2024 State Championships - Friday Preview

I can't believe it's Championship Week! We at Prep Redzone have been following the season extremely closely. I know that my main job is to evaluate players, but I also find it extremely fun to follow the teams.   Well, we finally have the 8 championship matchups- here's a quick preview of each Friday Game! (D8, D6, D4, D2)   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Division 8 Final</h2>   Beal City vs. Riverview Gabriel Richard   9:30 AM   Neither team had an easy road to Ford Field. Beal City has scraped by, winning its past three games by one score or less. Riverview GR has won its games a little more convincingly, but they still only won by 6 points in the semifinals and gave up 26 points to Manchester in the District Finals. On paper, Beal City has the better defense, but Riverview GR has the better offense.   My opinion? I think Riverview Gabriel Richard has the upper hand, but the D8 State Championship game is usually very close. Now, I'll quickly go over each team's +- and a major difference-maker on both sides.   Playoff +-   Beal City = +62   Riverview = +90   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Top Difference-Maker</h2>   Beal City    All signs point toward Gavin Connors being a massive part of this team. He doesn't have a ton of highlights from this season, but the highlights he does have are promising. Lining up mostly at right tackle, Connors is able to straight-up bench press weaker defenders.   Connors is going to be a crucial part of Beal City's success this Friday!    Riverview Gabriel Richard    Sobush is a superstar in Division 8. Honestly, I don't know if Beal City has seen a player like Sobush this year.   Gabriel Richard has scored a LOT of points this season, and Antonio is responsible for a lot of those touchdowns. He's an excellent speed-in-space option, plus an excellent outside receiver. Oh yeah, did I mention he played defense?    <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity" />   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Division 4 Final </h2>   Goodrich vs. Niles   12:30 PM   I am incredibly excited for this Division 4 Championship! I feel like a lot of people are sleeping on this one. Both teams have been lights-out this postseason. Niles dominated every single game except for a comeback win against 11-1 Portland. Even against a red-hot South Christian team, the Niles offense was absolutely overwhelming, and the defense forced turnovers. Goodrich also easily won all of their games except for a 1-score victory against 9-2 Freeland in the District Finals.   All signs point toward this being a high-scoring shootout. I can't wait!   Playoff +-   Goodrich = +91   Niles = +84   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Top Difference-Maker</h2>   Goodrich    Goodrich is going to have to get offensive and defensive production from a lot of areas this Friday. Jakoby could provide a ton of value on both sides of the ball.   Offensively, I'm confident that Jakoby will do well. He's a great between-the-tackles option and does a fair job at staying on his feet through contact. Niles is a very opportunistic defense, but they're not known for forcing a ton of 3-and-outs. So, I expect Jakoby to do well running up the middle- but he HAS to focus on ball security.   Defensively, Jakoby will need to make some tackles in space. Niles is excellent at blocking outside the tackles, and they're even better at staying up through contact. If Jakoby tackles consistently well, Goodrich has an excellent chance.    Niles    On Saturday, Sam had an outstanding performance. A handful of rushing TDs, a kick return TD, several tackles, and an interception.   I am super confident that Sam will have another big game against a great defense. He isn't the fastest or strongest player- but he's extremely smart, has great vision, and phenomenal contact balance.   Anyone watching the D4 State Championship, take a look at #14!    <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity" />   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Division 6 Final</h2>   Lumen Christi vs. Lansing Catholic   4:00 PM   I'll be honest- this is the most lopsided state championship game on paper. Lansing Catholic has had several close wins on its way to the State Title, while Lumen Christi has killed it every game. Just look at the playoff point differential- It's apparent that Lumen has played much better in the postseason.   Playoff +-   Lumen Christi = +120   Lansing Catholic = +35   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Top Difference-Maker</h2>   Lumen Christi    If you've watched Lumen Christi play over the past four years, you know who [player_tooltip player_id='601038' first='Kadale' last='Williams'] is. Every year, Kadale has a standout state championship performance, and this year will be no different. Kadale has true D1-level athleticism, twitchiness, and insane contact balance for his size.   KaDale will be on his way to Central Michigan, but first, I expect him to have a sensational encore at Ford Field.    Lansing Catholic    If Lansing Catholic stands a chance against Lumen, Braden is going to have to have an incredible performance.   I've seen it in the offseason- Braden can be a phenomenal slot receiver and a good DB. Offensively, Braden runs phenomenal routes and can earn separation against just about any Division 6 DB.   Defensively, Braden needs to be aggressive, and he needs to tackle well. I'm very excited to see what Braden does against what is perhaps the best team he's played in his career.    <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity" />   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Division 2 Final</h2>   Byron Center vs. Orchard Lake St. Mary's   7:00 PM   This is another excellent-looking State Championship matchup. I have yet to run a poll, but I'm pretty confident that most people would pick St. Mary's to beat Byron Center. Not so fast. For one, Byron Center's +93 playoff point differential is only 18 behind St. Mary's, and BC played a more difficult playoff schedule.   Byron Center's marquee win came in the District finals against Mona Shores, the same team that fell to Toledo Central Catholic by 1 point. Coincidentally, St. Mary's lost to Toledo Central Catholic by 1 point earlier this season.   So, I definitely don't expect a lopsided game here. I expect a hard-fought game that will come down to the wire. I'd be shocked if it was anything other than that!   Playoff +-   Byron Center = +93   OLSM = +111   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Top Difference-Maker</h2>   Byron Center    The world is about to be put on to how good of a high school football player [player_tooltip player_id='899559' first='Landon' last='Tungate'] is.   He's playing the best ball of his life right now. From what I can tell, he's greatly limited his turnovers, and he's more accurate than he's ever been. Watch him during pre-game, and you might think he's a standard pocket passer. Nope- I can almost guarantee that Landon will break out of a few would-be sacks and convert a few miraculous 1st-downs. Can't wait to see what Landon and the Byron Center offense will be able to do!    St. Mary's    I'm looking forward to seeing what Camari will be able to do against an excellent Byron Center offense and defense.   Last week, against a swarming Groves defense, Camari had a few great highlights. Even against what is usually an excellent tackling team, Camari was still able to break tackles, and explode into the open field. This will be my first time scouting OLSM, and I'm extremely excited to see what Camari and co. are made of!

I can't believe it's Championship Week! We at Prep Redzone have been following the season extremely closely. I know that my main job is to evaluate players, but I also find it extremely fun to follow the teams.