9 Dark Horse Teams for the 2022 Season
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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…
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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!
Caledonia (OK-Red)
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.
Mason Mckenzie
Mason
Mckenzie
6'0" | 170 lbs | QB
Caledonia | 2023
State
MI
is a prolific passer, being the highest-ranked QB in all of West Michigan. Other weapons include D1 offered Derek Pennington jr. and Brock Townsend.
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.
Forest Hills Eastern (OK-Gold)
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
Braeden Mulcahy
Braeden
Mulcahy
6'2" | 240 lbs | OL
Forest Hills Eastern | 2024
MI
and
Austin Fenech
Austin
Fenech
6'2" | 275 lbs | DL
Forest Hills Eastern | 2023
MI
. I expect this team to pull things together and squeak out a win or two against teams they aren’t supposed to beat.
Grand Rapids Union (OK-Green)
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.
Tommy Stevens
Tommy
Stevens
5'8" | 175 lbs | QB
Grand Rapids Union | 2023
MI
is a QB who shined last season before a season-ending injury,
Robert Dedrick
Robert
Dedrick
5'10" | 210 lbs | LB
Grand Rapids Union | 2024
MI
showed plenty of promise leading the defense, and
Syncere Hobson
Syncere
Hobson
6'2" | 260 lbs | OL
Grand Rapids Union | 2026
MI
could be a future D1 stud.
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.
Seaholm (OAA Blue)
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
Colton Kinnie
Colton
Kinnie
6'2" | 225 lbs | QB
Seaholm | 2024
State
MI
to lead the offense well, while
Granden Kinnie
Granden
Kinnie
6'1" | 220 lbs | RB
Seaholm | 2024
State
MI
,
Sean Emerson
Sean
Emerson
5'8" | 180 lbs | ATH
Seaholm | 2024
State
MI
, and
Kyle Robbins
Kyle
Robbins
6'2" | 190 lbs | ATH
Seaholm | 2024
State
MI
make up an impressively balanced offense. They also have a few studs with
John Jokisch
John
Jokisch
6'4" | 235 lbs | DL
Seaholm | 2023
State
MI
and
Kyle Robbins
Kyle
Robbins
6'2" | 190 lbs | ATH
Seaholm | 2024
State
MI
on defense. This will be a fun team to watch.
Berkley (OAA Gold)
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 Sunny Kadlitz Sunny Kadlitz 6'0" | 155 lbs | QB Berkley | 2024 State MI , Savod Daniels Savod Daniels 5'10" | 170 lbs | DB Berkley | 2023 MI , and David Rolands David Rolands 6'4" | 270 lbs | OL Berkley | 2023 State MI 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.
Rochester (OAA White)
Following the trend of great senior talent, Rochester heads into Fall with a tremendous senior class headlined by D2 offered QB
Alex Bueno
Alex
Bueno
5'11" | 175 lbs | QB
Rochester | 2023
State
MI
. The Falcons play a tough schedule, but they will be extremely dangerous if they can make the postseason.
Holt (Capital-Blue)
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.
Seneca Moore
Seneca
Moore
6'2" | 175 lbs | QB
Holt Senior | 2023
MI
will be returning for his senior season at QB, and I would be shocked if this team doesn’t make the postseason.
Grand Ledge (Capital-Blue)
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
Shawn Foster
Shawn
Foster
6'1" | 165 lbs | WR
Grand Ledge | 2023
State
MI
and
Teddy Williams
Teddy
Williams
6'6" | 235 lbs | TE
Grand Ledge | 2023
State
MI
, I expect Grand Ledge to earn another playoff bid at the very least.
Waterford Mott (Lakes Valley)
A severely underrated team, Waterford Mott is led by one of the best QBs in the state with
Kalieb Osborne
Kalieb
Osborne
6'5" | 200 lbs | QB
Waterford Mott | 2024
State
MI
. With various other weapons, Mott is a well-coached, dangerous team that could be a Dark Horse State Championship contender.