Written Monday March 2nd 1:30 PM
Updated Monday March 2nd at 7:30 PM
The Kensington Lakes Activities Association will be no more in the 2027-2028 school year.
The league will add Novi and Northville into the conference for the 2027-2028 school year. The Mustangs and Wildcats will replace the Farmington schools who will leave the OAA for the Lakes Valley Conference this fall.
Novi and Northville High Schools are separated by five miles.
"On behalf of our two proud communities and the rich history each represents, we are excited to announce our next step in our journey. Beginning Fall of 2027, Northville and Novi will be joining the Oakland Activities Association. This decision follows many months of thoughtful discussion with our primary stake holders including student athletes, coaches, families, school staff, administration, and our current KLAA partners. The OAA provides programming for our three levels, freshman, junior varsity, and varsity while offering long term stability, a well structured competitive balance level and a broad range of athletic and co curricular opportunities that support the continued growth and success of our students" the statement said.
The Wildcats and Mustangs were longtime members of the KLAA but the league had some uneasiness which led to Novi and Northville looking elsewhere while the rest of the KLAA will merge with the Southeastern Conference for the 2027-2028 school year.
"The 2026-2027 school year will mark the final year in the KLAA. We depart with great gratitude and deep respect for our KLAA colleagues and wish them continued success in the Southeastern Conference. At the same time we look forward to joining the OAA and contributing to what is widely regarded as one of the top public school conferences in the State of Michigan" the statement added.
Novi and Northville are soccer, track and field, baseball, and volleyball powers but the Mustangs and Wildcats respectively bring different sports to the fold as well. Northville is a powerhouse in girls basketball, baseball, hockey, and football.
Novi and Northville are well known academic schools in the State and will bring an already high academic prestige into the OAA. Both also field over 2,000 students which will allow them to compete with the bigger schools in the OAA.
Northville is in Wayne County but have students who live in Oakland County and venues that are also in the county.The Mustangs were in the Wayne/Oakland Conference which did include Clarkston and West Bloomfield and they were in the Western Six Conference which included Waterford Mott before going to the Western Lakes and played against the Farmington schools before merging with the KVC, Novi was in the Southeastern Conference before going to the Kensington Valley Conference then eventually the Kensington Lakes Activities Association when the KVC and Western Lakes merged. Novi and Northville are also longtime rivals which made a lot of sense for both teams to come together.
In a co-statement, one of the big goals of both Novi and Northville was long term stability. The ability to provide all three levels of competition (Varsity, Junior Varsity, and Freshman) and support continued growth. Northville and Novi will work with the OAA to ensure a smooth transition. "In the coming months Northville and Novi leadership will work closely with OAA leadership to ensure a smooth and successful transition. We also anticipate continuing non conference competition with our former KLAA schools in the future" the statement concluded.
Berkley Bears Athletic Director Matt Rawlick talked on X about the additions of Novi and Northville "We are excited to welcome Novi and Northville into our conference. Both schools are widely regarded as premier athletic departments in Michigan with strong leadership, high expectations and clear commitment to student athlete growth. Their addition will elevate the level of competition and strengthen our conference in ways that benefits every program and every student athlete" he said.
The move expands the OAA back to 25 league members, 24 in football. Will the OAA continue to expand??? Stay tuned, we will find out.
Stay tuned to OAA Now for the latest on this developing story.
The co-statement
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1mjcxlwXge0P8Nsz9n_qOa74bjVowPAmDOQbXh0T3aR0/edit?tab=t.0
