Category: High School (M-Z)
Swinging some revenge: Dragons stun defending state champion Marian
BY DAN STICKRADT SENIOR EDITOR dan.stickradt@northoaklandsports.com LAKE ORION — More than any sport, momentum can make a major difference in volleyball. Once the pendulum swings, it’s hard to gain the momentum back. Birmingham Marian found that out the hard way Tuesday night. Regional host Lake Orion dropped Game 1 of its Class A regional semifinal […]
State Rankings–Nov. 6
Girls Swimming (By the coaches association) Division 1 — 1. Farmington Hills Mercy; Saline; 3. Hudsonville; 4. Holland West Ottawa; 5. Rockford; 6. Birmingham Marian; 7. (tie) Ann Arbor Huron, South Lyon Unified; 9. Ann Arbor Skyline; 10. (tie) Clarkston, Zeeland Unified. Honorable Mention — Novi, Northville, Lake Orion, Rochester Stoney Creek, Saginaw Heritage, Grandville, […]
Youthful Notre Dame Prep back in familiar spot in regional play
BY DAN STICKRADT SENIOR EDITOR dan.stickradt@northoaklandsports.com PONTIAC — When Pontiac Notre Dame Prep walked off the volleyball court Saturday afternoon, the Fighting Irish were in a familiar position — they captured another district championship. Yet veteran coach Betty Wroubel admits that she didn’t know if this group could do it after an up-and-down regular season. […]
CROSS COUNTRY STATE FINALS: Adams, Lake Orion pace area teams
13 local runners run to all-state honors BY DAN STICKRADT SENIOR EDITOR dan.stickradt@northoaklandsports.com BROOKLYN — Rochester Adams saved its best for last. The Highlanders’ girls cross country team, which failed to make the state finals the past two years after a 19-year run of state-qualifying squads, capped a fine season Saturday at Michigan Speedway. Adams […]
Lake Orion wins volleyball district, earns date with Marian
(Editor’s Note: Have video or photos of this event. Contact Senior Editor Dan Stickradt at dan.stickradt@northoaklandsports.com) BY DAN STICKRADT SENIOR EDITOR dan.stickradt@northoaklandsports.com ROCHESTER HILLS — Lake Orion may not have played its best volleyball game Saturday afternoon. It was good enough to win a district championship and earn a rematch with state powerhouse Birmingham Marian. […]
Avondale-Spring Lake finals match to showcase teams that are splitting image of one another on soccer pitch
BY DAN STICKRADT SENIOR EDITOR dan.stickradt@northoaklandsports.com TROY — When Auburn Hills Avondale and Spring Lake take the soccer pitch Saturday at Troy Athens, it will be almost like looking into a mirror. “I think they are a lot like us,” said Auburn Hills Avondale boys soccer coach Dave Muczynski. “That will make it very interesting.” […]
Port Huron rallies past Adams for district crown
PORT HURON — Behind two second-half touchdown runs, Port Huron is going to a place no other Big Reds football squad has ever gone — to the Division 2 regional finals. Port Huron scored a touchdown in both the third and fourth quarter, kept visiting Rochester Adams scoreless in the second half and staved off […]
Walled Lake Central cruises past Clarkston
BY DAN STICKRADT SENIOR EDITOR dan.stickradt@northoaklandsports.com CLARKSTON — Walled Lake Central made a run to the Final Four in Division 2 last season. The Vikings are now trying to do the same in Division 1 and they took another step in that direction Friday night. Walled Lake Central pulled another road upset for the district […]
Rochester is Stoney Creek’s postseason nightmare
BY DAN STICKRADT SENIOR EDITOR dan.stickradt@northoaklandsports.com ROCHESTER — Rochester Stoney Creek had the dream of facing state-ranked Lake Orion in the district finals two years in a row. Both times, Rochester became such a dream wrecker. Host Rochester rallied back from a 2-0 deficit to post a 3-2 victory over Stoney Creek in a Class […]
Lake Orion drops funnel cloud on Rochester Adams
BY DAN STICKRADT SENIOR EDITOR dan.stickradt@northoaklandsports.com ROCHESTER HILLS — Rochester Adams felt what it’s like to be in the path of a tornado Thursday night. Coming from the north, the funnel cloud left a path of destruction during a time frame of just a mere 1 hour and 3 minutes. That storm activity came from […]
Lakes claims volleyball district; Oakland Christian sweeps Shrine
WATERFORD — Behind a dominating performance, Waterford Our Lady of the Lakes captured its first volleyball district crown in a decade Thursday night, sweeping past first-year program Clarkston Everest Collegiate, 3-0. The host Lakers posted scored of 25-9, 25-15, 25-20 to advance to next week’s regional round. Abbigayle Kline served up nine aces to lead […]
Clarkston claims seventh district title in nine years
BY DAN STICKRADT SENIOR EDITOR dan.stickradt@northoaklandsports.com CLARKSTON — Halloween was only a few days ago, but Clarkston still received a little scare Thursday night. The fourth-ranked Wolves fell behind visiting Fenton 1-0 before rallying for a 3-1 triumph in a Class A girls volleyball district finals against the Tigers. Fenton, which has not lost a […]
Stoney Creek enjoying best volleyball season to date
BY DAN STICKRADT SENIOR EDITOR dan.stickradt@northoaklandsports.com ROCHESTER HILLS — Sometimes it takes sports programs time to build into a competitive group. After all, Rome wasn’t built overnight. For Rochester Stoney Creek’s volleyball team, the Cougars have reached another benchmark this autumn and are slowly rising up the charts to become a respected program. Stoney Creek […]
Final Four Roadblock: Inter-City continues postseason mastery of Oakland Christian
BY DAN STICKRADT SENIOR EDITOR dan.stickradt@northoaklandsports.com TROY — It’s safe to say that Allen Park Inter-City Baptist has Auburn Hills Oakland Christian’s mark. Not only have the top-ranked chargers defeated the eighth-ranked Lancer three times this season, but are now 4-0 lifetime against Oakland Christian in the state semifinals round. The latest chapter in Inter-City’s […]
Grand Haven edges Troy 1-0 to advance to first state final
BY DAN STICKRADT SENIOR EDITOR dan.stickradt@northoaklandsports.com HOLT — Scoring chances in a tight game sometimes can be few and far between. So when the rare opportunity came for Grand Haven’s Jacob VanderLaan, he made the most of it. The Jacob VanderLaan knocked in a rebound only 29 seconds into the second half Wednesday, and the […]
All the Russ: Avondale midfielder scores game-winner to lift Yellowjackets into first state title game
BY DAN STICKRADT SENIOR EDITOR dan.stickradt@northoaklandsports.com AUBURN HILLS — As an outside midfielder, Skyler Russ’ job is not normally scoring high volumes of goals or scoring goal at all. The junior midfielder goes about his business on the pitch, marking up other players while helping his team bring the ball in the attack, looking for […]
Avondale-Andover semifinal match has an all-OAA feel
BY DAN STICKRADT SENIOR EDITOR dan.stickradt@northoaklandsports.com AUBURN HILLS — This season there will truly be a new state champion in the Division 2 boys soccer tournament. Three of the four schools that are in the Final Four have never reached this point, having captured their first-ever regional crowns last weekend. A fourth member of the […]