Division 3 Regional Final Preview: Muskegon vs East Grand Rapids

After a rocky 2-3 start to the season, East Grand Rapids has rattled off four consecutive wins heading into a regional championship matchup with Muskegon, whose only loss came at the hands of reigning Division 2 State Champion, Muskegon Mona Shores. The Pioneers and Big Reds last met in a 2019 Regional Final that saw Muskegon roll to a 49-10 win. A lot of familiar faces will take the field this Saturday for the rematch, but rest assured, this Regional Championship being played on a frozen field in January will be unlike any game in this rivalry’s history. <em><strong>Playoff Road</strong></em> Muskegon (8-1, OK Green): Pre-District: Defeated Greenville 56-7, District Semi: Defeated Cedar Springs 34-12, District Final: Defeated Marquette 47-21. East Grand Rapids (6-3, OK White): Pre-District: Defeated Northview 36-7, District Semi: Defeated Holland 63-26, District Final: Defeated Middleville Thornapple Kellogg 41-17. <em><strong>Top Prospects</strong></em> <h6>[player_tooltip player_id="30158" first="Myles" last="Walton"], WR, Muskegon</h6> <h6>Jacarri Kitchen, RB, Muskegon</h6> <h6>[player_tooltip player_id="29610" first="Amari" last="Crowley"], QB, Muskegon</h6> <h6>[player_tooltip player_id="29605" first="Julius" last="Sims"], DB, Muskegon</h6> <h6>[player_tooltip player_id="29598" first="Tyreese" last="Oakes"], DB, Muskegon</h6> <h6>[player_tooltip player_id="29814" first="Nate" last="Milanowski"], RB, East Grand Rapids</h6> <h6>Oatis Ackermann, DL, East Grand Rapids</h6> <h6>Danniel Masek, LB, East Grand Rapids</h6> <h6>Jelani King-Leverett, DL, East Grand Rapids</h6> <em><strong>Keys To The Game</strong></em> Muskegon has relatively breezed through it’s schedule, with Zeeland West and Muskegon Mona Shores being the only exceptions. One similarity that stands out in both Zeeland West and Mona Shores is they had success running the ball against Muskegon’s vaunted defense. East Grand Rapids will look to follow that blueprint behind their all-area running back, [player_tooltip player_id="29814" first="Nate" last="Milanowski"]. Unlike Zeeland West and Mona Shores, East Grand Rapids lacks a dangerous passing attack, which will potentially allow Muskegon to fill the box in efforts to stop Milanowski and Co. Muskegon has arguably the most talented team in the area and will look to exploit the EGR defense with their skill-position athletes. In my opinion, It’ll take a few turnovers and some favorable bounces for EGR to be in a position to advance to the Division 3 Semi Finals. <em><strong>Prediction: </strong>Muskegon 28, East Grand Rapids 14</em>