MHSAA Classification List is Released.

Written Monday April 20th at 12:25 PM
Updated Monday April 20th at 1:15 PM

The MHSAA announced their classification list for the 2020-2021 school year Monday morning. 

Although there are no new changes surrounding the OAA there were several changed with football with how the divisions would work.

Classifications are based on your enrollment from February 12^th 2020.

The number of students has gone down from last season with Class A being at 831 students or above while Class B has between 830 students to 392 students while Class C has 391 students to 182 students while Class D is 181 students and lower.

20 of the 22 OAA schools are in Class A while Ferndale and Ferndale University are expected to be in Class B.

We shall see what happens.

Here is the OAA Enrollment list.

Lake Orion 2352
Clarkston 2325
Oxford 2313
Troy 2265
West Bloomfield 2036
Southfield Arts and Tech 1969
Troy Athens 1926
Bloomfield Hills 1822
Rochester 1781
Adams 1602
Stoney Creek 1595
Farmington 1586
Royal Oak 1462
Seaholm 1416
North Farmington 1376
Berkley 1364
Groves 1266
Oak Park 1191
Avondale 1158
Ferndale 1152 (689 at Ferndale, 463 at Ferndale University)
Pontiac 941

Here is the article from the MHSAA.

https://www.mhsaa.com/News/Press-Releases/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/9091/2020-21-School-Year-Classifications-Announced

Division Enrollment List

https://www.mhsaa.com/portals/0/documents/SportDivisions/20FB.pdf 

Wieseler Out at Groves.

Written Thursday April 16th at 1:15 PM

The Falcons will have a new Girls Basketball Coach next winter as according to a source that Coach Jessica Wieseler has stepped down from the program.

Groves went 10-11 this season but picked up big wins over Oxford, Bloomfield Hills (twice), Royal Oak (twice), and Stoney Creek. They lost 48-34 to Southfield Arts and Tech in the pre-district.

The Falcons lose Ellie Ruprich, Daija Green, and Bryani Johnson to graduation but whoever the new coach is will have plenty of talent to work with in Kaitlyn Quinn, Rachel Sample, Destiny McCurdy, Loryn Middlebrooks, Peyton Blandford, Alyssa Durrell, and Anaya Bracy-Robinson.

It will be interesting who Groves hires to coach this program. Wieseler has done a really good job getting the program back to respectability.

We shall see what happens.

Stay tuned to OAA Now for the latest on this developing story.

OAA adds Ferndale University.

Written Monday April 6th at 12:10 PM

The OAA will be expanding in the short term according to a source.

Citing to an accurate source the league will accept Ferndale University effective this fall.

The Rising Eagles are in the same school district as Ferndale which will help accommodate the smaller schools like Berkley, Ferndale, Oak Park, Avondale, Pontiac, and Royal Oak.

It doesn’t help from a football standpoint since Ferndale and Ferndale University are a Co-Op squad in the fall.

Ferndale University brings basketball, volleyball, cross country, track and field, and boys soccer according to the MHSAA website.

The Rising Eagles Boys Basketball program earned a district title in 2013. They went 8-7 last season but lost 92-37 to Ferndale in the Division Two district semifinals. The Girls Basketball program went 11-5 and made some noise in the postseason by beating Detroit Osborn 56-26 in the pre-district but fell 52-36 to Warren Lincoln in the Division Two district semifinals.

Ferndale University Co-Op's with Ferndale in girls soccer, baseball, golf, softball, tennis, and football as mentioned.

This is something that Ferndale has cherished since Ferndale University with 463 students is part of the Ferndale School District.

Thoughts

I think this move to bring Ferndale University into the league pleases the smaller schools. I don’t know if this benefits the bigger schools especially with scheduling and it certainly doesn’t help from a football standpoint. I know this move will please the smaller schools and Ferndale University will no longer be an independent.

It will be very interesting how the bigger schools respond to this announcement.

Stay tuned to OAA Now for the latest developments on this story.

LO Cares Podcast
https://soundcloud.com/user-539915961/lo-cares-podcast0-6-18-20

MHSAA cancels Winter and Spring Sports.

Written Thursday April 2nd at 12:00 PM
Updated Friday April 3rd at 2:00 PM

The season is over.

The MHSAA canceled the winter and spring sports seasons on Friday to comply with Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer's state of disaster order due to COVID-19.

"We are heartbroken to not be able to provide these opportunities for Michigan student athletes and especially seniors. We continue to hear from dozens asking us to hold out hope but safety always must come first and Governor Whitmer is making courageous decisions to safeguard the people of this state" said MHSAA Executive Director Mark Uyl.

The district and regional titles will stand but spring sports will not have a season which will impact many people. "We understand as much as anyone how much school sports mean to athletes and their communities. We had ideas and hopes for finishing winter and spring (sports) and helping to bring normalcy after this long break but this is the correct decision and we will play our part in bringing schools and communities together again when the time is right." Uyl concluded.

This will be the first time since 1942-1943 that there will be no finals competition when World War II broke out.

Whitmer signed an executive order on Thursday suspending all K-12 schools effective immediately or unless the restrictions in place are lifted.

“For the sake of our students, their families, and the more than 100,000 teachers and staff in our state, I have made the difficult decision to close our school facilities for the remainder of the school year” Whitmer said in a tweet on Twitter.

Whitmer gave hints in her order to close K-12 schools on Thursday. “K-12 school sports activities and other in person extracurricular activities are suspended while any state of emergency or state of disaster prompted by COVID-19 is in effect.”

The state of emergency in the state was declared on March 24^th. Whitmer closed the schools on March 12^th with the MHSAA suspending everything in compliance with her order. She asked the state legislature to extend that order. Under state law a state of emergency can only last 28 days. It would expire on April 22^nd.

The state of disaster order expires on June 9^th.

All seniors will be given an opportunity to graduate this year.

Michigan is under a “Stay at Home” order by Whitmer that is set to expire on April 13^th however that order could be extended as COVID-19 cases and deaths have risen in the last three weeks.

Thoughts

I feel really bad for the seniors who won’t have a chance to have a chance to compete, have a prom, or walk the aisle for graduation. Also those who do spring sports and have saw their season’s come to an abrupt end.

It wasn’t a surprise that Whitmer did what she did, she did what was best for the health of the kids. Also Uyl following in line with what Whitmer did.

Stay tuned to OAA Now and the Inside the OAA blog for the latest on this developing story.

Here is Whitmer's Order

https://content.govdelivery.com/attachments/MIEOG/2020/04/02/file_attachments/1417518/EO%202020-35.pdf

Here is the Press Release from MHSAA Executive Director Mark Uyl.
https://www.mhsaa.com/News/Press-Releases/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/9062/MHSAA-Cancels-Remainder-of-2019-20-Winter-Spring-Seasons  

Uyl Video Release.
https://www.mhsaa.com/Portals/0/video%20files/Suspend/April%203.mp4?ver=2020-04-03-141248-303