OK Conference Realignment: A New Era in High School Sports

In the offseason, a significant shift occurred within the OK Conference, a high school athletic conference in Michigan. Member schools across its many divisions convened to realign the divisions, a move reminiscent of the Western Michigan Conference’s realignment approximately two years ago.

The Exodus

The realignment was not without controversy. Seven member schools decided to part ways with the OK Conference following the changes. These schools – Cedar Springs, Coopersville, Greenville, Kenowa Hills, Lowell, and Sparta – are set to form a new alliance known as the River City Alliance.

The Realignment Drafts

In response to the departure of these schools, two realignment drafts were created. One draft focused on the 39 football teams, while the other centered around the 41 other athletic teams. Notably, NorthPointe Christian and Calvin Christian do not have football teams, making them the two schools absent from the football alignment proposal.

The New Divisions

The realignment resulted in six divisions for each alignment: the OK Red, OK Green, OK Gold, OK Black, OK White, and OK Silver. However, the composition of each division varies between the football-only and all-other-sports alignments.

Football Divisions

OK Red

In the grand shuffle of the realignment, this division will remain the same.

OK Green

The division will keep its original Muskegon teams, while adding Byron Center and Forest Hills Northern.

OK Gold 

The division now features one returning team, South Christian, and a diverse mix of teams from four different divisions. Zeeland West, Zeeland East, and Wyoming joined from the OK Green, Forest Hills Central from the OK White, and Unity Christian from the OK Blue.

OK Black 

The division welcomed three teams from the OK Gold (Ottawa Hills, Thornapple Kellogg, and GR Catholic Central), two teams from the OK White (East Grand Rapids and Northview), and Holland Christian from the OK Blue.

OK White 

The division incorporated three teams from the OK Blue (West Catholic, Hamilton, and Spring Lake), two from the OK Gold (Forest Hills Eastern and Wayland), and one from the OK White (GR Christian).

OK Silver 

The division remains largely unchanged, with Belding, Comstock Park, Hopkins, Godwin Heights, and Kelloggsville all returning. They are joined by Fruitport from the OK Blue and Holland from the OK Green.

All-Other-Sports Divisions

OK Red 

The division will continue to be mostly unchanged, except for the departures of Jenison and Caledonia. They joined the three Muskegon schools and Byron Center in the OK Green.

OK Green

Forest Hills Northern departs this division for the OK White and instead we add Jenison and Caledonia from the OK Red. The remainder of the teams stay the same.

OK Gold 

The division retained South Christian, Wayland, and Thornapple Kellogg, while welcoming former OK Green schools GR Union and Wyoming, Northview from the OK White, and West Catholic from the OK Blue.

OK Black 

The division, with a lakeshore orientation, is composed of former OK Blue schools Spring Lake, Hamilton, Holland Christian, and Unity Christian, along with three OK Green schools (Zeeland West, Zeeland East, and Holland).

OK White

Forest Hills Central, East Grand Rapids, and GR Christian all return. They are joined by former OK Gold members Ottawa Hills, Forest Hills Eastern, and GR Catholic Central as well as Forest Hills Northern from the OK Green.

OK Silver

With eight teams, remains largely the same. It brings back Godwin Heights, Kelloggsville, Belding, Comstock Park, Hopkins, NorthPointe Christian, and Calvin Christian, while adding Fruitport.

Looking Forward

This realignment marks a new era for the OK Conference. While it has led to the departure of some schools, it also presents an opportunity for new rivalries and competitions. As the dust settles on these changes, all eyes will be on the upcoming seasons to see how these new divisions perform.