over Bloomfield Hills.
Balance keys Adams’ flexbone offense, according to Highlanders coach Tony Patritto.

Fullback Tony Roncelli, halfback Cole Patritto, halfback Chase Kareta and quarterback Zach Soldan all have scored touchdowns for Adams this year. Receivers Vincent Gray and Ben Luci each have two receiving touchdowns.

The defense also has helped, setting up several short scoring drives for the offense against Bloomfield Hills.
Gray, a Missouri recruit, is a shutdown corner. Cole Mitchell anchors a deep defensive line, and Garrett Lineberger has made an impact at linebacker.

Roncelli, Cole Patritto and Kareta also play key roles on defense.

“I’m really proud of their effort and focus,” Tony Patritto said. “Truly, they’ve demonstrated the focus necessary each and every game. A lot of different guys have stepped up.”

Games to watch

Detroit Delta vs. Detroit East English Village. East English Village is undefeated and hasn’t given up a point since its season-opening victory over River Rogue. Detroit Delta is 3-1 overall, including a 2-0 mark in the Detroit Public School League Gold Division.

Warren Fitzgerald vs. Warren Woods-Tower. Both teams are undefeated, and both offenses are rolling. Woods-Tower is averaging 38 points per game, and Fitzgerald is averaging 45 points.

Adrian vs. Chelsea. Both teams are 3-1 overall and both teams are tied (along with Pinckney) atop the Southeastern Conference White Division.

Belleville vs. Dearborn. Belleville has scored at least 50 points in each of its last three games. Dearborn is tied with Belleville and Dearborn Fordson for first place in the Western Wayne Athletic Conference Red Division with a 2-0 league record.

Waterford Mott at Waterford Kettering. Mott is 3-1 overall and handed Walled Lake Western its first loss of the season. Kettering is 2-2 overall and is trying to keep pace in the Lakes Valley Conference.

Coaching countdown

Farmington Hills Harrison coach John Herrington recorded his 428th career victory when his team defeated Birmingham Seaholm 49-7 lead.

Herrington needs three more victories to become the MHSAA’s all-time winningest coach and surpass Al Fracassa, who won 430 games at Royal Oak Shrine and Birmingham Brother Rice from 1960-2013.
Farmington Hills Harrison plays Birmingham Groves this week.

Numbers to know

Zero: The number of overtime games in Week 4.
48.3: The number of points per game Canton is averaging during its three-game winning streak.
114: The points scored in Flushing’s 60-54 victory over Ortonville-Brandon, the most in Week 4.