2019 MHSAA Season Preview: Breaking down the OAA
Don’t look now, but the 2019 MHSAA Season is right around the corner. Over the last week, we looked at the top storylines for Division 1-4, and now it is time to start taking a closer look at the top…
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Continue ReadingDon’t look now, but the 2019 MHSAA Season is right around the corner.
Over the last week, we looked at the top storylines for Division 1-4, and now it is time to start taking a closer look at the top conferences around the state.
We start with a look at the Oakland Activities Association, which will have a wealth of Division 1 talent in the 2019 season.
OAA Red Breakdown
ClarkstonAfter some close calls in the past, the OAA finally got that elusive state championship in 2018 when Lake Orion claimed the conference’s first title in Division 1. As a sign of the difficulty of the OAA Red, the Dragons were second in the league last year, falling behind Stoney Creek.
This year, the OAA Red features eight competitive teams. Along with the Dragons and Cougars, Clarkston, Oxford, Rochester Adams, West Bloomfield, Troy and Groves will contend for this year’s title.
The Dragons will have their hands full in hopes of winning the OAA Red this year as they lost some key senior leaders from their championship team. They still have a foundation of talented hitters in outside Sydney Smith and middles Reagan Goeke and Kendall Robertson, but questions at setter and libero will have to be answered. Stoney Creek is the defending champ and returns a lot of All-League talent, led by outside Kate Stration (Cornell). The Cougars should be able to start fast and set the pace for the league.
Clarkston finished third in the Red a year ago, but the Wolves are always a threat. A young team in 2018 is now very experienced, led by All-League selections Jordan Newblatt, Claire Nowicki and Alana Watlington. West Bloomfield won the OAA White in 2018 with a perfect record and moves up to the Red this year. The Lakers won’t be lacking in confidence, but will have to show it can hang with the best of the best in the conference this year. Lauren King (VCU) is an athletic and powerful outside for the Lakers and Grace Allread (Liberty) is a confident and capable setter to lead the team.
The Red also features 2020 standouts in middle hitter Elizabeth Ruprich (South Carolina) out of Groves and outside Francesca McBride (Mississippi State) out of Troy. In the end, the Red has been a three-horse race for years in Lake Orion, Clarkston and Stoney Creek. I think the Dragons will have a tough time against the other two this year after losing so many key pieces. Clarkston has some ground to gain on Stoney Creek to start the year, but I like the potential the Wolves have. We could see a tie with the Cougars and Wolves, but I will put my name behind Clarkston this year.
OAA Red Prediction: Clarkston
OAA White Breakdown
Alexa RousseauWest Bloomfield and Groves make the move to the Red this year, but we see Seaholm and Bloomfield Hills transition into the division, along with the 2018 OAA Blue champ, North Farmington and runner-up Berkley. Troy Athens, Avondale, Rochester and Farmington round out the 8-team field in 2019.
The Seaholm Maples and Bloomfield Hills Black Hawks took their lumps in 2018 as part of the Red, but both weren’t lacking in talent or potential. Bloomfield Hills has one of the top players in the state in 6-3 setter Alexa Rousseau (Northwestern), someone who is capable of taking a game over with her aggressive style. Brookelyn Bosart is an outside that will be looking to step up for the Black Hawks this year and lead them to a division title. Seaholm has some young talent to work with, led by Audrey Brown, who was an All-League pick as a freshman in 2018.
Farmington and North Farmington both will inherit players from the now-closed Farmington Hills Harrison, so each team should have a new dynamic to consider. Avondale finished tied for second in the White last year and will be hungry to get to the top of the mountain this year. Troy Athens could be a dark horse behind 6-3 outside Alexa Withun (Sienna University).
The White seems like it will really be up for grabs this year, but I have to side with Bloomfield Hills. The Black Hawks will have the best player in Rousseau and are in the second year of a new coach, which tends to yield stronger results.
OAA White Prediction: Bloomfield Hills
OAA Blue Breakdown
Just five teams make up the OAA Blue, as Royal Oak, Southfield A&T, Ferndale, Oak Park and Pontiac will contend for the title in 2019.
This looks to be Royal Oak’s league to win, as the Ravens were third in the Blue last year and have some returning experience. With the only two teams they lost two in league play now in the White, Royal Oak has to have its sights set on the championship. Southfield A&T could play spoiler to Royal Oak, but I expect it to come down to these two in the end.
OAA Blue Prediction: Royal Oak
2019 MHSAA Season Preview Content