Detroit, MI
4 Under-the-Radar Lions That Could Make Impact in Training Camp
The day has finally arrived. The Lions will take the Allen Park practice field for their first full practice of training camp on Wednesday.
With training camp comes a variety of intriguing position battles for Dan Campbell’s squad. Plus, as is the case with every camp, there are bound to be multiple under-the-radar players that catch the attention of fans and pundits alike.
With that said, let’s take a look at four of those types of players that have a chance to make an impact at camp this summer.
TE James Mitchell
Prior to the beginning of last season, Mitchell – a 2022 fifth-round pick – looked like he had a chance to move up the Lions’ tight ends depth chart.
But then, last season came and went, and Mitchell emerged from it with just two catches. Meanwhile, Sam LaPorta took the league by storm, and set all kinds of rookie records, and Brock Wright firmly took control of the No. 2 TE job.
Fast-forward to this summer, and Mitchell will have to fight tooth and nail for a spot on Detroit’s 53-man roster. LaPorta and Wright are firmly entrenched as the team’s top two tight ends, but Mitchell – a third-year pro – does at least have a fighter’s shot to beat out Shane Zylstra for the No. 3 TE job. With a solid enough camp, I believe that Mitchell will do just that.
WR Daurice Fountain
Fountain, with a strong showing in training camp, could be in contention for a spot on the Lions’ 53-man roster.
Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jameson Williams are locks to be Detroit’s No. 1 and No. 2 receivers. Meanwhile, Donovan Peoples-Jones and Kalif Raymond will battle it out in camp for the No. 3 receiver job. However, the Lions’ depth at receiver is a bit murky after that, which leaves the door open for Fountain.
Fountain, a big-bodied wideout at 6-foot-2, 210 pounds, spent most of last season on Detroit’s practice squad. Yet, the former Colts and Chiefs receiver spent OTAs this spring practicing with the first-team offense, and caught the attention of several media members.
“He’s in the mix,” Campbell said of Fountain during OTAs. “I mean, we still have a spot open, I mean, we’ve got a couple of spots. We know what Saint (St. Brown) is, we know what Leaf (Raymond) can bring to the table, we like where Jamo (Jameson Williams) is going. But, I mean, there’s still — you go 11 personnel, we’ve got another spot over there.”
OT Connor Galvin
You can never have enough offensive line depth.
It’s why Galvin, an undrafted rookie free-agent signing by Detroit in 2023, is a dark-horse candidate to make the Lions’ 53-man roster out of camp.
The second-year pro was a preseason standout for Detroit last summer, suiting up for all three exhibition games and recording a Pro Football Focus grade of 79.2. Then, at the end of last season, the front office rewarded his efforts on the team’s practice squad by inking him to a futures deal.
It’s a clear sign of the organization’s confidence in the 24-year-old. And although Colby Sorsdal and Dan Skipper appear to be ahead of him on the depth chart, Galvin should still have a chance to be one of the team’s primary backups at offensive tackle in 2024.
DT Kyle Peko
Peko has a chance to be a very nice depth piece along the interior of the Lions’ defensive line. A free-agent acquisition by Brad Holmes in early May, Peko brings with him 42 games of NFL playing experience. In his career, he’s produced 56 total tackles, including four tackles for loss, two sacks, two passes defensed and a forced fumble.
Most recently, he suited up for the Tennessee Titans, with whom he played in 13 games last year (including 10 starts). During Peko’s lone season in Tennessee, new Lions defensive line coach Terrell Williams was his position coach. With Peko being reunited with Williams in Motown, it should give the 31-year-old defensive lineman a legit shot to claim a roster spot out of camp.
Detroit, MI
Gas prices up 84 cents in Michigan from last week, up 76 cents in metro Detroit
DEARBORN, Mich. (WXYZ) — Gas prices in Michigan are up 84 cents from last week in the state of Michigan, according to the American Automobile Association (AAA).
Michigan drivers are now paying an average of $4.86/gallon for regular unleaded fuel, which is 99 cents more than this last month and $1.64 more than this time last year.
This means that for a full 15-gallon tank of gas, drivers are paying an average of $73, up $22 from last year’s highest prices.
“Michigan drivers are feeling the squeeze as gas prices spike 85 cents in one week,” said Adrienne Woodland, spokesperson, AAA-The Auto Club Group. “Until oil prices ease and gasoline stocks rebuild, drivers may continue to feel pressure from higher prices at the pump.”
Metro Detroit’s current average is $4.83 per gallon, up 76 cents since last week and up $1.66 from this time last year.
Here’s a look at the priciest and cheapest gas prices across the state:
- Most expensive gas price averages: Benton Harbor ($4.94), Ann Arbor ($4.92), Grand Rapids ($4.91)
- Least expensive gas price averages: Marquette ($4.65), Flint ($4.82), Metro Detroit ($4.83)
For more information on gas prices near you, click here.
Detroit, MI
How Detroit Pistons Completed Playoff Series Comeback With Game 7 Win Over Magic
The playoff comeback of the ages is complete. The Detroit Pistons defeated the Orlando Magic 116-94 in Game 7 on Sunday in front of what was an energetic crowd at Little Caesars Arena, advancing in the NBA playoffs.
The Pistons are the second Eastern Conference team in this year’s NBA playoffs to come back from a 3-1 deficit and win the series. The Philadelphia 76ers also rallied from a 3-1 deficit to upset the Boston Celtics.
The Pistons’ first-round win over the Magic is their first playoff series win since the 2007-08 season, and now they’ll advance to the Eastern Conference Semifinals and look to reach one step closer to reaching their goal of winning their first NBA championship since 2004.
Not only did the Pistons repeat history from 2003 by rallying from a 3-1 deficit in the first round against the Orlando Magic as the Eastern Conference’s No. 1 seed, but the comeback showed their resolve as a team that could provide a huge confidence booster for the group heading into the Eastern Conference Semifinals.
Tobias Harris’ Remarkable Game 7 Performance
While Cade Cunningham led the Pistons in scoring with 32 points, Tobias Harris put on arguably the best performance of his career in the playoffs. Throughout this series and in the Pistons’ three elimination games, Harris has been an unsung hero for Detroit. Without his contributions, the first-round comeback likely never would have happened for the Pistons.
In the Pistons’ win, Harris scored 30 points, nine rebounds, and two assists on 11-of-18 shooting from the field, including five three-pointers. It was a remarkable performance for a player who, in the past, faced criticism for his postseason contributions. Entering Sunday’s matchup, Harris was 0-2 in Game 7’s, and he ended that streak in a big way.
In addition to Cunningham and Harris 30-point playoff performances, Jalen Duren (15 points) and Duncan Robinson (10 points) also scored in double figures for the Pistons.
For the Magic, Paolo Banchero led Orlando in the loss, scoring 38 points, nine rebounds, and six assists. While not as efficient offensively as Banchero was in Game 7, Desmond Bane (16 points) and Wendell Carter Jr. (13 points) also scored in double figures for the Magic.
What’s Next For Pistons?
The Pistons currently await their opponent in the Eastern Conference Semifinals, as they’ll face either the Toronto Raptors or the Cleveland Cavaliers. Game 1 of the Pistons Eastern Conference Semifinals series is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. ET on Tuesday night at Little Caesars Arena, with the game broadcast on Peacock.
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Detroit, MI
Detroit school district to showcase student stars at Fox Theatre
Jaelen Reaves is well-prepared to study vocal music starting this fall at Oakland University.
And the reason why will be on display this week at Detroit’s Fox Theatre.
“An Evening of Fine Arts,” a free show taking place on Wednesday, May 6, is the Detroit Public Schools Community District’s 57th showcase of performing and visual arts. Some 760 students from 14 schools will take part in the presentation, which includes 27 stage performances and 26 works on display in the Fox’s Grand Lobby.
And for students such as Reaves, who attends the Detroit School of Arts, it’s a chance to take a step towards a career on a stage that’s hosted showbusiness legends they’ve looked up to.
“It’s like, wow, because I know people like Patti LaBelle and Chaka Khan and so many others have performed there,” says Reaves, 18, a vocal soprano who will perform with the DSA Lady Achievers and Concert Choir on Wednesday. “The fact that they sang on that stage and I’m about to sing on that stage is crazy. Just going to the Fox to see (a performance) is a privilege; for me to be performing on that stage is really an honor.
“The fact I have the opportunity to showcase my talent and what we represent here (at DSA). If I was in another school, I would never have had this opportunity. I definitely don’t take it for granted.”
Other performances during the night will come from the district’s harp and vocal ensemble, which recently celebrated its 100th anniversary and is the oldest such program in the country, and a selection of choirs, jazz bands, orchestras and theater programs.
“(The evening) spotlights the voices of our students in the highest visual and performing arts programs, district-wide,” says Andrew McGuire, deputy executive director of fine and performing arts for DPSCD. “When our students are stepping on the stage, they’re not only stepping into a legacy, they’re also stepping into the future as performers — as actors, as singers and all of that.”
The evening also demonstrates DCSPD’s continuing commitment to arts education at a time when many districts nationwide have severely limited or completely curtailed similar curriculum.
“We have a whole-child commitment,” McGuire explains, “which has meant the rebuilding and revitalization of fine and performing arts (education) district-wide. And DSA is not the only space where artists exist. All 106 schools have fine and performing arts, with most schools having two or more (programs) in them. It’s really exciting that in an age when there’s so much talk about pulling back, restricting and cutting, that’s not in our narrative at DPSCD. We’re proud of that.”
Reaves is certainly emblematic of the district’s effectiveness. Raised in an artistic family, as well as singing in church, she became interested in classical singing, but plans to study a broad array of styles at Oakland. “I just want to be a solo performer who has every single (style) under my belt,” she says. “I don’t want to just sing one type of genre. I would love to go around the world singing all types of things
“I know that singing, for me, is not a hobby. It’s something that’s in my blood. I can’t do anything but sing every day. So I want to make the best of it.”
The Detroit Public Schools Community District’s “An Evening of Fine Arts” takes place at 6 p.m. Wednesday, May 6, at the Fox Theatre, 2211 Woodward Ave., Detroit. Admission is free, but tickets are required. 313-471-7000 or 313Presents.com.
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