General | February 14, 2019 | 11:47

Two upstart programs and first-time Prep Kickoff Classic participants -- Birmingham Groves and Grosse Pointe South -- battle it out in Game 1 on Day 2 of the 2019 Xenith Prep Kickoff Classic (Friday, Aug. 30, at 4 p.m.) at Wayne State University in Detroit.
 
Groves finished with at least 10 wins for only the third time in program history in 2018 (10-3), while South finished with eight wins for only the fifth time since 2000 (8-2).
 
Last season also marked the second time in program history that Groves advanced to the semifinal round of the state playoffs (first time came in 2016; lost to Detroit King, 14-7).
 
Groves returns several impact players, including senior quarterback Markis Alexander, senior linebacker/running back Ralph Donaldson and senior outside linebacker/weak-side safety Kaleb Coleman.
 
Donaldson and Coleman will be tasked with stopping a potent Blue Devils offensive attack that scored a school-record 328 points a season ago.
 
The Blue Devils will be led by a duo of explosive wideouts in senior AJ Benson and sophomore Will Johnson, who already has offers from Kentucky and Toledo, among others.
 
Groves also scored a school-record amount of points last year. The Falcons finished with 404 points in 13 games, good for an average of 31 points per game.
 
Expect the fireworks to be aplenty in the second all-time matchup between the Falcons and Blue Devils (Groves beat South, 44-10, in the regional final round of the 2016 playoffs).

Tickets are available online at detroitsports.org/pkctickets with a portion of the proceeds benefitting each school. For a limited time only, fans will receive 15 percent off their order in honor of the event celebrating 15 years. One ticket grants admission to all games on that particular day.

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Birmingham Groves Falcons  
Head coach: Brendan Flaherty
2018 finish: 10-3 (Lost to Warren De La Salle, 28-0, in the semifinal round of the Division 2 state playoffs)
All-time record against Grosse Pointe South: 1-0 (Beat South, 44-10, in regional final round of 2016 state playoffs)
Xenith Prep Kickoff Classic record: N/A; first time playing in PKC 

Key players (year they're entering in fall): Senior quarterback Markis Alexander, senior linebacker and running back Ralph Donaldson, senior wide receiver/kick returner/backup defensive back Clayton Fox, senior WR Eli Turner (will also return kicks), senior outside linebacker/weak-side safety Kaleb Coleman, senior RB/slot receiver/nickel safety Colby Taylor, senior center Jordan Broomfield, senior offensive tackle Alex Smith, junior offensive lineman Ben Simmons, junior defensive tackle J.J. Ferguson, senior free safety Markell Harris, senior strong safety Darryl Allen, senior DB Jack Curran, sophomore DB/WR Jarrad Mangham and junior DB/backup QB Jack Wood.

Expectations for the 2019 season: "We want to win the Oakland Activities Association White division, beat Birmingham Seaholm and make the playoffs plus make another run in the playoffs," Flaherty said.

Thoughts on playing in the Prep Kickoff Classic: "We view it as a reward for having a good season last year," Flaherty said. "The players, and especially the seniors, are pumped up for this. We want to show people that we're legit."
He added, "This first game for us is about us, execution and concentrating on our mechanics. Through 7-on-7s in the offseason, we'll design some things for Grosse Pointe South, which is a great program to prepare for."

Grosse Pointe South Blue Devils
Head coach: Tim Brandon
2018 finish: 8-2 (Lost to Dearborn Fordson, 24-17, in the first round of the Division 1 state playoffs)
All-time record against Birmingham Groves: 0-1 (Lost to Groves, 44-10, in regional final round of 2016 state playoffs)
Xenith Prep Kickoff Classic record: N/A; first time playing in PKC  
Key players (year they're entering in fall): Senior tight end and defensive end Nick Fannon, senior wide receiver AJ Benson, sophomore defensive back and WR Will Johnson, senior strong safety Owen Bollaert, senior tailback Kevin McCarron, senior right tackle and defensive tackle Owen Chen and senior fullback and linebacker James Doerer.
 
Expectations for the 2019 season: "Year in and year out, they're very high," Brandon said. "We've kind of become a plug-and-play kind of program. We want to win the MAC White, which we've won three years in a row. Additionally, we're looking forward to beating our rivals from Grosse Pointe North and to making a run in the state playoffs."
 
Thoughts on playing in the Prep Kickoff Classic: "We're excited about playing in the Prep Kickoff Classic," Brandon said. "We've never played in it before, but have heard about the great atmosphere at Wayne State from teams that have played in the event in the past."
 
He added, "We want revenge. We played Groves in the quarterfinals three years ago, and Groves beat us. So, we have revenge on our minds."