When you think of high school football in the state of Michigan nowadays, Detroit Cass Tech is the cream of the crop. They have been relevant on and off the field year in and year out, and the 2016 season will be no different. Every year the Technicians lose a boat load of Division I prospects to graduation, but they also reload every year. Last season they made it all the way to the Division I state final before bowing out to Romeo, but that is not good enough for a program like Cass Tech. They expect to win it all every year, and this season seems promising once again for the city powerhouse.

Cass Tech went 11-3 in 2015, losing all three games to eventual state champions (King twice, and Romeo). They made it all the way to the Division state title game, but lost 41-27 to Romeo.

Its record of six consecutive Division I semifinal appearances is still alive, and going for seven. Cass Tech has won two Division I state titles in 2011 and 2012, and have won no less than 11 games a season dating back to the 2010 season.

Back in 2014, Cass Tech edged Oak Park 27-26 in the opening game of the season at Wayne State. The two meet once again in the opener at Wayne State August 26, in a game that colleges coaches would not want to miss, as both teams are absolutely loaded with Division I prospects. Cass Tech will breeze through the season after that game, then will have league foes East English Village Prep and King in back-to-back weeks September 23 and 30, respectively. They lost to King twice last season, so, that game will be marked on the calendar for sure.

WR Donovan Peoples-Jones (top 15 player in the nation), QB Rodney Hall (committed to NIU), CB-RB Donovan Johnson, DB Jaylen Kelly-Powell, OL-DL Jordan Reid, DE-LB Zack Morton (committed to Syracuse), RB Tim Cheatham, DB Kalon Gervin, LB DeAndre Square, WR-DB Donovan Parker.

Cass Tech always seem to have prospects jump on the scene out of nowhere, and sophomore running back Jaren Mangham is the latest one. He is a bit of a mystery for now, but his 6-1, 215-pound frame will be put to use in Cass' running game.

Tim Walton will be at Syracuse this fall, but when he played linebacker for Cass Tech he was the quarterback of the defense. He tallied 117 tackles his senior season, which is hard to replace on anyone's team. He made the Cass Tech defense go, and always seemed to be around the ball. Cass Tech seems to always have a linebacker ready to play, and DeAndre Square just might be that guy that is next up.

Last season was a disappointment to Cass Tech, losing in the city and state title games. They were good enough last year to make it to both, and will be good enough in 2016 to make both. Possibly even win. They have arguably the top senior class in the state, and the talent they will be able to put out on the field will be almost unmatched in every game. In what seems to be a down year around the state in Division I and in the city, I would be surprised if Cass Tech did not win a city and state title this season.

Their offense will be potent once again with dual-threat quarterback Rodney Hall running the show once again, coming off of a season-ending leg injury. Junior Aaron Jackson is also a more than capable back-up. The running back will be strong as always with Tim Cheatham, and linemen Jordan Reid and Kevin Ateman blocking for him. Wide out Donovan Peoples-Jones is the top player in the state, and no one will be able to stop what he can do on the field. He and Hall should hook-up for touchdowns often each game.

The defense will have a lot of newcomers to it upfront, but returns one of the most athletic kids in the state in Syracuse defensive end commit Zack Morton. The linebacking corp will be more than solid with DeAndre Square and Otis Doss, and no one will be able to pass on Cass' secondary. Donovan Johnson, Jaylen Kelly-Powell, and Kalon Gervin are all national recruits with double-digit offers, and plenty of skill to match. Cass Tech has the recipe to go undefeated this season. We shall see.