Farmington and North Farmington will carry unfinished business into a new league this fall.

Both programs are leaving the Oakland Activities Association for the Lakes Valley Conference, and both return enough talent to challenge reigning champion South Lyon.

The Falcons went 7-2 last season and ran the table in OAA-Blue play at 6-0, winning the outright league title for the first time since 2022. They scored at least 35 points in every conference game except a 17-12 opener against Oak Park and beat crosstown rival North Farmington with a running clock.

Farmington enters the LVC this fall under a new head coach, according to an Oakland Press season preview. The identity of Jason Albrecht's successor has not been announced publicly, and it's unclear whether Albrecht departed voluntarily or was replaced. Albrecht, who guided the program for five seasons, told Hometown Life in October 2025 after clinching the OAA-Blue crown: "Our kids really put in the work and executed the game plan."

The Falcons also boast a program-defining defensive talent in senior edge rusher Myles Smith. The 6-foot-4, 230-pound four-star recruit committed to Indiana over Penn State, Ohio State, Michigan and Michigan State after recording 85 tackles and six sacks last season, according to MLive.

Across town, North Farmington (6-3, 5-1 OAA-Blue in 2025) brings back dual-threat quarterback Elijah Cobb. The former Cass Tech transfer is entering his second year as the Raiders' starter, according to the Detroit Free Press. Cobb's 2025 numbers speak for themselves: against Birmingham Seaholm he completed 12 of 15 passes for 220 yards and two touchdowns while rushing 18 times for 106 yards and a score. Against Troy he went 6-of-6 passing for 121 yards and a touchdown, added 58 rushing yards and another TD, and returned a kickoff for a touchdown.

Running back Terrance James gives the Raiders a second gear. Against Troy he rushed nine times for 141 yards and three touchdowns. In the Seaholm win he caught four passes for 112 yards and a score while adding eight tackles on defense. Receivers Leland Hollingsworth and Jerhermiah Larkin round out a deep skill group.

The LVC placement carries historical weight. Historian Dusty Hall told Hometown Life that putting Farmington, North Farmington, Livonia Churchill, Livonia Franklin, Livonia Stevenson and Walled Lake Central together in the Lakes division is a nod to the old Western Lakes Activities Association, which merged with the Kensington Valley Conference to form the KLAA in 2008.

South Lyon set the bar last fall, finishing 9-0 in league play. The MHSAA season opens Thursday, Aug. 27 through Friday, Aug. 28 with the Prep Football Classic at Wayne State University.