Written Saturday October 5th at 2:40 PM

Well we’re getting close to the end of the season and here are the thoughts and ranking explanations

The Red is a mess but I feel pretty confident that all five teams in this division will be postseason teams. If West Bloomfield beats Oxford and Lake Orion beats Clarkston this week then it would mean that every team would be 2-2 and would have won their home games, that has never been done in league history. You have to look at non league wins which is really important at the moment. Lake Orion has 58 points because Northville, Stoney Creek, and Troy have 3-3 records. Clarkston has 57 points with Southfield Arts and Tech at 0-6 and Troy Athens at 1-5. Oxford has 57 with Harper Woods at 3-3. Adams is at 57 with Romeo and Rochester both at 2-4. West Bloomfield is at 48 with Chippewa Valley at 2-4 and Southfield Arts and Tech at 0-6. The non league week eight and week nine are very critical to see where each is at right now despite beating each other up.

Groves has won the White and has a favorable schedule throughout. Harper Woods looks safe in Division Four. Stoney Creek is one of those last teams in right now with the Cougars having a big game with Adams for postseason dreams. Rochester is on the outside looking in but they still have a path. Southfield Arts and Tech has really struggled this season.

Seaholm has clinched a share of the Blue to where they can win it out right if they beat North Farmington. The Raiders are hot right now. Farmington is right there along with Troy despite critical losses. Both teams play each other this week which should be very interesting. Oak Park needs to win out to be in the postseason discussion, beating Lapeer would help big time. Bloomfield Hills and Troy Athens have both struggled but could play spoiler.

Avondale has clinched the Gold after their win against Royal Oak. Ferndale won over Pontiac which has helped them. Berkley has really struggled despite winning two games. Pontiac and Royal Oak have both struggled but for different reasons. It will be interesting to see how this goes.

Overall there are 14 teams presently in the postseason for right now. This could all change going forward.

 

Rankings Explanation

The rankings are as followed.

Groves is the top team in the poll, undefeated record and quality of work proves that. Seaholm is also unbeaten but is at five in the poll. The Maples have a tough schedule, lets see if they can prove it in the next three weeks. The Red is a mess, Clarkston has the two spot despite not playing the strongest non league schedule -Belleville. The Wolves have won two straight games. Oxford is at three after winning over Adams. Lake Orion despite having less postseason points than the Birmingham schools is at six. West Bloomfield jumps up three spots to four after their shootout win over Lake Orion basically saving their postseason dreams. North Farmington stays at eight after a tough 19-18 win over Oak Park. Avondale moves up to nine after an impressive win over Royal Oak.

The ten spot was tight, Harper Woods or Stoney Creek. I went with the Pioneers because of playoff points and the head to head matchup. Harper Woods won 28-21 in that game even though the Cougars are starting to get hot but they have a really difficult matchup with Adams in the horizon while Harper Woods heads to Rochester to play the Falcons. Other than that not a ton of changes to mention for the week.

Written Saturday September 28th at 3:00 PM

It has been a crazy week around the OAA this week. Here are some thoughts from a league perspective.

The Gold is basically locked up with Avondale winning 21-7 over Ferndale on Saturday afternoon. The Yellow Jackets have a stout defense but the offense has really picked things up which is a great sign for Coach Bob Meyer. Ferndale has a tough schedule with games against Pontiac Notre Dame Prep and Utica Ford II. Playoffs will be something to watch for Coach Eric Royal’s team. Berkley has to play Avondale in week seven but that game is in Auburn Hills. It will be very interesting to see how the Bears respond after winning back the Battle of Woodward trophy with a 14-7 win over Royal Oak. Berkley is a much different team since week one when they lost 7-0 to Walled Lake Central and 20-0 to Troy Athens especially offensively. The Ravens are much improved defensively which is a good sign for Coach Colin Campbell’s team. Royal Oak will be fine going forward. Pontiac is really struggling falling 19-6 to Bloomfield Hills. The Phoenix have been outscored 136-12 in the last four weeks, that’s really rough for Coach Wendell Jefferson and Pontiac. It will be really interesting to see what happens with the Phoenix going forward.

The White is basically locked up with Groves winning 28-12 over Harper Woods on Friday night. The win locks up the crown for the Falcons. The Pioneers might have to worry about the postseason if they can’t get their act together and soon. Harper Woods is without Nate Rocheleau which is a big reason why the offense has really struggled and the defense has not been the same since the Oxford game. The Pioneers need to get a ton of things addressed and soon or a trip to the postseason could be in jeopardy. Rochester has had a tough two weeks getting outscored 63-17 in the last two weeks. Stoney Creek earned a 17-0 win over Southfield Arts and Tech and has seemed to be turning the corner. The Warriors are really struggling right now getting outscored 142-14 in the last four weeks, that’s not good at all.

The Blue is down to three teams at the moment. Seaholm had a hard fought 14-6 win over Farmington behind their stout defense and veer offense. The Maples have not lost a beat since but they have a tough stretch when they head to the Swamp in week eight and to Beverly Hills in week nine. North Farmington has bounced back from an 0-2 start with a hard fought 14-7 win over Troy Athens. The Raiders are finding ways to win games. Troy has had a rough two weeks but made a statement winning 31-6 over Oak Park. Troy plays Seaholm this week and North Farmington has Oak Park. This would tell a lot when it comes to the league race. Bloomfield Hills picked up their first win of the year winning 19-6 over Pontiac. Troy Athens is really struggling and it won’t get any better when Clarkston visits next week. Oak Park hasn’t been the same team since the 28-18 loss to Seaholm two weeks ago. Farmington needs to get their quarterback Julian Johnson back and soon which could help them big time.

The Red is a complete mess. Every team still has a shot at winning the division. Adams lost quarterback Ryland Watters to a foot injury and was on crutches in their 28-25 loss to Lake Orion. It is unknown if Watters will be back and what would the Highlanders look like without Watters. The Dragons got their quarterback TR Hill back along with Will Hoffman on the defensive side of the football. Lake Orion looks to be back on schedule heading into a big showdown in the Swamp. West Bloomfield is in must win mode after losing 35-20 to Clarkston. The Lakers are sitting at 2-3 which was unthinkable to start the season. West Bloomfield needs to get a win somewhere or the postseason could be in jeopardy. Oxford has won two straight with an impressive 28-10 win over Rochester. Luke Johnson and Jack Hendrix have been good as advertised for the Wildcats and have continued to get better every week. Like I said, I still believe all five teams in this division will be postseason teams.

Rankings Explanation.

This weeks rankings, I looked at each teams postseason points which is a reason where each team is right now and based it off playoff points. Groves is the top team with their record but the rest of the schedule concerns me. South Lyon is up and down while Royal Oak is struggling and Seaholm has been really good but they have West Bloomfield before that game in week eight. The Falcons have earned the top spot in the poll but the schedule lightens up which could be a big concern.

The Red is a complete mess as mentioned. Lake Orion got quarterback TR Hill back and got a big win over Adams. The Dragons have the two spot despite the loss to Oxford because of playoff points. Adams drops to three from the top spot despite major concerns about quarterback Ryland Watters. It will be very interesting to see how the Highlanders respond without Watters for the foreseeable future. Clarkston goes to four after the big win over West Bloomfield but playing Bloomfield Hills and Troy Athens in a span of three weeks with their combined record of 2-8 is very concerning but it’s not the Wolves fault. The Utica Eisenhower and Lake Orion games weeks seven and nine will be really interesting games. Oxford stays at five because of the playoff points despite winning over Lake Orion. West Bloomfield is at seven despite the loss to Clarkston. Playoff points look really concerning for the Lakers right now. I went with the playoff points when looking at the Red teams because of the parity of the division.

Seaholm is at six despite winning 14-6 over Farmington and staying unbeaten while controlling the Blue at the moment. The Maples have Troy this week, West Bloomfield in week eight, and Groves in week nine with the two games at the end of the season on the road.

North Farmington is at eight after their 0-2 start. The Raiders have been really improving and they have Adams in week eight, they have Seaholm in week seven, and Troy in week nine. The schedule gets tough but it’s favorable from an playoff points perspective for Coach Jon Herstein and his team.

Troy is in the rankings at nine after a statement win over Oak Park. Playing Lake Orion and Pontiac Notre Dame Prep helps the Colts with their records. They have Seaholm which would be big for Coach Chris Frasier’s team if they can get that win this week. Troy has to play North Farmington in week nine which is very interesting. Overall the Colts are in a great spot for the postseason.

Avondale comes in at ten after a huge win over Ferndale likely getting the Gold crown. The Yellow Jackets started 0-2 but have turned things around. The toughest game for Avondale is Stoney Creek which is really interesting. Coach Bob Meyer has this team clicking on all cylinders right now.

Written Sunday September 29th at 11:10 AM

Here are the soccer districts.

This article will be updated to include History Now’s Anthony Taormina with his thoughts on the district matchups.

 

District 6 at Davison
CLARKSTON vs. Lapeer

CLARKSTON/Lapeer vs OXFORD

 

LAKE ORION vs. Davison

Grand Blanc vs. Flushing

 

 

DISTRICT THOUGHTS: This should be a really interesting district in Genesee County. Oxford is the top seed and has wins over Lapeer and Clarkston in the regular season. It will be very interesting to see who gets to play the Wildcats again in the district semifinals. Lake Orion is the two seed after winning the White crown. They will play the host Davison in the first round. Grand Blanc and Flushing could be a really interesting first round matchup as well. If all things set up we could be seeing a Dragons/Bobcats district semifinal which could be really interesting. Oxford looks to be the favorite but Lake Orion and Grand Blanc could have strong says but the Wildcats have to be careful of that district semifinal matchup especially if it’s Clarkston.

ANT THOUGHTS: This district has a chance to be one of the better districts in the state. Would have made an interesting league with the three OAA schools and the three Saginaw Valley schools. Oxford has been one of the top teams in the state of Michigan and is in contention for the OAA Red championship. Oxford has scored quality non league wins over Marquette and Flint Powers along with league wins over Clarkston and Rochester but three ties with Adams, Berkley, and Seaholm. Oxford will finish the regular season with both Troy and Troy Athens along with rival Lake Orion. Grand Blanc always plays a tough schedule and has a strong wins over state ranked Troy, Flint Powers, and Clarkston while there only loss is to state ranked Adams. Lake Orion won the OAA White taking down Royal Oak, Groves, and West Bloomfield and has matched up fairly well against members of the OAA Red, scoring wins over Clarkston and Rochester while playing state ranked Oxford and Adams later in the week. Clarkston looks to play spoiler especially after beating OAA Red power Troy Athens earlier in the season. The Wolves have also have wins over Saline and Goodrich and a tie with state ranked Rockford. Lapeer has really improved, finishing second in the Saginaw Valley behind Grand Blanc, beat Imlay City earlier in the season, and has been competitive in their losses. Flushing is a very strong Flint Metro League power and owns a win over Lapeer earlier in the season. Davison despite their record is the host of the league. This has the chance to be one of the best districts in the state and is a very underrated district. It has the potential to be anyone’s district. Grand Blanc is playing really well. Lake Orion has been consistent all season long and their future is very bright. Clarkston has the chance to play spoiler and would love to get back at Oxford for their game earlier in the season. Lapeer and Flushing could make it interesting but Oxford has to be the favorite. They haven’t lost a game all season long also playing in the tough OAA Red has helped. Next season however, could be very challenging for the Wildcats.

 

 

 

District 7 at Waterford Mott
BLOOMFIELD HILLS vs. Walled Lake Northern

BLOOMFIELD HILLS/Walled Lake Northern vs WEST BLOOMFIELD

 

Walled Lake Central vs. Waterford Mott

NORTH FARMINGTON vs. Lakeland

 

 

 

DISTRICT THOUGHTS: This is shaping up to be a very interesting district. West Bloomfield has the top seed in the district and one of the most dynamic scorers in the OAA. Walled Lake Central could pose a challenge to the Lakers. The Vikings are more than capable. Bloomfield Hills is a sneaky team, they have games where they are good while others not so much. Overall this should be a Lakers/Vikings district final but keep a close eye on the Blackhawks.

 

 

 

ANT THOUGHTS: West Bloomfield has had a great bounce back season really benefiting from their senior experience. Also recently beating OAA Red power Berkley helps the Lakers big time along with playing against a very competitive OAA White and adding a few OAA Red schools as well. Bloomfield Hills is always a very scary team to play against. They are very young this year but always well coached. They have also have a win over OAA White power Royal Oak. The Raiders despite being in the OAA Blue has played a very tough non league schedule playing Detroit Catholic Central, Detroit Country Day, and Lake Orion. The Raiders finish out their OAA Blue schedule which looks to be that they will finish close to the top of the league. The lack of familiarity between the OAA and the Lakes Valley will be interesting as more than half of the Lakes Valley is in this district but there is some parity. Walled Lake Central is the second seed in the district but they recently lost to Walled Lake Northern in the Lakes Valley Tournament. The Vikings however, have ten wins this season, mostly playing against Lakes Valley competition. The Knights played OAA White power Groves tough earlier this year but like the Vikings played Lakes Valley competition. Lakeland and Mott have both struggled this season. The Lakers look to be the favorites in the district but never count out the Blackhawks and they would love to get back at WB for what happened earlier in the season. The Raiders have a chance to play spoiler on the other side of the bracket. The Vikings look to be the favorite in the Lakes Valley side of the bracket.

District 8 at Northville
South Lyon vs. South Lyon East

South Lyon/South Lyon East vs Northville

 

Novi Detroit Catholic Central vs. FARMINGTON

Livonia Stevenson vs. Novi

 

DISTRICT THOUGHTS: This is a really interesting district. Northville is the favorite and has the top seed along with home grass. The Mustangs have not lost this season but there are some challengers who could give them problems. Livonia Stevenson is a very interesting team despite Northville winning 4-2 over the Spartans but they got to play Novi who has been up and down this season. Novi Detroit Catholic Central could be the Mustangs biggest threat. The Shamrocks tied Northville 4-4 in the regular season and are more than capable of beating the Mustangs. Northville is the favorites but there are some challengers in this district that are more than capable of beating them.

 

ANT THOUGHTS: This is a tough spot for the Falcons. The OAA Blue Champs got the short end of the draw playing against very strong powers in Northville, Detroit Catholic Central, and Livonia Stevenson. The South Lyons and Novi are also strong challengers as well. Catholic Central and Northville stand out over everyone else. Both of them having been state powers throughout the year and will most likely battle it over who goes to Regionals.

District 14 at Royal Oak
TROY vs. SOUTHFIELD ARTS AND TECH

SEAHOLM vs. ROYAL OAK
TROY ATHENS vs. FERNDALE
BERKLEY vs. GROVES

 

DISTRICT THOUGHTS: This could be the toughest district in the State. There are five to six teams that can win this district. Troy is the top seed in the district and seem to have the much favorable path. Seaholm and Royal Oak will be a really interesting game and a possible clash between Troy Athens and Berkley pending if the Bears can get by Groves who is more than capable. This should be a fun district to watch in the Ravens Nest. Whoever wins this district has a great chance to get to the Division One State Finals.

ANT THOUGHTS: No doubt the toughest district in the state. Whoever wins this district has a great chance to possibly make it to the state final, even win the state championship. That is how tough and challenging this district has always been. You have four OAA Red powers, two OAA White powers, and two OAA Blue powers in one district. Troy has been one of the best teams in the state throughout the year and is in contention to again win a OAA Red crown with two more Red games coming up (Oxford and Clarkston). Troy has had wins over it’s archrival Athens, Birmingham Brother Rice, Seaholm, and Royal Oak. Three of those teams, they could potentially see again in the district and they still have to play Notre Dame Prep who is one of the best teams in the state. Troy Athens, the defending state champs and another state power continues to be in the conversation and will try to repeat last year’s performance this season. Athens holds quality wins over state ranked Adams, Lake Orion, and Grosse Isle and has upcoming matchups with Detroit Catholic Central and Oxford on the horizon. Seaholm has been really competitive in the OAA Red, holding ties with Oxford and Troy Athens while taking care of their non league competition including getting big wins over Detroit Country Day, Detroit Catholic Central, and Ann Arbor Pioneer. All of whom are state powers. Berkley despite being the smallest school in the OAA Red continues to impress. Having that hot start early in the season and their biggest win came against Clarkston while tying Oxford, both of whom in league play. Royal Oak and Groves, both OAA White powers will be tough outs. Having a young team this year, Groves remained one of the best teams in the OAA White with their biggest win coming against rival West Bloomfield. The Falcons will be playing Troy Athens later in the week and could be a spoiler. Their only game against the OAA Red was a loss to Seaholm earlier in the season. The Ravens, winning the OAA White last year have scored several quality wins this season both in league and non league beating Groves, Grosse Pointe South, Romeo, and taking down state ranked Dearborn Edsel Ford. The Ravens are also very young and have a great chance to play spoiler in the district and is also the host which will help with this being the toughest district in the state. Ferndale and Southfield A&T are both Blue powers. Ferndale has been competitive all season especially in league play. Same with Southfield but sadly neither team are on the level that the Red and White offer. This district is hard to pick. The Colts will barely be the favorite. The Red Hawks is a very close second. The Maples/Ravens winner will no doubt play spoiler while the Bears and Falcons may also play spoiler on the other side of the bracket.

District 15 at Rochester
STONEY CREEK vs. Sterling Heights Stevenson

STONEY CREEK/Sterling Heights Stevenson vs ADAMS

Utica Eisenhower vs. Utica Ford II

ROCHESTER vs. Utica

 

 

 

DISTRICT THOUGHTS: This is by far one of the toughest districts in the State. Whoever comes out has a great shot at getting to the Division One State title game. This looks like it could be a Adams/Utica Eisenhower district final with the way everyone has played this season. The Highlanders are loaded as is Utica Eisenhower. This should be a great district but two teams really stand out when looking at them.

 

ANT THOUGHTS: This will also be one of the tougher districts in the state but it feels like two teams stand out in state ranked Rochester Adams and Utica Eisenhower. Adams and Ike played each other earlier in the season which resulted in a scoreless tie. Adams has played a very tough schedule and is in contention to win the OAA Red. Despite their only loss to Troy Athens. Adams has either scored wins or ties against some of the best the state has to offer. Clarkston, Grand Blanc, Romeo, Ike, Troy, Oxford, Seaholm, their Rochester rivals (Rochester and Stoney Creek) and more tests to come with Berkley, Lake Orion, and Ann Arbor Huron before districts begin. Ike only has one loss which was to archrival Romeo (whom they will play again later this week) and has once again become the standard bearer in the Macomb Area Conference. Rochester has struggled in OAA Red play while being very successful in non league (Though the strength of schedule has not been strong) with their biggest win over archrival Stoney Creek. Stoney Creek has also struggled in OAA White play but has had good wins over Lapeer, Birmingham Brother Rice, and Sterling Heights Stevenson. Utica and Utica Ford have both struggled this year but both are always tough teams. The Chieftains biggest wins were against Romeo and Macomb Dakota while the Falcons was also Dakota and Sterling Heights Stevenson. This district looks like it is going to be a two team district with the Highlanders and the Eagles battling it out. The standard bearer of the OAA and the standard bearer of the MAC battling it out to see who goes to Regionals. Whoever wins this district has a great chance to possibly get to the state championship and perhaps win the state championship. Going with Adams on this one. Adams has played a tougher schedule but wouldn’t be surprised if Ike wins it either. Rochester does have home field but it looks like it will be a two team district here.

District 28 at Avondale
Holly vs. Orchard Lake St. Marys

Holly/Orchard Lake St. Marys vs Waterford Kettering
Birmingham Brother Rice vs. PONTIAC

Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood vs. AVONDALE

 

 

DISTRICT THOUGHTS: This is shaping to be a really interesting district. Waterford Kettering has been red hot coming into the season but has lost three of four in league play. They could see Holly or Orchard Lake St. Marys in the district semifinals. The Captains hope playing the likes of Lakeland, Walled Lake Central, and Milford will get them ready for this district. Birmingham Brother Rice is the two seed. They have a tricky first round game with Pontiac while Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood is the three seed but they have a tricky matchup with Avondale. The OAA schools have a chance in this district. Overall it’s anyone’s district to take at the moment.

 

ANT THOUGHTS: This unique blend of public schools and private schools makes this district quite interesting. The Yellow Jackets played in the tough OAA White and have played some tough OAA Red foes as well. At one point the Yellow Jackets were state ranked in division two but playing the stronger opponents in the White and Red have caused them to fall off a little bit. Avondale did play Kettering earlier in the season and took them to a shootout in their own invite so there is some familiarity for the Yellow Jackets. The Phoenix are a little bit in the same boat. Pontiac’s biggest win has been against Hamtramck. Both Avondale and Pontiac have tough district matchups. Cranbrook played Seaholm very tough and the Cranes have two wins over Orchard Lake St. Mary’s. Brother Rice has been one of the best in the Catholic League and has a 8-0 victory over Pontiac a few weeks ago. Holly and Kettering have both strongly improved. The Captains went on a ten game winning streak, primarily over Lakes Valley competition while the Broncos have been competitive in the Flint Metro League and have played teams like state ranked Notre Dame Prep. This district, have to go with the Warriors of Brother Rice. They play in the tough Catholic League Central and pretty much stand out over everyone else.

District 30 at Melvindale
Detroit Caesar Chavez Academy vs. OAK PARK

Hamtramck vs Southgate Anderson

Melvindale vs. River Rouge

Riverview vs. Dearborn Heights Annapolis

 

DISTRICT THOUGHTS: This is a really interesting district to watch. Detroit Caesar Chavez Academy has won ten straight since their opening night loss to Allen Park Inner City Baptist. Riverview has been a proven soccer power house while the host Melvindale has the two seed. This could be a really interesting district between these three teams. Detroit Caesar Chavez Academy had the best path to the district finals but Melvindale has home field despite possibly having to deal with Riverview in the district semifinals. This should be a fun district.

ANT THOUGHTS: This is a tough district for the Knights. The Knights fielding a team throughout the season, being competitive in the OAA Blue. A lot to be proud of for Oak Park. The next challenge for the Knights is are they ready to take the next season. Going against Detroit Caesar Chavez Academy will be a challenge but won’t count the Knights who have played a tough league schedule.