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8/20/06-Football
Can anyone stop talented St. Mary's squad?
BY KEITH DUNLAP OF THE OAKLAND PRESS
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ORCHARD LAKE--Throughout the offseason, Orchard Lake St. Mary's season quarterback Justin Siller couldn't have helped by wonder what might have been.
So did just about everybody who follows the Eaglets.
Entering a Division 2 regional final showdown with Birmingham Brother Rice in last year's state playoffs, Siller couldn't play after breaking a finger on his throwing hand during St. Mary's playoff opener against Walled Lake Central two weeks earlier.
The Eaglets were undefeated and had beaten Brother Rice in two previous meetings last year with Siller at the helm, but had to pull off a third win with him on the sidelines.
They couldn't, as Brother Rice shut down the Eaglets, 17-8, enroute to winning the state championship.
"People ask if we would've won had I played," Siller said. "I think it would've helped to have the No. 1 quarterback. It's tough to come in and play quarterback when you haven't all year, especially against a good team like Brother Rice."
While it's open to debate whether St. Mary's would've beaten Brother Rice and gone on to win a state title had Siller been healthy, there shouldn't be much of a debate regarding the Eaglets' talent level this year.
Entering the season as the county's No. 1-ranked team, it's not out of the realm of possibility to say that this could be the best St. Mary's team in school history, which isn't bad praise for a school that's won four state championships and been to six state finals.
"It should be as good as any if they get to their potential," St. Mary's head coach George Porritt said. "Every season is new, but the goals are always high."
They should be even higher this year with a squad loaded with some of the best skilled-position players in the state.
Siller, wide receiver Taurian Washington and wide receiver/kick returner/defensive back Dionte Allen have all been heavily pursued by college coaches all off-season.
Washington has committed to Ohio State, Allen has committed to Florida State, while Siller is fielding offers from Minnesota, Indiana, Louisville, Northwestern, and Illinois.
The Eaglets also have a Division I collegiate prospect at linebacker in senior Alex Delisi, who will also be a key contributor on the offensive line.
"Like Coach Porritt says, we've got a marked team," Allen said. "We've got to work hard. We're not better than anybody or anything like that. I can't say we're better than the team last year or anything like that. We just have to keep working."
Here is the rest of the preseason top ten:
2. Birmingham Brother Rice
3. Lake Orion
4. Farmington Hills Harrison
5. Novi Detroit Catholic Central
6. Milford
7. Walled Lake Central
8. Rochester Adams
9. Birmingham Seaholm
10. Bloomfield Hills Lahser
Five others to watch (in alphabetical order): Birmingham Detroit Country Day, Hazel Park, Madison Heights Madison, Pontiac Notre Dame Prep, Royal Oak Shrine.
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