Conference Preview: River Cities Alliance

It's not every year that seven teams from a well-established conference separate to form their own conference. The River Cities alliance is returning with seven teams who used to be in four different Ottawa-Kent Leagues. These are teams that rarely, if ever, played one another during the regular season, and this is also shaping out to be an extremely competitive league. So, from Lowell to Greenville, here is our preview of the River Cities Alliance.   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">2023 Team Results</h2>   Coopersville: 8-3, 2nd in OK-Blue   Allendale: 6-4, 4th in OK-Blue   Lowell: 6-4, 5th in OK-White   Cedar Springs: 4-5, 4th in OK-Gold   Sparta: 4-5, 2nd in OK-Silver   Kenowa Hills: 3-6, 6th in OK-Gold   Greenville: 2-7, 7th in OK-White   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Team Discussion</h2>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Coopersville</h2>   It's hard not to think of Coopersville as the frontrunner in the RCA. For a while now, Coopersville has been a sneaky-good OK-Blue team that has been a bit overshadowed by West Catholic. Coopersville always seems to have a good number of prospects, in addition to being a disciplined and physical football team. When looking at the RCA and comparing it with last year's OK-Blue, I'll have to say that the RCA is a small step down competition-wise. In fact, Coopersville beat Allendale and Sparta last season. I'm highly excited to see Coopersville in this brand-new league, and knowing some of their returning talent, I expect them to come out on top and easily secure a playoff spot.   Biggest Shoes to Fill: (T) Gabe Vansickle   Best Returner: (T) [player_tooltip player_id='870328' first='JJ' last='Hirdes']   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Allendale</h2>   Allendale surprised me last season. After a 4-5 season in 2022 with some blowout losses, Allendale bounced back with a 6-4 season while being one score away from defeating Spring Lake and Coopersville. Their stellar performances come from a combination of the new coaching staff in addition to a few rising prospects, which you don't normally see from Allendale. Now, in the RCA, Allendale could be crowned champions by the end of the regular season. The only question is if Allendale can recoup from their large 2024 graduating class while matching the physicality of teams like Coopersville. Considering I live in Allendale right now, I really hope the High School up the road does well this season!   Biggest Shoes to Fill: (QB) Tyler Sparks   Best Returner: (ATH) Drew Ashbay   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Lowell</h2>   It's difficult to predict how well Lowell will fare heading into next season. Since 2022, Lowell has been an above .500 program that usually struggles mightily against the best teams in West Michigan. Last season, they had a respectable 6-4 record while earning an upset victory over a great Byron Center team. Other than that upset win, Lowell failed to defeat anyone else with a winning record. With their star Quarterback Jackson Reisbig now graduated, Lowell is suddenly without their best offensive weapon. Still, if the new varsity players can step up, they'll have a chance in the River Cities Alliance.   Biggest Shoes to Fill: (ATH) Jackson Reisbig   Best Returner: (RB) [player_tooltip player_id='1529514' first='Casey' last='Engle']   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Cedar Springs</h2>   We're very far from the 2021 Cedar Springs team that defeated Muskegon in the postseason. I remember being very excited for this team heading into the 2022 season as well. During Week 1 of 2022, they faced River Rouge in a televised matchup. Although they lost 22-0, I thought they played well. That season ended up being largely disappointing, especially after a shutout loss to Coopersville in the postseason. Last season, they dipped below .500, losing to every team with a winning record. They did have to face two state-championship teams in Catholic Central and South Christian. Still, this team should be more competitive against winning teams. This year's schedule is much easier on paper, and let's see if Cedar Springs can steal the RCA and win a game in the postseason.   Biggest Shoes to Fill: (QB) Bryce Luevano   Best Returner: (DT/G) Marquise Mance Jr.   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Sparta</h2>   Sparta could be a sneaky-good team this season. Despite finishing 2023 with a 4-5 record, they still placed 2nd in the OK-Silver with a 4-1 League Record. That said, they annihilated every other OK-Silver team except for Belding, while losing every non-league matchup. However, their non-league matchups were against good, winning teams. The bad news heading into 2024 is that they'll be without standout QB Nic Gordon, but there's good talent coming through the pipeline, including an incredible talent in [player_tooltip player_id='742867' first='Beau' last='Peterson'], with the JV squad having a successful 2023 season. If I had to pick a sleeper for the RCA, it would be Sparta. Still, this is a team that needs to prove they can get over the hump and prove they can beat the better teams in West Michigan.   Biggest Shoes to Fill: (QB) Nic Gordon   Best Returner: (WR/DB) [player_tooltip player_id='742867' first='Beau' last='Peterson']   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Kenowa Hills</h2>   Now this is an interesting team. Last season, Kenowa Hills placed 6th in a difficult OK-Gold league. Although they finished with a sub-500 record, they played teams like Forest Hills Eastern and South Christian tough. They still failed to win many games, but there were some points of optimism. Moreso, Kenowa Hills welcomes QB [player_tooltip player_id='572246' first='Grayson' last='Fellows'] to the squad. Kenowa Hills adds one of West Michigan's best QBs while retaining a few key pieces. It may not result in being league champions in year 1, but it's undoubtedly a great step forward. We'll see how Kenowa Hills fares against the better teams in the RCA.   Biggest Shoes to Fill: ???   Best Returner: (QB) [player_tooltip player_id='572246' first='Grayson' last='Fellows']   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Greenville</h2>   There's no way around it- Greenville has been one of Michigan's least successful teams for a while now. Last season, they finally got into the win column a few times. Beating Kenowa Hills was not an easy task for this team, and defeating GRC says more about the state of that program than it says about Greenville. I guess we'll have to see if this team can step up to the plate and find success this fall.   Biggest Shoes to Fill: ???   Best Returner: (LB) [player_tooltip player_id='1290574' first='Noah' last='Long']   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">League Prediction </h2>   1. Coopersville   2. Cedar Springs   3. Allendale   4. Sparta   5. Lowell   6. Kenowa Hills   7. Greenville

It's not every year that seven teams from a well-established conference separate to form their own conference. The River Cities alliance is returning with seven teams who used to be in four different Ottawa-Kent Leagues. These are teams that rarely, if ever, played one another during the regular season, and this is also shaping out to be an extremely competitive league. So, from Lowell to Greenville, here is our preview of the River Cities Alliance.