Division 1 District Finals Preview
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Honestly, Pre-Districts weren’t very surprising. Other than a few good games, all of the favorites won. The district finals, on the other hand, oh boy, this is going to be good. Nearly every district finals game is difficult to pick.…
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Continue ReadingHonestly, Pre-Districts weren’t very surprising. Other than a few good games, all of the favorites won. The district finals, on the other hand, oh boy, this is going to be good. Nearly every district finals game is difficult to pick. Division 1 is absolutely stacked, and the field is wide open. Here’s a preview of all 8 district final matchups!
Region 1
District 1
Rockford vs. Caledonia: This is the rematch of one of the most highly-anticipated regular season matchups in West Michigan. When these teams faced during the regular season, Caledonia was favored, but Rockford torched them 38-15. The key to this game will be the defenses because once either of these offenses starts to hear up, there’s no cooling them down. If one team gets out to an early 14+ point lead, look out!
Players to watch – Mac VandenHout Mac VandenHout 5'11" | 190 lbs | QB Rockford | 2023 State MI , Mason Mckenzie Mason Mckenzie 6'0" | 170 lbs | QB Caledonia | 2023 State MI , Alex McLean Alex McLean 5'7" | 165 lbs | WR Rockford | 2023 State MI , Jimmie Floyd Jimmie Floyd 5'8" | 150 lbs | DB Caledonia | 2023 MI , Rick Beison Rick Beison 6'1" | 215 lbs | LB Rockford | 2023 MI , Derek Pennington, Brock Townsend, Jacob Oleneack Jacob Oleneack 6'3" | 205 lbs | OL Rockford | 2023 State MI
District 2
Grand Ledge vs. Holt: This past weekend, Grand Ledge defeated the KLAA West Champion Brighton, while Holt defeated 6-3 Hartland, also in the KLAA East. That being said, the Capital-Area Blue went 2-0 against the KLAA West, and these rivals will duke it out for a district title. During week 3, Holt impressively defeated Grandville 14-6, but Grand Ledge will be favored here. This should be an amazing game!
Players to Watch – Shawn Foster Shawn Foster 6'1" | 165 lbs | WR Grand Ledge | 2023 State MI , Seneca Moore Seneca Moore 6'2" | 175 lbs | QB Holt Senior | 2023 MI , JJ Moore, Teddy Williams Teddy Williams 6'6" | 235 lbs | TE Grand Ledge | 2023 State MI
Region 2
District 1
Davison vs. Clarkston: This is a game I am highly considering attending. With big names on both teams, this is a battle of two state-title contenders. In addition, these two teams’ strengths clash very well. What I mean by this is that Davison has an elite defense, especially when it comes to stopping the run, while Clarkston has one of the best rushing attacks in the state. These are two teams I have been desperately wanting to see in person, and I may just have to.
Players to Watch – Ethan Clark Ethan Clark 6'1" | 195 lbs | RB Clarkston | 2023 State MI , Cole Dellinger Cole Dellinger 6'4" | 280 lbs | OL Clarkston | 2023 State MI , Desman Stephens II Desman Stephens II 6'2" | 205 lbs | DB Clarkston | 2024 State MI , Tyler Dosh Tyler Dosh 6'0" | 225 lbs | DL Davison | 2024 State MI , Carter Herriman Carter Herriman 6'1" | 205 lbs | LB Davison | 2024 State MI , Jackson Rice Jackson Rice 6'2" | 245 lbs | OL Davison | 2023 MI
District 2
Adams vs. Rochester: On paper, Adams should dominate this game. Though that’s what I said when Rochester faced Stoney Creek a few days ago. Still, Adams earned a trip to Ford Field last season, and they run the Veer offense to near-perfection. For Rochester, this is an amazing opportunity for players like Alex Bueno Alex Bueno 5'11" | 175 lbs | QB Rochester | 2023 State MI to make more of a name for themselves. I look forward to seeing the outcome of this rivalry matchup.
Players to Watch – Parker Picot Parker Picot 6'2" | 185 lbs | QB Rochester Adams | 2023 State MI , Alex Bueno Alex Bueno 5'11" | 175 lbs | QB Rochester | 2023 State MI , Noah Putrus, Jaiden Bolden, Brady Prieskorn Brady Prieskorn 6'6" | 230 lbs | TE Rochester Adams | 2024 State MI , Tait Picot
Region 3
District 1
Belleville vs. Saline: This is a very interesting matchup. This is either going to be a Belleville blowout or a close Saline win. Without a doubt, the Quarterbacks headline this matchup. On one side, you have CJ Carr CJ Carr 6'2" | 175 lbs | QB Saline | 2024 State MI , a Notre Dame commit who has consistently been one of the best QBs in the state. On the other side is Bryce Underwood Bryce Underwood 6'3" | 205 lbs | QB Belleville | 2025 State MI , a young star who may become a Dante Moore Dante Moore 6'2" | 210 lbs | QB Detroit King | 2023 State MI -esque recruit. What am I saying, with offers from Michigan, Michigan State, Tennessee, Notre Dame, and others, he’s already one of the elite prospects in the country. With great talent on both sides, this will be a show, but Belleville will be the heavy favorite.
Players to Watch – Bryce Underwood Bryce Underwood 6'3" | 205 lbs | QB Belleville | 2025 State MI , CJ Carr CJ Carr 6'2" | 175 lbs | QB Saline | 2024 State MI , Camden Pawlick, Dylan Mesman Dylan Mesman 6'5" | 220 lbs | TE Saline | 2024 State MI , Isaiah Harris Isaiah Harris 6'2" | 205 lbs | DL Saline | 2026 State MI , Jeremiah Beasley Jeremiah Beasley 6'2" | 200 lbs | LB Belleville | 2024 State MI , Renzo Jennings Renzo Jennings 5'11" | 175 lbs | DB Belleville | 2024 State MI
District 2
Northville vs. Detroit Catholic Central: This is a very intriguing matchup that I expect Catholic Central to win. The Shamrocks are 7-2 with some elite wins, while Northville is 8-2, having down very well in the KLAA West, but are unproven otherwise. Catholic Central has had outstanding success against the bigger, more physical teams in the league but struggled against the more athletically-dominant teams.
Players to Watch – Luca Prior Luca Prior 6'2" | 170 lbs | QB Northville | 2023 MI , Graham Gilmartin Graham Gilmartin 6'2" | 245 lbs | DL Northville | 2024 State MI , Nathan Lee, Brayden Courser Brayden Courser 6'1" | 215 lbs | LB Detroit Catholic Central | 2023 State MI , Baechler Houser, Zion Tinnon
Region 4
District 1
Cass Tech vs. Southfield A&T: Introducing a rematch of what was likely the best game of the regular season! During week 1, A&T pulled off the dramatic 58-56 victory in overtime. This is a battle of the goliaths, as both teams are championship contenders and are itching for an opportunity.
Players to Watch – Jalen Thompson Jalen Thompson 6'3" | 245 lbs | DL Cass Tech | 2023 State MI , Cashus Shivers Cashus Shivers 6'0" | 185 lbs | ATH Cass Tech | 2025 State MI , Corey Sadler Corey Sadler 5'10" | 170 lbs | ATH Cass Tech | 2026 State MI , Isaiah Marshall Isaiah Marshall 6'0" | 210 lbs | QB Southfield A&T | 2024 State MI , Josiah Williams, Tashi Braceful Tashi Braceful 6'2" | 175 lbs | WR Southfield A&T | 2024 State MI
District 2
Dakota vs. Romeo: The MAC Red always meets back up in the playoffs, and this is for the unofficial (but in my eyes more important) MAC Red title. These are bitter rivals that are always atop the Red and have a near-split record against each other in the past decade. When these two teams met in the regular season, Dakota won 21-14. Without a doubt, this is going to be a thriller!
Players to Watch –
Ethan Hamby
Ethan
Hamby
6'2" | 210 lbs | QB
Macomb Dakota | 2023
State
MI
,
Owen Colpaert
Owen
Colpaert
6'4" | 210 lbs | ATH
Macomb Dakota | 2023
State
MI
, Tyler Harper,
Anthony Lomakoski
Anthony
Lomakoski
6'0" | 220 lbs | LB
Romeo Highschool | 2023
MI
,
Ryan Relyea
Ryan
Relyea
6'2" | 205 lbs | LB
Romeo | 2024
State
MI
,
Victor Earl
Victor
Earl
6'2" | 195 lbs | LB
Romeo | 2024
State
MI