Way Too Early Updated Basketball Rankings

Written Saturday June 22nd, at 11:40 AM

Hello all with the new districts released. Even though we are now in summer league right now and the season is a few months away it doesn't help to release my top ten teams right now in June as we head into winter for both girls and boys. Here they are.

Girls:

10. Berkley: The Bears are in a winnable district with Lathrup, Oak Park, and Groves, have a shot to do well in both the Blue and in the district playoffs. They return a everybody back so they do have that experience that can do some damage.

9. Troy: The Colts did lose Sydney Heath from a year ago but scouts from Troy are saying that under coach Dennis Koch's second year, this Troy team is improved. In districts Troy will have it tough if they have to play either Waterford Kettering or Waterford Mott early.

8. Lake Orion: The Dragons struggled last season at 4-16 under coach Steve Roberts. Most of the season they were without Hannah Hamay. If Hamay gets back into form from her freshman campaign along with Nicole Krier, the Dragons can be a force in the White. Lake Orion is in a tough district with Adams, Oxford, Stoney Creek, and Clarkston are in there.

7. Adams: The Highlanders twosome of Raiven Owusu and Amber Jamison in their third year together are trying to make amends after last season's upset loss to Romeo. The White is manageable and tough along with the district pending which match-up they get.

6. Oxford: The Wildcats lost a lot of senior talent in Miranda Murphy, Shelby Davis, Kelsey Harrison, among others but Cheryl Davis and Jessica Murphy return. If Oxford can get the same production inside then they could go places. Like Adams and Lake Orion, the White is manageable and tough along with the district they are in.

5. Stoney Creek: The Cougars return nine players from a team that lost to Utica Ford in the district finals last season. Two of those are the Voss sisters, Lauren and Natalie. They are big inside and shoots the three ball very well. In a division with Clarkston and Harrison, third place would not be bad for coach Brad Creighton's crew. They should be one of the favorites heading into a tough district at Clarkston.

4. Bloomfield Hills: The Blackhawks are now one with the Lahser-Andover merger but they have Shannon Wilson among others who will do damage for coach Jeff Rubin's crew. Bloomfield Hills will be a favorite in the White but it's wide open. The district is brutal with Birmingham Marian, North Farmington, and Harrison, they could have a tough time getting out of their district.

3. Ferndale: The Eagles return everybody from a team that lost to Birmingham Detroit Country Day in the regional finals and should easily coast in the Blue this season. Ferndale is in a easy district in Class B in Warren Fitzgerald and a longer run in the postseason is possible for the Eagles.

2. Clarkston: The Wolves will be weaker than last season when they were upset by Birmingham Marian in the regional finals but Clarkston will still have Erica Davenport, the question will be if the Wolves can get enough outside shooting from their guards to help Davenport then coach Tim Waslik likes his chances not only in the Red but also during the season. He does host a tough district with Lake Orion, Adams, Oxford, and Stoney Creek are all in there.

1. Harrison: The Hawks return Kyla Rowland, Amber Stephans, and Kristen Nelson for the season and are favored to win the Red. Harrison's playoff run maybe in serious jeopardy this year then last year. Last season the Hawks lost a buzzer beater in the regional finals to Dexter and is looking to get back there and move on even further. The problem for Harrison and coach Tim Micklash is they are in a district in which Birmingham Marian, Bloomfield Hills, and North Farmington are all big threats, especially Birmingham Marian on their home floor might add. If the Hawks can get enough depth to help it's big three then they can go places.

Boys:

10. Birmingham Seaholm: If coach Jose Andreaus can get a good group that was left when Paris Bass, Brent Houghton, and Brendan Yousif all graduated. The Maples have a good junior varsity team coming up and is expected to contend in the White. The district is tough with Bloomfield Hills along with North Farmington in it as well.

9. Southfield: The Blue Jays suffered a disappointing loss to Beverly Hills Wylie E Groves in the district final last season, Southfield does return some talent although not the same team but they still have the same staff over there on 10 Mile. The Blue Jays are in a district where they have Detroit Renaissance, Detroit Mumford, U-D Jesuit, and Farmington are in a district, that's a tough district with the Detroit schools in there.

8. Stoney Creek: Although sharing the Gold last season with Beverly Hills Wylie E Groves, the Cougars did not get to move up to the White, which should be motivation for coach Steve Norgrove's crew. Stoney Creek is one of the favorites in the Blue and could do some damage this season but Farmington and Ferndale could have a strong say in the Blue. The district is absolutely brutal with Clarkston, Lake Orion, and Adams are in there.

7. Lake Orion: The Dragons lost Chaz Miller and DeMonte Kruse so why are experts saying this team could be better than the team last season that shared the Blue with Bloomfield Hills Lahser and the team that went to the state quarterfinals two seasons ago??? Well chemistry is a good reason and they are a senior laden team. Lake Orion in coach Tom Risi's third season is a sleeper in the White and with the tough non conference they have every season (Pontiac, Oxford, Romeo, Clarkston, Ferndale, and Adams.) The district is interesting with Lake Orion in the middle of a loaded district with Clarkston and Adams as well there.

6. Oak Park: The Knights brought in a new staff, bringing in Bryan Tipton from Detroit Cody to coach their team. Oak Park also got three transfers coming into it's school, all of which played on the same Amiture Athletic Union team "The Next Generation." The transfers the Knights got, two were from Detroit Cody (Sophomore Power Forward, Kelvon Fuller and Senior Point Guard, Orlando Fikes) and one from Southfield-Lathrup (shooting guard Ja' Christian Biles.) The Knights are one of the favorites in the White along with Lake Orion and Troy Athens. Oak Park is in a somewhat easy district but the regional could be tough if they get there.

5. Troy Athens: The Red Hawks return everybody from a district championship team including forward Lucas Bezerra and will be one of the favorites in the White. Troy Athens chemistry is key and in a district where it's winnable but Pontiac, Troy, and Avondale could pose as serious threats the Red Hawks could repeat as district champs for a second straight year.

4. North Farmington: The Raiders return guard/forward Caleb Hogens for his junior season under coach Todd Negoaison. North Farmington has an incoming sophomore guard with potential in Jacob Joubert. The Raiders should be fine this season and in the Red with Clarkston, Southfield, and Bloomfield Hills should be no problem either but a district with Bloomfield Hills and Birmingham Seaholm could be obstacles in the postseason.

3. Adams: Highlanders coach John Hall lost a lot of talent from a season ago when they were upset in the district final by Romeo. Adams however features Ajkeim Williams who can create offense for himself and get his teammates involved. The Highlanders are a sleeper in a division that has Clarkston and Bloomfield Hills in it and also they beat Clarkston in the regular season last season on the road. The district they are in has Clarkston and Lake Orion in there and they could beat one of them if given the chance.

2. Clarkston: The Wolves got richer with the addition of sophomore transfer Tabin Throgmorton from Walled Lake Northern. He will join an already crowded backcourt with Press Kampe, Nick Owens, Nick Myers among others, there is a possibly with his size (6.4) that coach and athletic director Dan Fife could put him at forward. Clarkston is one of the favorites in the Red and in the districts might have to deal with Lake Orion and Adams in the postseason.

1. Bloomfield Hills: With the merger of Lahser and Andover, coach Dwayne Graves will be talented and dangerous with guards Khali Gracey, Armand Carthwright, and center Yanti Maten. Martez Jones from Lahser and Andover, guards Eric Weiss, Dylan Deich, and forward Josh Bender will add more depth for the talented Blackhawks team. The Red will be tough Bloomfield Hills with the likes of Clarkston, Southfield, and North Farmington in that division. The district is also tough with North Farmington and Birmingham Seaholm in there.

Districts Released and thoughts on them

Written Tuesday June 18th, at 5:30 PM

The Michigan High School Athletic Association released its district parings for Volleyball, Girls, and Boys Basketball. The districts are basically the same in the girls and a little different in the guys. Here are the districts and my thoughts on each one of them. Here are the OAA teams that are in their respective districts and sights where they are at.

District 30:

Girls Volleyball and Basketball are at Clarkston.

Boys Basketball is at Orion.

Orion

Clarkston

Rochester

Oxford

Adams

Stoney Creek

Very interesting district here, you got two state powers in Volleyball in Clarkston and Orion but Stoney Creek will present a dangerous challenge to both teams if they get them. Also Rochester Adams has a new coach in Irick Gardner who came over from Birmingham Marian. In Girls Basketball, I can see five teams that can win the district here that will have star power at full display. In Boys Basketball, people will say Clarkston will be favored but it wouldn’t surprise me to see Orion and Adams in the thick of it. It should be a fun district to see.

I think they got it right here with this district assignment.

District 29:

Girls Volleyball and Basketball are at Troy Athens.

Boys Basketball is at Pontiac

Avondale

Pontiac

Troy

Troy Athens

Waterford Kettering

Waterford Mott

In Volleyball, I can see Troy winning this district even though it’s John R rival might have a say in who wins here. In Girls Basketball, who ever wins the battle of Waterford should win this district here, Avondale won the district last year but all that senior talent is gone. In Boys Basketball, Troy Athens is the defending champ and will be one of the favorites but Avondale and Troy could be serious contenders and watch out for Pontiac, the district is at Sy Green Gym.

This district has not changed in years.

District 27:

Girls Volleyball and Basketball are at Birmingham Marian

Boys Basketball is at North Farmington

Birmingham Seaholm

Birmingham Marian (Girls)

Birmingham Brother Rice (Boys)

Bloomfield Hills

Farmington Hills Harrison

North Farmington

In Volleyball, Birmingham Marian is the favorite but losing Coach Irick Gardner (Gardner took over the coaching job at Rochester Adams) could have an impact on how they will adjust to the new coaching staff. Birmingham Seaholm could have a say despite losing a lot of talent. Bloomfield Hills merged Lahser and Andover talent and North Farmington will be a factor as well. In Girls Basketball I can see a clash between Harrison and Birmingham Marian. North Farmington and Bloomfield Hills will have a say but a clash between Harrison and Birmingham Marian is inevitable. In Boys Basketball, Bloomfield Hills will be very good but North Farmington and Birmingham Seaholm will have strong says in who wins this district.

Good Girls Basketball district here, especially with four quality teams here.

District 25:

Girls Volleyball and Boys Basketball are at West Bloomfield

Girls Basketball is at White Lake Lakeland

West Bloomfield

Orchard Lake Saint Marys (Boys)

Walled Lake Northern

Walled Lake Central

Walled Lake Western

White Lake Lakeland

In Volleyball, I can see Lakeland winning this district handily. In Girls Basketball, Walled Lake Western was the surprise last season and in a wide open district is a slight favorite. In Boys Basketball, I can see Orchard Lake St. Marys winning this district even though Walled Lake Central, Walled Lake Western, and West Bloomfield will have a say on that in this district.

Weird putting Walled Lake and West Bloomfield together, I don't think Walled Lake and West Bloomfield make geographic scene.

District 24:

Girls Volleyball, Basketball, and Boys Basketball are at Lathrup

Southfield-Lathrup

Beverly Hills Wylie E. Groves

Berkley

Oak Park

Royal Oak

In Volleyball, if Groves doesn’t win this district then something is seriously wrong here but Berkley could have a say here. In Girls Basketball, Lathrup lost a lot of transfers but the hosts will be fine here. Berkley and Oak Park with their new coach Diane Jones, coming out of retirement, previously coached at Detroit Renaissance could give them a challenge but the favorite will be Coach Michelle Jackson-Marshall’s Hoop Squad team in Lathrup Village. In Boys Basketball, Oak Park is favored here with the transfers coming over from Detroit Cody and new coach Bryan Tipton and could move to the regional final unopposed.

Groves moving south gives them a favorable chance to do some damage, even though they are much closer to Birmingham than Southfield or Royal Oak.

District 21:

Girls Volleyball and Basketball is at Southfield

Boys Basketball is at Farmington

Southfield

Farmington

Detroit Renaissance

Detroit Mumford

University of Detroit-Jesuit (Boys)
Farmington Hills Mercy (Girls)

Detroit International Academy (Girls)

In Volleyball, in a pretty bad district, I can see Farmington Hills Mercy winning this district handily but Farmington has an outside shot to pull a miracle upset. In Girls Basketball, Detroit Renaissance could meet Farmington Hills Mercy and the winner would be district champs. In Boys Basketball, I can see either U-D Jesuit or Southfield winning this district.

Bringing Southfield, Farmington, and Mercy into this district with the Detroit schools just doesn't make sense.

CLASS B

District 42:

Girls Volleyball and Basketball is at Warren Fitzgerald

Boys Basketball is at Detroit Central

Detroit Central

Detroit Douglass

Detroit Old Redford

Ferndale University

Ferndale

Hazel Park

Warren Fitzgerald

In Volleyball, I can see Warren Fitzgerald winning this district but Hazel Park gave them some issues and could do so once again. In Girls Basketball, there will be nobody  that will beat Ferndale. In Boys Basketball, I can see Ferndale University and Ferndale meeting to decide who will move onto the regional final.

One Macomb County team, Three Oakland County teams, and Three Wayne County teams in one district shouldn't even happen but it is right now.

Financial Crisis in Pontiac could impact both Middle School and High School Sports in the area

Written Thursday June 13th, at 5:30 PM

Could the Pontiac school district dissolve by the 2013-2014 school year?

It could happen but not likely will be this fall.

The State of Michigan is considering dissolving school districts that are under financial stress. The legislation would let the State Treasurer and the State Superintendent dissolve financially troubled school district and merge them with other school districts. The revised legislation allows school districts that are less than 2,500 students to be impacted. Pontiac has 5,000 students enrolled in its school district.

Pontiac was mentioned by the state along with Saginaw Buena Vista and Inkster as schools that were to face dissolution in the state legislature however the state said that Pontiac do have sufficient funds to open this fall but do they have the funds to operate for a whole school year?

Saginaw Buena Vista and Inkster face this likely scenario this fall because they have less than 2,500 students and are in budget deficits because of falling property values and enrollment. Saginaw Buena Vista had to close its doors to students for two weeks because they ran out of money and defaulted on a two million dollar loan. Inkster meanwhile has a 16 million dollar deficit and has agreed to charter its high school with the education department.

The State’s Emergency Loan Board found that there was “probable financial stress” in the Pontiac School District. Pontiac Schools faces a $38 million dollar budget deficit and if Governor Rick Snyder and his financial review team declare Pontiac Schools in a financial emergency then Snyder could give Pontiac Schools four options under Public Act 436, a consent agreement, Chapter Nine Bankruptcy, mediation, or an Emergency Manager.

However Oakland Schools will not let the Pontiac School District dissolve if it were the case.

If the Pontiac School District would be dissolved then students would be put in the Bloomfield Hills, Avondale, Waterford, West Bloomfield, and Lake Orion school districts.

The House proposal says that the district bringing in children would not receive the debt or the low test scores coming into the district. The new district would have two to three years to bring the grades up before they average into the district’s test scores.

Officials from those six school districts, including Lake Orion is keeping a close eye on the situation. Lake Orion became an Open Enrollment school district last year. Some parts especially in the southern part of Orion Township are in the Pontiac School District.

Under the new dissolution proposal the intermittent school district can divide up the children with the combination of several factors. The school districts would receive more state aid for students and employees who continue to work for the new district would have pay and benefits of the receiving districts. Those who are not immediately hired will have the chance to be interviewed for job openings for two years.

This Pontiac School District situation does have a big impact on Lake Orion and its school district. Lake Orion is north of Pontiac and could get some of the Pontiac students if this law passes if Pontiac Schools can’t get its fiscal house in order.

This move could have an impact on athletics. If Pontiac Schools does dissolve then where does this leave scheduling? Pontiac High School plays in the Red in Football, Girls Basketball, and Boys Basketball and they are in the Blue/Gold for other sports including track, cross country, baseball, wrestling, softball, volleyball, and swimming and diving. Pontiac Middle School plays football, volleyball, track, wrestling, cross country, and basketball against schools from Lake Orion (Scripps, Waldon, and Oakview,) Clarkston (Clarkston Jr. High, and Sashabaw,) and Oxford. If Pontiac Schools dissolves then where do those schools face and does the Waterford schools (Pierce and Mason) or Avondale come back?

There a lot of questions that needs to be answered so this could be an interesting summer and fall along an interesting school year.

Dragons fall to Birmingham Brother Rice in Quarterfinals

Written Tuesday June 11th, at 7:00 PM

One bad inning, that’s it. That’s all it takes from going home and moving on. The top of the fourth inning decided the faith of the Oakland County Super match up at Saline on Tuesday afternoon.

The game was played at 1:30 PM because of Lake Orion High School having its graduation night at DTE Energy Music Theater in Clarkston.

Birmingham Brother Rice (31-8) used a five run fourth inning to beat the Dragons 7-3 in the state quarterfinals at Saline. The Warriors will move on to play Howell in Battle Creek.

I was not sure why Orion started junior Josh Bays over fellow junior Brad Schaenzer in this game but Bays went three innings only allowing one run.

Then the top of the fourth things started to go down hill.

Birmingham Brother Rice singled, reached on an error and then got an RBI single for a 3-0 lead. Then they got a sacrifice fly making the score 4-0 Warriors and two batters later Birmingham Brother Rice got a two run double to make it 6-0 in their favor.

The six runs were all credited to Bays, five of them were earned. Schaenzer relieved Bays and gave up a run in one inning of work before turning to senior Nick Deeg for the final two innings.

Lake Orion answered by hitting a three run home run in the bottom of the fourth inning courtesy of Schaenzer to cut the Birmingham Brother Rice lead in half at 6-3. The Dragons could not get any more runs after that.

Roman Kuester concluded his high school career before going to Findlay for college with three of the nine Dragons hits but they could not get any runners in scoring position to score more runs. That is a credit to Birmingham Brother Rice’s pitching staff.

The Dragons conclude the season at 32-9 and next season they do return Schaenzer and Bays. Lake Orion will be fine next season but they do lose a lot including Deeg and Kuester among others as they conclude a great season.

State Quarterfinal Preview at Saline

Written Saturday June 8th, at 10:50 PM

BIRMINGHAM BROTHER RICE VS LAKE ORION: In what is to be called the super match up of Oakland County, now wondering why they are playing this game in Washtenaw County is beyond me but it is what it is.

This match up features dangerous lineups, star hitters, star pitchers, everything but how did both of these teams get here and who they feature will be here along with my prediction for this state quarterfinal game. If this were football this would be a very good game to see even on the diamond and on the grid iron with the winner going to Battle Creek.

BIRMINGHAM BROTHER RICE:

The Warriors this season is very young but also they are talented. They have always been consistent and talented. Birmingham Brother Rice features players who have been recruited to play for them from other areas since they are a private school. The Warriors are led by sophomore third baseman Alex Malzone. Malzone is the quarterback of the Division Two state championship football team and had the winning RBI single that beat Northville 3-2 on Saturday in the regional final at Novi. Another hitter they have is David Plummer. Plummer was three for three with a home run against Northville. Birmingham Brother Rice has a lot of table setters in their lineup in, Bobby Cross, Randy Righter, and pitcher/infielder Matt Ruppenhaul, but we’ll get to Ruppenhaul in a second. Cross and Righter are speedy with power and also are good defenders.

The Warriors pitching staff is also very good in both Ruppenhaul and Karl Kauffman. Ruppenhaul is the starting pitcher for Birmingham Brother Rice. He pitched a three hit shutout against Walled Lake Northern in the regional semifinals 2-0. Ruppenhaul pitched in the Northville game allowing two runs in the process but also he hits well and is a table setter at times. The next pitcher is freshman Karl Kauffman. Kauffman pitched in relief in the Northville game going an inning and getting two batters, he was credited with the win in the game. Both these pitchers are very good pitchers and are currently being looked at by colleges

HOW THEY GOT HERE:

Birmingham Brother Rice was in the Beverly Hills Wylie E Groves District. They were in the pre-district game against Beverly Hills Wylie E Groves. The Warriors destroyed the Falcons in five innings 11-1. In the district semifinals, Birmingham Brother Rice beat a gutsy West Bloomfield team 6-0. It was 1-0 until the sixth inning where the Warriors got five runs to win that game. In the district final Birmingham Brother Rice destroyed Southfield Lathrup 16-1 in five innings to take home yet another district championship. The Warriors were placed in the regional finals at Novi where they played Walled Lake Northern. Birmingham Brother Rice beat the Knights 2-0 and then they had to survive a very good Northville team in a walk off with two outs in the bottom of the eighth to win 3-2 to take its first regional since 2009.

LAKE ORION:

The Dragons this season are very talented and features two very good left handed pitchers in Nick Deeg and Brad Schaenzer. However the Dragons have other talent in Nick Volgelmeier, Roman Kuester, Josh Bays, Connor Grant, and Ryan Lambrecht among others. Vogelmeier was huge against Stoney Creek in getting five RBI's in that game. Grant had a two run double against Hartland in the semifinal game and also Deeg does hit as well and will play first base from time to time.

HOW THEY GOT HERE:

Lake Orion had their own district where they beat Waterford Mott 4-1 in the pre district and then beat Waterford Kettering 6-0 in the district semifinals where Deeg pitched four innings but was only up 1-0 until the seventh inning where they scored five runs and then in the district final the Dragons beat Oxford 6-1 behind a great performance from Schaenzer on it’s home field. Lake Orion then went to the Rochester regional where they met Hartland ace and Michigan State recruit Jake Lowery. The Dragons found a way to beat Lowery and Hartland 4-0 in the regional semifinal and then crushed Stoney Creek 10-2 in the regional final to take home its first regional final since 2007.

PREDICTION:

The Oakland Press and MIPrepZone will hype this game up and this game will live up to it. I wish it was in Oakland County where it belongs but in the end I think the Dragons will find a way. I think both teams have played at least one tough team in getting here to the quarterfinals with the Dragons playing Hartland and the Warriors playing Northville in the regional. I think with whom the Dragons send out there they will get the job done and find a way to get to Battle Creek. PICK: LAKE ORION BY 2.

Dragons Baseball Gets Revenge on Hartland and wins first Regional since 2007. Has Monster showdown with Birmingham Brother Rice next

Written Saturday June 8th, at 9:07 PM

The Dragons are right back into the thick of things in baseball. Lake Orion took home it’s first regional since 2007 when they beat Hartland 4-0 and then beat Stoney Creek 10-2 to claim the regional crown at Rochester.

It is the first regional since the Dragons won the State Championship six seasons ago.

In the Hartland game it was deemed as a battle of aces as the Dragons sent Nick Deeg who is going to Central Michigan and the Eagles sent Jake Lowery who is going to Michigan State for college.

In the bottom of the first inning Connor Grant drove in a two run double off Lowery that scored two runs to give Lake Orion a 2-0 lead. Then Lowery settled in, he struck out the side in the second inning but allowed three hits and two runs along with five strikeouts.

The Eagles could not solve Nick Deeg. Deeg was also good in not only matching Lowery but at times overpowered the Eagles lineup.

In the third inning, Lowery attempted a pick off throw at first but it got away from him. The error scored a run from second base making the score 3-0 Orion.

Hartland in the top of the fifth put runners on second and third base but Deeg got a strikeout to end the threat and Lowery was on deck, keeping the score 3-0 Dragons.

The Eagles then countered in the top of the sixth with a double from Lowery and runners on first and third with nobody out off of Deeg. Hartland loaded the bases but Deeg got a popup, then a fly out and then struck out Toledo bound senior Jordan Kesson to end the threat.

The Dragons in the bottom half of the inning got an insurance run off a wild pitch from Lowery making the score 4-0. Deeg would then pitch the seventh inning limiting the Eagles and then avenging last season’s loss to Hartland in the regional final.

Hartland was 0-9 with runners in scoring position and left seven runners on base. The Eagles finished the season at 29-8. The Dragons scored four times with runners in scoring position against a good Hartland team.

Deeg threw 112 pitches, only allowing two hits and striking out seven. He was drafted by the Detroit Tigers in the 37^th round of the Major League Baseball Draft.

Lake Orion then went into the second game against Stoney Creek whom eliminated Rochester Adams 6-5 in the regional semifinal, with Brad Schaenzer on the mound. The Dragons took advantage of two throwing errors by the Cougars and then took a 5-0 lead thanks to RBI’s by Nick Volgelmeier and Ryan Lambrecht.

The Dragons would pull away after Stoney Creek added two runs to make it 5-2. Deeg and Volgelmeier added a two run single and a two run double respectably in the bottom of the fifth wrapping up the scoring.

Lake Orion then closed out the game with Schaenzer almost taking a no hitter into the fifth before being broken up. Schaenzer left the game for Josh Bays, who pitched the final two innings.

The Cougars conclude its season at 21-15.

The Dragons are now 32-7 on the season will face its biggest test of the season in the state quarterfinals. Lake Orion will play the two time Catholic League Champions, Birmingham Brother Rice in what is called the Oakland County Classic Match up of Baseball on Tuesday at Saline High School in Washtenaw County, most likely will be 2 PM due to Lake Orion having graduation that night.

I still don’t know why this game is being played in Saline and in Washtenaw County. It should be played in Auburn Hills in my opinion because it is a nice boundary between Lake Orion and Birmingham.

The Warriors (29-8), who won its first regional crown in four years feature a very dangerous lineup led by sophomore third baseman Alex Malzone. He is being looked at by baseball scouts and football colleges since he is the team's starting quarterback for coach Al Fracassa. Malzone had the winning RBI that scored Cross to beat Northville 3-2 in extra innings along with Nick Plummer who was three for three, including a home run against the Mustangs. What made all this was the Warriors were down to their final out.

Birmingham Brother Rice also features Bobby Cross, Randy Righter, Karl Kauffman, and pitcher/infielder Matt Ruppenthal whom are all very good hitters who are being looked at by other colleges. Ruppenthal can also pitch. He pitched a three hit shutout in a 2-0 win against Walled Lake Northern in the regional semifinals. Ruppenthal started the game against Northville allowing two runs in the game. Kauffman came in relief, striking out a batter, and getting a ground out to end the inning. He got the win over Northville.

Tuesday will be interesting, we’ll see what happens.

Dragons Softball Lose Heartbreaker in Extra Innings to Hartland

Written Saturday June 8th, at 9:05 PM

Sometimes heartbreak happens in the worst of ways. It happened to the fourth ranked team in the state on Saturday afternoon.

The Hartland Eagles scored a three run home run in the top of the ninth inning in an error filled game to beat the Lake Orion Dragons 6-3 in the state semifinals at Rochester.

Hartland started the scoring in the top of the first by Abby Minkster getting an RBI scoring Sarah Tomlision making the score 1-0. The Eagles got another run in the top of the fourth to go up 2-0.

Lake Orion answered with back to back home runs by Alicia Gronowski and Kayla Knoblock to tie the score 2-2 in the bottom of the fourth inning.

Hartland answered in the top of the fifth on a sacrifice fly to get itself a 3-2 lead.

The Dragons answered Hartland’s score on an pop fly by Gronowski and an error by the Center Fielder to tie the score 3-3 and then they went to extras.

Hartland then answered in the ninth by Tomlision, she singled in one and then an error and scored the third run to give the Eagles a 6-3 lead in the ninth. The Dragons could not answer after that.

The Dragons conclude its softball season with a 32-5 record, a Red and district championship for coach Joe Woitaya and three wins over arch rival Clarkston. Lake Orion does return a good core back next season and a possible run could be in the future.

Updated Football Rankings-Changes in the Poll.

Written Saturday June 8th, at 8:56 PM

Well with the addition of the top blue chip recruit transferring from Detroit Loyola to Southfield. This move makes Southfield a better team than it was but this does not change the predictions coming up in the season. Well here are my top ten teams from ten to one with their toughest games of the season.

10. North Farmington: GAME OF THE YEAR: at Birmingham Seaholm, Week Three. The Raiders enter the Blue from the White after going 3-6 and winning only two games in the league. North Farmington two seasons ago won the Blue. With moving down a division expect the Raiders to compete to make the playoffs. The game that will tell the Raiders season is when they take a trip to Birmingham to meet the Maples. If North Farmington learned from what Oxford did to the Maples last season then maybe they can create the impact and return to the playoffs like they were in two seasons ago. They must use the White experience to help this season. If they don’t use it then they will be in trouble.

9. Avondale: GAME OF THE YEAR: Birmingham Seaholm Week Two. The Yellow Jackets did lose a lot of talent last season but they do have a good group of freshman coming in that will make an impact. Avondale also has the coaching in Steve Deutch, whom can also win with less talent. The Yellow Jackets will be good this season and is expected to contend in the Blue. Last season the Yellow Jackets were humiliated by the Maples in Birmingham but now Seaholm is a little weaker and the Maples have to travel to Auburn Hills. With a favorable schedule this season expect Avondale to be in it all year.

8. Oak Park: GAME OF THE YEAR: Orchard Lake St. Marys Week One, at Wayne State. The Knights lost a lot of talent on the team that won the White and lost to Wyandotte Roosevelt last season but do feature a nice blend of veteran experience which should help ease the losses for coach Greg Carter and company. The first game is critical for Oak Park as they play the Eaglets of Orchard Lake St. Marys. Oak Park only has two home games this year and they are against Southfield and Oxford and they have road dates at Harrison and Adams, that’s not a good omen if the Knights want to return to the playoffs they have to win this game in the worst way.

7. Harrison: GAME OF THE YEAR: at Southfield Week Five. The Hawks finished 6-3 last season only to be eliminated by Fenton. Harrison still has athletes and legendary coach John Herrington but also they have a favorable schedule. The Hawks have Adams, Oxford, and Oak Park all coming to Farmington but the crossover will be a test especially if they have to play Clarkston, Lake Orion, or Stoney Creek. The game with Southfield will prove to be the test considering that two seasons ago Harrison went into Southfield and beat the Blue Jays and then last season it was the Blue Jays that went into Farmington and beat the Hawks. If Harrison wants to win the White, they have to win all their home games and get this game in the worst way.

6. Adams: GAME OF THE YEAR: Clarkston Week One, at Ford Field. The Highlanders last season did not make the playoffs but they did win three of their last four to finish 4-5. If Adams wants to continue what they started from last season they will have to go into Downtown Detroit and deal with Ian Erickson. The Wolves will be a dangerous test and if Adams doesn’t get by Clarkston then they have to play at Harrison the next week and then host Oak Park and in week five host Oxford and then go to Southfield, that’s not a good stretch there so Adams needs this game in the worst way.

5. Stoney Creek: GAME OF THE YEAR: Lake Orion, Week Four. This will be the Cougars best team under Coach Brad Zube this season. Stoney Creek has a soft schedule along with a revenge game with Troy on the road early in the season but if the Cougars want to make the playoffs they must win their games they are suppose to win and if they lose one of those games like they did last season with Troy then they have to beat either Lake Orion, Clarkston, or the crossover to do so. The Stoney Creek faithful will be very excited for the Lake Orion game because the Dragons have been a state power for years and feels like this could be the year that the Cougars can beat the Dragons.

4. Southfield: GAME OF THE YEAR: at Oxford, Week Six. In what will be a really good and talented team at Southfield for Coach Gary Teasely and the arrival of the top recruit in the state coming over from Detroit Loyola, the Blue Jays has a tough three game stretch in the middle of the season with Harrison and Adams sandwiched in with Oxford but the Harrison and Adams game will be 4 PM games at home. Southfield’s focus will be on the Detroit Cass Tech game in week one but the game they need to have if they want to win the White is the Oxford game because that will be their toughest road game of the season with the travel. If they win this game then the schedule gets much easier

3. Oxford: GAME OF THE YEAR: Lake Orion, Week One. The Wildcats this season has running back Ben Line and Glacier Wallington at quarterback. The questions will be defensibly for the Wildcats. Oxford was a very good team until they ran into Brother Rice in the playoffs where they were crushed 38-6. What could decide the fate of the Wildcats season will be the game on the blue turf against the rivals to the south, it always does. Last season the Dragons scored 17 unanswered points in the second half to beat the Wildcats 17-10. Both teams this season could play each other three times this season.

2. Lake Orion: GAME OF THE YEAR: at Stoney Creek, Week Four. The Dragons have a lot of questions on the offensive side of the ball, with them having to replace their quarterback and wide receiving core but the running game will be there. If the Dragons can develop a passing game and decide on a quarterback then they will be fine. The defense will be good as well but can the defense handle the triple option attack of Shawn Scullen and Joe Cox, we’ll find that out in week four in Rochester.

1. Clarkston: GAME OF THE YEAR: Adams Week One, at Ford Field. Despite having Ian Erickson the Wolves will be very good this season, defense is still suspect. If they get by Matt Sokol and the Highlanders at Ford Field then they will likely be undefeated heading into the Lake Orion game in week eight on their home turf but be wary of Stoney Creek, last season they took the Wolves to the limit.

Projected, Rochester Baseball and Softball Regional Projections

Written Monday June 3rd, at 1:15 PM

The regional is set and eight district champions will play this weekend at Rochester. Both Lake Orion and Hartland have both their baseball and softball teams in this regional. Adams baseball comes in under 500 to this regional and Stoney Creek is very good this season. Romeo and Lake Orion are ranked in the state in softball. In Baseball, Lake Orion and Hartland are ranked and play each other this weekend. These are the projections for the Rochester regional.

Rochester’s fields are very big and spacious so it will be very tough to hit home runs but if you’re a fan of small ball or big open spaces, you’ll probably like this field. In baseball, Lake Orion, Adams, and Stoney Creek are familiar with the field because all three teams are in the Red. In softball, Lake Orion and Troy should be familiar playing Rochester in the Red while Romeo has some as well playing Rochester in districts a few times.

Softball Projections

LAKE ORION VS HARTLAND: The Dragons are coming into the regional winning its first district since 2008 and taking out its arch rivals Clarkston at home. Lake Orion has won 30 games, including the Red title this season. The Eagles meanwhile did not win the KLAA crown but they have been red hot as well, they are 16-2 in their last 18 games and also went into White Lake and took out state power and arch rival White Lake Lakeland in the district finals. Both teams have power lineups with Rachel Dolland of the Dragons and Lindsay Pajot of the Eagles and stellar pitching staffs (Lake Orion in Sierra Gonzales and Hartland in Abby Minkster.) Both teams can hit anyone right now but the key will be pitching in this match up. Gonzalez struck out five and allowed six hits in the Clarkston game while Minkster had six strikeouts and allowed five hits against Lakeland. Both pitchers like to feature their off speed pitches which makes this game an interesting match up. I think who ever plays small ball and the team that makes the less mistakes will win this game and the travel east and lack of familiarity could bother the team from Livingston County but it might not and we could be in for a tight ball game. PICK: LAKE ORION BY 1.

ROMEO VS TROY: The Colts feature freshman Taylor Schmidt, who pitched 14 innings, allowed two hits, and struck out 16 combined in both the Colts games against Troy Athens and Rochester Adams in the district playoffs. She had a no hitter against the Highlanders in the district finals. Schmidt will be in for a tough task with the murders row that Romeo has in their lineup. The Bulldogs features a lineup that is dangerous in junior Geordin Craun who not only pitches but hits well. Romeo also has Taylor Weaver who is a strikeout pitcher and a very good hitter as well and then you add Danielle Szanja, Morgan Gardner, Christina Figurski, and Kayla Noch among others. I think that Troy has to be perfect if they want any means of an upset and Schmidt might have to pitch the exact same way she did against Adams to have a chance if not then the Colts will have a very tough time with the murders row lineup that Romeo will bring and Schmidt could give up a lot of runs. I see the Bulldogs moving on to the regional final easily over the Colts. PICK: ROMEO BY 8.

Projected Regional Final:

LAKE ORION VS ROMEO: The Dragons have had a special season and they can hit anyone but so can the Bulldogs. In what should be a high scoring game, both teams can score runs, come from behind, and find ways to win. I think this will be a wild and crazy game more like a 13-12 game. Romeo is the best team in this regional on paper and with it’s murders row lineup it might be enough to move on to the quarterfinals. PICK: ROMEO BY 1.

Baseball Projections

LAKE ORION VS HARTLAND: In what will be a pitchers duel between Nick Deeg and Jake Lowery, Hartland eliminated Lake Orion last season in the district at Hartland but they did not see Deeg pitch, though it was Brad Schaenzer who pitched in that regional final last season. It will be very tough to hit home runs with Rochester’s baseball field being so long and far so who ever plays small ball will move onto the regional final. I think with the Eagles having to travel into Oakland County could have a small impact and the Dragons pitching maybe better than they were last year. I can see Lake Orion getting revenge here and beating a very good Eagles team and finding a way to expose Lowery. PICK: LAKE ORION BY 2.

ADAMS VS STONEY CREEK: The Highlanders won the Troy district by beating the Colts 5-2 in the district on Troy’s home field. Troy won the Blue this season while Adams was under 500 and played in the vaunted Red. Stoney Creek won the Romeo regional and has beaten their Tienken Road rivals three times this season. It’s always hard to beat a team four times in a season and with Joe Cox and Shawn Scullen batting the way they are it could very well happen but don’t count Adams and its pitching staff out, I’ll bet Jeff Hall will be thinking of something. I think the Highlanders will be ready for this match up with the Cougars at Rochester but in the end I think the Cougars will move on in a tight one. PICK: STONEY CREEK BY 1.

Projected Regional Final:

LAKE ORION VS STONEY CREEK: The Dragons have won all four match ups with the Cougars this season including a dramatic 5-4 win to share the Red with Clarkston at Lake Orion on the last day of the regular season. The Dragons are pitching very well right now and with their three top pitchers I think they can give anybody in the state, problems right now. Stoney Creek however has seen Deeg and Schaenzer but they have come on the wrong end of the scoreboard but we’ll see what happens. PICK: LAKE ORION BY 4.

We'll see what happens folks.

Dragons Softball beats Clarkston. Wins first District Crown since 2008 and faces Hartland next

Written Saturday June 1st, at 10:10 PM

It’s always hard to beat a team twice in one season, let alone three. 

It isn’t the team that they beat were projected to finish ahead of you once the season started and that team was named the Clarkston Wolves.

The eighth ranked Dragons (32-4) had to come from behind in the district finals to oust Clarkston 3-2 from the state playoffs. Lake Orion moves on to play Hartland next Saturday in the regional semifinals at Rochester.

The Dragons almost blew a 9-0 lead and had to survive an 8-1 run rally in the final two innings to beat Waterford Kettering 10-8 in the semifinals while the Wolves (24-10) beat Oxford 12-0 to get to the district championship game.

Lake Orion struck first with a base hit by Cayla Hulett in the bottom of the second inning off of sophomore Madeline Maday that gave Dragons a 1-0 lead in the second inning.

Clarkston answered in the top of the third when sophomore Candace Kitchen hit an RBI single to score Makayla Blaska from second to tie the score at 1-1.

The drama started in the top of the sixth inning when Clarkston’s senior hitter Sydney Hasselbach hit an RBI single that scored Kitchen from second base and give the Wolves a 2-1 lead. Clarkston used Maday, who got into some trouble with runners on second and third base and struck out Sophomore Hannah Hamay to end the threat in the bottom half of the sixth inning.

The Dragons then got out of the Wolves half of the seventh inning without any damage but then the drama started again. Lake Orion sophomore Megan Hall got a double to start the Dragons rally in the seventh inning, and then got a bunt from Megan Remer off of Maday to set up a threat.

Then Alex Carpenter showed up to the plate.

The speedy sophomore then got an RBI single off Maday, scoring Hall and tying the score at 2-2.

The Dragons then got a base hit from Julie Malear that loaded the bases with nobody out. Lake Orion's cleanup hitter Rachel Dolland then went up to the plate and got a ground ball toward the Clarkston infield. The Wolves couldn't get the softball cleanly and committed an infield error, causing no play along with the winning run to score and the Orion girls got out of the dugout and celebrated with their teammates.

This is the first district title under Coach Joe Woityra for the Dragons and the team’s first district since 2008 when the late Denny Davis was coaching the team.

The Dragons earlier in the season swept the Wolves in Clarkston. Both pitchers pitched well for both teams, Maday went the distance, gave up three earned runs, and struck out one batter, which was Hamay. Freshman pitcher Sierra Gonzales went the distance, allowing two earned runs, and struck out five batters for the Dragons.

Kendall Thomas and Remer combined to go 4 for 5 in the district final for the Dragons. Hasselbach concludes her carrier with a 3-3 day with three hits and a RBI and Kitchen who will be back for the Wolves went 2 for 3 with two hits and a RBI.

In the semifinal game both Dolland and Malear went a combined 6 of 8 with five RBI’s for the Dragons and had to overcome a Grand Slam from Waterford Kettering’s Emma Colegrove in the bottom of the seventh inning and a home run from Jordyn Troy to escape against the Captains.

Lake Orion’s next opponent is Hartland. The Eagles are coming in with a record of 29-9. Hartland went into White Lake and demolished White Lake Lakeland 8-2 to get to this match up. Hartland is led by Abby Minkster. She is a very good pitcher who likes to get a lot of pop ups and is a strikeout pitcher. Minkster had 11 strikeouts against Eaton Rapids in a game this season. The Eagles have a very good hitter in Lindsay Pajot. Pajot had five RBI’s against White Lake Lakeland and is a very dangerous player when up at the plate. Hartland also has Kaitlin Hotchkin who had two RBI’s against Fenton, Sarah Tomlinson who is also a very good player. Hannah Greene who had the tying single against Eaton Rapids, and Chantal Olchanski whom had a winning triple against Eaton Rapids are Hartland’s big threats on the diamond.

We’ll see what happens next Saturday. The winner of the Orion/Hartland match up will take on either Troy or Romeo. It should be an interesting weekend on the diamond.

Dragons Baseball Wins District. Moves on to Regional for rematch with Hartland

Written Saturday June 1st, at 10:08 PM

The sixth ranked Lake Orion baseball team took the district championship for the second time in two seasons after defeating Oxford 6-1 in the district finals. The Dragons earlier in the day eliminated Waterford Kettering from the playoffs 6-0.

The strength of this team has been its pitching and the Dragons have two left handed pitchers, whom can get the job done in Central Michigan commit, senior Nick Deeg and junior Brad Schaenzer but also they have a right hander in Josh Bays who can also pitch when needed.

Oxford entered the district final with a surprising semifinal blowout over Clarkston 13-1 in six innings. The Wolves were ninth in the state coming into the state playoffs and shared the Red with Lake Orion. Oxford did just about everything right and played well. Clarkston’s defense was just awful. They made multiple mistakes and had errors all over the place, four Wildcats runs were scored on pass balls and wild pitches. The Wolves walked in a run on the bases loaded and then botched a rundown from first to second base. Clarkston only had two hits in the loss to Oxford.

The Dragons in the district pitched 21 innings and only allowed two runs total. Perhaps one of the biggest plays was in the Waterford Kettering game in the bottom of the sixth inning with Lake Orion up 1-0, Bays struck out pitcher Brett Reynolds with runners on second and third base to close out the threat and after that the Dragons pulled away scoring five runs to close out the game.

Lake Orion in the finals was led by Senior Roman Kuester. The Dragons catcher had three hits and an RBI to lead the Dragons against Oxford. The Wildcats in the second game could not solve Schaenzer in the second game after and was caught looking eight times.

The Dragons (30-7) will now move onto the regional semifinals and have a rematch with Hartland and star pitcher Jake Lowery. Lowery who will be going to Michigan State beat the Dragons 7-0 in the regional semifinals at Hartland last season but that was at Hartland.

Now Hartland has to travel into Oakland County where for the Dragons they could have a slight advantage playing at Rochester during the season with the Falcons being in the Red with Lake Orion.

Hartland comes into the regional with 27-8 record feature two very good players in Lowery and Toledo bound senior Jordan Kesson who hit a three run home run against Milford and had a two run shot against Fenton in the semifinals. Lowery struck out ten batters against the Mavericks. The Eagles scored eight runs in the first inning in the 14-3 rout of Milford. Hartland pounded Fenton 8-1 with the help of its second pitcher Alex Wagner whom also struck out 10 hitters in that game.

Next week should be an interesting battle with Hartland at Rochester. The winner of the Orion/Hartland match up will meet the Rochester Adams/Stoney Creek winner in the Regional Finals at Rochester. We’ll see what happens next week.

Oxford likely to jump into Division One this fall for Playoffs

Written Saturday June 1st, at 12:00 PM

The Orion/Oxford rivalry may be here to stay.

With student enrollment rising at Oxford, the Wildcats will likely make the jump from Division Two to Division One for the playoffs.

That means Oxford could play Lake Orion in the state playoffs if the case if both teams make it. Lake Orion is one of the favorites in the Red while Oxford is one of the favorites in the White this season.

What makes it possible is proximity, both Lake Orion and Oxford are only separated by six miles north on Lapeer Road. Also there is a possibility that Lapeer could join into Division One as well once Lapeer East and Lapeer West merges in 2014 which could really make things sticky not to mention the possibility of facing Clarkston, Davison, Romeo, and Grand Blanc on a consistent basis.

But before we talk playoffs both the Dragons and Wildcats have to play each other this August at Oxford. Also in play is that they could meet once again at Lake Orion in the crossover in week nine.

So in retrospect they could play each other three times this season.

Another factor is that both the Dragons and Wildcats have tough schedules in 2013, Lake Orion has a real brutal road slate with games at Oxford, Stoney Creek, and Clarkston, and they host the crossover. Oxford has to play Lake Orion and Southfield at home but has to go to Adams, Harrison, Oak Park, and the crossover.

It could give a reason for both teams not to play each other week one if they are in different divisions. Lake Orion this season is in the Red while Oxford is in the White.

I think there will be some real ramifications if Oxford makes the jump to Division One. It could create a domino affect especially in Division Two, it could mean that Birmingham Brother Rice moves north to see Adams in a district but it might happen, it might not who knows but that possibility is real.

Another possibility is that if the OAA realigns next season, there is the possibility by both enrollment and geographical that Oxford and Lake Orion will be in the same division in 2014, joining the likes of Clarkston, Stoney Creek, Rochester, Troy, and Troy Athens.

Well it could very well mean that the rivalry is here to stay.