Photos: Berkley Bears Win Homecoming Game, 35-14

"I'm extremely happy with their effort," said coach Jeff Burnside of the team's victory over the Ferndale Eagles on Friday at Hurley Field in Berkley.

The Berkley Bears had a lot to celebrate during their 35-14 victory Friday over the Ferndale Eagles at Hurley Field in Berkley. The football team's dominant performance against the Eagles kicked off homecoming weekend and was punctuated by a homecoming court ceremony and a halftime performance by the Berkley High School marching band, which received a Division I ranking for the first time in school history Wednesday at the Michigan School Band and Orchestra Festival in Royal Oak. "It's been a very good day," BHS assistant principal Mike Ross said Friday night. "We had a great pep assembly here today. The students are very spirited." Berkley High School will celebrate homecoming Saturday with a pancake breakfast and a dance in the evening. …

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Berkley Football Coach Reflects on First Season With Team

Jeff Burnside examines what went right and wrong for the Bears in 2011.

Jeff Burnside’s work is just getting started. The football coach’s first season at Berkley High School is in the books even though it didn’t quite finish as he would’ve liked. The Bears were 4-5 this season (4-4 Oakland Activities Association), one win shy of qualifying for the postseason. It was the first time since 2009 Berkley didn’t advance to the playoffs. But, Burnside is hard at work making sure his second season in charge lasts a few weeks longer. He talked with Berkley Patch this week about his first year at Berkley and what’s next. Patch: On the field, your first season was very up-and-down. Every time the Bears seemed ready to take a step forward, you’d take two steps back. What prevented the team from getting on a roll? Jeff …

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OAA Sideline Report: Football, Week 9: Teams Headed to Postseason

The Oakland Activities Association will be well represented when the playoffs kick off Friday.

The book is closed on the 2011 Oakland Activities Association high school football regular season. Division titles came down to the final week in the OAA Blue and OAA Red. Birmingham Groves earned a share of the Blue title with its win Friday over Birmingham Seaholm. The Groves Falcons and North Farmington each had 6-2 records in the Blue. Lake Orion had a chance to shut out Clarkston from a share of the Red title when the schools faced each other Friday, but the Lake Orion Dragons couldn’t get it done. They allowed the Wolves to come back in the fourth quarter and ended up losing 38-31. The teams shared the Red title with 6-1 records.  Farmington Hills Harrison clinched the OAA White title three weeks ago with a win over Rochester Adams. …

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Football Recap, Week 8: Down to the Wire

Seaholm, North Farmington and Troy Athens are headed to the postseason after big wins Friday night.

There’s still work to be done. The playoffs are a week away, but some teams are still trying to get a seat at the table. With one game left to play, eight teams in the Oakland Activities Association are one win away from automatically qualifying. There’s also the matter of settling the division titles. Birmingham's Seaholm and Groves high schools still have a shot to grab a share of the OAA Blue title and Lake Orion can win the Red outright with a win in its season finale.   Quote of the Week: At a recent Bloomfield Hills school board meeting, concern was voiced over the low numbers of playes on the Andover football team. The question was asked: Would the school be able to field a team next season? At the Barons homecoming game Friday, …

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OAA Sideline Report

Football Recap, Week 5: Battle for Position

Division races in the Oakland Activities Association are starting to take shape after another great group of games.

The races in the Oakland Activities Association Red, White and Blue divisions are starting to really take shape. Harrison is the clear front-runner in the White and should run the table. The battle for second place is a little more heated. Farmington had a big win over Adams on Friday to make it a three-way battle between those two teams and Southfield. All three teams are currently 3-1 in the division.  In the Blue, the division title is up for grabs with Avondale, Groves and Berkley tied at the top with one loss each. Losses for Seaholm and Lahser over the weekend have dropped the schools to the middle of the pack. Lake Orion still is undefeated in the Red division, but it has games against all three teams in second place left on the …

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Berkley Football Falls In Double Overtime Thriller At Groves

The Bears can't convert two-point conversion and lose 38-37 on the road Friday night.

BIRMINGHAM – The Berkley High School varsity football team fell three yards short Friday night.  After failing to convert a two-point conversion in double overtime, the Bears lost 38-37 at Groves. It was the first time since 2008 that the Falcons have won two games in a row.  Running back Keon Collier put Groves (2-1; 2-1 Oakland Activities Association Blue) ahead in the second overtime with a 3-yard touchdown run on third down. The extra point made it 38-31. The Bears came back and answered with a 7-yard touchdown run from Jason Taylor. Coach Jeff Burnside decided to try and go for the win on a two-point conversion. “One of the philosophies we have, is that we have good players and we think we can get three yards when it matters,” …

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Changing of the Guard Looks Good for Berkley Football

The team has responded enthusiastically to its new coach and defensive strategy, and it has set lofty goals for the fall season.

The Berkley High School varsity football team has a new coach, a new defensive strategy and is playing without its two-time, all-state running back Terrell Porter, who has graduated.  So, have the Bears lowered their expectations? Not even a little bit. “You don’t hear people saying, 'What if we make the playoffs?' We have people saying, 'What if we make it to Ford Field this year?' ” running back and linebacker Omar Sitto said. Filling the void left by Porter isn’t going to be easy. How does a team replace a running back who scored more than 30 touchdowns and ran for 1,500 yards? “You can’t just replace a guy with that kind of talent with one player,” coach Jeff Burnside said. “It’s just not going to happen.” Porter helped make Berkley …

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Berkley Football Team Ready For Scrimmage

Open quarterback competition will heat up Saturday during practice game at Hurley Field.

A lot of Berkley High School football fans are asking: Who will replace Terrell Porter? The more pressing question should be: Who is going to start at quarterback? During the third day of fall practice Wednesday, new head coach Jeff Burnside wasn’t that forthcoming with details on the competition. Seniors Kyle Macey and Damon Eldridge and junior Alex Agbay are vying for the position. “That’s probably the biggest competition we have right now,” Burnside said.  He did point to the team scrimmage at Hurley Field on Saturday as an important test for all three players. “The scrimmage on Saturday will help get everything figured out,” Burnside said. Berkley students and families can watch the practice game this weekend and enjoy a picnic hosted …

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