Sharpened by OAA Red Schedule, Troy Becomes League's Latest to Win Finals Title
By
Keith Dunlap
Special for MHSAA.com
November 11, 2026
GRAND LEDGE — Technically, Troy won the Division 1 boys soccer title this past Saturday with a 2-1 win over Livonia Stevenson.
But the Colts probably felt like they also won a state championship when they captured the Oakland Activities Association Red title back in October.
It’s understandable, since it can’t be denied how powerful the OAA Red has been in recent years.
In four of the last five years, and five times since 2019, the Division 1 championship has been won by an OAA Red team – and the league might be on the verge of getting stronger.
With Northville, Novi, Davison and Grand Blanc set to join the OAA next year, the reclassified Red division should see at least one of those teams added to it, adding more muscle to a league that saw Rochester Adams win Division 1 titles in 2022 and 2024 and Troy Athens in 2019 and 2023.
“Seeing (Athens) win it a couple years ago and seeing Adams win it, that really put that fire in us and made us want to win it even more,” said Troy senior Ryan Wind.
The Colts actually did prove themselves different from those championship Adams teams and the Athens 2023 squad in a good way, since Troy became the first OAA Red school to win both a league and MHSAA Finals title in the same year since Athens did so in 2019.
“I knew it had to come,” Troy senior Kevin Garay said. “This is just a special group of guys, a special team and coaching staff. I knew this was the year.”
Make no mistake, playing in and conquering the challenging OAA Red schedule that included No. 7 Clarkston, No. 8 Seaholm, Athens, Oxford and Berkley made top-ranked Troy tough as nails going into the MHSAA Tournament.
Of note, Adams, ranked No. 5 in the state at regular season’s end, was in the OAA White this year, but will likely be back in the Red next fall.
“It’s the best league in the state in my opinion,” Troy head coach Adam Spinks said. “To play such tough competition week in and week out, when you hit the playoffs, it prepares you mentally and physically for those games.”
Troy’s District round of the state tournament was seemingly an OAA Red postseason tournament, with Athens, Berkley and Seaholm also in that bracket.
The Colts rightfully felt that if they could survive that, the path would be less rocky in Regionals and beyond.
Following a 4-2 win over Seaholm in the District Final, Troy was on its way.
“It’s the hardest league in the state, so it prepares you so well for the playoffs,” said Cole Cusmano, an important piece of Troy’s attack who had to miss the second half of the championship game win over Stevenson after suffering a foot injury during the first half.
“We definitely thought once we got past the District – and we were just taking it one game at a time – we knew we had our sights on something big this year.”
Troy certainly did, not only claiming its first Finals championship since 2003 but becoming just the 20th unbeaten champion in MHSAA history.
The big question over the offseason is how the OAA Red will officially be realigned for next year with four new members coming in. Northville – which fell to Livonia Steveson in overtime in District play – is a possibility to join the OAA Red and should add another powerhouse to the league.
It should no doubt make for an even more compelling regular season race next year, and the way things have gone over the last five, lead to an obvious conclusion: Whichever OAA Red team is the last one standing in next year’s playoffs should probably be considered the favorite to win the Division 1 title.
“It was exhausting,” Garay said of the OAA Red slate and tournament run. “It was really hard. But we went for it, and we earned it.”
Keith Dunlap has served in Detroit-area sports media for more than two decades, including as a sportswriter at the Oakland Press from 2001-16 primarily covering high school sports but also college and professional teams. His bylines also have appeared in USA Today, the Washington Post, the Detroit Free Press, the Houston Chronicle and the Boston Globe. He served as the administrator for the Oakland Activities Association’s website from 2017-2020. Contact him at [email protected] with story ideas for Oakland, Macomb and Wayne counties.
PHOTOS (Top) Troy’s Jack Bowen (10) and Niko Zhuli (8) celebrate Zhuli’s goal during Saturday’s Division 1 Final. (Middle) The Colts’ Kouta Cawood (11) makes a run at the goal. (Photos by Adam Sheehan/Hockey Weekly Action Photos.)
Rochester Adams Holds Off Rockford Rush for 1st Finals Title since 1999
By
Tim Robinson
Special for MHSAA.com
November 5, 2022
COMSTOCK PARK -- Rochester Adams goalkeeper John Coon wasn't sure how to feel after his team held off Rockford 2-0 in Saturday's Division 1 championship game at Comstock Park High School.
Was it elation at winning a title or relief that the game was over?
"Both," he said after the Highlanders clinched their first Finals championship since 1999. "I'm relieved that it's over and happy we were on the winning side of things."
The Highlanders (17-1-6) handed the Rams (22-1-1) their only loss of the season. It also was only the second time this season Rockford allowed two goals in a game.
The Adams goals came toward the end of each half despite Rockford's ability to control play for stretches.
The first came with 3:25 to go in the first half. Jackson Craft took a pass from Colton James to notch his team-leading 24th goal of the season
"It was a beautiful ball from Colton," Craft said. "It couldn't have been any better. I got the touch and was able to put it in. It gave us a big boost."
That also was a familiar sight to coach Josh Hickey.
"Jackson has done that all year," Hickey said. "He gets behind you and makes you pay, and he just finishes."
It stayed that way until late in the second half, during which Adams withstood a furious Rockford offensive push that kept the pressure on.
"Their mentality in the second half was way more 'Let's get after this team,'" Coon said.
Which the Rams did, but a stalwart Highlanders defense and a couple of shots that hit goalposts prevented Rockford from getting on the board.
Adams put it out of reach when Matt Vostriakov scored on an assist from Craft with 4:12 remaining,
"I just heard screaming," Vostriakov said of his reaction to the goal, "I heard screaming, and I ran to the bench to celebrate with my team."
It was a disappointing end to a storybook season for the Rams, who won their first Regional title last week.
"Adams played a really good game," Rockford coach Tim Boleman said. "Credit to them. They've got a really good team. We didn't do what we should have done, and we didn't defend as well as we should have.
"We had a great season," he continued. "We had an incredible ride. We accomplished great things. We didn't think we would be here. We were unbeaten until today, the only team in the state to do that."
Instead, on a warm, overcast November afternoon it was the Highlanders' moment in the sun, so to speak.
"They worked so hard to do this, and they wanted this so badly," Hickey said.
"We had tough battles all through the playoffs. We had injuries. These kids are banged up, sick, they just gave everything. They deserve it."
PHOTOS (Top) Rochester Adams celebrates its Division 1 championship Saturday at Comstock Park High School. (Middle) Jackson Croft (2) makes a run at the Rockford goal for the Highlanders.