State Championship Conference & Team Breakdown
In our eight 11-man divisions, we have 16 teams who have punched their ticket to Ford Field. Those 16 teams come from all across the state and in various conferences, but some conferences performed better than others. This article will…
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Continue ReadingIn our eight 11-man divisions, we have 16 teams who have punched their ticket to Ford Field. Those 16 teams come from all across the state and in various conferences, but some conferences performed better than others. This article will view the conference breakdown of our state championships and discuss some of the best and most disappointing conferences.
Conferences Represented
Ottawa-Kent | 5 teams
Yes, I partly wrote this article to praise the OK conference, but I did genuinely want to research the conference breakdowns. I didn’t realize that the OK conference was the only one with over 1 team (let alone 5), but here we are! Here’s the breakdown of all the OK teams in the State Championship!
South Christian – OK Gold Winners
The Sailors have had a truly extraordinary season, and their style of play reminds me of last year’s Unity Christian team. Jacob DeHaan has been their superstar, but in general, they are an extremely well-rounded team. The OK-Gold is not an easy league, and this team had to beat Grand Rapids Catholic Central to win the league.
Caledonia – OK Red runners-up
Cal came into the season neck-and-neck with Rockford with program prestige. In general, Rockford was viewed to have a slight edge, as they were the more proven powerhouse with a few more big-name players. Cal and Rockford met late in the regular season, where Cal got absolutely smoked. Heading into their playoff matchup, everyone was picking Rockford, but Cal turned the tide quickly. Now, Caledonia is the hottest team in the state as they just forced a goose egg onto Clarkston, who was averaging 49PPG in the postseason.
Muskegon – OK Green Winners
The OK Green is one of the toughest leagues in Michigan, with multiple powerhouses with many rising teams. Muskegon had a few bumps in the road with a blowout loss to De La Salle and a two-point loss to Zeeland West, but they’ve only improved as the season has gone on. In fact, the teams that continue to improve throughout the season are the ones that make it to Ford Field, and Muskegon truly improved throughout the season more than any OK-Green team and any team they faced in the postseason.
West Catholic – OK Blue Winners
This team was a powerhouse a few years ago, and they may be back to that status. This just seems to be West Catholic’s year with star RB Timmy Kloska Timmy Kloska 6'0" | 220 lbs | RB Grand Rapids West Catholic | 2023 State MI in his senior season, a firey new head coach, and a great well-rounded squad on defense. The OK Blue isn’t the most prestigious of the OK leagues, but this league performed very well in the postseason in general.
Forest Hills Central – OK White Winners
Everybody picked Dexter to win against FHC, but the well-rounded FHC pulled it off in a snowstorm. The OK-White is a tough league, and it’s extremely impressive that FHC swept their schedule. As the playoffs were announced, the hosts of the selection show doubted FHC, saying they are generally unproven. Well, after playoff wins against Mona Shores and Dexter, they’ve proved everybody wrong.
Flint Metro | 1 Team
Goodrich represents the Flint area, and they do so with dominance. Over the past two weeks, they beat two championship favorites, and it wasn’t even close. Honestly, I don’t know much about this team, which is why I am immensely excited to see them in person next weekend.
KLAA | 1 Team
The KLAA, for the most part, performed horribly in the playoffs, except for #1 ranked Belleville. The Tigers have survived the D1 gauntlet and have made a 2nd-straight state title. They will be facing Caledonia in the State Title, a much different team than Adams from last season.
Catholic League | 1 Team
The Catholic League always performs well in the postseason, but it was De la Salle who rose to the occasion. Weirdly, the cards fell extremely favorably for the Pilots in the DII bracket as they walked to Ford Field. I still think DLS is the best team in DII, and they will be favored against FHC.
Detroit Public | 1 Team
Detroit King is the last team standing in Detroit. King was always the favorite in DIII, and another blowout of Mason proves they are amongst the best in the state, surely the best in the Eastern half. King vs. Muskegon is a classic matchup that is a must-see!
Jack Pine | 1 Team
Honestly, the Jack Pine is a bad conference, but Gladwin is a true diamond in the rough. Nobody knew how to rate Gladwin heading into the postseason because of their weak schedule, but a win against GR Catholic Central propels them to championship favorites.
Tri-Valley | 1 Team
It’s another amazing season for Frankenmuth, and they are finally competing for a state title without facing Catholic Central. This is an athletic team that out-schemes, out-coaches, and out-athletes most teams. In general, the Tri-Valley Central was a fine league, with Freeland and Frankenmuth standing at the top.
Tri-County | 1 Team
The Tri-County is a league not many know about, but Whiteford proved to be a cut above all else.
Western Peninsula | 1 Team
All hail the UP team! Negaunee has fought incredibly hard to get to this moment with two-straight 1-possession wins. Watching Negaunee in the state championship will be my first time watching a UP team in person, and I’m all for it! The Western Peninsula league did well this year, having four (out of seven) teams with a winning record.
Northern MI | 1 Team
St. Francis dominated the Northern Legacy league. This team is the heavy favorite to win it all, and they’d be competitive against most teams with much larger student bodies. This team is huge, physical, and athletic. The three Northern MI leagues are good leagues with playoff teams throughout, but St. Francis was by far the most impressive squad.
Interstate Eight | 1 Team
Lumen Christi got 2nd in the Interstate Eight, but they stand tall as the last one standing in this league. I’m immensely excited to see them face off against St. Francis, as I think they’re the only team with a shot.
Greater Thumb | 1 Team
It’s crazy how dominant Ubly has been this season, and they’ve just rolled on into the Championship. The Greater Thumb was an ok league this year, but Ubly dominated in a rare fashion.