by Becky Andrus | May 14, 2025 | Feature Writers, High School Sports
Track Regionals-2025
Written Wednesday March 12th at 4:50 PM
Region 8 at Rochester
ROCHESTER
ADAMS
STONEY CREEK
AVONDALE
BERKLEY
GROVES
SEAHOLM
ROYAL OAK
BLOOMFIELD HILLS
SOUTHFIELD ARTS AND TECH
OAK PARK
TROY
Detroit Renaissance
Detroit University-Detroit Jesuit (Boys only)
Birmingham Brother Rice (Boys only)
BOYS: This should be a really interesting regional. Adams should be the favorite because of balance but keep an eye on Oak Park, Groves, Birmingham Brother Rice, Detroit University-Detroit Jesuit. Troy is the wildcard and could be a team that could sneak up with their balance. This should be a fun regional.
GIRLS: Oak Park is loaded in the mid distance, hurdles, and sprints but Rochester could have a strong say with their balance and their dominance in the Red/White meet and it’s at their home track. Detroit Renaissance. Royal Oak, Troy, and Seaholm aren’t necessarily balanced but could be players in this meet. Overall the Knights are the favorite but the Falcons are right behind them.
Region 9 at Milford
Milford
CLARKSTON
LAKE ORION
OXFORD
FARMINGTON
NORTH FARMINGTON
WEST BLOOMFIELD
Novi Detroit Catholic Central (Boys only)
Holly
Lapeer
Walled Lake Central
Walled Lake Northern
Walled Lake Western
Waterford Kettering
Waterford Mott
Lakeland
Farmington Hills Mercy (Girls only)
BOYS: Walled Lake Central looks to be the favorite but keep and eye on West Bloomfield, Walled Lake Western, Clarkston, and Novi Detroit Catholic Central. They could do some damage in this regional. Overall this should be a really interesting regional.
GIRLS: This should be a really interesting regional. Lake Orion is the early favorite winning last season but keep an eye on Clarkston and Walled Lake Central, these are teams can score in bunches. Milford is the wildcard. Holly is coming off a Flint Metro League crown and could be a dark horse along with Farmington Hills Mercy.
Region 10 at Romeo
Romeo
TROY ATHENS
Chippewa Valley
Fraser
Macomb L’Anse Creuse
Macomb Dakota
New Baltimore Anchor Bay
Port Huron
Port Huron Northern
Sterling Heights
Sterling Heights Stevenson
Utica
Utica Eisenhower
Utica Ford II
BOYS: This should be a wide open regional. Chippewa Valley has the sprints, Macomb Dakota has the balance while several teams bring the field events. Overall this is anyone’s meet to take.
GIRLS: This should be a really interesting regional. Macomb Dakota is the early favorite with their depth but Troy Athens and Romeo might have says who could win this regional. This should be a three team regional between these three teams.
Region 18 at Birmingham Marian (Oakland)
Birmingham Marian (Girls only)
FERNDALE
FERNDALE UNIVERSITY
HARPER WOODS
Center Line
Detroit Country Day
Detroit Denby
Detroit Henry Ford
Eastpointe
Harper Woods Chandler Park
Hazel Park
Madison Heights Lamphere
St. Clair Shores South Lake
St. Clair Shores Lake Shore
Warren Fitzgerald
Warren Lincoln
Warren Regina (Girls only)
BOYS: Birmingham Detroit Country Day is loaded with proven experience. Ferndale could challenge although they don’t have a lot of balance. Overall this is the Yellow Jackets regional to lose.
GIRLS: Birmingham Detroit Country Day is loaded with proven experience. Ferndale and Madison Heights Lamphere could challenge but neither team has a lot of balance to challenge the Yellow Jackets. Overall this is the Yellow Jackets regional to lose.
Region 19 at North Branch
North Branch
PONTIAC
Armada
Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook-Kingswood
Croswell-Lexington
Goodrich
Imlay City
Macomb Lutheran North
Marysville
Orchard Lake St. Mary’s
Brandon
Pontiac Notre Dame Prep
Richmond
St. Clair
Yale
BOYS: This is a really interesting regional. Orchard Lake St. Marys is favored but Yale and Goodrich could have strong says. Marysville and North Branch are the wildcards. This is anyone’s regional to take.
GIRLS: This is a wide open regional. Yale, North Branch, Goodrich, Marysville, and Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook-Kingswood could score big in this regional. This regional like the boys is wide
by orionontv | May 13, 2025 | Regional News
Secretary Benson stands firm on protecting Michigan’s election security information
Department of State upholds legal duty to protect sensitive information, releases 300 additional pages of documents to House Oversight Committee
LANSING, Mich. – Today, Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson upheld her obligation to protect sensitive information related to election security in response to legislative subpoenas issued by Michigan House Committee on Oversight. The Michigan Department of State (MDOS) provided an additional 300 pages of materials to the committee that are available for public review at Michigan.gov/ElectionTransparency.
“I believe in oversight and transparency and that’s precisely why our department has voluntarily complied with this request, providing thousands of pages of documents used to train and educate our local clerks,” Secretary Benson said. “However, I also have a duty to protect the security of our elections from politicians seeking information that would enable someone to interfere with the chain of custody of ballots, tamper with election equipment, or impersonate a clerk on Election Day. We’ll continue to work with the chair of the committee to explain these realities and we’ll do the same in a court of law.”
With the additional documents released today, MDOS has provided more than 3,300 pages of election administration training documents to the House Oversight Committee. This is the fifth time in as many months that the department has released documents initially requested by the Chair of the House Committee on Election Integrity.
READ: Letter to House Committee on Oversight – Michigan Department of Attorney General
MDOS will continue to release additional materials to the committee and on the public site once the department’s legal and election security teams have reviewed them and redacted any sensitive information within those materials.
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by orionontv | May 12, 2025 | Feature Writers, High School Sports
Written Monday May 12th at 1:16 PM
Pontiac will have a new boys basketball coach next winter.
The Phoenix have named Dion Harris their new head coach confirmed by the D-Zone. Harris is the third coach in three years in Pontiac. He takes over for DeQuan Washington who stepped down recently.
Harris played at Michigan from 2003-2007 and was Mr. Basketball for Detroit Redford.
Harris new team has a ton of questions despite having JJ Claudio and Jaiden Price coming back. Program strength will be something to watch with the Phoenix. Pontiac will be in the Blue with Troy, Troy Athens, Seaholm, Bloomfield Hills, and Royal Oak.
It will be really interesting to see how the transition period comes for Pontiac and for Harris. We’ll see what happens.
Stay tuned to OAA Now for the latest on this developing story.
Here is the tweet from D-Zone (Stu Carrolton) confirming the move.
https://x.com/TheDZoneBBall/status/1921972327694119106
by orionontv | May 12, 2025 | Feature Writers, High School Sports
Written Saturday May 10th at 12:28 AM
Adams will have a new girls basketball coach next winter.
Highlanders Coach Joe Malburg will not be returning as Girls Varsity Basketball Coach. The Rochester Community Schools Zip Recruiter website confirmed the news. The job was posted on May 6th 2025 which the application is on the bottom of this column.
Malburg took over for Shay Lewis who is at Schoolcraft College in 2020. He went 28-53 in his four years with the program. Malburg has had a ton of success with smaller schools prior to coming to Adams.
The Highlanders overcame a ton of injuries winning 10 games but they were shocked falling 37-33 to Romeo in the district first round after the Bulldogs lost two key players to injuries in that game last season. Adams has Faith Zoldus, Jordan Jarrell, Layla Tomezak, Regan Moore, Alyssa Stephens, Nora Camaj, and Nadia Heppner coming back for the new coach.
Adams has program strength which will help the new coach but there will be a transition period which has to happen during the season. They will be in the Blue with Southfield Arts and Tech, Harper Woods, Troy, Troy Athens, and Ferndale next season. The district has not been released as of yet but it is likely the Highlanders could see their arch rivals Rochester and Stoney Creek in their district.
It will be really interesting to see how Adams approaches this going forward.
Stay tuned to OAA Now for the latest on this developing story.
Adams Coaching Application from Zip Recruiter.
https://www.ziprecruiter.com/c/Rochester-Community-Schools/Job/Adams-High-School-Varsity-Girls-Basketball-Head-Coach-(2308)/-in-Rochester-Hills,MI?jid=b0d34f6ddd8b8136
by orionontv | May 12, 2025 | Feature Writers, High School Sports
Written Friday May 9th at 7:21 AM
The MHSAA Representative Council has made some changes effective next school year.
Here are some of the noticeable rule changes.
In Girls Wrestling, district and regional championships will be awarded after State Champions were awarded last season for the first time.
Tennis will have a pilot program with all four lower peninsula finals to be played at the Midland Tennis Center in Midland.
In football the team that forfeits the game will not get the bonus points if they forfeit the game. Also eight man football gets to play their semifinal games on turf at a neutral site. The top seed previously got to host the game.
Boys Volleyball becomes an official sport with the state semifinals and finals played at the Kellogg Center in Battle Creek on June 5th-6th which will have two divisions based on enrollment. They also approved a Co-Op with teams with less than 3,500 students.
For a team to declare a scrimmage, the win-loss record can not be altered. One rule must be altered to be declared a scrimmage like in basketball it can’t be eight minute quarters.
Baseball players can play on the same day with a 38 game limit still applying to students.
Volleyball players can play no more than 18 sets per day.
Bowling can play no more than eight games on a school day (Monday-Thursday)
Transfers
The MHSAA updated its transfer rule regarding the specific sport transfer regulation to the full and complete move exception that allows a student to gain immediate eligibility.
The first change is it increases the number of school days to 180 for a student who changes residences and must compete at that new school before returning to a previous school district and having potential athletic eligibility. If the student decides to move back to their previous school district before the 180 days then they could lose their athletic eligibility in all sports unless it it agreed upon between the two schools and the MHSAA.
The second change increases the amount of time to an athletes former residence must be signed into a long term or lease agreement to a minimum of one year (12 months.)
Middle School/Junior High
The Representative Council approved a change to allow middle school/junior high school teams to begin practice on the first day of classes if it’s before the first available first allowed practice day before the 14th Monday before Thanksgiving. Ninth grade football may begin practice on the same day as the Junior Varsity and Varsity if the ninth grade team is comprised only of ninth grade students who have been approved for eligibility advancement.
Also middle school/junior high students will be eligible for high school competition due to their high school’s small enrollment but they will be subject to the high school transfer rules. In the OAA, none of these schools would be eligible with most of the league at over 450 kids.
I will talk more about this on Tuesday’s podcast.
Stay tuned to OAA Now for the latest on this developing story.
MHSAA Representative Council.
https://www.mhsaa.com/topics/mhsaa-news/council-approves-tennis-finals-pilot-program-girls-wrestling-titles-districts
by orionontv | May 12, 2025 | Regional News
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Gov. Whitmer Statement After Securing Massive Federal Commitment to Protect Great Lakes Economy
President takes executive action to recommit federal support for Brandon Road Interbasin Project that will protect Great Lakes, Midwest economy weeks after Governor advocated for it in White House meeting
LANSING, Mich. – Today, Governor Gretchen Whitmer released a statement after President Donald Trump signed a memorandum in support of the Brandon Road Interbasin Project (“Brandon Road”). The president’s action comes just weeks after the governor raised the issue with him in Oval Office meetings. Michigan is funding half of the 10% non-federal cost share of the project, together with the State of Illinois, with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers leading on construction. The transformational effort will help stop invasive carp from moving into the Great Lakes, protecting Michigan’s maritime economy. Brandon Road has been a top Michigan priority for over 20 years, and after a long process and relentless advocacy, it is finally getting done.
Governor Whitmer Statement
“Today, Michigan scored another huge win that will protect our Great Lakes and secure our economy. After years of advocacy alongside our partners in Illinois and together with a wide range of stakeholders at the local, state, and federal levels, we now have renewed assurances from the Administration to move forward expeditiously on the Brandon Road Interbasin Project. I am grateful to the President for his commitment.
“This game-changing project, built at a critical water junction, will protect the Great Lakes from invasive species of carp. These fish, if allowed to enter the lakes, would destroy the ecosystem below the water and devastate our economy above it. The Great Lakes are home to 3,500 plant and animal species and they support 1.5 million jobs that generate than $60 billion in wages a year across the entire region.
“That’s why I went to Washington, DC to advocate for this project face-to-face with the President at the White House. I am grateful that, in the midst of a lot of change at the federal level, he is confirming that our federal partners are as committed as ever to getting this done. It’s especially great to have yet another huge win with our U.S. Department of Defense on the heels of securing a new fighter mission last month at Selfridge Air National Guard Base in Macomb County.
“Michigan continues to win because we show up, talk to anyone, and work together to get things done.”
The Brandon Road Interbasin Project will implement a complex series of invasive carp and aquatic nuisance species deterrents. Located near Joliet, Illinois, it will sit at a critical pinch point to stop invasive carp from moving into the Great Lakes. Silver carp feed on plankton, a primary food for many native fish including walleye, yellow perch, and lake whitefish. They are voracious eaters, consuming up to 40% of their weight per day, and can reach up to 60 pounds, with each female producing up to one million eggs. In the Great Lakes, the silver carp would be likely to populate nearshore areas and large rivers, which would devastate sport and commercial fishing, threatening the $7 billion fishing industry in the Great Lakes. These fish also violently jump out of the water when startled, even resulting in injury to humans, and would harm the boating, tourism, and maritime economy. Silver carp have been reported in 12 states surrounding the Mississippi and Ohio River basins. Michigan has been working with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Illinois, and other Great Lakes states since 2011 to get this done. Important milestones along the way include:
- 2014: the Great Lakes Mississippi River Interbasin Separation Study identified several options for separating the two basins. Subsequently, the Brandon Road lock and Dam site in Joliet, Illinois, was identified as the best location to prevent invasive species from entering the Great Lakes.
- 2018: the Brandon Road Feasibility Study was finalized, and Michigan committed $8 million to the project.
- 2020: a Planning, Engineering, and Design agreement was signed between Illinois and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Michigan supported Illinois as a nonfederal sponsor and contributed $8 million of the $10.1 million nonfederal funds required.
- 2022: a new cost for the Brandon Road Interbasin Project was estimated at $1.14 billion, requiring a 10% nonfederal cost share.
- 2023: appropriations in Michigan ($64 million) and Illinois ($50 million) meet the nonfederal requirement to begin construction of the project.
- 2024: Michigan and Illinois cosign a project partnership agreement with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, securing the nonfederal cost share and paving the way for construction.
The project is supported by a large bipartisan coalition, including local, state, and federal officials on both sides of the aisle, conservation and environmental advocacy groups, hunters and anglers, tourism, maritime and boating advocates, and regional Great Lakes intergovernmental groups. The project has specifically been a top priority of the inter-state and international Great Lakes St. Lawrence Governors and Premiers, currently chaired by Governor Whitmer.
Protecting the Great Lakes & Water
Michigan is home to 21% of the world’s fresh water. Since taking office, Governor Whitmer has taken action to protect the Great Lakes and Michigan’s tourism industry, both of which are critical to the state’s economy, history, and way of life. She signed game-changing clean energy legislation to enact a 100% clean energy standard by 2040 and protect Michigan’s precious natural resources. She established and funded the MI Clean Water plan, an over $4.6 billion investment to protect the Great Lakes from pollution and help communities across the state upgrade their water infrastructure. Michigan also continues to enforce the strongest Lead and Copper Rule for drinking water in the country and established health-based standards for PFAS in drinking water supplies.
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