Early Volleyball Rankings.

Written Saturday May 31st, at 8:25 PM

It's not too early to talk volleyball but these rankings aren't official but they could be a good idea where teams are heading into the fall season.


T 10. Hazel Park Vikings- Vikings district success has them here in the early ranks.

T 10. Berkley Bears- Bears will be better as well and could challenge Royal Oak again.

9. North Farmington Raiders- Disappointing loss to Harrison last season should be the perfect motivation tool for coach Jessica Concedi’s Raiders.

8. Royal Oak Ravens- The middle led by Allison Karpinski and Nina Savich will be a force this season but back row is the key for the Ravens success.

7. Troy Colts- Colts return 13 players on a team that had a nightmare season, last season.

6. Beverly Hills Wylie E Groves Falcons- Falcons lose a lot of talent from last season but have some talent returning from a team that went to the regional semifinals this season.

5. Avondale Yellow Jackets- Veteran team who won the Blue last season is led by Colleen Mayer and Emma Ahern will lead the Jackets for coach Rosemary Motamedi.

4. Bloomfield Hills Blackhawks- Blackhawks will still be very deep this season and try to avenge a tough loss to Birmingham Seaholm last season.

3. Birmingham Seaholm Maples- Coach Heather Lippert will have her Maples ready for the season.

2. Lake Orion Dragons- Dragons return Rachel Giwa and Hannah Murdock but will have a new coach in Tony Scavarda and the transition period could be interesting.

1. Clarkston Wolves- Wolves led by Taylor Dellinger will be good again this season but key will be the setter of the team for coach Kelly Avernall.

Early Girls Basketball Projections

 Written Saturday May 31st, at 8:20 PM

These are my projections but these are the way too early rankings.

T 10. Farmington Falcons- Falcons have the guards in Mya Douse, Amani Echols, and Maddy Trevistian but the interior is going to be a huge concern.

T 10. Bloomfield Hills Blackhawks- Catherine Prinna and Amanda Moss could have a huge impact for the Blackhawks but the question is in the interior.

T 10. Troy Athens Red Hawks- Red Hawks will be favored in the Gold this season and have some solid players in the program already.

9. Avondale Yellow Jackets- Jackets return a lot of their team from a season ago and could make an impact on the White this season.

8. Rochester Stoney Creek Cougars- Cougars lost the Voss sisters and Carlee Campbell but good news is Maria Zandi and Courtney Solek return.

7. Birmingham Seaholm Maples- Mackenzie Harbott is the real deal but the sophomore slump could be interesting, the Blue is winnable this year.

6. Lake Orion Dragons- If the Dragons can find a true power forward/center then look out.

5. Oxford Wildcats- This maybe the best Wildcats team since the early 2000’s with Jessica Murphy, Cheryln Bandis, and Skye Donaldson leading the charge for coach Stephen Emmert.

4. Clarkston Wolves- Wolves have Erika Davenport but problem is Kacy Robinson graduated and unless Davenport has a Robin, things could be interesting in Clarkston.

3. Rochester Adams Highlanders- Highlanders return four starters and two of them are Raiven Owusu and Amber Jamison but move to Red could be tricky.

2. Southfield Lathrup Chargers- Bello Twins will have a strong impact but key will be guard play for coach Michelle Jackson Marshall’s Hoop Squad.

1. Farmington Hills Harrison Hawks- Hawks were in a tough situation last season, hope the district gods give coach Tim Micklash something different.

Early Boys Basketball Top 10

Written Saturday May 31st, at 8:15 PM

Now these rankings aren't my official projections but these are way too early to figure but here you go.

T-10. Beverly Hills Wylie E Groves Falcons- Falcons will have a new coach heading into the season but have talented players.

T-10. Troy Colts- Colts will be scrappy again this season for coach Gary Fralick.

9. Oxford Wildcats-This team maybe coach Stephan Henning’s best he has had in his second season at Oxford.

8. Lake Orion Dragons- Lost a lot of talent but strong junior varsity class should fill the void nicely.

7. Bloomfield Hills Blackhawks- Now starts the post Big Three era for coach Dwayne Graves Blackhawks after a trip to the State Finals last season.

6. Rochester Adams Highlanders- Loss of Ahjkemji Williams will hurt but Zach Littleson could fill the void for coach John Hall.

5. Troy Athens Red Hawks- Strong interior led by Corbin Vlaji and John Van Hoef but guard play is a question.

4. West Bloomfield Lakers- Michael King and Tristian Jackson maybe the best guard duo in Oakland County.

3. Clarkston Wolves- Wolves return Andrew Myers and Tabin Throgmorton but question will be inside play.

2. Oak Park Knights- Knights could have the two best inside players in Oakland County this season.

1. North Farmington Raiders- Jerome Rogers could be the best player in Oakland County this season.

Early Football Rankings-2014

Written Saturday May 31st, at 8:10 PM

Now these aren't my official projections but it will give an indication what they might be. The projections will be done in late July.

24. Ferndale Eagles-The Eagles were a disappointment last season on the grid iron.

23. Pontiac Phoenix-Uncertainties surrounding school and football program loom at Pontiac.

22. North Farmington Raiders- Loss of Chauncey Bridges and new division (White) will hurt.

21. Hazel Park Vikings- New coach and new system could make the Vikings dangerous.

20. Royal Oak Ravens- New coach and new division (White) could be disastrous for a team that went 4-5 last season.

19. Troy Colts- Colts weren’t the same team since the fourth quarter of the Lake Orion game at Ford Field last season.

18. Bloomfield Hills Blackhawks- Out with dealing with Oak Park, Adams, Southfield, and Harrison in the White, in with the Red dealing with Clarkston, Lake Orion, Oxford, Stoney Creek, and West Bloomfield. Talk about brutal.

17. Berkley Bears- Bears will be competitive after a 5-4 season last season.

16. Rochester Falcons- Falcons move down to the White and deal with Adams, Oak Park, Southfield, and Harrison but first they are at Lapeer and close out the season with Stoney Creek. That’s a brutal schedule.

15. Farmington Falcons- There is a lot of hype of the returning players and talk of the division title with the move to the Blue but chemistry is a huge issue in a turbulent season for the Falcons last year.

14. Troy Athens Red Hawks- Red Hawks were not good last season but junior varsity team was very good so there is hope in Troy especially for the team in Red and Gold.

13. Southfield Lathrup Chargers- New division (Blue) and experience will bring better results for the Chargers this season.

12. Beverly Hills Wylie E Groves Falcons- Loss of Ross Williams will hurt but there is plenty of team chemistry still here in Beverly Hills.

11. Birmingham Seaholm Maples- Loss of top players and the move to the White could hurt but the Maples will still have the Maple Forest.

10. Rochester Stoney Creek Cougars- Coach Brad Zube has done a nice job building this program on up.

9. Southfield Blue Jays- Loss of top talent will impact the Blue Jays this season but Tim Conley can coach a good team.

8. Avondale Yellow Jackets- Joshua Holloman will be a scary player. If they get a good offensive line look out Blue.

7. West Bloomfield Lakers- Tristan Jackson is going to be a special player this season.

6. Oxford Wildcats- Glacier Wallington and Dallas Truit could be a dangerous quarterback-wide receiver combination this season.

5. Lake Orion Dragons- Dragons must improve defense if they want to be where they want to be. Defense wasn’t Lake Orion standard last season.

4. Rochester Adams Highlanders- If Kyle Wood avoids the Sophomore slump then the Highlanders will be very good this season.

3. Farmington Hills Harrison Hawks- Javon Shaw could be the best quarterback in Oakland County.

2. Oak Park Knights- Knights have the tools led by John Kelly of a long playoff run.

1. Clarkston Wolves- Defending State Champs will be loaded offensively, defensibly is a mystery.

Campbell Sentenced.

Written Saturday May 31st, at 6:05 PM

Detroit Cass Tech took a huge hit as their starting quarterback Jayru Campbell got sentenced to 60 days in jail, 15 months probation, required to take anger management classes, and 75 hours of community service as part of a plea deal he got last month under the Michigan Homestead Act of 1969.

Campbell was allowed to go back into Detroit Cass Tech last month as well and before the jail sentence he is scheduled to take summer classes before going to jail. He is to report to the Wayne County jail but he will not be with the general population on July 28^th.

He could have gotten ten years in prison if convicted under Michigan Public Act 451 but instead after he does his time he will have a clean record.

Campbell was caught on videotape body slamming a security officer in January after school while at Detroit Cass Tech.

He committed to Michigan State to play football next season but that question remains unclear if that scholarship will be available to him.

Campbell was originally suspended for Detroit Cass Tech’s first game against Oak Park after he punched a Novi Detroit Catholic Central player after a 28-0 loss to the Shamrocks in the Division One State Semifinals at Troy Athens in November. Campbell was suspended three school days and one football game which was Oak Park.

Campbell’s sentence could be lowered to 52 days because of good behavior and has already served three days while in jail. He could miss four games into the season and also Campbell must be readmitted into school by September 26^th, his release date is September 22^nd. If he doesn’t readmit into school then he will be ineligible for the fall and winter seasons.

Thoughts:

When I look at this punishment, the 60 days in jail is interesting here because it would cost Campbell half of his football season. I think he got out light but jail is jail. If anyone else did what he did then the punishment would be more severe than here.

I thought Wayne County gave Campbell a slap on the wrist but it is what it is when you look at the law and that if you have a record then you won’t be able to play. He is very sincere and knew he made a mistake but we’ll see what happens. Also we don’t know what other punishment Detroit Public Schools will do to Campbell hearing about this punishment even though it will be off the record.

Detroit Cass Tech must prepare for the season without Campbell. They do have a very good running back in Mike Weber, a good backup in Rodney Hall who will be a sophomore, a good team, and Thomas Wilcher is a very good football coach but questions will remain especially with the schedule, the Technicians will have to play besides Oak Park, Detroit Martin Luther King and Detroit East English Village Prep in the Detroit Public School League. Even if Campbell does come back to the team he will certainly be a distraction to the team and especially if they have to play suburban teams and also his conditioning will be off as well especially having to serve time away from teammates.

July 28^th will be an interesting day for Campbell. Jail changes people’s lives and also how they look at life. Also when he gets out a new beginning will begin for Campbell as well.

Dragons Softball Go Back to Back District Crowns

Written, Saturday May 31st, at 5:40 PM

Good teams usually make big plays happen with two outs. That’s what happened on Saturday afternoon at Lake Orion in the softball district semi finals between two of the most premiered hitting teams in the state.

Facing a two run lead with a runner on second base, Lake Orion sophomore pitcher Sierra Gonzales got Clarkston to pop out on two straight pitches in rout to a 7-5 victory over the Wolves in the district semifinals. This is the second straight season that the Dragons have eliminated the Wolves in the district playoffs.

The game was scoreless for four innings until the Dragons struck first on a RBI single with two outs by Kenndi Thomas in the top of the fifth inning off Clarkston junior starter Madeline Maday giving them a 1-0 lead.

The two time Red Champions would then take advantage of sloppy infield play by Clarkston. The Wolves defense and pitching has been an issue all season. The Dragons hit a hard ground ball but was misplayed by the second baseman scoring two more runs for a 3-0 Lake Orion lead.

Clarkston however would have an answer though in the bottom half of the inning though.

With two outs and runners on first and second, the Wolves, Mariah Hood hit a three run double off Gonzales to the center field fence tying the score 3-3.

In the top of the sixth however Thomas would strike and with two outs again.

Thomas would then hit another two run-two out double off Maday giving Lake Orion the lead back 5-3 in the top of the inning and then in the same inning Kayla Knoblock added another two run double off Maday giving the Dragons a 7-3 lead.

The Wolves would add one more run off Gonzales in the bottom of the inning making it 7-4 in favor of Lake Orion.

Lake Orion would then leave the bases loaded in the top of the seventh inning leaving Clarkston a chance to win the game. The Wolves scored on a double with nobody out in the bottom half of the seventh inning making the score 7-5 and many nerves at Lake Orion.

Clarkston would then hit two pop ups in that half of the inning and eventually would lead to the end of the game. The Dragons will move and play Waterford Mott in the district finals.

The Wolves were without junior starting pitcher and top hitter Candace Kitchen for the season to a sprained ankle against Troy Athens. Next season the Wolves will be a senior laden team but will have to deal with Lake Orion again.

In the district final against Waterford Mott, Dragons junior Megan Hall hit a solo home run and had an RBI double in rout to an 8-1 victory over the Corsairs. The win over Waterford Mott was the second district title for the Dragons, under coach Joe Woytira since taking over for the late great Denny Davis.

Lake Orion will move on to the regional at Hartland (in Livingston County) against Troy whom beat Troy Athens 7-6 at Bloomfield Hills. Troy and Lake Orion played two games against each other earlier in the season with the Dragons winning both games 11-1 and 8-7 at Troy over the Colts. The other regional semifinal will be the Romeo Bulldogs led by sophomore pitcher Haley Weaver up against the Fenton Tigers whom beat Hartland and Lakeland to get to the regional semifinals.

Next weekend should be interesting.

Dragons Update.

Written Tuesday May 27th, at 11:30 PM

Upsets Do Happen sadly:

When I look at the end of spring sports, it’s shocking to see that Track and Softball only remain. However when it came to this senior class especially in Baseball, they have had their ups and downs but what happened on Monday it ended up being a pitching duel and I remember having a conversation with Oakland Press MIPrepzone coordinator Keith Dunlap about Lake Orion’s hitting.

“They have the pitching but the hitting is a mystery” he said. Well that lack of hitting ended up costing the Dragons in a shocking 1-0 loss to Waterford Kettering in the pre district at Lake Orion.

The Dragons lose two good pitchers in Brad Schaenzer and Josh Bays. Schaenzer will head to Kentucky while Bays will head to Western Michigan next season.

The game ended up being a pitching duel but the Dragons had their chances, they left the bases loaded in the third inning and had an opportunity in the sixth inning but couldn’t convert. Waterford Kettering found a way to win that game and is moving onto face Clarkston. Lake Orion ended up winning the Red but this season clearly was a disappointment in Dragon standards.

Red Champs reign supreme over Kensington Champs:

When I look at the Lake Orion softball team in their first round pre district game against Waterford Kettering, I seen a team that had won the Red and then exploded in a 12-1 rout of the Kensington Lakes Athletic Association champions but the score was much closer than indicated at Lake Orion.

The Dragons were leading 3-1 with two outs in the top of the seventh inning Lake Orion exploded behind Rachel Dolland, Kayla Knoblock and crew scoring nine runs in that half of the inning sending 13 hitters, putting the game out of reach. The Dragons will move on to the district semifinals and take on Clarkston. The Wolves will be without top hitter and pitcher junior Candace Kitchen whom sprained her ankle and is out for the postseason after she hurt it against Troy Athens. Clarkston however is still a dangerous team and likely Madeline Maday will pitch against the Dragons.

Basketball Division’s Out:

The new divisions for basketball could be a nightmare as if anybody can ask for this winter. When you look at both divisions they will be very tough. The Dragons could be there with anybody come next season.

The boys is loaded when you look at it coming next winter. Lake Orion will be playing in the White but in their division will be teams that will be very good heading into the season. In their division will be Oak Park, Troy, Troy Athens, Pontiac, and Rochester. Oak Park and Troy Athens will have size and experience. Pontiac comes down from the Red but is always talented. Troy is well Troy, Rochester could struggle again this season. This could be a long season in the boys but the division will make them better come playoff time in a district that might have Clarkston and Rochester Adams in it.

The girls could look interesting especially with most of the teams staying in the White, Lake Orion should know. West Bloomfield and Avondale will move down from the Red but Troy, Bloomfield Hills, and Oxford will be in the White along with Lake Orion this upcoming season. The road for the girls maybe well light say easier than the boys road but the girls will be in the division race all season but the league like I said is going to be a good one, I can see four teams in this race all year long.

New Coach but familiar face:

Dragons Volleyball will have a new coach this upcoming fall but a familiar face will be on the bench as well. Tony Scavarda takes over the Varsity program left by Coach Ross Talbott after two successful seasons behind the bench. Scavarda coached the junior varsity last season and will have his work cut out for him after two tough district playoff losses to Clarkston since going to the State Finals in 2011.

The varsity should be talented this season, led by Rachel Giwa and Hannah Murdock, both will be seniors but consistency will be an issue with this team as well as the transition period with Scavarda, all transitions has to happen during the season. The league is interesting this coming fall. I can see the Red being a four team race between the Dragons, Clarkston because of Taylor Dellinger, Bloomfield Hills because of talent, and Birmingham Seaholm because of their experience and good coaching in Heather Lippert.

Cheerleading Update:

The Lake Orion cheerleading team last season had to overcome adversity in going west and eventually going back to the delta plex. Now Nikki De Avla takes over the reins of the team this season from her mother Nancy and as always the cheer program should be very good again this upcoming fall and winter.

Wrestling gets new coach and new division:

After months of competing in the vicious Red the Dragons will move to the White for Wrestling also add the fact that they will have a new coach this winter. Jeff Smart will take over the program for Cory Kuzinci. Kuzinci will be the new wrestling coach at Waldon next winter. Smart coached at Stoney Creek last season, will inherit a pretty good team and also familiarity is also important concerting that he is a football coach in the junior varsity level.

OAA and Media Day:

This will be the first season that the OAA will have a media day. It will take place on August 8th at Rochester High School. The Dragons Den will give you complete coverage of every coaches thought including Dragons Coach Chris Bell.