<body><div><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=1UXBeh_0vhogZAc00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=1UXBeh_0vhogZAc00" width="2047" height="1152" >Most coaches will tell you they don't pay attention to the rankings and believe they're nothing to get excited about.Not Birmingham Seaholm boys soccer coach Greg Perkins.Following Monday's 2-1 victory over Detroit Country Day, the team ranked No. 1 in Division 3 by the Michigan High School Soccer Coaches Association, the third-year coach told his players it's time to chase the rankings. The Oakland Activities Association-Red is arguably the best division in Michigan. Four of its teams — Troy, Troy Athens, Rochester Adams and Oxford — are ranked in the top six of the D-1 poll, while Berkley's No. 9 ranking gives the Red five teams in the top 10. The Maples (8-3-2) want in on that action. Not only will knocking off a handful of league opponents give them a better chance to win the Red title, but it should catapult them into the rankings and possibly into the top 5. "The goal this week is to try and maximize our ranking status and try to see what happens from there," Perkins said. "The top 15 is an interesting thing to look at because it's (basically) our division." They have Adams, Rochester and Berkley left in league play. They'd need a lot of help to win the Red, but they aren't mathematically eliminated yet. They would have to win out to have a chance. To do that, they have to get better at finishing league matches than they were earlier this fall. They beat Clarkston 1-0, but they played Athens and Oxford to ties and lost a 2-1 heartbreaker to Troy. "We'll dominate against a good team and be up for most of the game, and then we've kind of just been unlucky," said senior midfielder Drew Stice, who assisted on Angelo Nuculaj's winning goal in the second half against the Yellowjackets. "We'll find a way to tie or lose a game. Like last week, we got a good tie against Oxford, which is a good team, and then we pulled out a good win against Clarkston. So we're finally starting to finish out these games." Seaholm fans expected a successful season from this group.Many of the seniors are two- and three-year varsity starters. They've built their program toward this fall, expecting to compete for the Red and clinch another district title. Of course, they'd like to do more than win a district in the postseason. But their roster is built for success. That includes Chase Henderson, who scored on a penalty kick in the first half against DCDS, entering the fall as one of the top seniors in the league. They have offensive firepower from Stice, Nuculaj and Alberto Corrales, among others, and standout defenders such as Marco Rodrigues and Charles Glaeser. However, they did recently lose starter Patrick McCarthy to a season-ending injury. They have the depth to win the league, even though it might not happen with undefeated Oxford atop the standings. "I'm a little bit dissapointed, to be honest," Perkins said. "I don't think the results have done us justice. The game we lost against Troy, I thought we were the better team. Athens, I thought we were at least worthy of a tie. But I'm also happy because we've gradually improved every game, performance-wise." Playing a gauntlet of a schedule will only benefit them when the playoffs start.But it's not going to get any easier in districts. Red foes Athens, Berkley and Troy are in Seaholm's pool as well Birmingham Groves, Ferndale, Royal Oak and Southfield A&amp;T. With the Maples now in their second season playing in the Red, they're used to the challenge by now. "The OAA-Red is always insanely hard," Stice said. "It is every year. But we like that, we like that. Every game is a big game. Every game, you're pushed so hard until the last second, so it's fun." <h2>Shamrocks salvage tie with Mustangs thanks to Mooradian's play</h2>When Grant Mooradian tried out for the Detroit Catholic Central boys soccer team as a sophomore, coach Gene Pulice said it took only 30 seconds of watching the forward play to determine he was varsity-ready. A year later, Mooradian is now one of the Shamrocks' most important players. That was evident in how the junior played during last week's 4-4 tie with No. 2 Northville. Every time CC trailed, Mooradian made a play to get his team back in it. He scored its first three goals and assisted on the final one. His free kick with just over 10 minutes left in regulation ensured the stalemate, as teammate Cash Moscovic got a foot on Mooradian's shot and booted in a rebound. "He's always been a solid kid," Pulice said. "He's a Jags kid (a player for the Michigan Jaguars travel program), but he never wanted only to play academy. He wanted to play high school, and that's where we're at. I would tell you I'm not surprised by his performance. He's got a very high ceiling. "We obviously look to Grant to do a lot for us because he's a solid, very solid, player." Northville's Alex McCallum scored on a breakaway early in the match, but Mooradian responded just before halftime by burying his first of two penalty kick attempts throughout the evening. Early after halftime, the junior banged in a rebound at the net.However, Northville's Gabe Rivera scored the following two goals to put the Mustangs back ahead. And then McCallum juked a host of CC defenders and walked in his second goal to make it a 4-2 score. Mooradian made good on his second penalty kick six minutes later. Then, he set up Moscovic for the most crucial score of the evening. Pulice wants CC to play with the sense of urgency it showed against the Mustangs in its upcoming matches."I still think we are a pretty good team," Pulice said." But my thing is this: We had periods throughout the game where there was greatness. Why can't we sustain that for longer periods? Is it because our opponent is that much better? Or is it because we lose focus?" Despite the tie, Northville is still undefeated. The closest thing to a blemish on its record are its three ties with CC, Brighton and Plymouth. Two weeks ago, in a three-day stretch, the Mustangs (9-0-3) played the Bulldogs to a 0-0 tie and tied the Wildcats, 2-2, which makes sense. Northville and Brighton have had arguably the best rivalry in the Kensington Lakes Activities Association over the past two seasons, with each of its matchups deciding the winner of the West. And the tie with Plymouth proved just how tough the Wildcats, who were ranked in the top five at the time, are this fall. While the ties cost Northville its No. 1 ranking, the experience should prove valuable later on. "We still haven't lost, but in some games we're getting some adversity, which is a learning opportunity," coach Henry Klimes said. "We're learning how to win in the playoffs. When we gave up a PK (to CC), we came back down and scored to get back into the game. We didn't panic, so it's a good learning curve, preparing us for what it'll be like in the playoffs. I'd rather be No. 1 at the end of the season than midway through the season." Brandon Folsom covers high school sports in metro Detroit for Hometown Life. Follow him on Twitter at @folsombrandonj.</div></body>

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5 OAA-Red boys soccer teams are ranked. Birmingham Seaholm wants to be the 6th

Most coaches will tell you they don't pay attention to the rankings and believe they're nothing to get excited about. Not Birmingham Seaholm boys soccer coach Greg Perkins. Following Monday's 2-1 victory over Detroit Country Day, the team ranked No. 1 in Division 3 by the Michigan High School Soccer Coaches Association, the third-year coach told his players it's time to chase the rankings.

5 OAA-Red boys soccer teams are ranked. Birmingham Seaholm wants to be the 6th

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