9 Dark Horse Teams for the 2022 Season

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><br>The season starts in less than two weeks, and over the past few days, I've seen countless lists ranking all sorts of players and teams. Now, I'll be doing something different with 9 dark horse teams! These are 9 teams that I think, or almost 100% know will be improved from last season and, in some cases, are state title contenders. Now, here are 9 Dark Horse teams for the 2022 Season! <br><br><strong>Caledonia (OK-Red)</strong><br><br>I've seen some publications give Caledonia the praise they deserve, but in general, they're a program on the up-and-up that many are still unfamiliar with. [player_tooltip player_id='407081' first='Mason' last='Mckenzie'] is a prolific passer, being the <strong>highest-ranked QB in all of West Michigan</strong>. Other weapons include D1 offered Derek Pennington jr. and Brock Townsend. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Caledonia quietly placed 2nd in the OK-Red last season, overshadowed by Rockford's greatness. I have Caledonia defeating Rockford this season, winning the OK-Red, and being a legit state-championship contender in Division 1. <br><br><strong>Forest Hills Eastern (OK-Gold)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Last year FHE won the games they were supposed to and lost the games they were supposed to. This season, the Hawks play a senior QB, and RB with Dillon Wieschhorster and Bryson Kuzdzal, in addition to other critical pieces like [player_tooltip player_id='927928' first='Braeden' last='Mulcahy'] and [player_tooltip player_id='407299' first='Austin' last='Fenech']. I expect this team to pull things together and squeak out a win or two against teams they aren't supposed to beat. <br><br><strong>Grand Rapids Union (OK-Green)</strong><br><br>Sorry, this is my favorite team. A GRPS school, Grand Rapids Union, has been starving for good football for some time, and Don Fellows seems to be the savior. This program has made insane strides over the past few seasons, sporting some great young talent. [player_tooltip player_id='290737' first='Tommy' last='Stevens'] is a QB who shined last season before a season-ending injury, [player_tooltip player_id='253311' first='Robert' last='Dedrick'] showed plenty of promise leading the defense, and [player_tooltip player_id='329551' first='Syncere' last='Hobson'] could be a future D1 stud. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><br>Everyone will be shocked when Union opens the season 4-0 as they travel to Mona Shores, a team they dominated the 1st-half against last season. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><br><strong>Seaholm (OAA Blue)<br></strong><br>Over the years, the Maples have ridden a pretty consistent wave. Having gone 1-8 last season with a young team, the 2019 State Semifinalist Maples come back with experience in a balanced OAA Blue. I expect [player_tooltip player_id='252599' first='Colton' last='Kinnie'] to lead the offense well, while [player_tooltip player_id='253292' first='Granden' last='Kinnie'], [player_tooltip player_id='253291' first='Sean' last='Emerson'], and [player_tooltip player_id='253296' first='Kyle' last='Robbins'] make up an impressively balanced offense. They also have a few studs with [player_tooltip player_id='232205' first='John' last='Jokisch'] and [player_tooltip player_id='253296' first='Kyle' last='Robbins'] on defense. This will be a fun team to watch. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><br><strong>Berkley (OAA Gold)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>There are only two teams I can see winning the Gold, and Berkley is one of them. This team sneakily has some legit talent, with [player_tooltip player_id='216984' first='Sunny' last='Kadlitz'], [player_tooltip player_id='300658' first='Savod' last='Daniels'], and [player_tooltip player_id='407335' first='David' last='Rolands'] leading a high-powered offense. The Bears lost a classic against Waterford Mott in last year's playoffs, and if they can take that team to the wire, I'm excited for them to potentially make a run this coming season. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><br><strong>Rochester (OAA White)</strong><br><strong><br></strong>Following the trend of great senior talent, Rochester heads into Fall with a tremendous senior class headlined by D2 offered QB [player_tooltip player_id='216997' first='Alex' last='Bueno']. The Falcons play a tough schedule, but they will be extremely dangerous if they can make the postseason. <br><br><strong>Holt (Capital-Blue)</strong><br><strong><br></strong>I knew Holt made the postseason last year, falling to Grand Blanc during the 1st-round, but I forgot just how dominant they were during the regular season. Having gone 7-2, Holt outscored their opponents 336-147 with a proven offense and defense. [player_tooltip player_id='243467' first='Seneca' last='Moore'] will be returning for his senior season at QB, and I would be shocked if this team doesn't make the postseason. <br><br><strong>Grand Ledge (Capital-Blue)</strong><br><strong><br></strong>Having started the 2021 season 6-1, the Comets looked like a dangerous team until a late-season skid, losing their last three games. This year the hope is different, and with seniors such as GVSU commits [player_tooltip player_id='407334' first='Shawn' last='Foster'] and [player_tooltip player_id='268848' first='Teddy' last='Williams'], I expect Grand Ledge to earn another playoff bid at the very least. <br><br><strong>Waterford Mott (Lakes Valley)<br></strong><br>A severely underrated team, Waterford Mott is led by one of the best QBs in the state with [player_tooltip player_id='253200' first='Kalieb' last='Osborne']. With various other weapons, Mott is a well-coached, dangerous team that could be a Dark Horse State Championship contender. <br><br></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->