Stars of Michigan's Southwest Corner, plus other Week 6 tidbits

It's Week 6 of the 2013 prep football season. This time around my mind will wander with thoughts regarding current and former Michigan high school football standouts. First off, let's take a look at the top games from around the state this past weekend.

Week 6-
Allen Park (4-2) 21, Taylor Truman (5-1) 14-The Jags top Devonte McGregor and Truman
Birmingham Brother Rice (6-0) 31, Orchard Lake St. Mary's (3-3) 14-Rice continues to roll
Lowell (6-0) 42, East Grand Rapids (3-3) 39-Marquee Grand Rapids area match-up was thriller
Milan (6-0) 21, Monroe St. Mary Catholic Cent. (5-1) 14-Robert Kanitz and Big Reds unbeaten
Niles Brandywine (6-0) 15, Buchanan (1-5) 14-B-Wine beats Bucks for first time since 2005
Warren DeLaSalle (4-2) 36, Dearborn Fordson (4-2) 0-Wow, Pilots all over Tractors
Lincoln Park (1-5) 34, Taylor Kennedy (0-6) 20-Lincoln Park ends 66-game losing streak -- the streak was the longest in Michigan high school football history

Stars of the "Southwest Corner-"
Michigan's southwest corner has always been a fertile ground for athletic talent. From former NFL linebacker and St. Joseph standout Rob Frederickson, to Eau Claire's Julie Krone, horse racing's greatest female jockey (first female jockey to win Triple Crown race, winningest all-time female jockey, first female inducted into horse racing Hall of Fame), to basketball Hall-of-Famer Chet Walker from hoops-rich Benton Harbor, southwest Michigan has historically been an athletic hotbed.

This season, southwest Michigan is home to some of the state's top high school football players. These players might not garner national attention or, in some cases, even state mention (the South Bend Tribune out of Indiana covers this corner of the state best -- check it out), but make no mistake, these gridders rank right up there with the best Michigan has to offer. Each of these players are high-level Division I college football recruits. If they haven't already, Big Ten and MAC coaches should be flocking to these schools to identify, evaluate and sign these top-flight prep football players.

Stars of the Southwest Corner-
Doug Freeman-5-11, 205-RB-DB-Sr.-Buchanan-In six games, Freeman has nearly 800 yards rushing and 10 touchdowns. Not flashy, but highly effective on both sides of the ball, Freeman is simply a natural. He's saddled by playing for a 1-5 squad, but Freeman is a D-I talent through and through.
Nick Padla-6-6, 275-OT-Sr.-Berrien Springs-A Michigan State commit, it was nice seeing the Spartans doing their due diligence, working the state and finding this diamond-in-the-rough out of tiny Berrien Springs. Along with Jonathan Williams (see below), Berrien Springs has two high level D-I football recruits for the first time in school history.
Jonathan Williams-6-6, 235-DE-Sr.-Berrien Springs-A Notre Dame commit, Williams is one of those "once-in-a-lifetime" athletic freaks. An all-around athlete, Williams is a star basketball player and track and field performer who overmatches anyone he lines up against. With 4.5 speed, Williams is similar to former Mizzo DE and NFLer Aldon Smith. The fact he got out of the state with all five of our D-I playing colleges unable to attract or misevaluating him troubles me. This kid, in my opinion, is a top 15 to top 20 type player in Michigan.
Chance Stewart-6-5, 215-QB-Sr.-Sturgis-A Western Michigan commit, Stewart originally gave a verbal to Wisconsin. The strong-armed senior signal-caller is the No. 1-ranked quarterback for the class of 2014 in Michigan, though Ithaca's Travis Smith (Toledo commit) is basically even with Stewart as the state's best QB. Both Stewart and Smith are Big Ten level talents. The fact they both committed to MAC schools says a lot about the shifting tide of power in the Midwest. With Northern Illinois defeating two Big Ten schools already this season (Iowa and Purdue) and Ball State (with Muskegon Heights' WR Willie Snead catching an 11-yard TD pass and Corunna's Jalen Schlachter starting at OG for 5-1 Cardinals) crushing the ACC's Virginia this weekend, along with CMU's OT Eric Fisher (Rochester Hills Stoney Creek) selected as the No. 1 overall pick in last April's NFL Draft, the MAC is stronger than ever team-wise and player-wise. In other words, this isn't your father's Mid-American Conference.
Andrew Duckett-6-1, 185-QB-DB-Jr.-Niles Brandywine-Duckett is a big-time talent on both sides of the ball. With 4.5 speed, he's a run/pass threat as a quarterback and a ball hawk menace from his safety spot. A leader and winner, Duckett has helped spark Brandywine to a 6-0 overall record and a state-ranking so far this season.
Cooper Mojsiejenko-6-4, 210-WR-LB-K-Sr.-Bridgman-To me, Mojsiejenko is a player who should already have Big Ten offers flooding his mailbox. Mojsiejenko just might be the best all-around high school football player in Michigan. He's a bonafide triple threat D-I talent on offense, defense and as a kicker. The son of former Bridgman, Michigan State and NFL kicker Ralf Mojsiejenko (Pro Bowl punter, seven-year NFL career and arguably Michigan's greatest punter ever), Cooper Mojsiejenko not only has the football genes, but outstanding talent, as well. He runs a 4.4 40, has kicked a 51-yard field goal, and is a match-up nightmare on either side of the football. In four or five years, as a redshirt junior or senior, Mojsiejenko could project out to a 6-4, 235 LB, or a 6-4, 245 H-Back/TE or a 6-4, 225 WR -- with 4.4-type speed. Or he could simply concentrate on his kicking skills, where it's obvious he has the background and pedigree to be successful. Where are Purdue, Illinois and Indiana on this kid, not to mention MSU and U-M? Also a top baseball prospect, Mojsiejenko reminds me of former Notre Dame All-American WR Jeff Samardzija, who could have been a first round NFL draft pick, but instead opted to pitch in the Major Leagues for the Chicago Cubs. Either way, Mojsiejenko is legit.

Michigan kids on the national scene-
As I was flipping around the TV stations today watching various college football games (yes, I had my feet up lounging on my Lazy-Boy, a large pepperoni pizza resting on my chest and a 2-liter of Pepsi intravenously pumped into my veins -- who doesn't?), I noticed several former Michigan high school football standouts playing prominent roles for their individual teams. Not including MSU and U-M, it was nice seeing WR Allen Robinson (Orchard Lake St. Mary's), DE C.J. Olaniyan (Warren Mott) and DE Anthony Zettel (West Branch Ogemaw Heights) all starting for Penn State, OG Bernard Taylor (Macomb Dakota) starting for Indiana, WR Tony Jones (Grand Blanc) and OT Paul Jorgensen (DeWitt) starting for Northwestern, DT Dan O'Brien (Flint Powers Catholic) starting for Tennessee and WR Kevonte Martin-Manley (Birmingham Brother Rice), DT Carl Davis (Sterling Heights Stevenson) and CB Desmond King (Detroit East English Village) starting for Iowa. I didn't get to watch too many games, but the ones I did focus on had a nice Michigan flavor to them.

Malik Taylor-
If you don't know about him -- I'm talking to you Mr. Recruiting Coordinator at Michigan's five D-I playing schools -- you need to take a trip out to Montrose. Like Cooper Mojsiejenko, Malik Taylor is legit. At 6-2, 195, Taylor, a senior, is a man among boys at Montrose (it's just north of Flint). With 4.4 speed (I also read somewhere he ran a 4.38), Taylor is a blur on the field. More than anything, however, what makes this player so intriguing to me is his growth potential at the next level. In four or five years, as a redshirt junior or senior, I see Taylor packing on 25-30 pounds of muscle, keeping his 4.4 speed and potentially lining up at outside linebacker. I like his ability to play multiple positions in college. He could play as a 6-2, 205 WR or a 6-2, 215 SS or as I noted above a 6-2, 225/230 OLB, with 4.4 speed.

It would be something, in four or five years at the next level, to see Berrien Springs' DE Jonathan Williams at 6-6, 265 and running a 4.5, lining up in front of OLB Malik Taylor at 6-2, 225/230 running a 4.4. Wow. Just wow... As they say, that would be "SEC speed" and athleticism/talent at DE and OLB. Just for kicks (I'm on a roll now), on the other side, you could have Southfield's DE Lawrence Marshall filling out at 6-4, 255 and running a 4.5, with my guy Cooper Mojsiejenko (doing his best Clay Matthews impersonation) at 6-4, 235 running a 4.4 at OLB. Then (now I'm getting excited) you could have a bulked up Nate Brisson-Fast at 6-6, 285/290 and running a 4.6/4.7 at DT and next to him the state's No. 1 recruit Malik McDowell at 6-7, 320 and Detroit Cass Tech bone-crushing middle linebacker William White at 6-2, 240 and running a 4.5/4.6... okay, I need to stop, my head's going to explode... They say you can't recruit explosive SEC talent/speed/athleticism in Michigan, well, I'll take that relentless, attacking front seven described above and take my chances in four or five years any day. If only...