MHSAA Playoff Preview: Division 2, District 9

<img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-65593" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2020/10/MHSAA-Playoffs-D2D9-300x300.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="300" /> <h5>Wyoming (1-3) @ Mona Shores (6-0)</h5> <strong><em>Top Prospects</em></strong> <h6>[player_tooltip player_id="29824" first="Brady" last="Rose"], QB/DB, Mona Shores</h6> Brady stepped in deep into Mona Shores state title run a year ago and hasn’t looked back since. The dynamic playmaker may be small in stature, but that doesn’t deter him from making defenders look foolish on a weekly basis. His agility and quickness set him apart from any other skill-based player on the west side of the state and he can throw the ball downfield, making him an almost impossible task to stop. <h6><a class="pn-player-link" href="https://prepredzone.com/player/elijah-johnson/"><span class="name-pointer">Elijah Johnson</span></a>, RB, Mona Shores</h6> Elijah is Brady’s right-hand man in the backfield who serves a number of roles in the Sailors offense. He is a great lead blocker and does a great job of squaring up the defender with great physicality. Elijah also has the ability to pop a large gain on the ground. His quickness and strength allow him to get out of would-be tackles. <strong><em>Keys To The Game</em></strong> Wyoming missed two weeks due to the coronavirus but ended its regular season on a positive note by defeating Holland 34-26 for its first win of the season. They’ll face arguably the best team on the west side of the state and favorite to win Division II, Muskegon Mona Shores. I don’t expect this one to be close as [player_tooltip player_id="29824" first="Brady" last="Rose"] should continue his dominance and send the Sailors off on their quest to repeat as State Champions. <em><strong>Prediction: Mona Shores 50, Wyoming 14</strong></em> <h5>Forest Hills Northern (4-2) @ Forest Hills Central (5-1)</h5> <em><strong>Top Prospects</strong></em> <h6>Trinidad Chambliss, QB, Forest Hills Northern</h6> Trinidad, in my opinion, is one of the true dual-threat signal-callers in the area. His pocket presence is at another level than the majority of his peers, and he knows when to tuck the ball and make a play with his legs. His playmaking ability has been a huge key to Northern’s current four-game win streak. <h6>Hunter Robinson, QB, Forest Hills Central</h6> Hunter has one of the more peculiar throwing motions that you’ll see but it doesn’t take away from the touch that he has on his passes. He’s shown he can fit balls in a tight window on the sideline and he does so in a hurry. His decision making and the rate at which he processes plays have led the Rangers to a 5-1 record heading into the playoffs. <strong><em>Keys To The Game</em></strong> These two teams met back in week two with Central beating Northern 28-13. Since then, Northern has rattled off four straight wins, while Central has won three of four and claimed a share of the OK White title. This game will come down to which quarterback can make enough big plays for his team. Both Trinidad Chambliss and Hunter Robinson have the talent to take over games. This might be a situation where whoever has the ball in their hands last might have the best chance of moving on. <em><strong>Prediction: Forest Hills Northern 28, Forest Hills Central 24</strong></em> <h5>Caledonia (2-4) @ Jenison (5-1)</h5> <strong>Top Prospects</strong> <h6>[player_tooltip player_id="29634" first="Carson" last="VanderHoff"], RB, Caledonia</h6> Carson broke Caledonia’s single-season rushing record as a junior a season ago and has since then continued to rack up yards into his senior year. He’s a hard-running back that embraces contact and has a knack for running over defensive backs. His quickness and elusiveness are dangerous when he gets to the next level. <h6><a class="pn-player-link" href="https://prepredzone.com/player/jaden-vandalsen/"><span class="name-pointer">[player_tooltip player_id="29741" first="Jaden" last="VanDalsen"]</span></a>, QB, Jenison</h6> Jaden has a sturdy build and has proven that he can take a hit, even seeking out contact at times when he is on the run. In addition to his running ability, Jaden has a quick release and gets the ball out in a hurry. He makes his reeds effectively, which has been a key point to Jenison’s 5-1 record. <strong><em>Keys To The Game</em></strong> Jenison has surprised some with their 5-1 record in the OK Red after being in lower divisions for the past decade. The Wildcats beat Caledonia 28-14 in week three of the regular season and will look to slow down VanderHoff for a second time on Friday night. VanderHoff will have to carry the load for the Fighting Scots to extend their season. Seeing that the Wildcats haven’t lost since their overtime thriller in week one against Rockford, I like Jenison’s chances to make a deep push in Division II. <em><strong>Prediction: Jenison 35, Caledonia 14</strong></em> <h5>Lowell (3-3) @ Byron Center (5-1)</h5> <em><strong>Top Prospects</strong></em> <h6>[player_tooltip player_id="29563" first="Austin" last="Roon"], RB/LB, Byron Center</h6> Austin is arguably the best linebacker in the area and the part of his game that speaks to that the most are his intellect. He can almost sense where the offense is going or where the play is developing before it happens, allowing him to almost be in on every play. He hits the ball carrier with great pad level and is rarely driven off the ball. <h6>Doak Dean, QB, Lowell</h6> Doak is the most dynamic player Lowell has had since his older bothers donned the red and white. His ability to make plays on the fly has led the Red Arrows to some success this year and will remain a threat to bust a big gain whenever he’s on the field. <em><strong>Keys To The Game</strong></em> These two OK White foes last met in week four of the regular season with Byron Center coming away with the win 36-22. All year, Byron Center has appeared to be the class of the conference, while Lowell had a rather up and down season struggling to really get their offense going on a weekly basis. While I do think Doak Dean and company to make this a ballgame, I think [player_tooltip player_id="29563" first="Austin" last="Roon"] and running back [player_tooltip player_id="29653" first="Mason" last="Breit"] will eventually wear out the Lowell defense on its way to an opening-round win. <em><strong>Prediction: Byron Center 28, Lowell 14</strong></em>