Six Week 9 Win-or-go-Home matchups

There is a bounty of Week 9 matchups that may as well be playoff games, at least for one of the two teams. This article will feature six win-or-go-home matchups from Divisions 1-3, and I'll feature many more soon.   #33 Anchor Bay @ #31 Stoney Creek (Both D1)   Both of these teams absolutely need this game in order to reach the playoffs.   Stoney Creek is a physical team playing in the grueling OAA Red. They are led by lineman [player_tooltip player_id='227296' first='Jacob' last='Kropchak'], Senior LB Seth Luhmann, and stud RB Jon Fogler. Overall, this is a balanced team that is battle-tested against some of the best programs in the state. If I had to be honest, Stoney Creek is favored in this one.   Anchor Bay is a team that's had a bunch of ups and downs this season. They have wins against Grosse Pointe South and Sterling Heights Stevenson and competitive losses against Romeo, Eisenhower, and Chippewa Valley. This is a winnable game for Anchor Bay, but they'll have to bring their A-Game. Even though they have lots of young talent such as [player_tooltip player_id='417780' first='Ryan' last='LaFear'], this game is going to be won by seniors Luke Hall, Sean Stout, and Melton Eason.   #34 Rochester (D1) @ #29 Renaissance (D3)   A massive matchup featuring two evenly-matched teams.   Rochester has had a tough schedule this season, but they have a few impressive wins. This is whee [player_tooltip player_id='216997' first='Alex' last='Bueno'] shows us what he's made of with his back against the wall. Seniors Jaiden Bolden, [player_tooltip player_id='407399' first='Grant' last='Calcagno'], and Noah Putrus will also play a key role in this game for Rochester.   Renaissance is a interesting team, and a young team. [player_tooltip player_id='244599' first='Irving' last='Knott'] is a dedicated young corner that could make some noise this game, while QB [player_tooltip player_id='249864' first='Tyler' last='Wright'] will need to be on his A-Game. I don't know too much about this program, but what I do know is that this is a young team. If they can beat Rochester, it would be their best win this season.   #32 Livonia Stevenson @ #25 Hartland (Both D1)   This isn't a guaranteed win or go home for Hartland, but it is for Stevenson.   Stevenson is coming off a close win against rival Churchill, but lately they'be been on a bit of a skid. Stevenson is 4-4 with mostly close wins, and blowout losses against great teams. Hartland is s good team, and they'll have to play their best game of the season to beat them. Seniors Alex Bowser and Chuck Davidek will need to pave the way to victory.   Hartland is sitting at #25 in the D1 rankings, and they're looking good for a playoff spot. They are 5-3 with all of their losses being by 1-possession. Furthermore, those losses were to Brighton, Northville, and Novi, all programs having great seasons. Hartland is the favorite here, and their seniors are going to lead the way. [player_tooltip player_id='118806' first='Vincent' last='Cox'], Joey Mattord, Dylan Neuer, and Jaxson Wilson should all perform well.   #29 Cass Tech (D1) @ #21 Brother Rice (D3)   It's crazy that Cass Tech may need to win this game in order to make the postseason, but that's where we're at right now.   Cass Tech is a blue blood school with a future as bright as their past. Per usual, Cass Tech consistently faced some of the best talent in Michigna this year, splitting against King, losing to A&T, and Carmel (IN). CJ Sadler has been absolutely incredible as a freshman this season, while [player_tooltip player_id='162650' first='Jalen' last='Thompson'] is the undisputed leader of the defense. Even though Brother Rice is an incredible program, I see Cass Tech winning this one   Brother Rice, like Cass Tech, is a school who faced a grueling schedule but for the most part did not win their big games. But when they've lost, they've lost close which is just as enlightening as it is frustrating. This is a talented team that hasn't consistently finished games this season. This is a team with immence senior talent. [player_tooltip player_id='186866' first='Nolan' last='Ray'] is one of the best RBs in the state, [player_tooltip player_id='248004' first='Andrew' last='LaBarre'] is a severely underrated LB, and [player_tooltip player_id='300075' first='Charles' last='Mackley'] is an elite guard. Win or lose this week, Brother Rice is very likely to go deep in the postseason.   #2 Seaholm @ #32 Groves (Both D2)   Aside from this being a extremely heated rivalry, Seaholm has the opportunity to knock their rivals out of the postseason. Furthermore, if Groves wins, it's extremely likely these teams will meet two weeks in a row, next time in the postseason. In essence, think of this as Seaholm already being up 1-0 in a best of 3 series.   Seaholm has been one of the most impressive teams in Division 2, mostly blowing out all of their opponents. Things changed last week when Farmington shocked them to win the OAA Blue, but this is a Seaholm team that has great talent up and down the board. They are also the most improved team of the year, flipping their 1-8 record last season to 7-1 so far this season. [player_tooltip player_id='252599' first='Colton' last='Kinnie'] is the face of this team, but they also have a O-Line full of seniors, and key defensive pieces such as [player_tooltip player_id='232205' first='John' last='Jokisch'] and [player_tooltip player_id='253296' first='Kyle' last='Robbins'].   Groves has had a interesting season in the OAA White. In general, they've won the games they're favored in, but lost the unfavorable matchups as well as the toss-ups. I'm not overly confident in Groves, but I know that this coaching staff is extremely experienced with Seaholm, and you never know what can happen in a rivalry game. Even though Groves is technically with their backs against the wall here, I see this as a opportunity to completely embarrass Seaholm if they're able to win two in a row and eliminate them. In order for Groves to win, Joshua Woods and Malachi Coleman need to be on point. It's also notable they have a great DB with [player_tooltip player_id='190101' first='Zachary' last='Rogers'], and he'll have plenty of tackle opportunities this game. They also have one of the best sophomores in the state, Avery Gach.   #34 Ferndale (D2) @ #30 Lake Shore (D3)   Even though Ferndale won the OAA Gold, they still fight for a playoff spot. Lake Shore on the other hand is 3rd in the MAC Gold, and have been generally inconsistent this season.   Fernale has impressed me this season. I didn't expect them to place better than 3rd in the Gold, but they've won it outright. I'm unfamiliar with this program, but what I do know is that they'll be favored because of common opponents. On paper, Ferndale wins.   Lake Shore has won the games they were supposed to, and performed bad in tougher matchups. The main thing I point to here is their 23-20 loss to Warren Cousino, who lost to Avondale 36-6, who Ferndale beat 21-10. Nevertheless, Lake Shore will secure a playoff spot if they earn this win. But they'll have to earn it.

There is a bounty of Week 9 matchups that may as well be playoff games, at least for one of the two teams. This article will feature six win-or-go-home matchups from Divisions 1-3, and I'll feature many more soon.