MHSAA making some changes.

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

Football Storylines Around the League to watch this summer.

Written Sunday April 20th at 12:03 PM

Happy Easter OAA Nation. Here are several OAA Football storylines heading into this fall.

Any takers to Ford Field???

There should be plenty of OAA representation that are serious contenders to get back to Ford Field. Adams in Division One when healthy is a very dangerous team especially with the system they run in the veer offense and with Ryland Waters coming back at quarterback which should allow Nolan Farris to move back to wide receiver. The Highlanders could be a team when healthy could make another deep postseason run. Harper Woods is the other serious contender in Division Four, the Pioneers are loaded with proven experience on both sides of the football and wants to get back after a really tough loss to Goodrich in the State Semifinals last season. Other teams that could get to Ford Field include Stoney Creek, Clarkston, West Bloomfield, and Lake Orion in Division One while Groves, Oak Park, North Farmington, Farmington, and Seaholm are possible teams to watch in Division Two.

Groves is the most interesting to keep an eye on.

The Falcons had Ford Field in their grasp but very questionable play calling and coaching decisions cost them in their stunning 28-27 overtime loss to Orchard Lake St. Marys in the Division Two State Semifinals last season. Groves lost a ton of proven talent from last season. They will have a new quarterback in LaVelle Shannon taking over and proven lines on both sides of the football. The White will be much improved with Stoney Creek and Harper Woods looking to be the top teams with Rochester not too far behind while Southfield Arts and Tech should be improved. Coach Brendan Flaherty will have some big challenges ahead of him.

New Coaches:

The OAA has several new coaches coming into the league this fall. Scott Merchant (Bloomfield Hills,) James Carlisle (Avondale,) Donovan Jackson (Ferndale,) and Trevor Potts (Oxford) are the new coaches in the league. Merchant comes to Bloomfield Hills from Lawrence Tech (College Football) and was at Chippewa Valley for a long time and his son is in the program. Carlisle comes to Auburn Hills from the thumb area (Vassar) and was at Imlay City. Jackson was on the staff at Detroit Cass Tech and played at Ferndale so he's really familiar with the city. Potts was the defensive coordinator under Coach Zach Line at Oxford. He was also an assistant at Adams under Coach Tony Patritto. Every coach is going to have different challenges to adjust to this season.

Weaknesses:

Every team in the OAA has glaring weaknesses heading into the season that they will need to address. It should be really interesting to see how each team addresses their weaknesses this summer before each team heads into their week one matchups. My goal this summer is to talk to every coach including the Waterford Schools and see how everyone is doing heading into the season on my podcast.

Waterford Schools lurking:

Waterford Kettering and Waterford Mott will join the OAA this winter while North Farmington and Farmington will depart the OAA joining the Lakes Valley Conference next season. The Waterford schools will have one more fall in the Lakes Valley Conference before coming into the league. Waterford Mott will have a new football coach in Tra'Jan Seay taking over the program for Chris Fahr who is the defensive coordinator at Davison. Seay was an assistant at Orchard Lake St. Marys last season so he brings that to Waterford. He will have an transition period which has to happen during the season. The Corsairs did not make the postseason going 3-5 and has a ton of questions in the Lakes Valley Conference this season. Waterford Kettering went 3-6 but was one win away from making the postseason for first year coach Brian Barnes. Barnes has done a really good job with the Captains in his second season with the program. The postseason is within reach for Waterford Kettering but getting there will be the challenge especially in Division Three.

Divisions:

Here are the divisions heading into this season in the league, not in any particular order.

Red: Lake Orion, Clarkston, Oxford, Adams, West Bloomfield.

White: Stoney Creek, Harper Woods, Groves, Rochester, Southfield Arts and Tech.

Blue: Bloomfield Hills, Oak Park, Seaholm, North Farmington, Farmington, Troy, Troy Athens.

Gold: Pontiac, Ferndale, Avondale, Berkley, Royal Oak.

Basketball Top Storylines Around the League this offseason.

Written Sunday April 20th at 11:08 AM

Happy Easter OAA Nation. We are officially in the offseason for girls and boys basketball and AAU season is underway. Here are the top storylines heading into next season for both girls and boys basketball.

Will the OAA be represented at Breslin next season???

This question could be answered in June when the MHSAA releases the basketball districts. The league in girls has a ton of solid teams heading into next season but it comes down to proximity that could create the best path if anyone has a shot at getting to the Breslin Center next season. In the boys there really isn't a dominant team and it was really disastrous for the league with only three teams getting out of the districts last season. Could this be Ferndale's best chance to make it back to East Lansing after two dominating years by Warren Lincoln??? They fell to Detroit Pershing in the district semifinals but the Eagles might have the league's best chance to get back to Breslin. As mentioned the question could be answered when the MHSAA releases the districts in June.

Coaching vacancies.

There has been several vacancies to watch this offseason. The changeover surrounding Stoney Creek has been really fascinating. The Cougars recently let go boys basketball coach Jeff Olind which who takes over the job will be their third coach in four years. There is talent and proven experience but whoever takes the job is going to have a daunting task ahead of them and behind the scenes has been a complete mess. Coaches Joe Sermo and Terrance Porter has stepped down at their respective schools (Berkley, Southfield Arts and Tech.) Both schools are really appeasing when it comes to talent and program strength. In the girls, the Ferndale girls basketball job is open but whoever takes that job will have a huge challenge ahead of them when it comes to building program strength.

Coming and Going.

Waterford Kettering and Waterford Mott are reentering into the league for the first time since 2008 this winter. Waterford Kettering has a new coach in Rex Walters with an very experienced team coming back and could be the early favorite in the Gold this season. Waterford Mott made it to the regional finals under Coach Jeff Jayson but they will have to replace several players from last season's team. Waterford in the girls will be really interesting to keep an eye on led by returning guard Savannah Sartorius for Coach Andrew Wellman. On the flip side it will be the Farmington schools (North Farmington and Farmington) final year in the OAA as they will depart for the Lakes Valley Conference in 2026-2027. Farmington and North Farmington are loaded with proven talent and experience in the boys and they are in the Red. In the girls Farmington and North Farmington should be much improved after having rough seasons.

Divisions for 2025-2026 season.

Here are the divisions for the 2025-2026 season, not in any particular order.

Boys:

Red: Clarkston, Avondale, Groves, North Farmington, Farmington, Ferndale, West Bloomfield.

White: Lake Orion, Oxford, Adams, Rochester, Stoney Creek, Waterford Mott.

Blue: Troy, Troy Athens, Seaholm, Royal Oak, Bloomfield Hills, Pontiac.

Gold: Berkley, Southfield Arts and Tech, Oak Park, Harper Woods, Ferndale University, Waterford Kettering.

 

Girls:

Red: Lake Orion, Clarkston, Oxford, Stoney Creek, West Bloomfield, Rochester.

White: Groves, Seaholm, Royal Oak, Bloomfield Hills, Avondale, Berkley.

Blue: Troy, Troy Athens, Adams, Southfield Arts and Tech, Harper Woods, Ferndale.

Gold: Oak Park, Ferndale University, Farmington, North Farmington, Pontiac, Waterford. 

Stay tuned to the blog and OAA Now for updates.

Olind let go at Stoney Creek.

Written Friday April 18th at 9:22 AM

Stoney Creek will have a new boys basketball coach next season.

The Cougars let Coach Jeff Olind go after three years with the program.

The BCAM site (Basketball Coaches Association of Michigan) page confirmed there was an opening and another accurate source confirmed the news. The D-Zone basketball page also confirmed on X and posted the link on it's page.

Olind went 19-47 in his three years at Stoney Creek. He came to Stoney Creek from Warren Mott in 2022 taking over for Steve Norgrove. Norgrove was really successful with the Cougars leading them to a regional final is coaching at Fraser and has done a really good job with the Ramblers.

Olind's system just did not mesh with Stoney Creek. Program transition was a huge problem within the program.

Olind had some big wins in his tenure over Adams, Berkley, and Royal Oak but the losses hurt especially falling to Ferndale University and Southfield Arts and Tech both at home this past season.

Stoney Creek went 10-12 under Olind this season falling to Adams 48-46 in the district semifinals.

Whoever takes over the job at Stoney Creek will be the Cougars third coach in four years. There has been a lot of changeover in the last four years at the school from football, girls basketball, and boys basketball.

I will have more on the changeover at Stoney Creek on Tuesday's podcast.

Stay tuned to OAA Now for the latest on this developing story.

 

The D-Zone tweet.

https://x.com/TheDZoneBBall/status/1912942822954610783

Sermo leaves Berkley on a high note.

Written Monday April 7th at 6:30 PM

Berkley will have a new boys basketball coach next winter.

Bears Coach Joe Sermo has stepped down after ten years coaching the program he played for and was an assistant for five years and 15 years overall with the program.

"This was a really tough decision but I'm at peace with it, I am grateful for the opportunity to lead a program that was a big part of my upbringing. Coaching basketball is a way for me to feed my inner competitive spirit but I quickly learned that there was more to just winning basketball games. The ability to impact so many young lives was what this was all about. The relationships built over the past 15 years at Berkley High School have made me a better person. Thank you to the numerous assistant coaches on my staff over the years, and the wonderful Athletic Directors (Lori, Taylor, and Matt) that I've worked under. The Athletic Trainer (Jess), Teachers, and administrators, BHS Boosters, Students, Parents, Fans, my wife, sons, and family members that have been so supportive of me. I will miss competing against the great coaches that I have the honor of being in this coaching fraternity with" Sermo said on X.

Sermo was 94-96 in his ten years coaching his Alum school. 

"My goal was to leave the program in a better place when I first inherited it in 2016, I'm confident we have done just that and now Berkley Boys Basketball will be ready for the next leader to put their stamp on this wonderful, prideful program. Change is healthy. I'm excited to be in the stands as a fan and as a dad next winter rooting on Sam, Drew, and their teammates. Thank you all and God Bless" Sermo concluded on X.

"Joe it was great competing against your teams during our games. You always conduced yourself with class and your teams played hard. Best wishes moving forward and wish your sons well as they continue their high school careers" said former Farmington and Southfield Arts and Tech coach Terrance Porter on X.

Sermo went 6-18 this season falling to Royal Oak in the district semifinals. Berkley will have Ries Tuttle, AJ Green, Sam Sermo, and Drew Sermo coming back for the new coach. It will be really interesting to see who takes over the Bears next season.

I'll have my thoughts on the podcast on Tuesday.

Stay tuned to OAA Now for the latest on this developing story.

Sermo tweet.

https://x.com/Berkleybball1/status/1909365715565752470

Oxford has their new Varsity Football Coach.

Written Friday April 4th at 6:04 PM

Updated Saturday April 5th at 8:44 AM

Oxford went in house with their new Varsity Football Coach.

The Wildcats named Trevor Potts as their new varsity football coach with the move confirmed by Oxford Community Schools Instagram and Facebook pages and also Wildcats assistant Athletic Director Brandon Goredl.

"Oxford football is proud and excited to announce Coach Trevor Potts as our Varsity Head Football Coach. Coach Potts will continue to uphold the culture of leading students to become great young men and to lead to program to successes on the field. Congratulations Coach Potts" the program tweeted on their X page.

Potts takes over for Coach Zack Line who went back to the NFL to be with Coach Sean Payton and the Denver Broncos.

Potts is no stranger to the Red and the Wildcats community. He was the defensive coordinator at Oxford from 2020-2024 under Line and was an assistant at Adams for 15 years learning under Coach Tony Patritto. Potts helped lead the Wildcats to the Red crown and an 21-14 postseason win at Davison last season. 

Oxford will have three big returners in quarterback Jack Hendrix, tight end Brady Hasselbring, and running back Preston Wilder coming back. They also have program strength which should help in Potts first year as head coach along with a brutal non conference which includes Hartland (week one,) Macomb Dakota (week nine,) and that's not mentioning the Red which has Adams, Clarkston, West Bloomfield, and Lake Orion.

The transition period should be smooth with the players knowing Potts really well but he will have some of his wrinkles to the Wildcats system. It will be really interesting to see what happens.

Stay tuned to OAA Now for the latest on this developing story. 

X Tweet announcing the hire

https://x.com/OxfordFBall/status/1908293616432296401

Porter steps down in Southfield.

 Written Thursday April 3rd at 8:33 PM

There will be a new boys basketball coach in Southfield this winter.

Terrance Porter has stepped down at Southfield Arts and Tech after three seasons coaching the Warriors. The former Farmington Falcons coach went 20-50 in his three years with the Warriors.

The D-Zone confirmed the news. 

Porter has been having a tough time with the program going 10-36 in the last two seasons. Southfield Arts and Tech has been up and down when it comes to program strength.

It will be really interesting to see who replaces Porter at Southfield Arts and Tech.

Stay tuned to OAA Now for the latest on this developing story.

The D-Zone Tweet

https://x.com/TheDZoneBBall/status/1907934320242937905