Category: Featured Articles
BOYS BASKETBALL: Oxford bounces Lake Orion to earn first district title since 1993
BY DAN STICKRADT SENIOR EDITOR dan.stickradt@northoaklandsports.com Twitter: @LocalSportsFans LAKE ORION — No one had to remind Steve Laidlaw of the significance of Friday’s basketball victory for Oxford. After all, the Wildcats have not enjoyed much postseason success on the hardcourt in some 100-plus years of boys basketball campaigns. Oxford continued its best season in school […]
BOYS BASKETBALL: Lake Orion phases Rochester Adams out of district picture
BY DAN STICKRADTYBY DAN STICKRADT SENIOR EDITOR dan.stickradt@northoaklandsports.com Twitter: @LocalSportsFans LAKE ORION — Much like rival Oxford, Lake Orion has not enjoyed tremendous postseason success when it comes to boys basketball. So it’s only fitting that Lake Orion has earned a date in this year’s newly-renamed Division 1 — formerly Class A — district finals. […]
BOYS BASKETBALL: Oxford ousts Waterford Kettering to advance to rare district finals
BY DAN STICKRADT SENIOR EDITOR dan.stickradt@northoaklandsports.com Twitter: @LocalSportsFans LAKE ORION — It’s no secret that Oxford has had very limited postseason success over the decades. In fact, one can count on just one hand the years where the Wildcats have even competed in a district finals in boys basketball over the past 40-plus years. Despite […]
BOYS BASKETBALL: Rochester Adams upsets two-time defending state champion Clarkston
BY DAN STICKRADT SENIOR EDITOR dan.stickradt@northoaklandsports.com Twitter: @LocalSportsFans LAKE ORION — Brad Crighton hesitated to call Monday’s Division 1 pre-district win by Rochester Adams the biggest in school history, but he didn’t shy away from the importance of the triumph, either. Unranked Adams, the OAA White Division champion two years removed from a winless […]
WRESTLING: Clarkston takes down Oxford, Utica Ford for first regional since 2007
BY DAN STICKRADT SENIOR EDITOR dan.stickradt@northoaklandsports.com Twitter: @LocalSportsFans Instagram: stickradtdan OXFORD — Cole Wiegars doesn’t mind being in a pressure situation. He’d rather be in this particular position on the mat and not watching from the sidelines. Wiegars entered his 125-pound class either having to record a technical fall or a pin in order for […]
GIRLS BASKETBALL: Stoney Creek turns up the pressure to deflate Rochester
BY DAN STICKRADT SENIOR EDITOR dan.stickradt@northoaklandsports.com Twitter: @LocalSportsFans Instagram: stickradtdan ROCHESTER HILLS — In recent years, Rochester Stoney Creek’s bread and butter has been stifling defense on the basketball court. That was on full display Friday night, as the Cougars made their debut in the annual Crosstown Showdown at Oakland University’s O’rena. Stoney Creek also […]
BOYS BASKETBALL: Fast start propels Stoney Creek past Rochester in Crosstown Showdown debut
BY DAN STICKRADT SENIOR EDITOR dan.stickradt@northoaklandsports.com Twitter: @LocalSportsFans Instagram: stickradtdan ROCHESTER HILLS — Rochester Stoney Creek made the most of its first-ever appearance in the Crosstown Showdown. The Cougars, in their 16th school year of existence, used a 25-7 run to start Friday’s game, then closed with an 18-4 fourth-quarter blitz to upend rival Rochester […]
BOYS BASKETBALL: Lake Orion to continue upward trends
BY DAN STICKRADT CORRESPONDENT dan.stickradt@northoaklandsports.com Twitter: @LocalSportsFans Instagram: stickradtdan LAKE ORION — Following a major rebuilding campaign two years ago, Lake Orion is looking to continue an upward trend this winter. The Dragons finished a dismal 4-17 during the 2016-17 season only to pull a reverse and finish 17-4 in 2017-18. That included an 8-2 […]
WRESTLING: Clarkston rules Oakland County with first title since 2006
BY DAN STICKRADT SENIOR EDITOR dan.stickradt@northoaklandsports.com Twitter: @LocalsportsFans Instagram: stickradtdan LAKE ORION — During the previous decade, Clarkston was the most dominant wrestling program inside Oakland County. The Wolves won six straight county titles in that stretch (2001-2006) and have maintained a top-10 presence at the prestigious tournament for more than three decades. Clarkston […]
FOOTBALL: Chippewa Valley stymies Clarkston for D-1 state crown
BY DAN STICKRADT SENIOR EDITOR dan.stickradt@northoaklandsports.com Twitter: @LocalSportsFans Instagram: stickradtdan DETROIT — Perfect. A perfect play in the final minute allowed Clinton Township Chippewa Valley to capture its first perfect season in school history. Senior Michael Garwood stuffed Clarkston’s Josh Luther on a two-point conversion attempt with 23 seconds left in helping the second-ranked Big […]
GIRLS VOLLEYBALL: Top-ranked Grand Rapids Christian sweeps defending champion Notre Dame Prep for first state crown
BY DAN STICKRADT CORRESPONDENT dan.stickradt@northoaklandsports.com Twitter: @LocalSportsFans BATTLE CREEK — Grand Rapids Christian can finally call itself a state champion. The Eagles, the top-ranked school in the newly-created Division 2, captured their first state title in their first championship game appearance with a convincing victory Saturday night at Battle Creek’s Kellogg Arena. Grand Rapids Christian […]
GIRLS VOLLEYBALL: Lake Orion becomes first OAA school to win volleyball state title
BY DAN STICKRADT SENIOR EDITOR dan.stickradt@northoaklandsports.com Twitter: @LocalSportsFans BATTLE CREEK — Despite being a dominant league in all sports across the board, the Oakland Activities Association had never captured a state title in girls volleyball in its 25-year history. That is, until Saturday afternoon at Battle Creek’s Kellogg Arena. Lake Orion broke down the long-standing […]
FOOTBALL: Clarkston stymies previously-unbeaten Lapeer for seventh regional title in 20 years
BY DAN STICKRADT CORRESPONDENT dan.stickradt@northoaklandsports.com Twitter: @LocalSportsFans LAPEER — One year ago Jake Honstetter didn’t play in any postseason games. He was a student at Holly High School and his football team finished 5-4 and out of the playoffs picture. This season Honstetter is in a much different situation. The senior running back scored the […]
BOYS SOCCER: Emotional Rochester Hills Christian goes to shootout to capture seventh MACS state title
BY DAN STICKRADT SENIOR EDITOR dan.stickradt@northoaklandsports.com Twitter: @LocalSportsFans Instagram: stickradtdan DAVISON — Adam Patton had a feeling Saturday afternoon in the final soccer game of his high school career. The Rochester Hills Christian senior guessed right and stopped Midland Calvary Baptist’s sixth shooter in a penalty kick shootout, while classmate Alec Spiegel buried his heroic […]
BOYS SOCCER: Waterford Oakdale Christian earns 3-peat, topples Vassar Juanita for third straight MACS-II state title
BY DAN STICKRADT SENIOR EDITOR dan.stickradt@northoaklandsports.com Twitter: @LocalSportsFans Instagram: stickradtdan DAVISON — Mason Walsh doesn’t really have a designated position on the soccer field in terms of where he might be the entire game. The sophomore is literally all over the field. Walsh scored two goals the first 12 minutes Saturday as a midfielder […]
FOOTBALL: Ortonville Brandon rallies back to clinch first FML title
BY DAN STICKRADT CORRESPONDENT dan.stickradt@northoaklandsports.com Twitter: @LocalSportsFans ORTONVILLE — One thing Brad Zube noticed when he took over the Ortonville Brandon football program three years ago was a lack of league championships. A long drought ended for the Blackhawks Friday night. Brandon captured its first-ever Flint Metro League championship since joining the league in 2005-06 […]
BOYS SOCCER: Berkley rallies back to oust Troy in pre-district
BY DAN STICKRADT dan.stickradt@northoaklandsports.com Twitter: @LocalSportsFans Instgram: stickradtdan TROY — Berkley has enjoyed its best season in school history this fall. The Bears don’t plan on it ending just yet. Fifth-ranked Berkley rallied back from a 1-0 halftime deficit Monday to defeat host Troy, 2-1, in a Division 1 pre-district. “We don’t want this to […]
FOOTBALL: Rejuvinated Oxford becomes Stoney Creek’s Night’Myre’
BY DAN STICKRADT SENIOR EDITOR dan.stickradt@northoaklandsports.com Twitter: @LocalSportsFans Instagram: stickradtdan Snapchat: Dan.Stickradt OXFORD — Practices over the past week were not pleasant at Oxford. Not by any stretch of the word. Veteran Wildcats coach Bud Rowley felt his team’s 17-8 setback to Rochester Adams in Week 5 was unacceptable in terms of effort. Oxford came […]
