LoginCrystal Ball: Star-studded 2019 opener provided clear 2025 draft preview
The very best thing about high school sports is making memories that last for years, and the very best games are the ones that come up in conversation, over and over again down the road.
The 2019 season opener between then-No. 1 West Bloomfield and No. 3 Oak Park was one of the latter: It may have been sloppy at times, and mistake-filled as openers often are, but it was also a classic defensive slugfest between two behemoths, one where the difference might have been a star play made by one of the star players.
West Bloomfield’s Donovan Edwards broke free for an early 60-yard touchdown run on his third touch of the game — using the breakaway speed that the world would see over and over again in later years, during his years at the University of Michigan — setting up an eventual 20-14 win by the Lakers.
But he was hardly the only star in a game chock full of them.
And, five years on, a ton of those players — coveted by college recruiters and scouts back then, and NFL personnel nowadays — will be some of the same names called during next week’s NFL Draft.
“I was just talking about that game the other day … (Tyrone) ‘Rudy’ Broden has been home, working out in the weight room almost every day, you know, getting ready for the Draft and stuff. And I was talking to him about that game, and he said, ‘No, coach, I was gone that year,’” said Zach Hilbers, then an offensive assistant for the Lakers, and now the head coach at his alma mater.
“I guess, like, if you think back to that game, we knew they were really good. And you know, a lot of our attention went to (Justin) Rodgers, but they had some other D-linemen that were really good, too. … We just knew it’d be a battle, and it was a really close, low-scoring, just back-and-forth battle. If I remember right, Maliq Carr caught like a third-and-15 plus — we blew a coverage and he caught like a 85-yard touchdown, and we got lucky. It got called back because they had an alignment penalty or something that had nothing to do with the play, you know, and that was kind of like a springboard for us to take the lead after we got the ball back after that. But it was just, it was a good game, like, a really high level, good game.”
Broden (No. 49 in Michigan’s class of 2019 per 247Sports, signed with Bowling Green) is indeed one of the top-level recruits who missed that game by a smidge — along with Oak Park’s D’Wan Mathis (No. 9, Georgia), and West Bloomfield’s Lance Dixon (No. 5, Penn State) and Tre Mosley (No. 14, Michigan St.) — graduating the year before.
But there was still a megaton of talent left on the field for that Aug. 30 meeting, a lot of which helped the Lakers to the 2020 Division 1 state title a year later, a ton of which made impacts at the college level.
And a ton who you could quite conceivably hear announced as draft picks next week, or see in training camps as undrafted free agents.
“Surreal. It’s more than cool. And it’s l surreal because it’s why you get into teaching and coaching is to see kids reach their dreams. And in this case, as we’re talking football, this is the pinnacle, the ultimate of it,” Hilbers said. “I don’t know, it’s almost overwhelming. So I’ve been trying to reach out to all of them and talk to them. And Rudy’s been to the school a ton, which is makes it easier. But like, you know, it’s nuts, it’s crazy, especially when you — I have a cool picture of Max (Hairston) and Donovan from middle school basketball that’s hilarious. It’s just hilarious how little they look.”
Rogers was the No. 1 player in the state’s 2019 recruiting class, landing at Kentucky before finishing his college career at Auburn, taken in the seventh round of last year’s NFL Draft by the Cowboys.
Oak Park’s Carr (Purdue) and corner Enzo Jennings (Penn State) were ranked Nos. 3-4 in the 2020 class, followed immediately by Lakers safety Makari Paige (Michigan). The Lakers also had linebacker Cornell Wheeler (No. 22, Michigan), DE Sterling Miles (No. 44, Cincinnati).
Edwards (Michigan) was the No. 1 player in the state’s 2021 class, while corner Maxwell Hairston (Kentucky) was No. 19. Oak Park countered with Rayshaun Benny (No. 7, Michigan), Davion Primm (No. 26, Michigan State), Jaylin Mines (No. 30, Toledo) and Marlon Dawson (No. 39, Miami, Ohio) in the 2021 class.
All of them played in that 2019 opener.
Now most of them are preparing for a shot at the NFL.
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2019 Oak Park-West Bloomfield game
(All rankings from 247Sports)
WEST BLOOMFIELD
Maxwell Hairston (No. 19 player in MI in class of 2021) — CB — Kentucky (2025 draft eligible)
Donovan Edwards (No. 1 player in MI in c/o 2021) — RB — Michigan (2025 draft eligible)
Makari Paige (No. 5 player in MI in c/o 2020) — S — Michigan (2025 draft eligible)
Cornell Wheeler (No. 22 player in MI in c/o 2020) — ILB — Michigan/Kansas (2025 draft eligible)
Sterling Miles (No. 44 player in MI in c/o 2020) — DE — Cincinnati/EMU
CJ Harris (No. 50 player in MI in c/o 2020) — QB — Ohio/California
Beau Davis (No. 87 player in MI in c/o 2020) — DE — Southeast Louisiana
Jordan Hoskins (No. 80 player in MI in c/o 2021) — LB — Missouri St./E. Tennessee St./Lincoln University
Gavin Hardeman (No. 89 player in MI in c/o 2021) — S — Air Force
Travis Reece (No. 92 player in MI in c/o 2021) — LB — Davenport/Central State
OAK PARK
Justin Rogers (No. 1 player in MI in c/o 2020) — DT — Kentucky/Auburn (2024 draft, Cowboys, pick 244)
Maliq Carr (No. 3 player in MI in c/o 2020) — TE — Purdue (2025 draft eligible)
Enzo Jennings (No. 4 player in MI in c/o 2020) — S — Penn State
Tremayne Oliver (No. 65 player in MI in c/o 2020) — DE — Northwood
Rayshaun Benny (No. 7 player in MI in c/o 2021) — DL — Michigan
Davion Primm (No. 26 player in MI in c/o 2021) — RB — MSU/Morehead St.
Jaylin Mines (No. 30 player in MI in c/o 2021) — S — Toledo/Iowa Central CC
Marlon Dawson (No. 39 player in MI in c/o 2021) — LB — Miami (Ohio)/Iowa Central CC
