State Championship Preview: Division 7

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Division 7 was tough to get the temperature of all season long. We knew Jackson Lumen Christi would be a heavy favorite, but behind them there were a ton of teams jockeying for position. Out of the hornets nest emerges a familiar face in Menominee. Back for the first time since 2016, they'll look to knock off the defending state champions and take a Wooden Mitten all the way back up to the Upper Peninsula. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Jackson Lumen Christi is looking to add a 13th Wooden Mitten to the trophy case, and defend their crown. They were dominant in all phases of the game all season long, including a 35-7 win last week over Millington. They're going to ride [player_tooltip player_id='827821' first='Aiden' last='Pastoriza'] in the trenches, as he is a dominant force that has pledged his commitment to Cincinnati. Behind him will be Timmy Crowly, who is a has taken this offense over and made it his own. He's good from the pocket and can put touch on the ball when necessary or can sling it in there. They'll look to boot him out often and he has no issue throwing from different platforms. Look for this team to be extremely efficient offensively. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Menominee is bringing the UP Power down to Ford Field. They made a huge statement in the regular season when they put the beat down to a really good Gladstone team 44-26. The Maroons will be led by QB [player_tooltip player_id='1122530' first='Trevor' last='Theuerkauf'], who I have only heard about but am very excited to see in person. Landon Bardowski will lead the Menominee rushing attack. He's a hard nosed runner who rarely goes down on first contact, and has incredibly strong legs that can move the pile. Defensively he will be tough to handle as well as he is all over the field and can deliver some booming hits. It's also not uncommon to see Landon taking back some big returns in the special teams game. This is a pretty solid defensive team all around, as they were able to pitch 5 shutouts throughout the season. This game is going to be a tough test for them on both sides of the ball, but this team won't panic and get away from what they do best, and I think they're going to come prepared. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Both of these teams are going to be extremely motivated and hungry for this one. 1 looking to maintain their position atop the Division 7 ranks, and another making the long trip for the first time in 7 years. This could be a defensive slugfest for awhile, and I think Lumen Christi has to be a heavy favorite, but keep an eye out for this scrappy Maroons squad to make things interesting. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->