Tri Valley Conference- Blue Week 1 Matchups

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The TVC always has some competition, and it's very close to home for me so I follow it pretty close. This season you really have 3 teams vying for the title that are all plausible to win it. This article will highlight those 3 teams week 1 matchups and what they could mean going forward this season. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Standish Sterling vs Boyne City-</strong> This is a tough matchup for Standish Sterling right off the bat. Boyne City went 9-0 in the 2022 regular season, only to unexpectedly bow out to Manistee by 1 point in the first round. BC will be hungry to make up for that, and they would love to make a statement week 1 against Standish. The Panthers on the other hand, had a pretty solid season as well in 2022, going 8-2 before losing to a tough Millington squad by 2 in the District Finals. Both of these teams want week 1 to be a statement win, and it should be very entertaining. This game will be won in the trenches, as both teams have solid lines on both sides of the ball. It will be a fun one to see who wins the tug of war, and I am guessing it won't be a particularly high scoring affair. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Millington vs Elkton Pigeon Bay Port (Laker)- </strong>Millington was a really good team last season, and I think with how much they return, they will be really good again. As I mentioned above, they knocked a very good Standish Sterling team out of the playoffs last year, and lost a close 6-0 battle with Reed City. Returning RB [player_tooltip player_id='1224468' first='Dallas' last='Walsh'] will lead a tough to stop running attack, and their defense should be solid. Laker is a team that also saw the regional round last year, and they're a super well coached team that will be tough to stop offensively. This game will also be a battle in the trenches, and I am excited to see who breaks first. This one could be really fun, and could be seen again in the D7 playoffs later in the fall. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Bullock Creek vs Sanford Meridian-</strong> Bullock Creek is pretty underrated all things considered, and I think week 1 could be the statement game they need to start off on the right foot. Meridian did have a solid 6 win season a year ago, and are consistently a tough out. Bullock Creek should be an improved team from going 4-5 last year, and I think they should be a playoff team this season. A win against a solid playoff team in Sanford Meridian would be a huge boost not only to morale and confidence, but to their playoff points as well. Look for the Lancers to come out hungry in this one looking for a huge W. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The other 2 teams will be looking to right the ship after some rough seasons. Hemlock will face Garber, who blew them out game 1 last season, and Carrollton will look to get a win against an interesting Birch Run squad that is coming off a playoff appearance. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The top 3 teams in this league are going to be competing at a really high level, and start out with some really good tests to see where they're really at. These games could be big down the stretch as they fight for position in the playoff seeding. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->