Division 1 State Championship Preview

Here’s the game most casual fans look forward to. The biggest schools competing in the biggest game, the state championship at Ford Field. It’s an incredibly exciting time for these teams and players, especially since this is very new territory for both schools. Let’s go over each team, highlight standout athletes, and discuss the keys to victory. <strong><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Rochester Adams</span></strong> Adams has exploded into the scene this year after having a lackluster 3-5 season in 2020, as they’re now 14-0 with an absolutely stellar resume. With huge wins against West Bloomfield, Grand Blanc, Oxford, and others, Adams is running the best Veer offense the state of Michigan has seen in years. Adams has an incredible shot to secure their second state championship ever (won in 2003), but they need their leaders to perform incredibly well. Let’s highlight some of those athletes now. <strong><a class="uni-link--implied" href="https://www.hudl.com/profile/7806998">QB/SS Parker Picot</a></strong> Picot has been playing out of his dang mind all season, even totaling 300 yards last week against Grand Blanc. The Alabama Baseball commit needs to step up and come into this game ready if he wants to lead a veer offense to victory against a disciplined Belleville program. I love his decision-making and motor, but I’m looking for him to be more accurate in passing situations because they will arise in big situations. <strong><a class="uni-link--implied" href="https://www.hudl.com/profile/9810401">DE [player_tooltip player_id="164642" first="Alex" last="DeGrieck"]</a></strong> It’s not a matter of if Degrieck will shed his block, it's a matter of when. That Harvard commit is a very big, powerful force to be reckoned with sporting impressive power moves with a nice spin when he needs it. He seems to just get better in clutch moments and we saw that against West Bloomfield as well as Grand Blanc. When the game is on the line, Degrieck is there for a big sack or pressure. If he can get pressure early on a big stage against a freshman quarterback, Adams will have an excellent chance at winning this game. <strong><a class="uni-link--implied" href="https://www.hudl.com/profile/11569423">DB Christian Schomer</a></strong> Schomer had a huge game against the great receiver and quarterback talent of Grand Blanc and looks for a repeat performance against the elite talent of Belleville. Great defensive back fundamentals and IQ, played very good man coverage, and had an interception in the end zone last week, among many other great stats. No pressure, but Schomer’s performance will play a major role in how Adams fares this week. https://twitter.com/alex_pallone/status/1462164710288236560 <strong><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Belleville</span></strong> By far the most talented team in the state, Belleville looks to finally get that elusive state title. They were my preseason pick to win it all, and they frankly have the edge in this matchup. They’ve had to get through a gauntlet of teams to get to the state championship which included Huron, Canton, Fordson, and Stevenson. In case you didn’t know, all those teams are great teams, and all could have made a championship run. With the immense amounts of division 1 talent, Belleville looks to take advantage of a defining opportunity. Let’s take a look at some key athletes. <strong><a class="uni-link--implied" href="https://www.hudl.com/profile/15872920">QB Bryce Underwood</a></strong> A freshman quarterback starting on varsity is one thing, but a freshman quarterback starting in the state championship is a whole different animal. The throw accuracy is there for the most part, and Underwood is considered by many, including me, to be a future B1G 10 or SEC quarterback. He’s truly good now, with the sky being the limit for this kid. Lots of eyes will be on Underwood this week, and he has the opportunity to really bolster his stock. <strong><a class="uni-link--implied" href="https://www.hudl.com/profile/14672901">LB [player_tooltip player_id="93771" first="Aaron" last="Alexander"]</a></strong> Alexander’s athleticism at linebacker is a problem. Used as an edge rusher. Alexander has the athleticism and IQ to be a difference-maker in stopping the veer offense. After all, it was tough sledding for anyone on Grand Blanc to have a true standout defensive performance against Adams, but if anyone can stand out and afford to take a few risks it’s Alexander, the future Michigan Wolverine. I am also curious to see him utilized on the offensive end. https://twitter.com/EJHollandOn3/status/1462155961150447634 <strong><a class="uni-link--implied" href="https://www.hudl.com/profile/13233592">LB [player_tooltip player_id="30174" first="Cameron" last="Dyson"]</a></strong> More of a true linebacker, Dyson is a high-IQ player that does his job well and always finishes tackles. He’s utilized in the pass rush game where he’s a speeding bullet off the edge, and no matter what he never gives up on a play. I’m looking for Dyson to be ultra-aggressive on Saturday to ensure Adams is forced to pass the football. <strong><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Keys to the game</span></strong> It’s going to come down to Adams air defense vs Belleville’s air raid, and Belleville’s defense against Adam’s veer. If Belleville can throw it into some tight spots, the elite receiver talent will come away with most 50/50 balls and they’re going to have a great day. On the other side, Adams has been playing the veer offense to absolute perfection and it’s going to be hard for Belleville to be gap disciplined and hold them to short to no gains. Adams's goal is to have long, sustained drives that wear out the defense and chew up a significant amount of clock to keep Belleville’s offense off the field. It will be extremely interesting if Adams can play their style of football.