NORTHVILLE — The atmosphere was a bit subdued Tuesday at the Kensington Lakes Activities Association Football Pre-season Coaches Meeting & Media Day.

There were no players, just coaches, in attendance. Team tables did not extend from wall to wall, filling up the atrium area at Novi High School. Instead, coaches sat together at small tables at the Northville Sports Den in downtown Northville.

There was no official program detailing the 24 league teams. Instead there was a contact list for each head coach and a small intinerary of the day’s events.

That’s the way things are these days in the KLAA. With the conference one year away from dismantling, with a good portion of the schools remaining in the league, nine more preparing to form a league of their own and Pinckney set to join the Southeastern Conference in 2017-18, the meeting seemed more like a formality than one to promote the upcoming season.

Still, it was a chance for coaches and some administrators to interact with the media and discuss the upcoming 2016 season. It was also a chance to reflect on what the KLAA has accomplished in recent years.

“I’m extremely proud of what we’ve done in football,” said Northville athletic director Bryan Masi, commissioner of football for the league. “Thirteen teams made the playoffs last year, at least three from each division. That shows an incredible amount of balance in this league.”

Among those 13 were Walled Lake Western, Walled Lake Northern and Waterford Mott high schools – three of the Oakland County schools leaving the KLAA next year. They will be joined by Lakeland, Milford, South Lyon, South Lyon East, Walled Lake Central and Waterford Kettering. Details of that league have yet to be decided.

Walled Lake Western won the KLAA North title last year - finishing its season 12-1 and reaching the Division 2 semifinal round. The Warriors should once again be a team to beat in the division. Walled Lake Northern and Waterford Mott finished second and third in the North, dropping their opening-round games in the state playoffs. Kettering, Lakeland and Walled Lake Central all finished 1-4 in the league. Central struggled to a 1-8 mark, down big time from its 9-3 campaign a year earlier.

But coach Bob Meyer is excited about the new season – as was the case with most coaches at Tuesday’s media day.

“Hopes are high and everybody has dreams of a great season in their head, and we're all still alive, so it's a great time for high school football," said Meyer, with a smile on his face. "And everybody has their countdown going until the first game of the season. All the kids are excited. I liken it to Christmas. You're getting all your gear ready for that morning, or midnight for us. All the hard work is now ready to be put in play."

South Lyon coach Jeff Henson, entering his second year on the sidelines for the Lions, is looking forward to the upcoming season, but like many other coaches ready to make the move next year, he's on board with the decision of the nine schools to leave the KLAA.

"I'm excited about the direction that we're going," Henson said. "I think it benefits our school, playing other schools our size. Not just for football, but for all sports (at South Lyon)."

Novi is the lone Oakland County school planning to remain in the KLAA beyond this year. Athletic director Brian Gordon said the conference is the best fit for the Wildcats.

"We need schools like Northville, like Canton, for competitive reasons," he said. "We have 30 varsity sports. We play everything. We need those schools, competitively, for us to thrive."

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