Division 2 Regional Finals Preview

The DII District finals have just concluded, cutting the field in half and making way for 4 incredible regional finals matchups. There are many recruits to watch and team storylines to be continued or concluded, so let’s dive deep into each matchup. <strong><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Regional Finals</span></strong> <strong>#4 Traverse City Central @ #3 Caledonia</strong> I’ll be attending this game as I believe it to be the best West Michigan matchup. Traverse City Central has perhaps the best, most game-changing athlete in the state, [player_tooltip player_id="30131" first="Joshua" last="Burnham"]. He’ll be the X-factor as Caledonia comes in scoring 34.6PPG while giving up just 12.8PAPG. Traverse City produces a massive 48.8PPG with 12.8PAPG, though with a slightly worse strength of schedule than Caledonia. <strong>Players to watch -</strong> [player_tooltip player_id="30131" first="Joshua" last="Burnham"], <a class="uni-link--implied" href="https://www.hudl.com/profile/14291095">Samuel LaLonde</a>, <a class="uni-link--implied" href="https://www.hudl.com/profile/11392903">Carson Bourdo</a>, <a class="uni-link--implied" href="https://www.hudl.com/profile/11230858">[player_tooltip player_id="30184" first="Andrew" last="DeVries"]</a>, <a class="uni-link--implied" href="https://www.hudl.com/profile/12946393">Mason McKenzie</a>, <a class="uni-link--implied" href="https://www.hudl.com/profile/11443065">Owen Graham</a> <strong>#11 Portage Central @ #2 South Lyon </strong> South Lyon has had a sensational season and they come in as the heavy favorites. South Lyon has rolled through their schedule which included lots of good teams, and that has been led by Jr. RB <a class="uni-link--implied" href="https://www.hudl.com/profile/13438502">Tommy Donovan.</a> As for Portage Central, they’re led by a very nice running game and rush defense. <strong>Players to watch - </strong><a class="uni-link--implied" href="https://www.hudl.com/profile/11152354">[player_tooltip player_id="99356" first="Quinn" last="Fracassi"]</a>, <a class="uni-link--implied" href="https://www.hudl.com/profile/13438502">Tommy Donovan, </a><a class="uni-link--implied" href="https://www.hudl.com/profile/10970326">[player_tooltip player_id="93670" first="Dawson" last="Skupin"], </a><a class="uni-link--implied" href="https://www.hudl.com/profile/13105071">[player_tooltip player_id="30300" first="Tyler" last="Stolsky"]</a>, <a class="uni-link--implied" href="https://www.hudl.com/profile/12948141">Josh Sturgeon</a>, <a class="uni-link--implied" href="https://www.hudl.com/profile/11416229">[player_tooltip player_id="146504" first="Cross" last="Watson"]</a> <strong>#25 Livonia Franklin @ #24 Waterford Mott</strong> It’s uncommon that two teams in the bottom half of the playoff rankings advance all the way to the final 8, but that’s exactly what’s happened after each of these teams has 2 close road playoff wins. Mott is headlined by one of the best offensive linemen in the Lakes Conference, <a class="uni-link--implied" href="https://www.hudl.com/profile/11468191">CJ Aldred</a>, and one of the best defensive backs, <a class="uni-link--implied" href="https://www.hudl.com/profile/11468326">[player_tooltip player_id="99347" first="Ashton" last="Tong"]</a>. Livonia Franklin on the other hand comes out of the elite Kensington Lakes conference, where they’ve fared decently against D1 talent. I expect this game to be awfully close. <strong>Players to watch - </strong><a class="uni-link--implied" href="https://www.hudl.com/profile/11468326">[player_tooltip player_id="99347" first="Ashton" last="Tong"]</a>, <a class="uni-link--implied" href="https://www.hudl.com/profile/11468191">CJ Aldred</a>, <a class="uni-link--implied" href="https://www.hudl.com/profile/16188224">Kalieb Osborne</a>, <a class="uni-link--implied" href="https://www.hudl.com/profile/10761946">[player_tooltip player_id="93663" first="Zac" last="Olesuk"]</a>, <a class="uni-link--implied" href="https://www.hudl.com/profile/12916013">Cordell Mabins Jr</a>, <a class="uni-link--implied" href="https://www.hudl.com/profile/11468247">Seth Todd</a> <strong>#27 Roseville @ #1 De La Salle </strong> De La Salle is far and wide considered to be the favorite to win the state championship and for good reason. They’re an all-around great team with little to no weaknesses. Roseville is no joke though, as they have their own unique talent, especially on defense. I expect this to be a close first-half matchup, but I eventually expect De La Salle to run away with this one. <strong>Players to watch - </strong><a class="uni-link--implied" href="https://www.hudl.com/profile/12865973">[player_tooltip player_id="186875" first="Brady" last="Drogosh"]</a>, <a class="uni-link--implied" href="https://www.hudl.com/profile/11276094">[player_tooltip player_id="30205" first="Will" last="Beesley"]</a>, <a class="uni-link--implied" href="https://www.hudl.com/profile/12866025">[player_tooltip player_id="226712" first="Mason" last="Muragin"]</a>, <a class="uni-link--implied" href="https://www.hudl.com/profile/11289696">[player_tooltip player_id="30144" first="Tyrell" last="Henry"], </a><a class="uni-link--implied" href="https://www.hudl.com/profile/11645421">[player_tooltip player_id="80485" first="Malachi" last="Clark"]</a>, <a class="uni-link--implied" href="https://www.hudl.com/profile/8412603">[player_tooltip player_id="188043" first="Huston" last="Eubank"]</a>