Top Week 1 Matchups in the Lakes Valley Conference

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Lakes Valley Conference is a phenomenal conference consisting of 9 phenomenal teams. These teams will play one another all season, and this week we have 3 amazing interleague matchups! </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Lakeland @ South Lyon East </strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This should be a down-to-the-wire matchup. Both of these teams earned playoff bids last season, and both looked improved from years past. Heading into this season, there are high expectations for both programs. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Lakeland's [player_tooltip player_id='602019' first='Trevor' last='Tschudin'] is a great RB/SB. His athleticism, elusiveness, and top speed are his top traits, and can really change a game. Sean Lathan returns as Lakeland's QB and has shown some flashes last season. Nolin Thompson and [player_tooltip player_id='899587' first='Blake' last='Zamenski'] also return as good Linebackers who will be a huge part of stopping the South Lyon East Offense.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>South Lyon East earned major respect from the High School Football community last season. QB Dominic Giovannini showed a ton of flashes last season, and I see a lot of potential from him. [player_tooltip player_id='253203' first='Jack' last='Toth'] is a high-volume tackler who will make a giant difference in this game. I also know the O-Line will be solid. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Walled Lake Central @ Berkley</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This could be a sneaky-good matchup. Both teams seem evenly matched, and although neither team had a great season last year, there are things to be optimistic about. This should be a good QB battle with Caeden Stout against [player_tooltip player_id='216984' first='Sunny' last='Kadlitz']. Berkley seems to have other good pieces on offense, while Walled Lake Central looks solid on defense. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Walled Lake Western vs. Waterford Mott</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"small"} --> <p class="has-small-font-size"><strong><em>(Prep Kickoff Classic)</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This is such a giant matchup that it's been selected to be played on a grand stage. Both Walled Lake Western and Waterford Mott head into this season as State Championship hopefuls and are two of the favorites to win the Lakes Valley. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='253200' first='Kalieb' last='Osborne'] the most well-known star in this matchup. The Toledo QB Commit is a game-breaker at the quarterback position and will be faced against a great WLW defense. LB [player_tooltip player_id='814546' first='Isaiah' last='Veatch'] looks to help lead a defense that was lackluster last season. Donovan Isaac is another player that could do great things on both sides of the ball for Mott.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>For Walled Lake Western, they have a lot of 2023 graduates to replace but also a ton of talent at other classes. [player_tooltip player_id='253197' first='Gavin' last='Noonan'] leads the receiving core as a shifty slot receiver. Liam Vaughn is a phenomenal offensive lineman who will anchor the offense. [player_tooltip player_id='253198' first='Tobi' last='Lile'] and [player_tooltip player_id='602014' first='Troy' last='Temple'] should also play a major role for this program. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->