Preview: Saginaw High

(Left to right- Mike Green, Teveon Whitson, Jimmy Davis, and

DeAnthony Arnett will overwhelm secondaries in the S.V.L.)

(Ashford will make plays with both his arm and feet this season)

(Hayes will be a major playmaker on defense and special teams, as well as offense)

From 1995-2002 the Trojan football program rang up a 78-13 record, which included a 1999 State Championship. Since then the High has compiled a 12-33 record. Coach Bob Collins in now in his third year as the Trojans Head Coach and feels he finally has the program going in the right direction.

In 1999 Saginaw was led by a phenomenal passing attack that was highlighted by Charles Rogers. No, there may not be a Rogers on this roster, YET! But there are a handful of exceptionally talented players at the skilled positions. "We are going to be fast, scary fast," states Coach Collins "we are going to utilize our speed and put our kids in position to make plays."

The Trojans bring almost everyone back from last years team and should easily improve on last year's 2-7 record. It is just sick thinking of how much talent the Trojans have at the skilled position but it is unclear of how solid the offensive line and the defense will be. Scoring won't be a problem but the improvement of the defense will dictate how good this team will becomes in 2008.

OFFENSE- the Trojans will start with their veer option but look for their spread offense to be their bread and butter. With so so much speed and such a gifted group of receivers why wouldn't you put 3 or 4 receivers on the field at once.

DEFENSE- Saginaw has implemented a new 3-4 defense and I am unsure of how solid their run defense will be. They bring back both D-ends and the entire linebacker core from last year- so they will have experience. Speed is also the key to the Trojan defense as they will flock to the ball.

PREDICTION: 4-5 Talent alone should have this team flirting with the playoffs but as skilled as the Trojans are on the outside we all know it starts in the trenches. With that being said I give Saginaw 4 wins on talent alone but it will be up to the coaching staff to put together two more wins to get this team into the playoffs.

Unfortunately the Trojans play in the S.V.L. and face a very tough schedule that includes the other two Saginaw schools as well as seeing Mt. Pleasant, both Midlands and Bay City's in the first five weeks of the season. If Coach Collins and staff can keep the team focused after that tough start then they may be able to roll off a handful of wins.

STANDOUT PLAYERS

DeAnthony Arnett, WR- will start in the slot as a So. for the Trojans. Above we mentioned this team doesn't have a Charles Rogers yet, and that's because Arnett has the skills and potential to have just as good of a prep career. Arnett joins an already loaded receiving core but expect to see him post some big time numbers with his low 4.4 forty speed.

Ayinde Ashford, QB- Ashford has added 20 pounds of muscle during the off season and now stands at 6-0/200 pounds. He has the toughness and attitude of a true football player and he is the man for the job to lead this offense.

Jimmy Davis, WR/C- Jimmy gets the least amount of pub out of the receivers but he is heavily relied on due to his ability to play physical and get downfield and block. Davis will also play defense and he has the speed to be a lock down defender.

Mike Green, WR- this sure handed receiver was one of the bright spots on last year's 2-7 team. He posted games with double digit catches and multiple 200+ receiving yard games. Green can make any catch and has terrific hands, especially in traffic. He is the leader of this talented receiving core. Expect to see Green put up huge numbers this year!

Greg Hayes, utiltiy- we label Hayes as a utility because he lines up everywhere for the Trojans and he might just be the fastest man on the roster. He plays tailback, lines up in the slot and wide, as well as playing safety, and the featured punt returner.

Dominique Jackson, RB/DE- at 5-10/200 Jackson will be the starting tailback and comes from a family that has found huge success in the Trojan backfield. Jackson is more of a power back that can plow his way through tackles. Jackson will also line up at the defensive end position where he can hold down his edge.

Maurice Warrick, OT/DT- 6-6/265 and will anchor the offensive line. It is still unclear where he will line up at, although he is a natural left tackle he has bounced around at center. Big Mo has the size and foot speed to be a solid tackle in the S.V.L.

It's Football Season!

It's that time of the year! Teams all around the state are putting in those two-a-days with dreams of making it to Ford Field for the State Finals. NGS will now shift its attention to football. For the next two weeks till the season starts I will bring you my preseason poll as well as rankings at every position for the classes of 2009-2012. When the season starts you can expect to see game coverage, as well as top performances from the week, and top game breakdowns.

I will also be combing the state checking out practices and scrimmages, you can check back daily as I will bring you team previews, interviews, and pictures from some of the state's top teams and players.

But as I put 90% of my attention to the gridiron greats I will not forget about the basketball world as I will continue coverage of hoops as the high school season is just 3 months away.

Paully-C

Mustang 15's: July recap

Don't forget to check out a glimpse back on the month of July for the Michigan Mustang 15-u team.

The article which includes player evaluations along with pictures can be found on the original NGS home page under the "HOT" topics on the wire.

Appling makes decision!

Detroit Pershing standout Keith Appling has put an end to his recruitment by giving a verbal pledge to Coach Tom Izzo and Michigan State University.

The 6-2 combo guard is ranked #2 in the class of 2010 by NGS and is #59 nationally according to rivals. Appling had a successful sophomore debut by helping guide his Doughboys to the state finals. He has put on a show this AAU season with REACH Legends. Appling has proven that he can match any player in the country- basket for basket.

Appling also had offers from Memphis, Michigan, Tennessee, Oklahoma, Miami (Fl.), Xavier, Syracuse, Dayton, Cincinnati, and Marquette.

VEGAS: Mustang 15's

The Vegas trip was a whole new experience for this young and talented team, especially since a majority of the squad had never seen Vegas' bright lights. It took a few days for the boys to settle in, this was evident after an embarrassing double digit loss to M33M- CIA Bounce.

Once the fellas did settle down they proved how good they can actually be! The Stangs fired back with back to back pool play wins in dramatic fashion. The first against DC Assault. After trailing the complete first half the Stangs went on a 15-3 run in the second half to take their first lead of the game with six minutes left on the clock. The run was keyed by the defensive pressure from Mustang guards Lee Bailey, Brandan Kearney, and Christian Vaughn. Bailey completely took DC's point guard out of the game, coming off of a first half where the speedy guard killed the Stangs. Kearney also came up with key plays on the offensive end with a 3-pointer that was followed by a drive and dish to teammate Matt Poches, finished DC off with a 62-53 Stang win.

Everything was up for grabs in the final pool play game. With the pool be so competitive a win would guarantee a #2 seed but a loss could have faltered the Stangs to a #3 or #4 seed. The Stangs went right inside to their workhorse Percy Gibson who produced and got his team the early lead, but the Oakland Rebels weren't going to go away so easily. In the second half the two teams traded the lead as time ticked away. Kearney and wing forward Tommie McCune carried a bulk of the second half scoring for the Stangs but it was Gibson's running hook shot that tied the game with less than a minute to go. Neither team was able to knock down a hero's shot so the game was sent into overtime.

In OT Oakland struck first, but Bailey was able to tie the game with a floater in the paint. The overtime turned into a defensive slugfest and again neither team could control a lead forcing a second overtime.

In the second OT the Stangs went right inside to McCune. McCune's first attempt was off but the active wing was able to scrap for the tip back to give the Stangs a two point lead. A pair of free throws from Kearney stretched the lead but still Oakland wouldn't go away as they as they connected on a 3-pointer. With eight seconds to play- Bailey's free throw made the score 56-54. Oakland took the inbounds the length of the court but their shot attemp fell short giving the Stangs the double OT win and a 2-1 pool record.

In the first round of bracket play against IEBP, the Stangs quickly built a double digit lead behind the play of wing Denzel Valentine and Poches. Valentine's ability to rebound and push the ball allowed the Stangs to get out and run. IEBP could never recover as the lead got to as many as 30 points and the Stangs settled for a 66-48 win as the starters sat a majority of the second half.

Next up was the Stangs biggest rival of the summer- Ohio Basketball Club. This time the Stangs were better prepared as Tommie McCune took the Chane Behanan match up personally and went right at the nation's top forward. McCune started the game like a mad man as he was all over the floor blocking shots and tipping in missed shots. Kearney jumped into the scoring act and the Stangs were quickly up 8 points. The two teams fought on to show why they are considered two of the top 15-u teams in the country. Play after play, players from both teams answered with big shots and defensive stops. But in the end turnovers would be the downfall of the Mustangs as they were forced to foul in the game's final minute. OBC went on to take a 70-59 win.

The Mustangs came back home with a 3-2 record but both losses were to teams that advanced into the final four. On a positive note the Mustangs proved that their players can be mentioned with the nation's best and the Stangs proved that they have three players worthy of being top 100 players nationally.

Check back tommorow on NGS' original homepage to read a complete evaluation of player performances from the 15-u Mustangs.

Big Matt makes decision!

Warren Cousino's Matt Balkema ended his recruitment yesterday by making a verbal commitment to play basketball for Eastern Michigan. Balkema gives Eastern their second commitment from the class of 2009, as he joins Livonia Clarenceville's 6-3 wing Jamie Stewart.

At 6-10 Blakema is a beast in the paint and tough to move around. He loves to get physical and knows how to fight for position. He has spent the last two years playing center for the Michigan Mustangs and during that time Big Matt has battled with some of the country's elite and has held his own.

Balkema chose Eastern Michigan over the University of Detroit, and Kent State. The two sport stud was also getting major interest to play football from some Big Ten schools as well as most of the MAC, but his passion was to play college basketball.

VEGAS: Mustangs 16's

The Mustangs 16-u team traveled to Las Vegas shorthanded but they guys were able to string together a 4-2 record which included an appearance in the "sweet 16".

The trip started bumpy for the Stangs in their first pool game as they didn't score a single point till nearly 10 minutes had ticked off the clock. The slow start was the cause of a double digit lost to 43 hoops out of Minnesota. The Mustangs bounced back with two double digit wins of their own to close out pool play and take the #2 seed going into bracket play. The wins were keyed by the post play of 6-8 Alex Gauna and 6-5 CJ Olaniyan. The inside duo were relentless on the boards which sparked the transition play for the Stangs.

The Mustangs topped Seattle Rotary 51-42 in the first round. Playing well against Seattle was Sultan "Showtime" MoMohammad, Juwan Howard Jr., and Matt Kamieniecki. The team was without a "true" point guard but the trio did a solid job of playing point guard by committee.

In the second round the Mustangs faced a huge test against the heavily favored Atlanta Celtics. Them boys from the ATL jumped out to quick double digit lead but the Stangs got tough and went inside to their muscle, particularly Gauna who displayed an array of post moves that gave him constant trips to the free throw line. The Stangs were able to cut the half time deficit to two points. In the second half the two teams continued to lock horns but the Mustangs had no answer for the Celtics' Jordan McRae. McRae, a 6-5 slashing combo guard with plenty of bounce, got to the basket and scored at will.

A late turnover by the Celtics allowed the Mustangs to tie the game off of a Gauna basket and force overtime. In OT the teams traded baskets back and forth. A free throw by McRae gave the Celtics a 70-69 lead with 6 seconds to play. Juwan Howard took the inbounds pass and went the distance of the court and without hesitation he pulled up and burned a 3-pointer at the buzzer for the win.

The emotional win advanced the Mustangs into the "sweet 16" but there the Stangs were overwhelmed by the Playaz and 6-2 point guard Isiah Epps. Epps bombed the Stangs with 35 points in the 76-53 defeat.

The overall out take for the Mustang 16's Vegas experience was a good one! They did manage to put together the 4-2 record without a "true" point guard nor without Jon Horford. The top two overall performers for the Stangs were Howard and Gauna but players like Kamieniecki, Devin Oliver, and Showtime proved they are D-1 worthy.