Royal Oak Weekly Sports Roundup

Highlights of what’s happening in varsity sports:

Football

A brings the Ravens' record to 1-4, but head football coach Jeff Hill is focused on the progress his players are making on the field.

“We played good defense,” Hill said of his team’s performance against Lake Orion. “We held them scoreless for a quarter and a half, but some mistakes toward the end of the second quarter allowed them to score 14 points.”

Still working his plan of implementing fundamentals and improving each player’s football mentality, Hill is seeing improvement. “Our kids are playing better and their technique is improving each week,” he said.

The tough schedule the Ravens are working through is set up in advance by the Oakland Activities Association (OAA). The conference sets up a two-year schedule so Hill has no control over the “powerhouses” such as Lake Orion and Troy that the team plays each week.

“Theses guys (coaches) have been there for years,” Hill said of his competition. 

For this week’s matchup, a Saturday travel game to Pontiac High School for their homecoming at 2 p.m., Hill is looking forward to matching up with a team that has similar talent.

“They are a very athletic team and a lot like us,” he said. “Inconsistent on the field. A great play followed by a breakdown, but getting better.”

Boys soccer

The Ravens varsity soccer record is 3-5-1 as they picked up a 2-0 road win over Nortre Dame Prep in Pontiac on Saturday. Next up the Ravens host Farmington at 6:45 p.m. today and then travel to Lake Orion on Saturday for a 7 p.m. game.

Volleyball

Add one win and one loss for a 2-6 overall and 2-1 league record for the Royal Oak High School volleyball team. Tuesday, the Ravens traveled to South Lathrup and picked up a thee-match win, 25-11, 25-13 and 25-6. Senior Paige Smith led the way with six kills, four aces and five digs. Thursday, the team traveled to Pontiac where it fell in four games 15-25, 25-20, 18-25 and 28-30.

On Saturday the team traveled to Lakeview High School in St. Clair Shores to participate in a 12-team tournament where it didn't fare well, dropping four games.

This week the team travels to Oak Park on today and hosts Southfield on Thursday, both 7 p.m. matches.

Girls golf

Last Tuesday, the ROHS girls golf team won the first half of the OAA Blue League tournament at Fieldstone in Auburn Hills with a score of 205. They beat Avondale (207), Berkley (214), Pontiac (240) and Southfield (256).

Head Coach Brett Hansen was impressed with his team's efforts. "We had a great week," he said. "I was really proud of the girls at the way they held it together and played great golf. It was neck and neck and one bad hole by either team could have meant the match."

The league tournament differs in that only four golfers compete instead of six. Sabrina Good, Olivia Demarco, Sara Uelmen and Dagney Gossett competed in the tournament.

The Ravens defeated Avondale on Thursday in head-to-head play at , 206-215.

The team is 4-1 overall and 4-0 in league play.

The Ravens have several matches this week: Tuesday at Avondale (at Fieldstone) and home games Wednesday against Pontiac and Thursday vs. Clawson. Both home matches begin at 3:30 p.m. at Normandy Oaks golf course on Delemere off Normandy Road. On Monday the team has a make-up match with Berkley.

Cross-country

The Royal Oak High School team competed in Jackson, MI, on Saturday in the Jackson Invitational. "Across the board our runners posted great times," assistant coach Dave Barnett said. "All but two runners posted their best times ever."

Here are the results for the boys 5,000 meters division:

finish runner official time

20      Max Benoit             16:40.3   
62      Ben Hill                  17:21.1  
74      Leonard Jackson     17:28.3   
102    Adam Quinn           17:53.8
124    Willie Davids          18:37.3

Today the team travels to the Orchard Ridge campus of Oakland Community College in Farmington Hills for the OAA Blue Division Jamboree #2. Races begin at 4:30 p.m. On Saturday, the team will participate in the Schoensee Invite hosted by Centerline High School in Centerline.