Orchard Lake St. Mary's Goes Back-To-Back

DETROIT – Orchard Lake (Mich.) St. Mary’s is a regular participant in state championship games – making it to the Division-3 version in seven of the past nine years – and Saturday, added its third victory in the past five years.

The Eaglets used their typical methods: sound defense and a grinding rushing attack – to take down first-timer Chelsea High 29-12. OLSM received a pair of rushing scores from senior Justin Myrick and another two receiving from junior wideout Kahlee Hamler, while holding the Bulldogs to just 205 total yards in the game.

Myrick carried the ball 20 times for 108 yards and his touchdowns, while Hamler caught four passes for 63 yards and the scoring strikes of 34 and 16 yards. Defensively, Josh Ross led the way for St. Mary’s with six total tackle, one for loss, plus an interception and another pass breakup.

On the other side, Noah VanReesema was the standout performer, catching four passes for 91 yards and a score for Chelsea.

Hamler was likely the MVP of the game, contributing on both sides of the ball. In addition to his offensive exploits, he moonlights on defense. Although his 5-9, 152-pound size may seem better suited for cornerback, it’s not as natural a position for him. Fortunately, football instincts and outstanding athleticism allow him to still make plays – he broke up two passes and made two tackles – but his polish is on the other side of the ball.

Hamler’s first touchdown pass was all about speed. The Eaglets’ ground attack lulls opponents to sleep to set up the big play through the air, but Hamler’s defender wasn’t fooled on his touchdown. The diminutive speedster simply ran by a player who was using sound defensive technique, but doesn’t have the athleticism to keep up. The second touchdown was likely even more impressive, but in a different way. Hamler caught a short screen pass, gave a jab step to leave one defender in his dust, and then knifed through traffic into the endzone.

Hamler will have to add weight for his game to translate to the next level, if only to ensure that he doesn’t get injured. It will also allow him to be a strong blocker on the edge (something that he’s willing to do now, if not physically designed for). Speed is speed, and he’s too good getting open – and once he has the ball in his hands – to dismiss him simply because he doesn’t have height or mass.

After a couple years of seeing Ross suit up for the St. Mary’s varsity, it’s fair to say that this was one of the most impressive games we’ve seen out of him. Like his older brother James, his height (around 6-1, a bit taller than big bro) isn’t ideal, but his football instincts and physical abilities are. He’s got a longer, leaner build than James, and has plenty of room to add weight by the time he reaches the next level.

Other than the differences in build, Ross looks extremely similar to his brother in the way they play the game. Instincts and athleticism allow him to be in the right place at the right time, and he packs a wallop when he arrives to the ball-carrier.

His diving interception was a thing of beauty, and – as good a high school player as James was – probably something his older brother didn’t have the length to pull off. He also had one big tackle for loss where he knifed into the backfield (on what appeared to be a play that he read, not a designed blitz) through a gap on the opposite side of the center to slam the running back down.

Chelsea didn’t try to run the ball much on a strong defensive front (they had 22 attempts to 23 passes, but many of those rushes didn’t even make it to the linebackers, and four were sacks on called pass plays), or he might have had an even more impressive day statistically.

VanReesema was the standout for Chelsea, able to get open downfield despite drawing coverage from a variety of Eaglets (including Hamler, one of whose PBUs came while defending VanReesema). The 6-3, 184-pounder probably doesn’t have the deep speed to be more than a possession receiver at the Division I level, but can be a serious playmaker in other divisions.

Chelsea’s other standout wide receiver is Bailey Edwards (younger brother of former Michigan receiver Braylon and current Minnesota running back Berkley). He wasn’t targeted as much, with just a pair of receptions for 21 yards. However, his skillset translates to the next level better when his route-running adds polish with college coaching.

St. Mary’s has a pair of senior tight ends in Nathan Fagnani and Danny Jokisch (whose father Dan and uncle Paul both played receiver at Michigan – Paul also suited up for the basketball squad). Both have the height at 6-4, and 6-5, respectively, and the blocking ability to play at the next level. There was only one passing attempt toward either of them, but Jokisch’s route to the sideline was undercut and broken up.

In the 2018 class, St. Mary’s running back RaShawn Allen remains a player to watch. He 5-9, 175-pounder is undersized, but has the ability to get tough carries inside, and good speed if he gets loose (which the Eaglets’ wishbone scheme unfortunately didn’t give him many opportunities to do).