Michigan Look: High School State Championships

The culmination of the high school football season in the Great Lakes State has arrived. There will be four state title games each of the next two days, with a champion crowned in eight separate divisions.

Not every game boasts current or future U-M recruits, but there will be several big-time players in action. Check them out live on Fox Sports Detroit.

There are no active Michigan recruits in these games, but the schools have managed to produce some talent over the years.

This is one of the weekend’s headliners. While Lowell has only produced a few scholarship players in Rivals.com history (headlined by Oklahoma signee-turned-Michigan State transfer Keith Nichol in 2007), it’s a consistently strong program that may produce some preferred walk-on options.

King is the team’s most loaded state in terms of Division I talent. Senior wide receiver Donnie Corley and defensive back Lavert Hill are both four-star prospects in possession of Michigan offers, while there are also Crusaders committed to West Virginia (three-star running back Martell Pettaway), Central Michigan (two-star defensive end Leon Page) and Western Michigan (three-star defensive back Dontre Boyd). Senior athlete Armani Posey has been pressed into action as a quarterback, but will receive post-season recruiting attention on the defensive side of the ball. In the junior class, junior cornerback Ambry Thomas is a four-star with a U-M offer, and other players in the 2017 and 2018 classes should be adding serious offers down the road.

This game isn’t loaded, but there are some future Division I college players in the action. That’s headlined by Zeeland West junior tight end Jayk Slager. While the 2017 prospect doesn’t yet have any bigtime offers, it may only be a matter of time for the 6-4, 230-pounder.

If King isn’t the most talented team in the state, it’s because they’ve been beaten out for the title by Cass Tech. Senior offensive lineman Michael Onwenu is committed to U-M, and fellow four-star Demetric Vance, a safety, will play for Michigan State. Three other Technicians have made Division I commitments, and more will by the time Signing Day comes around. Cass’s junior class boast’s the state’s top prospect in four-star receiver Donovan Peoples-Jones, who can commit to basically any program he wants. Three-star safety Jaylen Kelly-Powell also holds a Michigan offer, while four-star corner Donovan Johnson is still waiting for one. A handful of sophomores – including defensive back Kalon Gervin and linebacker DeAndre Square – already have their first couple offers and will be adding many more.

Romeo boasts two-star Western Michigan tight end commit Mitch Heimbuch, but beyond him – as is the case with Lowell – their team success is more about a strong program than individual talent that projects to the next level.

Though it’s one of the smaller divisions in the state, this game actually features some talent on both teams. West Catholic senior defensive lineman Carl Myers passed up a scholarship offer from Air Force (and a couple more at lower divisions) to take a preferred walkon opportunity from the Maize and Blue.

On the other side, River Rouge defensive back Reggie Pearson should ultimately be one of the top 2018 prospects in the state. The 5-10, 180-pounder does it all for Rouge, and at this point best projects to a safety in college. He’s not doing it alone, but is the top college prospect on the Panthers’ team.

Orchard Lake St. Mary’s doesn’t have quite the depth of top talent that the two Detroit Public Schools possess, but is just as strong at the top. Senior offensive lineman Cameron Kolwich is the only in his class with a Division I offer (he’s committed to Northwestern), but a few other players, such as linebacker Kofi Bashir, will have opportunities for a college career. The junior class is outstanding, with four-star linebacker Joshua Ross capable of picking any college destination he wants, and three-star receiver Kahlee Hamler not far behind him. Linebacker Dwayne Chapman and defensive back Richard Bowens are among the others who should continue their playing careers at the next level. The sophomore class’s top prospect is running back/defensive back RaShawn Allen, and others should join him on college radars in due time.

Chelsea is led by receiver Bailey Edwards, a senior with offers from Minnesota and a few others. He has the bloodlines – brother Berkley is a running back for the Gophers, and the oldest, Braylon, won the Biletnikoff award at Michigan in 2004, to say nothing of dad Stan’s successful college and NFL careers. He struggled tracking the ball at Michigan’s summer camp, but has rounded into form this season.