Three Division 1 teams destined for the Postseason in 2023

The postseason begins tomorrow, but for half of the state, the season is over. With the season being over, there are a few teams in every division that are a bit salty about not being invited to the big dance. Honestly, I wouldn't blame you if you were a salty fan from any of these schools, but this article isn't about how teams missed the playoffs. Rather, it's about how they'll make it next season. So, here are three Division 1 teams who didn't make the playoffs this season that are destined to make it next season.

West Ottawa

This was the team with the most playoff points out of any who missed the postseason, and WO missed the playoffs by a total of 0.889 points. West Ottawa faced a grueling schedule in the OK-Red as they faced D1 playoff teams Rockford, Caledonia, Grandville, and East Kentwood. They dropped all of those games, plus one more against Hudsonville.

Considering their schedule, there is a good case to be made that WO was undeserving of the playoffs. I mean, they did lose against every D1 Playoff team in the OK Conference. But West Ottawa was already a significantly improved team this year, and they don't have a huge 2023 class. Sure, they lose GVSU Commit OL Cooper Terpstra, but all in all, this is a young team.

Kayden Forbes Kayden Forbes 5'8" | 180 lbs | RB West Ottawa | 2025 State MI , Ruben Esparza, Alexander Hernandez, Carter Scholten, and Desmond Chapa are just a few examples of non-seniors who played on varsity this year that will play bigger roles next season. Don't get me wrong, it will be tough to face the same schedule as they did this year and expect them to perform significantly better, but this is a team that's been improving rapidly and I don't expect it that to change anytime soon.

Grand Rapids Union

Here's another OK Conference team that has been on a dramatic rise and very early made the postseason. Union finished as the #47 team in D1, finishing with 40.667 playoff points. They were nearly 11 points outside the playoffs. In the OK-Green, they annually face State-Championship contenders Mona Shores, Zeeland West, and Muskegon, as well as high-riser Reeths-Puffer, then struggling Zeeland East and Wyoming.

This season, Union started out the season at a red-hot 3-0 before losing a controversial overtime heartbreaker against Reeths-Puffer. Ever since that fateful week 4 game, Union went on to lose their final 4 games played in the season, besides their forfeit win against Holland. They lost another heartbreaker to Zeeland East, held on with Muskegon for a while, and were not competitive with Mona Shores or Zeeland West.

Even though the season played out how it did, Union was still an obviously improved team from last season, and like West Ottawa, Union is young. Syncere Hobson Syncere Hobson 6'2" | 260 lbs | OL Union | 2026 MI is a great offensive lineman that has real D1 potential, while Robert Dedrick Robert Dedrick 5'10" | 210 lbs | LB Union | 2024 MI and Keith Griffin are two essential defensive pieces that will be returning next season. On top of all that is upcoming 2027 QB Grayson Fellows, the son of Head Coach Don Fellows.

Anchor Bay

What do you know? Another improving team from one of the best leagues in Michigan. Anchor Bay, out of the MAC Red, was nearly a playoff team. The Tars went 3-6 this season, but they played extremely close, winnable games against Romeo, Eisenhower, and Stoney Creek. They finished 36th in D1 with 48.8 playoff points and were less than 3 points away from the postseason. With that being said, they only needed one more win to make the postseason.

Now, although Anchor Bay has some key seniors leaving, the bulk of this team is extremely young. Ryan LaFear Ryan LaFear 5'11" | 175 lbs | QB/ATH Anchor Bay | 2025 State MI will take the reigns as the full-time varsity QB, while Jack Bejin and Gerry Hanson III will serve as key returning offensive pieces, only heading into their Junior seasons. On top of that, they have most of their linebacker core returning, plus many others.

Anchor Bay experienced some growing pains after being moved up to the MAC Red after winning the White last season. To me, it's obvious that they were just as good as their 7-3 record last season, but they played significantly better competition this season. No matter if Anchor Bay stays in the Red or, for some reason, moves down again, I expect this program to be a 2023 Playoff Team.