And that’s that. High school football season in Macomb County ended this past Saturday, Nov. 16 when the final teams – Dakota, De La Salle, Lutheran North and Armada – lost in the state quarterfinal round. It wrapped an impressive season in the area which saw multiple program-firsts, thrilling contests and incredible numbers from some of the county’s brightest stars. Here, we’ll consider a team’s full body of work during the 2024 season and do our best to give our definitely (not) definitive ranking of the top 10 teams in the 586. The Cougars have been a top three team in the county all season, and overall, they’re the cream of the crop. All of their MAC Red wins were by multiple scores. Their lone loss (at Eisenhower, 21-14) was decisively avenged when the Cougars crushed the Eagles 41-14 in the postseason to win a district title. And the game that knocked them out of the playoffs (21-14 vs. Cass Tech) was an absolute war with the difference being a ridiculous touchdown catch with under 30 seconds left in the game. Brady Hamby had a Mr. Football finalist-worthy season, playing both sides of the ball and being one of the best players on the field whenever he was on it. His linebacking partner, Dimari Malone, proved why he’s worthy of being a Michigan State Spartan by playing outstanding linebacker all year. He played a decent chunk of snaps at running back and wide receiver, and he was lethal there, too, scoring 10 touchdowns. Fellow MSU commit Justin Bell and Nick Battaglia led one of the area’s most dominant offensive lines, and Logan Criteser set a new school record with 16 sacks. De La Salle’s résumé can be put up against anybody’s in the state: regular season wins over Davison, Detroit King, Orchard Lake St. Mary’s and Chippewa Valley set up a playoff run that included knocking off Port Huron Northern and then-unbeaten Grosse Pointe South. Their season ended with a bit of controversy when Birmingham Groves – also undefeated heading into the state semifinals, by the way – was awarded a touchdown on a play that was originally flagged with the Falcon receiver touching the ball after running out of bounds. Warranted or not, there’s no arguing that the Pilots were talented enough to continue their run of four-straight championship appearances. And they’d have been going into a rematch with the OLSM Eaglets, who will duel Groves instead. Anthony Bitonti broke out in a big way this season, rushing for double-digit touchdowns and being the Pilots’ leader in all rushing categories. Damion King IV continued his breakout, going for over 1,000 all-purpose yards between rushing, receiving and returning with nine touchdowns. Bryce Hurley was on a Mr. Football finalist-caliber pace during the Eagles’ blazing start that included wins over Division 1 playoff teams Oxford, Romeo and Dakota, but his injury took a major punch out of a balanced Ike attack that featured a strong senior season from first-year starter Jack Bullock. Hurley still managed to go for 870 yards at a clip of 7.4 YPC and 10 touchdowns. He had over 1,000 all-purpose yards before even taking into account his lethality on kickoff returns. Braylon Burnside, Conner Temple and Keaton Duda is as talented of a wide receiver group as any in the county, and when Hurley was going, the Eagles’ offense was an absolute chore to stop. Mike Dziadula was the anchor up front that helped make everything go. But perhaps the Eagles’ most impressive trait this season was their ability to bounce back; After both of their regular season wins, they rebounded by beating Dakota to clinch a share of the MAC Red championship. Then, following a surprising 29-point loss to Clarkston, they came out and beat Romeo by 23 points in the playoffs. Not every team can do that. And, if Hurley was healthy, it’s worth wondering ‘what if?’ Speaking of ‘what ifs’ – two of Roseville’s three losses were by a single point, including their district semifinal defeat at Grosse Pointe South. That’s not by mistake, either. They were competitive in every game and played a few box office bangers, too, which included a 66-65 slobberknocker against Anchor Bay in Week 2. They finished the regular season by beating Romeo and West Bloomfield in close contests. Desmond Straughton looks like a future Big Ten gamebreaker – as a running back, the incoming Illini scored 29 touchdowns and had 1,857 yards between rushing and receiving. On defense, he broke up eight passes, had 38 tackles and one interception. Nobody in the county had better numbers with the ball in their hands. Quarterback Jordan Simes had a heck of a swansong, throwing for nearly 2,000 yards and 25 touchdowns. A Ferris State commit, his current teammate – Elizah Jolly – will turn rival at Grand Valley next year after terrorizing the MAC White with 12 sacks and 13 TFLs in 2024. It was fair to wonder how high the Mustangs’ ceiling this season was when Hudson MacDonald, one of Macomb County’s most dynamic athletes, went down for the season in Week 2. It makes what they ended up accomplishing that much more impressive. Lutheran North finished the regular season on a five-game winning streak, including wins over Riverview Gabriel Richard, Liggett and Ann Arbor Richard before leading into a second-straight Prep Bowl appearance against Everest Collegiate, in which they took the overtime thriller – one of their preseason goals – despite the adversity they faced. Their playoff wins over St. Clair and Croswell-Lexington were impressive as well. Jack May stepped in and helped lead the run-heavy offense behind star lineman Chris Gottschalk plus Ian McGrath and Jax Mason, who helped the Mustangs continue to pound the rock despite missing their top weapon. Cam Campisi stepped up huge in their win over St. Clair, setting a new school record in rushing touchdowns in a game. That specifically shows what the Mustangs were – fearless and willing to step up in the big moments. For as scary as the Cougars’ offense was this season, it’s fair to say that their district championship round loss to Marine City was a disappointment. But that doesn’t mean this season was a lost one. It definitely wasn’t for Caleb Moore – the Cougar quarterback passed for 2,340 yards and rushed for 703 more, racking up over 3,000 all-purpose yards and 42 touchdowns with zero interceptions. He was a stud on defense, getting six picks and 44 tackles making him one of the state’s most lethal two-way weapons. With his brother, Jacob Moore, Taye Redding, Demarion Johnson and others, this year’s Cougar team was one of the absolute most exciting to watch in Macomb County. They were unstoppable in the Charter League, too, going undefeated with zero games decided by single-digit points. As Michigan Collegiate begins to transition into a new era, they salute the departing class of Cougars who helped shape the program into what it is now — and their rivals are thrilled to see them go. It’s not always safe to make blanket statements, but there’s no denying it – Armada football just wrapped up their best season in school history. A program wins record (10) and a first-ever district championship win will do that. TJ Seiler, Jackson Malburg and Zefi Gjelaj – among others – will be remembered fondly for their contributions to the Tigers’ cause this season. Malburg even set a school record for touchdowns in a game in the Tigers’ district championship win over Hazel Park, punching paydirt seven times. They also beat rival Richmond twice, they crushed Yale and beat Croswell-Lexington and North Branch, taking out a long time of BWAC frustration. And the good part is that, as long as Detroit Lions Coach of the Week winner Kyle Rowley is in Armada, this type of season could become more regular than the Tigers’ woes of past. The Bulldogs’ season was tumultuous – after taking three losses to open the season, they won four of their next six – three over MAC Red teams and another against D1 district champion Grand Blanc – to get into the postseason. Had Romeo’s close losses to Adams and Roseville gone the other way, the Bulldogs’ would’ve had a different path to the postseason and maybe, just maybe, their campaign would’ve gone longer. And while a first round loss is disappointing in north Macomb, there’s plenty for this year’s Bulldogs to be proud of. For starters, WRs Drake VanDriessche and DJ Phillips both compiled strong film, along with tight end Jackson Swords. In fact, there’s practically no question that those guys – along with others – will continue the strong tradition of Bulldogs in the NCAA. Stevenson made the playoffs, but a matchup with state championship semifinalist Cass Tech delivered an unfortunate start to their postseason run aspirations. It was a strong start to the season for Justin Newcomb’s squad – wins over Novi, Utica and Chippewa Valley showed that they were absolutely above a tier of solid teams, but how was it going to translate against the elite ones? Not well. But still, they were competitive for most of the season despite several bumps and bruises across the roster, including to quarterback Andrew Knight II, who was, at times, hindered in his ability to perform to the high expectations he holds himself to. But while there’s going to be talent moving onto the college ranks – Jude Osanaiye and Brayden Clark both proved plenty this season – they’ll have another offseason with Knight II and his star receiver, Ronnie Hill, to build up their rapport for one more season. The connection between Mott quarterback Mike Kronner and wide receiver Wesley Gilmore might have been the most electric in the entire county – Gilmore finished with 62 catches for 1,119 yards and 17 touchdown receptions, a major chunk of Kronner’s 2,001 yards and 27 yards through the air. Those two helped continue a tradition of winning at Warren Mott, which included a sweep of city rivals (Fitzgerald, Cousino, Woods Tower). Their troubles came once they left Macomb County – they went 2-3 against out-of-county foes with their season being ended by Birmingham Seaholm. Still, there’s not a lot to be disappointed about outside of that. In fact, the Marauders could be in line for a promotion to the MAC White.Top confidante Kellyanne Conway confronted fellow conservative Meghan McCain backstage at a women’s summit, witnesses tell the Daily Beast. The tête-à-tête was over a grudge Conway has held for many years against McCain, for describing her and her then-husband George Conway as “gross” during TV appearances on and Conway confronted McCain after the two appeared together on a panel at post-election Global Women’s Summit. The event was organized by , the founder of the Daily Beast. After the on-stage panel discussion about the effect of the election on women ended, Conway confronted McCain in the green room just off stage in a scene “like something from the ,” an eyewitness told the Beast. “Kellyanne walked up to Meghan and said, ‘I wasn’t going to say this while I was miked but do you remember what you said about me and my marriage on ?‘“ the witness said. ”You called my marriage ‘gross.’“ Conway and McCain had not directly debated each other on the panel, adding to the surprise for witnesses that there was a confrontation, though Conway had appeared at times combative towards the moderator and audience, some witnesses said. Conway was heard saying to McCain, “Do you realize what you said and what you did? Do you realize all the people you hurt?” McCain, who quit in 2021 and is now a podcaster, appeared shaken over the confrontation, which lasted a matter of minutes, and keen to leave. Friends said she was later “shaking” with emotion. “I heard Meghan say to her, ‘I don’t remember what I said that hurt you,‘“ the witness said. McCain apologized to Conway, the witness said. “Meghan said it was making her uncomfortable but that seemed to make it worse.” McCain, 40, walked away from Conway, 57, who appeared unfazed. The witness said, “Meghan looked shaken and was just trying to get out of there.” The political divisions and tension within Conway’s family played out publicly, especially on social media, during Trump’s first presidency. While Conway was in the Oval Office advising Trump as counselor to the president, her husband George and eldest daughter Claudia were nearly incessantly tweeting and TikToking their dissent. At one point, Claudia said she wanted to from her mother, while her father did just that: he of 22 years with whom he shares four children in 2023. Claudia, now 20, and her mother have reconciled personally although they remain politically at odds. Conway told the Daily Beast, “I waited until the cameras and microphones were off to privately and calmly address the very public insults she has directed at my family.” Conway added, “She may wish to outrun her recent past as a years-long resident Mean Girl on The View and Bravo, where her mouth was a spigot of vile and bile hurled toward people and topics she does not know, including my marriage and children, and casually lying about silly things like me calling her (I don’t have her number).” McCain said, “It was a bizarre experience and certainly not what I expected when I accepted an invitation to speak at an event hosted by the Washington Post and Tina Brown. The only reason why their marriage was ever a hot topic was because they were constantly airing their dirty laundry to America.” The Beast established that Conway’s feelings were rooted in comments on multiple episodes of in 2018 and in April 2020 on NBC’s , when she called both of the Conways “gross” and claimed that Conway would call her every time she mentioned her on air. In the 2020 segment, host Andy Cohen asked McCain, who has appeared on the show dozens of times, and fellow guest Erika Jayne, a cast member of the to identify whether quotes were from “a president or a [Real] Housewife,” then had his guest, Rep. (D-CA) read the clue: “She is married to a total whack job. She must have done a number on him. I don’t know what he did to that guy.” McCain correctly identified it as having been said by . Cohen then asked what she thought about the couple, who had become a fixture of political coverage for their directly opposed views on Trump almost at the start of his administration. That prompted McCain to say, “I think it’s awful and I think that they have four kids that are gonna read this c--p and I think it’s awful. I think it’s weird and I don’t care if it’s their kink or whatever I think it’s horrible... I think they’re both gross.” She added, “Wait can I say one more thing. Don’t call me or email me Kellyanne. She does that every time I say something.” Conway called that claim a “lie” in her 2022 memoir, , writing that she had never called McCain and did not even have her number. She wrote that they had only once exchanged emails, which was a “friendly” invitation from McCain to join and have dinner with both their husbands. In the book Conway called McCain a “know it all”; accused her of “ad nauseam, ad hominem attacks on me”; suggested she had “cashed in” on her father’s two failed presidential runs; and relayed a conversation with McCain’s husband Ben Domenech in which he said of his wife’s then-role, “ is the worst show on television.” Conway has not been a formal part of the Trump campaign or transition for his second term but has been a fierce public advocate for him in this election cycle, including as a columnist with DailyMail.com. Sources said that the confrontation by Conway at the women’s summit was the first proper meeting between the two. “It doesn’t look like there will be a second,” one friend said.

Eli Manning admits he finally took the NYC subway — years after his playing career endedThe Detroit Lions will play without two high draft picks in rookie cornerbacks Terrion Arnold and Ennis Rakestraw Jr. while possibly getting back veteran Emmanuel Moseley against the host Indianapolis Colts on Sunday. Arnold was downgraded Saturday from questionable to out because of a groin injury. He was limited at practice on Thursday and participated in a full practice on Friday. The Lions drafted Arnold with the 24th overall pick of the 2024 NFL Draft out of Alabama. Arnold, 21, has started all 10 games and has 38 tackles and six passes defended. Rakestraw (hamstring) was placed on injured reserve after not practicing all week. He already had been ruled out for Sunday's game. Detroit picked Rakestraw in the second round (61st overall) out of Missouri. He has played in eight games and has six tackles. Rakestraw, 22, has played on 46 defensive snaps (8 percent) and 95 special teams snaps (42 percent). Moseley had full practice sessions all week and was activated from injured reserve on Saturday but was listed as questionable for Sunday. The 28-year-old is in his second season with Detroit and appeared in one game last season before going on IR in October 2023. He was placed on IR on Aug. 27 with a designation to return. Moseley played from 2018-22 for the San Francisco 49ers and had 162 tackles, four interceptions -- one returned for a touchdown -- and 33 passes defensed in 46 games (33 starts). Detroit elevated linebacker David Long on Saturday for game day. Long, 28, signed with the practice squad on Tuesday after the Miami Dolphins released him on Nov. 13. He had started six of eight games for the Dolphins this season and had 38 tackles. In other Lions news, the NFL fined wide receiver Jameson Williams $19,697 for unsportsmanlike conduct for making an obscene gesture during a touchdown celebration in last Sunday's 52-6 home win over the Jacksonville Jaguars, the NFL Network reported Saturday. Williams, 23, scored on a 65-yard pass from Jared Goff with 12:55 remaining in the third quarter. --Field Level Media