Traverse City Central vs South Lyon semifinal preview

The division 2 playoff bracket is down to just 4 great teams which means we have 2 great games on tap for this Saturday. One of those games is Traverse City Central against South Lyon, which is in my opinion the most intriguing of these D2 games. Now, let’s go over each team, then highlight some of their standout athletes. <strong><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Traverse City Central</span></strong> The Trojans have not been great this year, they’ve been extraordinary. This season they have 3 incredible resume-defining wins against playoff teams. 24-0 against Cadillac, 56-13 against Brother Rice, and 42-14 against Caledonia last week, with their only loss being against DeWitt. They’ve shown few cracks in the armor, and they look to finally make it to Ford Field. Here are some of the players that have got them to this point <strong>QB/MLB [player_tooltip player_id="30131" first="Joshua" last="Burnham"]</strong> I saw all the rankings, his commitment to Notre Dame, etc, yet I was still shocked by how dominant he was when I watched him in person. He’s a freak of nature and you can just feel his leadership and presence on the sidelines. The offense and defense runs through him, and he’s both the offensive and defensive MVP. He runs like he’s possessed on offense, and tackles like a bulldozer on defense. I don’t mean to undermine the great talent around him, but I can only wonder how good this team would be without him. <strong>FS/KR <a href="https://www.hudl.com/profile/11392903/Carson-Bourdo">Carson Bourdo</a></strong> The division 2 prospect has shown lots of upside this year leading the Trojan secondary. The 3-year varsity starter has been balling out this season seemingly having at least 1 huge hit or interception every game. The coverage ability is college-level while also being able to stop the run and return kicks. He’s a huge asset to this team, especially deeper in the playoffs facing teams that can run and pass effectively. <strong>RT <a class="uni-link--implied" href="https://www.hudl.com/profile/11392933">Kadyn Warner</a></strong> Warner is a beast at 6’4 250. The all-conference tackle leads the way for his backs and QB to constantly run it his way, and he seldom misses any blocks. He’s a muscular 250 which means he has the ability to overpower many defensive ends while being agile enough to get to the second level or lead block. If you find yourself streaming or watching Traverse City Central, look out for #71 https://twitter.com/TrojanStrength/status/1456047020947517442 <strong><span style="font-size: 14pt;">South Lyon</span></strong> <strong>WR <a class="uni-link--implied" href="https://www.hudl.com/profile/11152354">[player_tooltip player_id="99356" first="Quinn" last="Fracassi"]</a> </strong> Fracassi led his team to victory making some key plays down the stretch despite a shoulder injury. He caught 5 passes last week for 61 yards and a critical late-game touchdown. He also had 3 tackles on defense plus a TFL. He’s WR1 and plays a crucial part in the offense and the pass game with his brother at QB. <strong>QB <a class="uni-link--implied" href="https://www.hudl.com/profile/13747006">Braden Fracassi</a></strong> Braden has been a solid quarterback all season and it’s crucial that he continues this against a great secondary. Against East Lansing, he threw for 209 yards and 2 TD’s on 83.3% completion, but last week against portage central he threw for just 115 yards with 1 touchdown and 1 interception completing 50% of his passes. For a team whose offense revolves around the passing game, it’s going to be important that he plays well, especially with [player_tooltip player_id="30131" first="Joshua" last="Burnham"] ready to stop the run. https://twitter.com/statechampsmich/status/1459596606156726280 <strong>C/DL <a class="uni-link--implied" href="https://www.hudl.com/profile/6201299">Tyler O’Connor</a></strong> On the offensive end, O'Connor is faced with the task of blocking the Trojan from 7 as well as going to the second level to block some elite linebackers. If anyone can do it, it's O'Connor as he's an experienced lineman who is able to get to the second level and make blocks often. Defensively, O'Connor needs to be violent, and he needs to finish tackles. I'm confident that with his power he'll be able to be a force on defense and be a mismatch in the middle.