Michigan Division 3 Playoff Projections

We’re just a few weeks away from the end of the regular season and now’s a great time to take a look at the Division 3 playoff picture. Recap for the playoffs, seeding is based on a point system based on specific team’s strength of schedule. The top 32 teams from each division get a playoff bid. Specifics regarding seeding can be found <a href="https://www.mhsaa.com/portals/0/documents/FB/Adjusted%20SOS%20Table.pdf">here</a>. Also, divisions are based solely on school enrollment. Now without further ado, let’s take a look at the playoff picture, and discuss some of the athletes that are leading their teams to success. <strong><span style="font-size: 14pt;">DIII Playoff Picture (Week 8) </span></strong> <ol> <li><strong>DeWitt: </strong>This team cruised to the 2020 state championship, facing very little resistance along the way. Led by Wisconsin commit [player_tooltip player_id="30211" first="Tommy" last="McIntosh"], the DeWitt Panthers are in a prime position to defend their state title.</li> <li><strong>Detroit Martin Luther King: </strong>No stranger to the postseason, Detroit MLK is an elite program with elite talent that’s going to be an incredibly difficult out. They’ve bounced around DII and DIII, but no matter where they’re at, they’re always going to be one of the state championship-caliber teams. It’s no secret that this team is led by one of the premier quarterbacks in the nation, [player_tooltip player_id="30316" first="Dante" last="Moore"], as well as one of the best offensive linemen, [player_tooltip player_id="30317" first="Johnathan" last="Slack"].</li> <li><strong>Mount Pleasent: </strong>Here is a team that has been playing some great football over the past few years but has been struggling to make a deep playoff run. Could this be the year?</li> <li><strong>Muskegon: </strong>Here is another team that is no stranger to postseason football. Muskegon hasn’t won a state championship since 2017, though every single season they come awfully close. They’ve already beaten defending DII state champion Mona Shores this season, and they’re led by premier talents in [player_tooltip player_id="30158" first="Myles" last="Walton"] and <a class="uni-link--implied" href="https://www.hudl.com/profile/12919944">Jamarrius Dickerson</a>, among others.</li> <li><strong>Stevensville Lakeshore: </strong>Lakeshore is a team that’s risen a ton in the past few years, and they have a unique opportunity to make some noise this postseason. They also have a great test against DeWitt in week 9. Led by QB <a href="https://www.hudl.com/profile/11479229/Logan-Mooney">Logan Mooney</a>, it’s going to be interesting to see how Lakeshore fares this postseason.</li> <li><strong>Harper Woods: </strong>This is a team with absolutely freakish talent and they’re surely in a prime spot to deal some damage in the postseason. It’s even more interesting that Harper Woods is very new to the spotlight as they’ve had plenty of losing seasons within the past decade but now have a star-heavy team. This Harper Woods squad is led by weapons such as Michigan commit [player_tooltip player_id="30142" first="Tayshawn" last="Trent"] and West Virginia commit [player_tooltip player_id="30141" first="Christion" last="Stokes"].</li> <li><strong>Carlson </strong></li> <li><strong>Allen Park</strong></li> <li><strong>Riverview</strong></li> <li><strong>Brother Rice: </strong>One of the most famed teams in Michigan, Brother Rice seems to be climbing back to legendary status. They’ve got an absolutely grueling schedule and they’ve been doing well with it. This <a class="uni-link--implied" href="https://www.hudl.com/profile/11455712">[player_tooltip player_id="30262" first="Cole" last="Lacanaria"]</a> and [player_tooltip player_id="99293" first="Zack" last="Moraitis"] led team have an opportunity to get back to the promised land this postseason.</li> <li><strong>Cedar Springs</strong></li> <li><strong>St Joseph </strong></li> <li><strong>Zeeland East: </strong>Led by Western Michigan commit [player_tooltip player_id="162660" first="Tag" last="Bonnema"], the Chix are looking for a deep playoff run after being forced to forfeit last season due to covid. This team is undoubtedly a playoff team, though they have 2 very difficult games coming up with Zeeland West and Muskegon, so it’s going to be interesting to see where this team ends up placing.</li> <li><strong>Pinckney</strong></li> <li><strong>River Rouge: </strong>This is an incredibly dangerous team that beat Detroit MLK, Riverview, and Carlson last season before losing the state championship against DeWitt. River Rouge has some big names including B1G 10 prospect [player_tooltip player_id="30139" first="Davonte" last="Miles"]. Could this be a season of revenge for the Panthers?</li> <li><strong>Warren Fitzgerald </strong></li> <li><strong>St Mary’s </strong></li> <li><strong>Zeeland West</strong></li> <li><strong>Harper Creek</strong></li> <li><strong>Trenton: </strong>It seems that Trenton either shows up and balls out, or comes into the game half asleep. What I mean by this is they're 4-3, with all 4 wins being by 22 points or more, while their losses averaging at a 24 point deficit. This is a team known for their defense, and that's led by FS <a class="uni-link--implied" href="https://www.hudl.com/profile/9838355">Jason Marshall</a>.</li> <li><strong>Haslett</strong></li> <li><strong>Mason</strong></li> <li><strong>Parma Western</strong></li> <li><strong>Flint Kearsley</strong></li> <li><strong>Coopersville: </strong><a href="https://www.hudl.com/profile/11536567/Tim-Allen">Tim Allen</a> is one of the best defensive prospects I’ve watched all season, with a solid team surrounding him. Coopersville is a team I’m very familiar with, and this season just seems like a special season for them. They started the season 5-0 before facing the best teams in their conference, though the excitement, belief, and confidence I saw in their game against Allendale was special.</li> <li><strong>Marquette: </strong>Here's our lone Upper Peninsula program that's been good for a while, and surprised many with last year's playoff run which included a win against Mount Pleasent before being defeated by Muskegon. If they want to make another deep run, QB <a href="https://www.hudl.com/profile/13270878/Austin-Ridl">Austin Ridl</a> needs to come up big.</li> <li><strong>GR Northview</strong></li> <li><strong>Melvindale</strong></li> <li><strong>Lowell</strong></li> <li><strong>Avondale: </strong>One of the teams on the edge, the Yellowjackets need to finish strong to secure a playoff spot. The final 2 games are winnable, and it should be interesting to see how they fare. '23 <a href="https://www.hudl.com/profile/13068571/Terry-Daniel">Terry Daniel</a> has been an awesome piece for that offense, while <a href="https://www.hudl.com/profile/11127185/Gavin-Betts">Gavin Betts</a> is an all-league talent that seems to get better every week.</li> <li><strong>Battle Creek Central</strong></li> <li><strong>South Lyon East</strong></li> </ol> <strong><span style="font-size: 14pt;">First 5 out</span></strong> 33. Coldwater 34. Petoskey 35. Mattawan 36. Eastpointe 37. Ionia