by Becky Andrus | Jan 26, 2022 | Feature Writers, High School Sports
This is a blog that is devoted to the OAA. We cover 23 schools from Oakland County to Wayne County. From Oxford to Harper Woods. This blog will give insight and projections around the OAA.
Wednesday, January 26, 2022
by Sammy Taormina
Keenest takes over at Holly.
Written Wednesday January 26th at 8:40 AM
Updated Wednesday January 26th at 10:15 AM
In a surprising move there will be a new coach at Troy Athens next season.
Coach Billy Keenest has stepped down at Troy Athens and accepted the coaching position at Holly.
“Over the last four seasons there have been a few things I have enjoyed more than being your head coach. Leading the Red Hawks has been an incredible experience in my life and I won’t forget Hawk mornings, practices, Friday night lights, some of the greatest memories I will ever have. Over the last few years life has taken me in many directions and to new opportunities. Today I am resigning as your head football coach. I will always love the Hawks and forever have red and gold in my heart. I want to thank all of my former players first and foremost. I love you guys more than you know. Secondly to all our assistant coaches I love you guys and appreciate all your hard work. The fine board is still running. Thank you so much to the parents who have supported me and this program. I’m sad to leave Athens but it’s time to move on. Thank you and GO HAWKS.” Keenest said on Twitter to Red Hawk nation on Tuesday.
Keenest was 11-22 in his four seasons at Troy Athens. He also spent one season at Berkley in 2016.
Keenest was the offensive coordinator at Troy Athens under then coach Josh Heppner for a time. He also played his high school football at Oxford under Bud Rowley.
The Red Hawks should a pretty good team despite losing Keenest. They will be in the Blue next season. Whoever comes to Troy Athens has a ton of experience on both lines with linemen Alex Afhan and Luke Summerall coming back along with linebacker Jaden Najm on the defensive side of the football. The offense will be very interesting to see if they keep the same offense or go with something different. They need to find a quarterback but have proven skill players wide receivers Austin Pokley and Noah Vivian along with running back Anthony Ashor coming back as well. Program strength looks to be getting better with Troy Athens and it will be very important for the new coach to keep the program at a high level.
It will be very interesting to see what happens with Troy Athens football program and who becomes the new head coach next season.
Thoughts
I was very surprised to see Keenest leave Troy Athens after four years coaching the program. Keenest is not the first OAA coach to leave for the Flint Metro League. Coach Brad Zube left Stoney Creek to take the Brandon job in 2017. Holly is a very interesting program. The Bronchos are 19-33 since 2016. The Flint Metro League has a ton of proven challengers in Lake Fenton, Brandon, Linden, and Fenton. Holly will be going through a transition period and should be one of the teams to watch next season. The Red Hawks should be pretty good next season with the experience coming back but whoever takes over the program
Stay tuned to OAA Now for the latest on this developing story.
by Becky Andrus | Jan 17, 2022 | Feature Writers, High School Sports
This is a blog that is devoted to the OAA. We cover 23 schools from Oakland County to Wayne County. From Oxford to Harper Woods. This blog will give insight and projections around the OAA.
Wednesday, January 12, 2022
By Sammy Taormina
Royal Oak will have a new Football Coach This Fall.
Written Wednesday January 12th at 10:10 AM
The Ravens will have a new football coach this fall.
Royal Oak Coach Ray McMann has stepped down from the program according to a very accurate source.
McMann has coached the Ravens since 2013. He was 25-49 in his eight years coaching at Royal Oak with two postseason appearances.
McMann was a huge part of bringing football to Royal Oak especially in the youth levels despite the wins and losses. He has also been a positive influence with his players as well leading them to life lessons every day.
Royal Oak finished 2-7 last season. It will be very interesting who the Ravens find as their new coach. There is a lot of talent coming back with running back Michael Jenkins, quarterback Hudson Siddle, and linemen Ellie Finch and Jordan Wood. They have some talent coming back.
Whoever the new coach is will have a very tough job ahead of him. Program strength will be the key for the new coach. There are also a ton of questions on the varsity especially in the defensive secondary and depth will also be a huge question mark heading into 2022.
Stay tuned to OAA Now for the latest on this developing story.
by Becky Andrus | Jan 10, 2022 | Feature Writers, Scouting
By Meredith Foss:
Local Scouting district celebrates first female Eagle Scout
Brooke Muzzy, 18, has become the first female Eagle Scout in Scouting’s local Pontiac-Manito District.
Muzzy grew up with the Scouting movement even before she joined as a member. Muzzy watched, participated and learned alongside her brothers as they grew from Cub Scouts to Boy Scouts, and Brooke was growing too. She started off by joining Crew 2128, a co-ed Scouting program dedicated to high adventure activities. In 2019, when girls were finally able to join the Boy Scouts of America’s traditional programs, she decided to join Scouts BSA Troop 185 with other girls who wanted to try out Scouting.
“Much like Dorothy needs the friends she finds as she followed the yellow brick road, a scout needs friends to help as they follow the trail to eagle,” Muzzy said. “Your parents, friends, and scout leaders will be the people you find along your trail through Scouting.”
Through Scouting Muzzy has been on many adventures, a trip to Philmont Scout Ranch in New Mexico being one of the most memorable. Philmont is a high adventure camp where scouts backpack hundreds of miles through the mountains. She was even selected to be crew leader for the expedition.
Brooke learned to become a great leader, as she was elected Senior Patrol Leader of Troop 185. She attended National Youth Leadership Training, a week long course teaching scouts how to become better leaders for their units, and she was selected to teach on staff the following year.
Muzzy started to plan an Eagle Project to benefit the community during summer of 2021. Muzzy faced a few challenges along the way, but successfully completed her Eagle project, clearing brush and invasive plants along a section of trail and building two permanent benches at Camp Agawam.
Brooke had her Eagle Court of Honor last Sunday at D-Bar-A Scout Ranch, surrounded by Scouting friends and family celebrating her achievements. Muzzy chose to thank several adult volunteers who helped her along the way, gifting commemorative mentor pins to Troop 185 Assistant Scoutmaster Lynn Foss, Committee Chair Jeff Egner, Scoutmaster Wayne Beutler and Pack 7 Cubmaster David Weatherwax.
“Not only has it been an honor to watch Brooke grow as a leader, it was also an honor to receive a mentor pin from her,” Lynn Foss said. “I look forward to her realizing that she can achieve any goal she sets her mind on.”
Meredith Foss, 14, is a youth journalist with the Scouting on Air television program.
by Becky Andrus | Dec 23, 2021 | Feature Writers, High School Sports
This is a blog that is devoted to the OAA. We cover 23 schools from Oakland County to Wayne County. From Oxford to Harper Woods. This blog will give insight and projections around the OAA.
Wednesday, December 22, 2021
Schroeder and Lake Orion Part Ways.
By Sammy Taormina
Written Wednesday December 22nd at 10:00 AM
Lake Orion and Coach Joe Schroeder are parting ways.
Schroeder stepped down on Tuesday morning in a move which shocked the boys basketball world.
Jose Andraedas was named the interim coach. He was an assistant at Stoney Creek and Lake Orion along with coaching at Seaholm and Almont.
Schroeder finished with a 21-22 record in his two and a half years coaching the Dragons. He went 11-5 last season which included a share of the Blue. Lake Orion was 2-3 this season prior to the school and Schroeder parting ways. The Dragons fell to 2-4 falling 63-54 at Pontiac Notre Dame Prep on Tuesday night.
“I enjoyed coaching at Lake Orion but it was the right time to step away. I want to thank all of my players, the administrators, and members of the community that supported me in my two plus seasons here” Schroeder said to MIPrepZone’s Scott Burnstein.
Lake Orion football coach and athletic director Chris Bell mentioned to Burnstein that he is wishing for him nothing but the best moving forward. “I appreciate everything Joel did with our boys basketball team. He accomplished a lot and did right by us. There was no major incident that led up to this, there was some stress in the program and it’s just best for everyone involved to move on.”
Lake Orion is off until the New Year when they host Lapeer on Tuesday January 4th.
The Dragons have been through a lot in the last few weeks however their goals are still in front of them. It’s important for them to stay together in this very difficult time.
Andraedas brings a ton of coaching experience which helps. He led the Dragons in their opening night win over Rochester Lutheran Northwest to kick off the season.
It will be up to Andraedas to fix Lake Orion’s issues. This has been a program with a ton of questions coming into the season. Program strength is a big concern and still is right now.
It’s going to be very important especially next season whoever the coach is to build and address program strength.
Stay tuned to OAA Now for the latest on this developing story.
Here is the column from Burnstein.
https://www.theoaklandpress.com/2021/12/21/joel-schroeder-steps-down-as-lake-orion-boys-basketball-coach/
by Becky Andrus | Dec 13, 2021 | Feature Writers, High School Sports
This is a blog that is devoted to the OAA. We cover 23 schools from Oakland County to Wayne County. From Oxford to Harper Woods. This blog will give insight and projections around the OAA.
Monday, December 6, 2021
Brother’s Tribute to the Myre Family.
Written Monday December 6th at 8:00 PM
Trent, Ty, and Tate: My tribute to Tate Myre and the entire Myre Family
By Anthony Taormina
One night in September, as Lake Orion and Oxford played each other in a JV Football contest in Oxford, at halftime, there was a group of Oxford Football Players playing football, having fun with each other. One of those kids was Tate Myre. I watched them all play, thinking, this is what football is about, this is what friendship is all about. At 0-3, that team could have pouted but they didn’t, they stayed together, as a result, they were able to get into the playoffs and win a playoff game. My brother wrote a wonderful article about Oxford Football, an article I bet Tate read, I look back to those group of kids playing, yeah that same group of brothers, playing for each other, playing for nothing to lose.
I remember watching Tate along with his brothers Trent and Ty, all of them very successful student athletes, each of them great academic scholars, football players, wrestlers but even better men, well loved, honest, willing to do anything, really can’t ask for a better trio of brothers. Tate very much looked up to his brothers, you could tell in his football play, his twitter posts, often retweeting one or both of his brothers, their play, personalities, very similar. A lot of credit goes deservingly so to Mr. and Mrs. Myre, they raised three wonderful kids, each of them, star football players, star wrestlers, loved their friends, and community, in many ways, the Myres, all of them represent Oxford proud and will continue to represent the town proud. I know there has been talk about naming the football stadium after Tate but I think they should name after all the Myre’s, Tate very much learned from his brothers, each of them learned from their parents, you can’t ask for better than that.
As a Dragon, I had the pleasure to watch all the Myres play football, despite always wanting to beat Oxford year in and out, it has been a treat to watch them all play, their hard work, their competitiveness but also their overall personalities are what I’m most impressed with, putting their team, their community, their student body, putting all of that first over self. I knew that many young ones at Oxford look up to all the Myres and no doubt they will continue to. Their personalities, how they care about everyone they come across, going to bat for others, this is how I will always remember the Myres. When it comes to Oxford Football, five names stand out (sorry Coach (Billy) Keenist even though from an 06 perspective that would be you) Rowley, Line, Brown, Carpenter, and Myre, those names stand out and should always stand out.
On Sunday, Tate decided to befriend me on twitter, I have befriended a lot of his Oxford brothers and like I do for my Lake Orion kids, I will check up on Oxford kids as well and talk to Oxford Coaches. After Tate befriended me, I said to myself that I would befriend Trent, Ty, and their Dad, it will be up to them if they want to follow me or not, after Tate followed me, I reached out, I thought at first that he wanted to follow my brother since he writes the OAA blog so I direct messaged him and thanked him for following me on Twitter, he told me that he appreciated it. That meant a lot, it is something I will value forever. I had truly hope to check up on him from time to time and see how he was doing, no doubt my best friend the late great Steven Crowder will do that for me now.
The next time I go to Oxford and look at that football field, a lot of emotions will come out, one of a beautiful family that has devoted their lives to Oxford Football, Oxford Wrestling, and Oxford Athletics, how two wonderful parents raised three boys, not just to become great athletes but even better men, it shows in the Oxford Community. Together, will be Oxford Strong but also Myre Strong.
#42 #OxfordStrong
by Becky Andrus | Dec 13, 2021 | Feature Writers, High School Sports
This is a blog that is devoted to the OAA. We cover 23 schools from Oakland County to Wayne County. From Oxford to Harper Woods. This blog will give insight and projections around the OAA.
Friday, December 3, 2021
Two Communities Always Linked.
Written Saturday December 4th at 12:00 AM
This blog will be updated.
Tragedy usually bring communities and rivals together.
Lake Orion and Oxford are two communities that are very passionate especially their athletic programs where your either green and white or blue and gold.
Lake Orion and Oxford will always be linked.
They have done several projects together including the Orion-Oxford FISH drive, numerous fundraisers, youth leagues, and clubs. Both communities are very similar, blue collar, hard working, strong positives, friendly, you name it.
Lake Orion was very instrumental in bringing Oxford into the OAA in 2010.
They have continued to support Oxford in several ways.
Both communities have come together this past after tragedy struck at Oxford on Tuesday.
One instance that this reminds me of is April 27th 2011 when an E-F4 tornado struck Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Tuscaloosa is the home of the University of Alabama and their proud football program. 64 people including six Alabama students lost their lives that day.
Days later, Alabama’s arch rival Auburn came to help. Former football Coach Gene Chizik had his players, coaches, and administration go to Tuscaloosa to help those in need and clean up the damage caused by the tornado putting their athletic rivalry aside.
Lake Orion has been tremendous in helping the Oxford community heal through this terrible tragedy. They have had vigils, donations dedicated to the Oxford community, there is blue and gold ribbons across the town, and also businesses and the schools are using the #OxfordStrong.
Lake Orion and Oxford may never get to the rivalry of the Iron Bowl but everyone knows everyone and when they are together and help one another great things do happen.
My Podcast
https://soundcloud.com/user-539915961/oaa-now-special-oxford-tribute
