Southfield Warriors.

Written Friday January 15th at 1:00 PM

The Southfield school district will have a new name and it will be an interesting nickname to say the least according to an accurate source but not confirmed by the school district.

The team's new name will be the Warriors and their color scheme will be red, white, and blue. Southfield-Lathrup was red and white being the Chargers while Southfield was the Blue Jays and they were blue and white.

Interesting name and choice of colors to say the least. When Lapeer merged their high schools they went to a dark blue and green scheme and Southfield has decided to do the same. We'll see what happens.

OAA Picks January 14th, 15th, 16th.

Written Wednesday January 13th at 11:45 PM


Boys.

North Farmington at Clarkston: Likely will be the best game in the State on Thursday with two State powers. The Wolves have won eight straight meetings with the Raiders. How will Foster Loyer respond after getting 44 points last weekend in Detroit and how will Billy Thomas and Armui Hardy do in a back-court loaded with talent. A lot of star talent in this match-up. Kosmo is picking Clarkston, I’m going North. PICK: NORTH BY 3.

Lathrup at Troy Athens: Taylor McCaskill will have a big game here and Bob Dowd will go home a very happy man. PICK: ATHENS BY 2.

Pontiac at Bloomfield Hills: When in doubt you go with Jalen Kelso and the unbeaten Phoenix whom are on a tear right now. PICK: PONTIAC BY 16.

Troy at Oak Park: One more game and the Knights will be at full strength. PICK: OAK PARK BY 6.

Avondale at West Bloomfield: This will be a great game between two great teams but the difference will be Tristian Jackson. PICK: WEST BLOOMFIELD BY 3.

Rochester at Orion: David Gomez is still a Dragon but the night will belong to Noah Harris. The Falcons are well rested but rust will be an issue. PICK: ORION BY 4.

Stoney Creek at Seaholm: The Cougars are still very upset after losing to Adams last week but they will be rolling with threes in front of the Maple Forest. PICK: STONEY CREEK BY 13.

Farmington at Oxford: Falcons will be rusty, if they stop Jordan Jaden they will win but they won’t Wildcats will pull off big upset. PICK: OXFORD BY 1.

Royal Oak at Hazel Park: Great test for both teams. Ravens are rolling while the Vikings are struggling a bit. PICK: ROYAL OAK BY 3.

Harrison at Ferndale: Two bad teams going at it here but when in doubt go with the Eagles. PICK: FERNDALE BY 6.

Berkley at Groves: The Falcons have been struggling but the Bears are a dangerous opponent. I see upset right here. PICK: BERKLEY BY 1.

Rochester vs Adams-Crosstown Showdown:  The Falcons are going to be playing the second game of a back to back and they will be tired, it’s going to get ugly real fast at Oakland University. PICK: ADAMS BY 24.

Clarkston vs Detroit Renaissance at Warren Fitzgerald: Justin Turner vs Foster Loyer one of the best guard match-ups in the entire State, too bad that Dylan Alderson will be the one who takes over this game. PICK: CLARKSTON BY 7.

Girls.

Harrison at Clarkston: The Hawks surprised me when they upset Stoney Creek but they still have Kristen Nelson and Amber Stephans but the Wolves are a different animal and they have size on their side with Kayla Luchenbach and she will make a difference in this game. PICK: CLARKSTON BY 2.

Oxford at Lathrup: This will be a tune-up game for the Chargers before Saturday’s big game in Ann Arbor against Toledo Rogers. In tribute to Vince McMahon the Wildcats have “No Chance in Hell.” PICK: LATHRUP BY 56.

Royal Oak at North Farmington: Samantha Potter will have a long night guarding Kierra Crockett in the home of the full court press. PICK: NORTH BY 8.

West Bloomfield at Bloomfield Hills: The Lakers have been rolling as of later but difference here will be oddly enough Taylor Pierce in an upset of the Blackhawks. PICK: WEST BLOOMFIELD BY 1.

Orion at Troy: The Colts did a great job shutting down Samantha Potter on Tuesday but can they shut down yet another freshman in Maddie Novak??? PICK: ORION BY 7.

Southfield at Seaholm: Great matchup of individual talent here but the Blue Jays will still be undefeated heading into the weekend over a very good Maples team. PICK: SOUTHFIELD BY 4.

Farmington at Oak Park: The Knights will have no problem destroying the Falcons. PICK: OAK PARK BY 23.

Berkley at Troy Athens: The Bears and Red Hawks are even in this match-up but Berkley has played a brutal schedule while Troy Athens has not been consistent. PICK: BERKLEY BY 4.

Pontiac at Hazel Park: Trinity Benton is back and the Vikings will be rolling in this game. PICK: HAZEL PARK BY 19.

Ferndale at Groves: Shea Carter will have no problem torching the Eagles. PICK: GROVES BY 15.

Rochester vs Adams-Crosstown Showdown: The Highlanders need this game in the worst way possible and they will get it too because of Maggie Rogers. PICK: ADAMS BY 10.

Lathrup vs Toledo Rogers at Ann Arbor Huron: These two teams battled last season, difference is that the Chargers have more experience on their side. PICK: LATHRUP BY 4.

Thoughts on Pontiac Notre Dame Prep possibly joining the OAA.

Written Wednesday January 13th at 9:30 PM

The OAA will be down to 23 schools by the end of the school year with Southfield and Lathrup is merging into one school.

23 is an odd number.

There is a school looking to join a conference and have stability. Oddly enough its Pontiac Notre Dame Prep.

The Irish were kicked out of the Catholic League on Tuesday for refusing to play Birmingham Brother Rice in football citing safety concerns. They are not allowed to play any Catholic League teams unless it is the State Tournament.

Could the OAA take a chance on bringing in the Irish??? Well here are some pros and cons to bringing in Pontiac Notre Dame Prep.

What is Working in Favor For Pontiac Notre Dame Prep.

The Irish are very competitive in many sports especially volleyball, football, girls basketball, softball, and boys basketball.

They would have a natural rivalry with Pontiac, something that the Phoenix and the city of Pontiac have long wanted because when Pontiac Northern and Pontiac Central merged the rivalry went with them.

Location, they are in the center of OAA Territory. Southern schools would not have too big of an issue.

Pontiac Notre Dame Prep can create new rivalries with other OAA Schools and could encourage Ferndale and Hazel Park to stay in the OAA.

The Irish have played OAA schools in the past such as Orion, Clarkston, Farmington, Oxford, Stoney Creek, and Rochester among others.

What is Working Against Pontiac Notre Dame Prep.

You have to enroll to get into Notre Dame Prep. They only have about over 700 students enrolled there. Avondale, Berkley, Hazel Park and especially Ferndale can compete with the Irish because of enrollment but they will be forced to play schools that are bigger than them and has more kids not to mention the OAA has a realignment policy which means Notre Dame Prep will more than likely play bigger schools for league games and that could also happen for football.

Pontiac Notre Dame Prep is a private school, the OAA in the past has voted down private schools joining the league. In 1997 Birmingham Detroit Country Day and Cranbrook-Kingswood applied to the OAA but were turned down by the league because they were private schools and Cranbrook is a Boys only school.

My Thoughts.

To me in my opinion this is close to a slam dunk based on location and travel would be far less than they would have to do as an independent but I do have some concerns though with this move if the Irish were to enter the OAA because Pontiac Notre Dame Prep is a private school and they RECRUIT. Now I know there are private schools in other leagues around the state like Flint Powers Catholic is in the Saginaw Valley League and I do understand why the Southern schools like Royal Oak and Farmington don’t want Lapeer, Davison, and Grand Blanc in the league and it’s because of travel.

Another concern that I have is the competitive advantage that Pontiac Notre Dame Prep would have in football because of their recruiting ability. Take the recruiting process away and I would let them into the league in my opinion.

I don’t think it’s likely they will join the league but its a close call (probably 60-40 no) because of the private school and recruiting debate but then again Pontiac Notre Dame Prep isn't Birmingham Brother Rice or Orchard Lake St. Mary's where they give stuff to athletes to go to their schools but anything is possible.

Pontiac Notre Dame Prep will have to petition the OAA to join the league but the other 23 high school principals will be the ones who decide if the Irish were to join the league or not.

We’ll see what happens, stay tuned to OAA Now for complete coverage on the possible expansion. Also we are keeping an eye on the Kensington Lakes Athletic Association situation as the Athletic Directors of each of the KLAA schools have met about keeping the 24 schools together despite the fact they are rumblings that some schools want out of the league if the divisions are the same based on geographic and not by realignment every few seasons.

OAA Basketball Picks for January 7th, 8th, and 9th.

Written Wednesday January 6th at 10:00 PM

With league games about to start up, I always have done football picks as you know but here some basketball picks for the games around the OAA this week.

Girls.

Stoney Creek at Lathrup. The Cougars have been rolling at 8-0 with double digit wins against everyone except Orion where they only won by two points there. The Chargers have been rolling as well as of late, winning two straight games after a brief two game losing streak. This will be a good match up but Lathrup has a bit too much experience but Stoney Creek will bring their A game. PICK: LATHRUP BY 2.

Oxford at Harrison. The Wildcats shocked the OAA world on Tuesday night with their upset victory over West Bloomfield but they will get a good dose of reality when they go to Farmington Hills on Thursday and play a very good Hawks team. Harrison has played really well since the loss to Detroit Renaissance. It will be a good night in Farmington Hills. PICK: HARRISON BY 21.

Adams at Clarkston. The Wolves have been rolling as of late going 8-0 but they haven’t played a game since beating Walled Lake Western. The Highlanders have played a brutal non-conference schedule and has had a lot of time to get ready for this game. The difference will be in the inside as the Highlanders won’t have an answer for Clarkston’s interior game. PICK: CLARKSTON BY 5.

Bloomfield Hills at Orion. The Dragons have had three losses by a combined 14 points but snapped the losing streak by beating Avondale on Tuesday night. The Blackhawks return some key pieces back and has a strong inside threat but they have not played a game since losing to Highland Park Chandler Park Academy. Orion has played a tougher non-conference schedule than Bloomfield Hills and it will show itself in this game. PICK: ORION BY 6.

Royal Oak at West Bloomfield. I don’t know what happened to the Lakers at Oxford on Tuesday but it wasn’t good. The Ravens hammered Warren Michigan Collegiate on Tuesday but West Bloomfield is a much different opponent and will have a lot of motivation heading into the game. The Lakers should be upset and they will take out their frustrations but it will be a closer game than people think. PICK: WEST BLOOMFIELD BY 2.

Troy at North Farmington. The Raiders haven’t played since losing 51-48 in overtime to Lansing Everett in the Roundball but they have played a tougher schedule lately and it will get them ready for this game. Troy lost 37-25 to Stoney Creek on Tuesday and it could be a long night yet again for the Colts. PICK: NORTH FARMINGTON BY 15.

Oak Park at Avondale. The Knights have been playing a brutal schedule and have been beaten badly in most of those games. The Yellow Jackets did not look good against Orion on Tuesday but someone will get a win here. Size advantage goes to Avondale and it will show here and they’ll get their first win. PICK: AVONDALE BY 4.

Seaholm at Rochester. This would had been a great match up if the Falcons had all their players healthy but they don’t and what makes it worse is they will be rusty. The Maples are playing very well right now and it will continue to be that way. PICK: SEAHOLM BY 12.

Southfield at Farmington. The Falcons have no chance in this one, it’s going to be bad. PICK: SOUTHFIELD BY 45.

Ferndale at Hazel Park. The Vikings will want to look to get revenge after what happened to them on Tuesday against Birmingham Roeper where they only scored nine points. Even without Trinity Benton, Hazel Park will be fine against the Eagles. PICK: HAZEL PARK BY 8.

Pontiac at Berkley. The Bears are a dangerous team and will show why they are one of the best teams in this division. The Phoenix will give them a fight but in the end it’s at Berkley and the Bears rarely lose at home. PICK: BERKLEY BY 5.

Athens at Groves. This is a big game for both teams, the Red Hawks are winless but they will do well in the division. The key for the Falcons is Shea Carter but the supporting cast will be the difference in this game and I’m not sure if I can trust the Falcons supporting cast despite the fact that Athens is playing a tough back to back against a very good Brandon squad. PICK: ATHENS BY 4.

Boys.

Avondale at Oxford. The Wildcats did not look good after losing to Bloomfield Hills by 10 on Tuesday. The Yellow Jackets are a deceptive 2-3 after losing to a very good Orion team on Tuesday. Avondale will get back to 500 after a blowout win. PICK: AVONDALE BY 15.

Bloomfield Hills at Troy. The Blackhawks beat Oxford by 10 points while the Colts lost to Groves by five. This will be a great league game to watch but when in doubt go the coach that has the most experience. PICK: TROY BY 1.

Stoney Creek at Adams. Three point shooting favors the Cougars, size inside favors the Highlanders. Stoney Creek has Ben Reider and John Paul Sincola while Adams has Spencer Littleson. I think David Rinke will be the difference and the power of Galvin Ronsoke influence will give the Cougars will get their first loss of the season. PICK: ADAMS BY 4.

Southfield at Troy Athens. This has mismatch written all over it, it looks like Blue birds are better than Red birds in this game. I have two picks here the game and how many points Michael Flowers scores in this game. PICK: SOUTHFIELD BY 25 AND FLOWERS GETS 35 POINTS.

North Farmington at Harrison. It could be a long night for the Hawks on their home court against the Raiders. PICK: NORTH FARMINGTON BY 35.

Detroit Edison at Ferndale. The Eagles have been a spotty team lately, don’t know much about Detroit Edison but they won’t be a problem for Ferndale or so we think. PICK: FERNDALE BY 1.

Groves at Seaholm. The Maples lost 45-43 in overtime to Berkley on Wednesday and despite them being scrappy and mentally tough they’ve been struggling some. The Falcons meanwhile have been playing much better lately. The rivalry will be tense as both student sections will be in full effect in this game. When in doubt, go with the road team here. PICK: GROVES BY 1.

Royal Oak at Orion. The Dragons better be careful of a letdown after winning over Avondale on Tuesday. The Ravens played their worst game of the season after losing to Stoney Creek on Tuesday by 37. This will be an interesting game between Cordell Dupree and Gavin Boswell vs David Gomez and Noah Harris. I think the difference in this game will be Jaylen Wiggins. PICK: ORION BY 8.

Clarkston vs Romulus @ Detroit Renaissance. The Wolves won a sluggish game with Flint Carman Ainsworth on Tuesday by 17 points, the long layoff played important dividends to Clarkston. Romulus lost to U-D Jesuit on Tuesday. This game will be interesting based off of individual talent on the floor but the Wolves will find a way and win this game. PICK: CLARKSTON BY 1.

Yellow Jackets head to a new era.

Written Wednesday January 6th at 6:15 PM

The Yellow Jackets have lost a legend when it comes to the football ranks and a new era is about to take place in Auburn Hills.

Avondale coach Steve Deutsch resigned from coaching football on Monday. The reason he stepped down is that his son is going to attend high school next year and wants to see him do well. "Coaching football is a year round sport and takes numerous hours of dedication" he said in a press release, released by the Avondale Athletic Department. "I look forward to dedicating some of the hours to being with my family and watching my teenage son whom is entering high school next year."

Deutsch was a former Junior Varsity Coach at Lake Orion and spent some time at Pontiac Notre Dame Preparatory before taking the Yellow Jackets football job in 2001. He finished his 14 year career at Avondale with a 73-61 record with his best season as Yellow Jackets coach being in 2012 when they finished 9-2 and lost to Orchard Lake St. Mary's in the Division Three district finals.

The Yellow Jackets will be very young next season but they have a chance to build on what they have this upcoming season in the Blue as they will be competitive in that division again.

Girls Basketball Thoughts. Part Two.

Written Tuesday January 5th at 12:45 AM

Here are some thoughts of each team as we head into the new year based on the division.

The Red is pretty much looking like it will be a four team race, maybe five if Adams can get its act together. The favorite right now looks like it’s Southfield-Lathrup especially with their college bound athletes. The Chargers most complete win was at the Motor City Roundball Classic when they destroyed Waterford Kettering 59-31, they limited the Captains to just eight points in the second half. Lathrup will be not only a favorite in the league but also a State title contender this season. Another team that has State title dreams is Farmington Hills Harrison. The Hawks do have a new coach in Allen Walker whom came over from Troy and has installed his offense to Harrison. The Hawks only loss was to a very good Detroit Renaissance team. Harrison is very talented lead by Kristen Nelson and Amber Stephens. The Hawks will be tested once league play starts. The Clarkston Wolves look to the future as Christine Rogers takes over the program from Tim Wasilk but no one expected them to go 7-0. The Wolves best win was at Orion early in the season as they had to survive that game along with North Farmington. Clarkston is led by Kayla Russell and Kayla Luchenbach whom have had big games down the stretch. They will be counted on to do more this season but they have had other players step up in the process as well. If the OAA ever had a Coach of the Year Candidate, my vote would be to Kellen James for what he has done at Stoney Creek. The Cougars sit at 7-0 and are rolling heading into league play behind Ally Voss, Courtney Elkhout, Emily Solek, among others. Stoney Creek has beaten everyone except for Orion by double digits so far this season but once league play comes it will test them even more. Adams has been my biggest disappointment at 1-4 on the season. The Highlanders are led by Maggie Rogers, Hannah Simard, Ryian Owusu, and Linden transfer Taylor Smith. Adams coach Shay Lewis has had her hands full this season, having played a tough non-league schedule playing the likes of Macomb Dakota, Howell, and Warren Cousino but they do have a league loss to Stoney Creek that is killing them so far. Oxford so far will struggle in league play after winning the White last season. After losing three players in Jessica Murphy, Skye Donaldson, Jaynee Butkiewicz, and Cherylin Bandis, the Wildcats must rely on Abigail Butkiewicz to carry them, if Madelyn Morris gets her shot going along with good inside play Oxford could cause some problems to someone but I don’t know if I see that happening for coach Steve Emert. His team will take some lumps this season and they have played the likes of Orion, Notre Dame Prep, Warren Couisno, and Northville.

The White is looking like it could be a three team race between Bloomfield Hills, Orion, and North Farmington. The Blackhawks have clearly played an easier non-league schedule than the Dragons or Raiders have. Bloomfield Hills does have something to prove as last season they lost to both Orion and North Farmington twice. The Blackhawks return Amanda Sape, Victorie Franklin, Kathrine Prinna, Myah Jones, and Becca Hancock along with new comers Samantha Patterson and Immani Wright. Coach Jeff Rubin’s team did lose to Chandler Park Academy in its last game but league play will prove to be an even tougher challenge. North Farmington is a very good team coming back and have played good teams in Harrison, Clarkston, and Lansing Everett. The Raiders led by coach Jeff Simpson lost Megan Carter a season ago to graduation but does return Kierra Crockett, Amber Stephans-Watts, Kelly Tusk, Alexa Cherney, and Samantha Cherney and has a talented bench in Sophie Muller. North Farmington loves to pressure and trap and will do so this season in the league. Orion maybe the wildcard of the bunch because they have also played a tough schedule like North Farmington in Lapeer, Clarkston, and Stoney Creek. The Dragons are led by Maddie Novak and Evelyn Wischmeyer along with Lauren Thorne and Delaney Hann. Orion coach Steve Roberts could be a scary team in league play this season. West Bloomfield is a very good and scary team, coach Zach Hilbers has his Lakers playing well but has had some bad luck with the schedule gods lately but he does have a great leadership in Charlika Stubbs, Taylor Pierce, and some very talented players in Jamila Elam and Jordyn Elam. This West Bloomfield squad is a dangerous team going into the season. Royal Oak is an interesting team as well despite their 3-3 early record. The Ravens have had some tough losses early to Milford, Seaholm, and Walled Lake Northern but are led by a very talented sophomore class along with Gia Valentine and also newcomer Samantha Potter. Coach Brian Sopota's team won the Blue last season but they could have some lumps early in league play. Troy although not the same team as they were last year will still be very scrappy again and has wins over Avondale and Troy Athens. Coach Simon Bato returns Megan Lenihan and Jordan Layfette but Danica Murray has stepped up her game and looks to be a force for the Colts as we head into league play this season.

The Blue it looks clearly like the league is Southfield’s to lose. The Blue Jays have been perfect but the schedule looks less impressive but they will get tested when they go to Southfield-Lathrup on January 30^th.  Southfield coach Jamie Ginez has a loaded lineup in Stormlength Mattison and Krystal Lynn Defoe. What makes it scarier is that you have D’Alina Holloman and Alexa Johnson are both underclassmen and are their leading scorers. That’s a scary thought to a loaded Blue Jays team. Seaholm is clearly the second best team in this division, their only loss was to a good Waterford Mott team where they lost 36-35 in that game. The Maples are led by Makenzie Harbort and Dana Hoerman but the X Factor has been Caroline Owens who has emerged as the third scorer for coach January Hlaski. Seaholm will be a factor but don’t think they are at Southfield’s level yet. Rochester has been beaten up with ACL injuries as Zo Schultz, Delaney Norgrove, and Paola Barraza-Duran are out for the season with those injuries and a huge reason why they sit at 1-4 with their only win coming against Yale but coach Adam Sheldon has a talented freshman in Tori Hawkins whom looks ready to carry the Falcons along with Jenna Norgrove whom has made the transition over from forward to guard this season. The Falcons will do what they can with the talent they have and it could help them in the future. Avondale has struggled a bit this season and missing the Mason sisters have hurt coach Darrius Whiteside’s Yellow Jackets but they do return Toya Golden, Addie Saltareii, and Alissa Smith. All three need to step up their game as they have a young guard core in Brooke Sawyers and Brooke Blanchetee. Avondale must develop their guards if they want to compete this season. The Yellow Jackets schedule has been scary as they played Clarkston, Bloomfield Hills, West Bloomfield, and Troy in the process. Oak Park has been a major disappointment for first year coach Peggy Evans-Carr as her Knights are struggling so far, the schedule hasn’t been kind either playing the likes of Lansing Everett, Harrison, Waterford Mott, Grosse Pointe South, and Woodhaven. It will toughen them up for sure but the question is confidence and it could be a hit or miss season this year in Knight Valley but Carr has them on the right track. Farmington has struggled mightily despite winning over Detroit Allen Academy for coach and Athletic Director Mary Sheltron. Amari Echols must be relayed upon even more if the Falcons have a chance to even compete in this league this season.

The Gold has been a Grand Canyon so far when it comes to ups and downs this season. Berkley seems to be the best team in that league. The Bears almost beat Bloomfield Hills and Seaholm and had a tough loss to Waterford Mott. Berkley coach Jordan Gruppen has a very good team in Celica Somers and Zoe Anderson. The Bears appear to be the favorite in the league but you cannot count out the rest of the league. Troy Athens appears to be the second best in the division because of whom they have back in Maddie Crumm, Dakota Stainchuck, Michelle Gervalis, and Jamia Russell whom is the younger sister of SinClair Russell. The Red Hawks are winless right now but once coach Stacie Klumpp gets her team into league play expect them to get some wins under their belt. Groves is a hit and miss team for coach Amos Thompson. The Falcons are led by Shea Carter whom had a 38-point game in a overtime win against Birmingham Roeper in the season opener, they have losses to Royal Oak, Bloomfield Hills, and Seaholm. Groves must rely on Carter to carry them this season if they any chance of being successful. Pontiac is an interesting team and a team on the rise led by their coach Christopher Wright. The Phoenix went 5-13 last season and has four of five starters back in Infinnante Rowe, Jordin Wright, Jasmine Blue, and Shantel Evans. Pontiac though is still young despite bringing in two transfers. Depth is still a major concern for the Phoenix but Wright has them going in the right direction after an 0-21 season in 2013-2014. Ferndale will have some ups and downs this season but coach George Gleason will have some talent in place but being up and playing Class A schools will be a problem again for the Eagles. Hazel Park under the second year of coach Jessica Wieseler’s system will be much better especially when they get their star forward Trinity Benton back. What makes the Vikings better is they have a lot more depth and I expect them to make a huge jump up in league play, who knows they could be a sleeper in the district this upcoming postseason.