Rochester Adams will host unbeaten Clarkston on Friday, Sept. 18, in a matchup the State Champs Sports Network named one of Michigan's 10 high school football games to watch for Week 4, also featured on the network's Facebook page.
The Highlanders (2-1) face the Wolves (3-0) in an OAA Red division game at Adams. It is the biggest test yet for a team that has grabbed statewide attention through three weeks.
Clarkston enters ranked No. 6 in the initial Associated Press Division 1 prep football poll, released Sept. 15 by The Oakland Press, with 23 points and a perfect record. Adams received two votes in the same poll but did not crack the top 10.
The Wolves look like the team to beat in the OAA Red. Oakland Press columnist Kosmo Omsok wrote in a Sept. 8 picks column that whichever team emerged from the Lake Orion-Oxford matchup would be "the best challenger to Clarkston to win the OAA Red."
Clarkston backed that up with a 41-0 shutout of Troy Athens on Friday, Sept. 11. Quarterback Alex Waszczenko threw a 32-yard touchdown pass to Wendall Childs Jr. to open the scoring. Drew French hauled in touchdown catches of 55 and 31 yards, and Ty Duffy returned an interception for a score.
Adams arrives with momentum. Head coach Tony Patritto's squad rallied for a 42-41 overtime win over West Bloomfield that same Friday night. Running back Lorenzo Sartor scored a 47-yard rushing touchdown and a 9-yard run in the fourth quarter, then punched in the game-tying score in overtime. Quarterback Andrew Geottes connected with freshman Nolan Dawood for an 81-yard touchdown in the second half, and Brayden Schroeder added an interception and a 10-yard touchdown reception.
"Ideas that this might be a rebuilding year for Rochester Adams may need to be tabled until further notice," Oakland Press reporter Bryan Everson wrote after the overtime victory.
Adams opened the 2026 season with a loss to Romeo at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor on Aug. 29, then beat Rochester 21-19 in the Week 2 rivalry game on Sept. 3. The Highlanders reached the state semifinals in 2025, entering this fall as one of Oakland County's top preseason teams.
The Sept. 18 OAA Red contest is Adams' second division game of the season. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. at Rochester Adams High School's stadium, according to the school's athletics site.
