2021 MHSAA Division 1 Playoff Preview

It’s finally time- the playoff selection show aired yesterday over on Bally Sports Detroit and we officially have playoff brackets for all Michigan divisions. Let’s check out the division 1 bracket, and preview the upcoming games. Region 1 #1 Rockford vs #28 Grand Ledge - Rockford heads into the playoffs as the #1 overall seed and they’ve surely earned it. QB [player_tooltip player_id="54861" first="Zak" last="Ahern"] leads the charge for the Rams, and a deep playoff run is likely. Grand Ledge on the other hand needs to play a perfect game to defeat Rockford. #26 Grandville vs #27 Traverse City West - Here’s a matchup that I find very intriguing. After losing in 2OT to Rockford in week 4, Grandville has run the table winning their last 5 matchups. Needless to say, LB <a class="uni-link--implied" href="https://www.hudl.com/profile/11450566">Carlos Alvarado</a> and the Bulldogs are coming into this one with plenty of motivation with the prospect of a Rockford rematch. On the other side is Traverse City West. This is a capable team that has played good competition with a nice win against Cadillac under their belt. Regardless, Grandville is the favorite here. #4 Grand Blanc vs #19 Holt - I had the pleasure of watching Grand Blanc during week 2, where the Bobcats came out on top of Forest Hills Central in one of the games of the year. Grand Blanc is undefeated with many games being blowouts, so needless to say Holt needs to play a perfect game to win. #15 Hartland vs #17 Howell - These teams met in week 6, where Hartland came out on top 29-7. I expect this matchup to be a great one as they’re very familiar with one another, being in the same league (Lakes West). Region 2 #5 Rochester Adams vs #25 Lapeer - Rochester Adams has had a historic season, though they still seem to be overshadowed by some of the bigger brand teams. This is a team that easily won the OAA White, with an eye-popping week 1 win against defending state champion, West Bloomfield. QB <a class="uni-link--implied" href="https://www.hudl.com/profile/7806998">Parker Picot</a> has led Adams’s Veer offense to perfection. Lapeer on the other hand has had a good season finishing 7-2 with losses against Grand Blanc and Grand Rapids Catholic Central. This all makes for an interesting matchup that could be close. #13 Clarkston vs #21 Oxford - These are two teams that are very familiar with one another, both being in the OAA Red. When they met during week 5, Clarkston came away with the victory 20-17. This game is headlined by one of the best Quarterback prospects in the state, Clarkston’s [player_tooltip player_id="30159" first="Mike" last="DePillo"]. #7 West Bloomfield vs #31 Novi - WB’s one and only loss came in week 1 against Rochester Adams, and they frankly should be very favored in this one. Here’s a team that’s playoff primed, and they live in the postseason. Novi needs to play an incredible game in order to win. #8 Bloomfield Hills vs #9 Catholic Central - This is an interesting matchup where Catholic Central, the lower seed, is going to be favored. Bloomfield Hills won the OAA Blue with little resistance, and it’s a big improvement from last year’s campaign. The Bloomfield Hills air raid, led by WR <a class="uni-link--implied" href="https://www.hudl.com/profile/11760041">[player_tooltip player_id="103488" first="Andrew" last="Siepierski"]</a>, needs to hit on all cylinders against a very talented and experienced Catholic Central team. Region 3 #2 Romeo vs #29 Utica - Winning the exceptionally difficult Macomb-Red, Romeo finds themselves as the #2 ranked team in the bracket. Utica on the other hand needs to play exceptionally, as many of their losses are against teams that Romeo has beaten. #20 Dakota vs #22 Anchor bay - These two teams met during week 2, and Dakota came away with the victory 39-7. This Dakota team is very capable to win this region, as they’ve faced an incredibly difficult schedule while barely losing to Romeo 14-10. With Anchor Bay, it’s all about if the offense shows up, as they’ve scored a combined 7 points in their 2 losses while averaging over 30 points over their 7 wins. #11 Stevenson vs #32 Frasier - Stevenson has proven to be a great team that’s faced a grueling schedule, with their only two losses being against #1 Rockford and #2 Romeo. Fraser has been playing good football, but they need to play incredibly well to defeat Stevenson. #14 Troy vs #18 Chippewa Valley - Troy has been a very balanced team this season, showcasing some good, but not elite offense and defense. Led by WR [player_tooltip player_id="30347" first="Darius" last="Whiteside"] II, Troy is looking to make a deep run. On the other end, Chippewa Valley is a great team that has some huge wins against Catholic Central and Romeo. Region 4 #3 Saline vs #24 Canton - Saline is a unique team that comes into the playoffs undefeated, though many have pointed out that the strength of schedule just isn’t there. Don’t get me wrong Saline is a good team and will be favored in this one, though they may be the biggest question mark in this tournament. Canton heads into postseason play with experience, and I overall expect this to be a good game. #6 Belleville vs #10 Ann Arbor Huron - Both teams head into the postseason riding very high. Belleville is absolutely stacked with elite talent and the expectation from the preseason has been state championship. <a class="uni-link--implied" href="https://www.hudl.com/profile/11685704">[player_tooltip player_id="160570" first="Myles" last="Rowser"]</a>, <a class="uni-link--implied" href="https://www.hudl.com/profile/12798261">[player_tooltip player_id="30160" first="Jeremiah" last="Caldwell"]</a>, and [player_tooltip player_id="93771" first="Aaron" last="Alexander"] are just 3 of many elite prospects that Belleville has to offer. Huron on the other end has a chance to surprise many people, DE [player_tooltip player_id="169537" first="Bruce" last="Williams"] needs to show out in this one. #12 Fordson vs #30 Cass Tech - This is an absolute marquee matchup with two teams that could win it all. Cass Tech may be the greatest team to be one of the "last in" ever. 2 out of the 3 losses were against Detroit King, a team widely regarded as the best in Michigan. The other side is Fordson, a school with football deep in its roots. The headliner is of course [player_tooltip player_id="30132" first="Antonio" last="Gates Jr"]. If I were in southeast Michigan, this is the one game I would go see and I do not say that lightly. #16 Brownstown Woodhaven vs #23 Dearborn - Here’s another matchup that’s hard to pick. Dearborn’s losses are all against great teams, while Woodhaven has rolled through the season facing little resistance. Scout’s notes/predictions Region 1 This region showcases teams from mid-Michigan and West Michigan, including the #1 team in Rockford. I fully expect Rockford and Grand Blanc to meet one another in the regional finals, though Grandville could be a dark horse team that can deal some damage. Look for a big Grandville-Rockford matchup in round 2. Region 2 This region showcases teams primarily from Oakland County. Rochester Adams is the highest-ranked team in this region, and I don’t see why they can’t win the region. Overall, I expect Adams to face either West Bloomfield or Catholic Central in the regional finals. Region 3 This region features teams from Macomb County and the surrounding areas. Romeo is my pick to win this region, as they won the Macomb Red, winning some great close games. I expect Romeo to narrowly defeat Dakota, and either Stevenson or Chippewa Valley to advance to the semifinals. This region should be very fun to watch as many of these teams are familiar with each other. Region 4 This region features teams just south of Detroit in the "downriver" area. I haven’t covered many of these teams, so I’m excited to become more invested in this area. This region is insanely competitive with easily the most college talent out of any of these regions. It’s a very hard region to pick, but I would expect Belleville to advance to the regional finals, facing off against either Fordson or Cass Tech.