DETROIT — The day had all the makings of a beautiful homecoming for the Michigan Panthers as they took the field April 30 against the New Jersey Generals at Ford Field.

ROYAL OAK — Just a few weeks away from Oakland County Football Club’s opener against Midwest United on May 13, the club has made multiple roster moves as OCFC fans continue to anticipate whether or not certain fan favorites will be back for the 2023 season.

Novi boys swim and dive not only improved from its 10th place finish at the 2022 Michigan High School Athletic Association Division 1 State Finals, it also took a giant step forward for the program’s future.

ROYAL OAK — Royal Oak Schools Athletics Coordinator Pam Moore continues to add to her already impressive resume.

GROSSE POINTE FARMS — Everything was new for Grosse Pointe South softball. Graduating a majority of the squad entering this season and building a brand-new softball field, the rapid change could be a scary transition for some, but not this squad.

GROSSE POINTE WOODS — Grosse Pointe Woods University Liggett girls soccer is in unfamiliar territory six games into the season.

FRASER — Coming off a dominant 20-6 season that saw Fraser softball capture the Macomb Area Conference-Blue division in 2022, coach Matt Fishburn and his squad knew they’d have to dig their heels in quickly, coming into the 2023 season.

BLOOMFIELD HILLS — Bloomfield Hills girls hockey had a movie-like season, following in the footsteps of “Miracle,” “The Mighty Ducks,” and even a little of “Slap Shot,” but less aggressive, of course.

NOVI — With 16 state titles, countless individual state champions, and 28 straight Catholic High School League titles to its historic collection, Detroit Catholic Central High School’s wrestling program is in a league of its own when it comes to legacy.

ST. CLAIR SHORES — It’s more than just track and field for St. Clair Shores South Lake coach Joe Crachiola. It’s a livelihood and a program he’s come to know since his graduation from South Lake in 2011 to coaching the South Lake track and field team in 2012.

TROY — It was a long-awaited moment for the Troy Martial Arts Competition Sparring Team as they traveled to Livonia Stevenson High School March 25 to compete in the USAT Michigan State Taekwondo Championships.

FERNDALE — Ferndale head coach Juan Rickman aspired to bring a state title home to Ferndale High School when he took over the varsity boys basketball head coaching job in 2018, but he wasn’t the only person who held the same vision.

UTICA — A program based on family, faith and winning shined once more this season when the Michigan Lutheran Basketball Association State Tournament took place at Concordia University March 4-5.

WARREN — A year removed from their first-ever Michigan High School Athletic Association Division I state championship title, the players on Warren De La Salle Collegiate’s boys basketball team understood a target would be on their backs entering the 2023 season.

MACOMB COUNTY — The dynamic of community college sports is unlike any other.

DETROIT — Professional golf’s best will be making their return to the Motor City.

HARRISON TOWNSHIP — One is chance. Two are coincidental. And three, well that’s a pattern. There’s a pattern taking place with Harrison Township L’Anse Creuse athletics.

FARMINGTON — It’s a full-circle moment to come back to the very field he grew up on and host a youth football camp, but for University of Wisconsin linebacker Jordan Turner, it’s an opportunity he’s been waiting on for the longest time.

METRO DETROIT — What took the Detroit Lions over 80 years to implement, the Michigan Panthers will have in their second year of the revived United States Football League.

OAKLAND COUNTY — April has arrived, and golf courses around metro Detroit are welcoming golfers back to the links.