OAA White Standings from February 1st.

Written Saturday February 1st, at 7:30 PM

# has make up league games to play.

1. Rochester Adams:

9-0: 13-0

The Highlanders are still undefeated heading into February. Adams still has to make up a non league match up with Troy Athens but the Red Hawks should be no problem for the Highlanders. The team that could severely test the unbeaten season will be Stoney Creek because Adams will travel to them. The Highlanders still have Oxford coming to Rochester but trips to Troy and Lake Orion could be tricky games for them as well.

2. Troy :

8-1: 11-2

The Colts have been rolling as well and still has to make up a non league game with West Bloomfield. The schedule is interesting though for Troy. The Colts have Adams coming to Troy later in the season but has to travel to Bloomfield Hills on Tuesday and still has to play Groves twice. If the Colts can win these two games then the league title could very well be in sight.

3. Bloomfield Hills:

6-3: 11-3

The Blackhawks got the bad taste out of their mouth after losing to Rochester Adams on Wednesday by blowing out Farmington on Saturday. The schedule is interesting though as Bloomfield Hills has Troy on Tuesday at home and still has Oxford there as well. The Blackhawks have a very tough non league road game at Harrison they will have to deal with down the line.

# 4. Orion:

3-5: 7-6

The Dragons have had a tough three game road trip finally will return home against Farmington and Groves this week. The schedule will ease up and the team has gotten healthier as well. Lake Orion has Farmington, Groves, Royal Oak, Groves, and Rochester in a span of two weeks before closing out the season with two tough games at Oxford and hosts Rochester Adams. The schedule is less daunting but you have to play the game and be weary of the upset bug.

# 5. Rochester:

3-5:  4-10

The Falcons are in striking distance of catching both Lake Orion and Oxford for fourth place in the White. Rochester did beat Farmington Thursday night and will host Oxford on Tuesday. The Falcons will still need to make up a game with Groves as well but the home schedule is not an easy one. Besides Oxford, they host Troy, Lake Orion, Adams, and Bloomfield Hills for their final five games of the season. That’s not a good stretch by any means for Rochester.

6. Oxford:

4-5: 9-5

The Wildcats have been an up and down team lately. The schedule is tricky as they travel to Rochester and Adams this week. Oxford started out the season red hot at 5-0 but has fallen back down to the pack a little bit. They do have a non league game with Richmond which should be a win and has Lake Orion at home along with a trip to Bloomfield Hills. This could be a very tricky road if the Wildcats aren’t careful.

7. Farmington:

1-8: 3-12

The Falcons have struggled lately but were competitive in a loss to Rochester on Thursday night. Farmington was blown out by Bloomfield Hills as expected by many. The schedule is challenging for the Falcons. Farmington will travel to Lake Orion on Tuesday and will have Bloomfield Hills, Troy, and Oxford all coming to Farmington. That’s not a good stretch heading into districts.

# 8. Groves:

0-6: 1-10

The Falcons have to make up a lot of games and have been victim to the Birmingham Schools policy all season long. Groves still has Lake Orion and Troy twice along with make up games against Ferndale University and Rochester that they have to make up. The schedule is brutal with Adams at home this week and then a trip to Lake Orion. Groves still has Bloomfield Hills on the road along with that. I don’t know what to say for them except it could be a long and bumpy road for them.

Purposed New Football Divisions Could make things interesting in 2014

Written Monday November 27th, at 8:15 AM

The OAA decided to realign once again based on a three division eight team format. Now it isn't official but there are some good rivalries especially in the Red where Lake Orion, Oxford, and Clarkston are all in one division. Rochester and Rochester Adams are in the same division as well, Birmingham Seaholm is in the White as well. Royal Oak and North Farmington are in the White, which is a nightmare. Anyway these are the purposed divisions.

RED:

Lake Orion
Clarkston
Oxford
West Bloomfield
Stoney Creek
Troy
Troy Athens
Bloomfield Hills

WHITE:

Rochester Adams
Rochester
Harrison
Oak Park
Birmingham Seaholm
Southfield
North Farmington
Royal Oak


Blue:

Beverly Hills Wylie E Groves
Ferndale
Farmington
Berkley
Hazel Park
Southfield-Lathrup
Avondale
Pontiac

Campbell Issues could have a strong impact on 2014 Football Season.

Written Monday January 27th, at 8:00 AM

In a span of three months one football player's life has been turned upside down on Wednesday. Detroit Cass Tech junior quarterback Jayru Campbell was arrested and charged with assault and battery after allegedly body slamming a security guard to the ground and worse it's caught on video.

Campbell spent two nights in a Detroit jail before being released on Friday.

This is not Campbell's first incident that has created shock waves however, in November he punched a Novi Detroit Catholic Central player after his Technicians fell 28-0 to the Shamrocks in the 2013 Division One State Semifinals at Troy Athens. Campbell has led Detroit Cass Tech to two Division One State titles in 2011 and 2012, included a 34-27 win over Lake Orion in the 2012 State Semifinals.

Campbell is suspended for the first game of the football season and was suspended three to five days from school but this incident could be much worse for Campbell if he is charged and found guilty he could face expulsion or a long suspension and that's not the criminal charges yet.

If the Detroit Board of Education recommends expulsion he could face an uncertain future when it comes to academics and his athletic career.

Campbell is also a basketball player for the school as well.

Campbell does hold a right to a discipline hearing and besides the incident in November, he hasn't been in any type of trouble at school or with the law.

Another question would be as well is what would happen if Michigan State, the school he committed to for College Football withdraws it's offer to Campbell, they very well could happen.

This will clearly be a distraction to the 2014 Detroit Cass Tech football team and coach Thomas Wilcher. They are a much better team with Campbell but they might not have him for an extended period of time or the season at all. Detroit Cass Tech will still be a very good football team but the quarterback situation could be an issue and even if Campbell comes back what distractions will he bring if any at all???

Personal Thoughts:

If you look at me when it comes to Campbell, he is innocent until proven guilty but the video showed he is clearly guilty but we don't know who caused it and if he was provoked in doing this action or was this on his own accord.

If Campbell is charged and found guilty he should be suspended for the 2014 season. I thought the one game suspension he got from Detroit Public Schools was a slap in the wrist. If you take football away from him it might be a painful lesson for him not to perform even if he is still enrolled at the school.

I think Michigan State should KEEP it's scholarship offer to him and why I say this is because coach Mark Dantionio has had troubled kids in the past in his program and they have reedemed themselves. Campbell could be in that same boat. Besides these two incidents Campbell has not had any trouble at all and is a good academic student. Now I don't speak for Michigan State or Coach Dantionio but he did take Chris L Rucker back after he got in trouble with the law, why can't he do the same for Campbell???

Everyone has their day in court and Campbell certainly will have his day in court, we'll see what happens.

OAA White Rewind-Girls Basketball

Written Wednesday January 22nd, at 8:30 AM

The White in Girls Basketball has opened up a bit in recent days with Rochester Adams leading the league at 7-0 , Troy is a game and a half back at 5-1 while Bloomfield Hills is 4-2 in the league. Orion is 3-3, Oxford is 3-4, Rochester is 2-5, Farmington is 1-5 and Groves is 0-5.

Oxford received some good news as junior star forward Jessica Murphy returned from a broken wrist against Farmington. She had 10 points in that game Tuesday night. Murphy averaged 19.6 points per game until the broken wrist. Skye Donaldson and Sam Medici have carried the Wildcats in her absence. Donaldson had 19 points in a 51-34 win Tuesday night while Medici had 18 points against Adams in an overtime loss. The big question will be is can Murphy's broken wrist hold up or did she come back too soon??? Oxford will have a big test Friday when they will host Troy in a rematch where the Wildcats lost earlier in the season at Troy.

Bloomfield Hills have been scoring at will on opponents and Tuesday's game against Rochester was no exception, the Blackhawks put up 63 against the Falcons thanks in large part to the trio of Shannon Wilson, Shaylin Brown, and Alex Jackson. Wilson had 14 points, while Jackson and Brown each had 12 points. The Blackhawks have put up 72 against Oxford, 71 against Groves, 70 against Royal Oak, and now 63 against Rochester. Now this list may not be impressive with the competition with the exception of Royal Oak (who is decent in the Blue) and Oxford with an asterisk because they did not have Jessica Murphy in that game due to the broken wrist. The Blackhawks gets Lake Orion on Friday, a team that is very strong defensively in it's own rights and still has to play Troy and Oxford at home and then go to Adams.

Rochester Adams needed 1:20 seconds in the third quarter to turn a 15-13 lead into a 39-22 lead late in the game against Lake Orion in a 40-30 win. Jenny Ronsoke and Hannah Grieb in that game carried them while Raiven Owusu and Amber Jamison got their points late. Adams has been struggling lately despite the fact that they are unbeaten so far but the next two games could fix those problems in a hurry, they host Farmington and then go to Troy Athens next week. The schedule could be daunting, they have to play Stoney Creek, go to Troy, and Lake Orion to close the season but they do get Bloomfield Hills and Oxford to go to Rochester.

Farmington ever since the 51-42 win over Groves, the Falcons have struggled to score over 40 points. Farmington lost to Oxford 51-34 on Tuesday night, now stands at 3-9 overall. Mya Douse did return from her knee injury and should contiune to help Maria Perauah, Taylor Surremeyer, and Maddy Trevestain for the rest of the season. The schedule will be tough especially with Friday when they go to Adams and still have trips to Bloomfield Hills (twice), Lake Orion, and Troy.

Troy suffered a mind boggling 50-25 loss to Stoney Creek but they didn't have Sydney Heath in that game. Now she is back for the Colts, their team is a lot better with Heath in the lineup. Rachel Zelmanski and Rachel Grecky have been playing well for the Colts along with the emergence of Nicole Niemic. Troy travels to Oxford on Friday and still has to go to Bloomfield Hills, they have Lake Orion and Adams at home. The Colts could be a huge challenge for the league and could be a strong dark horse, they play Waterford Mott and Lauren Hung in districts.

Groves has been struggling badly and it got worse  when they were blown out by Birmingham Seaholm 65-15 on their home floor. The Falcons let Elise Tolbert score 34 points on them, which was a Maples school record and then they were blown out 71-20 by Bloomfield Hills on Thursday night of last week. Groves now sits at 1-9 and plays Rochester next then it's Ferndale University. Did I mention that they haven't played Lake Orion or Troy yet and they play them each twice, that's frightening.

Rochester has played better lately especially Alexa Haupt. Haupt had 15 points against Adams in the Crosstown showdown last week and 10 points against Bloomfield Hills. If Haupt, Zo Schultz, Ivy Schultz, and Maddy Williams, who had 15 points against Bloomfield Hills. Rochester should get a couple of wins under their belt here when the Falcons plays Groves on Friday and then Farmington next week.

Lake Orion suffered a tough loss when Hannah Hamay went out with a concussion, and there is still no timetable for her return. The Dragons are 2-1 without Hamay this season but suffered a 40-30 loss to Adams on Tuesday without her. Lake Orion's four losses this season have been by a total of 32 points. They have two tough road games at Bloomfield Hills on Friday and at Troy next week before getting Groves at home for the first time this season.

We'll see what happens folks.

OAA White Division Standings-Girls Basketball

Written Tuesday January 21st, at 11:50 PM

Standings in Girls Basketball as of January 21st.

ROCHESTER ADAMS                      
7-0 White  11-0 Overall

TROY
5-1 White  9-2 Overall                                                  

BLOOMFIELD HILLS
4-2 White   9-2 Overall

ORION                                              
3-3 White  7-4 Overall

OXFORD                                           
3-4 White  8-4 Overall

ROCHESTER                                    
2-5 White  3-8 Overall

FARMINGTON                                 
1-5 White  3-9 Overall

GROVES                                           

0-5 White  1-9 Overall

Groves still has to play Lake Orion and Troy twice

Farmington and Bloomfield Hills still has to play each other twice

White Thoughts-Girls Basketball

Written Monday January 13th, at 7:40 AM

The White in Girls Basketball is interesting to say the least. Five teams have less than two losses and there will be separation in the league by the end of the week.

Oxford received some devastating news as junior star forward Jessica Murphy is out two to six weeks with a broken left hand she suffered in the game against Rochester. Murphy averaged 19.6 points per game. the Wildcats will be forced to rely on Grace Wysocki who had 13 points against Bloomfield Hills, Christina Mecidi, Skye Donaldson, and Cheryl Bandis to carry them until Murphy gets back. The schedule does not get any easier to say the least, they host Adams on Tuesday, go to Lake Orion on Thursday, at Farmington on Tuesday, and then next Friday they host Troy. That's a brutal stretch.

Bloomfield Hills might not be so mighty after all despite Shannon Wilson scoring 30 points against a depleted Oxford team on Friday. The Blackhawks did lose to Rochester Adams and Troy in the season but they do have a win over Lake Orion on the road. Bloomfield Hills looks like if Wilson and her supporting cast does well then they win if they don't then they struggle. The Blackhawks still have Lake Orion, Oxford, and Troy at home but they do travel to Adams which is not going to be an easy trip at all.

Rochester Adams got a huge break in the Troy game on Friday night when Nicole Niemic's shot fell in late in a 45-43 overtime home victory with Raiven Owusu scoring 15 points and Amber Jamison's seven rebounds in that game. The Highlanders are unbeaten so far and will play a depleted Oxford team on Tuesday then have the Crosstown Showdown with Rochester at Oakland on Friday which should be a win there but the game that could give Adams trouble is the Lake Orion game because two seasons ago, it was the Dragons that knocked the Highlanders from the ranks of the unbeaten on their home floor.

Farmington got themselves a huge 51-42 win over Groves thanks to senior forward Mariah Peruah's 23 points. The Falcons got two early wins in the season but have struggled lately in league play and overall and sit at 3-6 with early season wins over Saint Catherine of Sienna Academy and Walled Lake Central. Mya Douse did not play in the Groves game due to an knee injury that has been bothering her. If Peruah keeps playing the way she is right now then Farmington will be fine down the stretch toward postseason play.

Troy suffered a tough 45-43 overtime loss to Rochester Adams on Friday but will have a chance to get back on the floor as they will host Rochester on Monday night. The Colts are still going to be a force to be a recon with in the second half of the season with senior forwards Rachel Zelmanski and Sydney Heath and their pressure defense. The schedule is interesting for Troy as they will have the Highlanders and Lake Orion coming to Troy but have to go to Oxford and Bloomfield Hills later in the season.

Groves has been struggling badly but did get some good news as shooting guard Brianna Rowe returned for the Farmington game after missing a few games with an injury. She had 15 points in a 51-42 loss to Farmington. The Falcons have been struggling to score and also defend. Also they have to go through the second time around and still haven't played Lake Orion yet.

Rochester has lost three straight games (West Bloomfield 50-29, Oxford 42-38, and Lake Orion 54-41) since the huge 39-31 win over Pontiac Notre Dame Prep in the semifinals of the Holiday Classic. Rochester sophomore forward DeAvery Jackson has led the Falcons charge until the West Bloomfield game where she struggled before being benched in the Oxford game. Jackson played OK in the Lake Orion game on Friday night. Rochester's top guns Alex Haupt and Ivy Schultz struggled in the Lake Orion game scoring but the Falcons will face the Dragons again in Rochester. The schedule does not get any easier for the Falcons as they travel to Troy on Monday and play Adams in the Crosstown Showdown at Oakland on Friday. The Falcons could be staring at 3-7 by the end of the week.

Lake Orion has been under the radar lately at 5-3. The Dragons have been quietly improving especially in point production but the third quarter has been a problem for them lately. In their three losses the third quarter has been their doom. Lake Orion was outscored 18-13 in the third quarter against Rochester and allowed 20 points against Bloomfield Hills and Troy in that stretch as well. The Dragons will host Troy Athens on Monday and then host Oxford on Thursday then they will go to Adams on Tuesday and then to Bloomfield Hills next Friday. They still haven't played Groves yet this season but that will change.

We'll see what happens folks.

Dragons Winter Sports Personal Thoughts

Written Wednesday December 25th, at 1:30 PM

Well I like to wish you all a special Merry Christmas here. So far I look at both the Dragons Basketball teams both teams are right where I think they are early in the season. So here are my thoughts on the teams.

Girls:

When I look at the Girls this season this team has expectations to rise up in the season. Last season the Dragons were winless heading into the Christmas Break, so that’s a step in the right direction. Currently the ladies stand 3-3 and 0-2 in the White. The girls started the season with wins over Lapeer East, Brandon, and West Bloomfield. It has been a tough three games for them lately as they have losses to teams (Clarkston, Bloomfield Hills, and Troy) whom have a combined 18-3 and have lost by a combined 22 points.

The Dragons have struggled keeping leads in the third quarter which has been bothering coach Steve Roberts. They have had halftime leads in two of the three games they have lost. The inside post game has been a disaster for them, especially in the three losses where they have struggled to get points inside the paint. Also the defense in the second half has been soft and sometimes lazy. This is something that this team needs to correct if they want to have a good season.

Also another problem is where the killer is instinct on this team. It is clearly shown that this core group does not have a killer instinct. Sure they are young but that’s not an excuse. Where is that killer instinct especially in the last two games in the second half? You got to put youth and inexperience aside and show your stuff. It’s time to show it, in more words it’s put up or shut up time and that’s something that this team has to show.

The Girls will have plenty of time to address the issues between now and Farmington on January 3^rd. The schedule will get much tougher from here, as they will see Bloomfield Hills and Troy again along with Adams, Oxford, Rochester all twice along with Royal Oak whom is not bad either.

Boys:

When I see the Boys they aren’t the same team without John McCarty but this team might have to get use to playing without him. The current indications are that he may be lost for the season with a hip injury. This team does have the pieces to compete but the problem is can they do it on a consistent basis and against good teams without McCarty.

The Dragons currently sit at 2-1 and 1-0 in the White. Lake Orion lost a heart breaker to Pontiac but they had opportunities to win that game. They struggled to beat Oxford on the road, even though Oxford is a hostile environment. Lake Orion also had to comeback to beat Groves in overtime and the Falcons were projected to finish last in the White this season.

The biggest problem that coach Tom Risi’s team has had been the third quarter like the Girls, they let teams get back in the game and eventually take the lead on them before coming back. If they were playing a good team then this would be a huge problem. All three games have proven that point, the Dragons allowed a 14-0 run in the third quarter against Pontiac. Oxford outscored the Dragons 16-7 in the third quarter before Lake Orion came back and won that game. The Dragons trailed Groves by 12 at one point in the third quarter despite horrible officiating in that game to win that one but that game should had never went overtime.

Another problem and this has been a huge problem even before Risi coached in Varsity is that this team has played to the level to their competition, which is a huge no-no. This has been a huge problem in getting up for games. Players get up for games against Romeo, Clarkston, Oxford, Adams, Seaholm, Troy, Troy Athens, Oak Park etc but to play Groves, Avondale, West Bloomfield, Pontiac and take them lightly then that’s a problem. If you want to be a champion you got to get up for each game and do whatever it takes to win. This team has had some issues doing that and that’s not a coaching problem, that’s a player mindset problem.

Lake Orion has a murders row schedule when they get back from break as they travel to Romeo on January 3rd and then have a long four game road trip with games at Seaholm, Oak Park, Avondale, and Clarkston while they will host Adams and Troy. This will certainly test the Dragons chemistry and how much they have learned without McCarty.

Hockey:

My thoughts on Hockey are that the Dragons have had a nice bounce back season after a disappointing 2012-2013 season last season. Lake Orion currently stands 8-1 on the season and 3-0 in the Red. My personal thoughts are is can this team go far and get the right draw in the pre-districts round. If they do get the right draw then it is possible that a trip to Compuware Ice Arena in Plymouth is possible for Lake Orion this season.

The Dragons are currently fifth in the state, which is something where Coach Nick Field has them so far in the season. They have beaten some really good teams like Grand Blanc and won the Traverse City Invite. The Hockey team’s only defeat came at Hartland but have ever since had a nice winning streak heading into the break.

Wrestling:

The Dragons wrestling team did not have a good Oakland County meet as a team as they finished 17^th but they had some strong individual results in that meet. The invitational tournaments have also been kind to them this season as Lake Orion finished second at the Romeo Invitational and the Junior Varsity team has had some great performances at Yale. As a team the wrestlers have struggled losing matches to Stoney Creek and powerhouses Hartland and Howell. In a league with Clarkston, Oxford, Adams, and Rochester it will be a tough go this season for them.

Skiing:

The season hasn’t started yet but looks to be very good this season especially in both the slalom and giant slalom as well. The Dragons look to get back to the state championship rounds after a solid last season. The Pine Knob region looks to be tough as well with the likes of Clarkston in there but if they can get a good finish then this team could go places this season.

Competitive Cheerleading:

The cheerleaders have a tough schedule as coach Nancy De Aliva decided to go more west than the traditional east route and for good reason. The regional the Dragons are in is at Novi and the teams they will see like Grandville, East Kentwood, Jension, along with Hartland and Howell will be there as well. Lake Orion took third place in the Grandville Invitational and still has more tournaments to the west side of the state as well. In the first OAA Red league meet, the cheerleaders won that beating Rochester and Stoney Creek in the process. The second league meet will be in the friendly confines of Lake Orion along with the district as well. The cheer team has a strong chance to returning back to the Delta Plex after having a tough regional last season and they will have to go through that to get back to Grand Rapids.

Bowling:

The Dragons will be all right this season after a successful season last season for Coach Kevin Crowder but they do have the capabilities to surprise some people this season and possibly contend this season. The Boys had a tough one with Oxford and lost but the Girls beat Oxford in the process.

Power-lifting:

The lifters will be interesting to watch this season. The girls need to replace one lifter from last season while the boys have some lifters to replace but coaches Eric Jennings and Johanna Misiak will find a way to make sure both lifters will be competitive this season.

Enjoy a nice Merry Christmas and Football Bowl Season everyone.