Big Week 2 Games At A Glance

Tyler Graham September 3, 2024 @ 07:45 PM

<p>Week 2 is upon us, and there are a ton of exciting matchups that already feel monumental! Let's check out some notable games heading into week 1 and what I'm looking for in each game! </p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Ithaca vs Standish-Sterling</h2>   <p>I attended this game 1 year ago and came away very impressed with Ithaca as they left Standish Sterling with a 39-26 victory. Although there was a lot to like from Ithaca, the Panthers had some impressive performances as well. This season they will need to replace some big time production from Jacob Bartlett, their star RB who is now at Northern Michigan. They'll need a solid defensive performance as they will take on Ithaca's well rounded attack with Jackson Conn piloting at QB, and [player_tooltip player_id='1300236' first='Nathan' last='Mikesell'], a tough nosed 2 way player who is extremely physical. I expect a lot of big hits and high flying offense from these squads. </p>   <p><strong>Prediction: Ithaca 42, Standish Sterling 30 </strong></p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Belding vs Spring Lake </h2>   <p>It was very different week 1 results for these 2 teams. Spring Lake absolutely dominated Fruitport 40-6 to start off on the right foot for 2024. Meanwhile, Belding dropped to 0-1 to start with a loss to Ionia, their first to the 'Dogs in the last 4 meetings. The Knights will need to have a great defensive performance to stop the strong passing attack of QB [player_tooltip player_id='602221' first='Reid' last='Grimmer'] from Spring Lake. Luckily, guys like [player_tooltip player_id='899608' first='Hunter' last='Conrad'] are built to do just that. I'm predicting a close battle, likely low scoring. </p>   <p><strong>Prediction: Spring Lake 23, Belding 14 </strong></p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Birmingham Groves vs West Bloomfield </h2>   <p>These 2 teams made no mistake that they will be extremely tough to beat this season. Groves beat U-D Jesuit with relative ease to notch a 35-14 victory, Meanwhile, West Bloomfield got into a 1 team track meet against Chippewa Valley, leaving with a decisive 42-0 victory. This week, both teams will have their toughest test yet. Groves is led by Michigan Commit [player_tooltip player_id='899493' first='Avery' last='Gach'], but beyond him, guys like [player_tooltip player_id='899621' first='Chris' last='Little'], [player_tooltip player_id='762939' first='Joshua' last='Hammonds'], [player_tooltip player_id='551269' first='Carter' last='Hladki'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1298776' first='Noah' last='Sanders'] make this a pretty complete team. West Bloomfield will rely on their extremely talented roster, including QB [player_tooltip player_id='247643' first='Beau' last='Jackson'], throwing to an unreal amount of talent like [player_tooltip player_id='899429' first='Kamren' last='Flowers'], [player_tooltip player_id='899431' first='Elisha' last='Durham'], [player_tooltip player_id='913876' first='Obi' last='Duru'] and more. Look for this one to have some points! </p>   <p><strong>Prediction: West Bloomfield 50, Groves 38 </strong></p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Detroit King vs De La Salle </h2>   <p>What a week 2 matchup. The new look Detroit King Crusaders got a huge win against an Ohio powerhouse in week 1, meanwhile De La Salle convincingly defeated Davison 21-3. Both teams have a plethora of talent that will end up at the next level at some capacity. DLS is led by their star QB [player_tooltip player_id='899473' first='Sante' last='Gasperoni'], and he will have to be in tune with his receivers like [player_tooltip player_id='563422' first='Damion' last='King'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1467708' first='Phoenix' last='Glassnor']. Up front, guys like [player_tooltip player_id='1217538' first='Jacob' last='Tur'] and [player_tooltip player_id='551285' first='Jacob' last='Hoffman'] will have to set the tone in the trenches. Detroit King will be looking for some standout defensive performances from guys like [player_tooltip player_id='600132' first='Xavier' last='Newsom'] and [player_tooltip player_id='437922' first='Willie' last='Fletcher']. QB [player_tooltip player_id='1233561' first='Darryl' last='Flemister'] will have to continue to build chemistry with his weapons, like [player_tooltip player_id='600099' first='Damon' last='Stennis'] and [player_tooltip player_id='600106' first='David' last='Calmese']. I like DLS in this one, but I think it'll be close. </p>   <p><strong>Prediction: De La Salle 38, Detroit King 30 </strong></p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Rockford vs Muskegon</h2>   <p>Rockford is riding an absolute high after beating Cass Tech, but they can't celebrate for long as they welcome Muskegon for week 2. While the result wasn't what Muskegon wanted after their week 1 loss to Zeeland West, they still have more than enough power to get a big time win over Rockford. It starts and stops up front with [player_tooltip player_id='602233' first='N-Kye' last='Wynn'] [player_tooltip player_id='1134353' first='Jim' last='Harris'], who are both Power 4 committed offensive linemen. At QB, North Muskegon transfer [player_tooltip player_id='247694' first='James' last='Young'] still needs to gel with his receivers, so Muskegon will likely rely heavily on their run game. Unfortunately, Rockford is an incredibly stingy run defense, as guys like [player_tooltip player_id='602430' first='Kade' last='Friesen'] and Logan Logan Haglund just swarm to the ball, not to mention [player_tooltip player_id='602426' first='Isaac' last='Poot'] who showed some great run stopping ability last week against Cass Tech. In the end, I just trust what Rockford has going on a little bit more. </p>   <p><strong>Prediction: Rockford 28, Muskegon 14</strong></p>   <p></p>

Week 2 is upon us, and there are a ton of exciting matchups that already feel monumental! Let's check out some notable games heading into week 1 and what I'm looking for in each game!