D1 Regions 3/4: Pre-District Recap + Analysis

The first round of the Division 1 playoffs has concluded. In Regions 3 and 4... we had 0 upsets (in my opinion). Although this round played out exactly as I thought it would, we're now in store for four incredible district finals matchups.   In this article, I'll give my brief take on each pre-district game while looking ahead to next week and the later rounds!   <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity" />   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Region 3</h2>   District 1   #3 Belleville defeated #32 AA Pioneer, 68-0   Belleville probably came into this one still upset about their loss to Howell. Their motivation showed up as they embarrassed Pioneer 68-0.   #9 Saline defeated #21 Northville, 37-7   Look out, Saline is playing like they're undefeated. Jokes aside, [player_tooltip player_id='568192' first='Tommy' last='Carr'] and company look great heading into Belleville week. Can Saline finally knock off the goliath that is Belleville? We'll see!   District Finals   #9 Saline @ #3 Belleville   What a game this will be. I think there's a good chance, like in previous years, that Belleville earns a convicing victory over the hornets. I also think there's an excellent chance that Saline will play at their best, probably turning this game into a shootout.   Defensively, Belleville has the upper hand. Yes, Saline has some solid players in their secondary and at EDGE, but they arent as big or well-roudned as Belleville is.   Offensively, we'll have to see. It's difficult to say that Belleville doesn't have the upper hand here considering their talent. Though whenever you have two future D1 College QBs facing off, it'll probably be a track meet, and either side could realistically win.   I'm going to go with Belleville here, but I expect it to be close.   District 2   #1 Catholic Central defeated #27 Livonia Stevenson, 33-0   Livonia Stevenson had a solid season with a few very close losses, but Catholic Central completely outmatched them. Good for CC. Still undefeated, they're going into West Bloomfield week with a boatload of confidence.   #17 West Bloomfield defeated #26 Novi, 49-15   A very, very good confidence-builder for West Bloomfield, who struggled at times this season. I really hope this win can get [player_tooltip player_id='247643' first='Beau' last='Jackson'], [player_tooltip player_id='913876' first='Obi' last='Duru'], and the entire offense humming a little bit more. As for Novi, this is a season to build off of. A solid season, and they have a ton of young talent that'll hopefully take a step forward next season.   District Finals   #17 West Bloomfield @ #1 Catholic Central   If both teams play to their potential, this could be an incredible game. Though I strongly believe that Catholic Central's coaching has elevated the roster to very high highs, and I believe this team will beat West Bloomfield.   WB has a ton of talent. A future D1 quarterback, D1 Running Back, D1 receivers, O-Line, secondary, you name it. So, so much talent but so, so few impressive results. The offense has especially struggled this season, as they've been held to two or fewer touchdowns three times this season. West Bloomfield needs to push the ball downfield offensively while stopping what CC does best on both sides of the ball.   Catholic Central has an incredible opportunity to earn a regional finals spot. I honestly haven't watched a ton of film, but CC seems extremely well-coached on both sides of the ball. Jaden Pyden is a phenomenal athlete, while the whole roster up and down are doing their jobs at an incredibly high level. I expect CC to earn a win, probably facing Belleville in the Regional Final.   <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity" />   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Region 4</h2>   District 1   #8 Cass Tech defeated #19 SH Stevenson, 41-0   Look out for Cass Tech! After early-season losses to Rockford and King, this team has done nothing but improve. If Cass keeps clicking on all cylinders, they have a real shot at a State Championship.   SH Stevenson had an OK season, falling just short in several games. Next season, they have a great shot to show tons of improvement.   #25 Dearborn defeated #23 Fordson, 30-0   What a shocker! Heading into this one, just about everyone expected a close game. Seriously though- Dearborn lost the in-season matchup 14-10, then after winning four straight, they defeated their rival by four scores. This begs the question- is Dearborn's hot streak enough to take down Cass Tech? We'll see.   District Finals   #25 Dearborn @ #8 Cass Tech   Two red-hot programs playing for a trophy.   It will be an uphill battle for Dearborn, but just a few weeks ago, I would've given them zero chance to beat Cass Tech. Seniors such as Yuseph Mustafa, Adam Saad, and [player_tooltip player_id='1316916' first='Mahdi' last='Sabbagh'] lead the way through their 5-game win streak. In order to beat Cass Tech, the entire team needs to play good fundamental football. Good, sustained drives and winning the field position battle are absolutely key.   Cass Tech is hot, and they have the talent to win it all. [player_tooltip player_id='567972' first='Braxton' last='Weems'], [player_tooltip player_id='600178' first='Cameron' last='Summerour'], [player_tooltip player_id='284285' first='Cashus' last='Shivers'], [player_tooltip player_id='212358' first='Corey' last='Sadler'], [player_tooltip player_id='1111167' first='Donald' last='Tabron II'], etc- Cass has talent. As long as their college talent plays at a high level, I don't see them losing to Dearborn.   District 2   #7 Dakota defeated #31 Utica, 31-0   Dakota tends to impose their will on lesser teams, and that is exactly what happened against Utica. Just two weeks ago, Dakota beat this same Utica team 35-0. I fully expected a similar outcome, and a similar outcome is what happened.   #6 IKE defeated #13 Romeo, 44-21   Romeo put up a good fight against IKE, but at the end of the day, Romeo couldn't stop the high-flying IKE offense. IKE does an incredibly job at giving their playmakers the ball in space. I think they have a good amount of weaknesses, but their strengths are perfect to beat a team like Dakota.   District Finals   #6 IKE @ #7 Dakota   A big MAC Red rematch.   These teams met during Week 7, as IKE came away with the big upset, beating Dakota 21-14. Explosive plays were all the difference. [player_tooltip player_id='247687' first='Conner' last='Temple'] had the game of his life, while guys like [player_tooltip player_id='1113032' first='Bryce' last='Hurley'], [player_tooltip player_id='566878' first='Braylon' last='Burnside'], and [player_tooltip player_id='1529704' first='Duda' last='Keaton'] round out an elite group of weapons. Defensively, IKE doesn't have the stars they did in previous years, but they're still a strong unit that is very familiar with the Dakota offense.   Dakota has a great shot, especially considering this will be a home game. I'm confident in their defense, especially against the run. Guys like [player_tooltip player_id='602039' first='Brady' last='Hamby'] defend the inside run incredibly well. However, Dakota needs to be a tad better with pass defense. Offensively, they need to establish the run much earlier while finding a way to execute some slow drives. This is a toss-up because of the last result, but I'll pick Dakota in this game   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Regional Finals Prediction</h2>   #1 Catholic Central vs. #3 Belleville   #7 Dakota vs. #8 Cass Tech   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Semifinal Prediction</h2>   #1 Catholic Central vs. #8 Cass Tech

The first round of the Division 1 playoffs has concluded. In Regions 3 and 4... we had 0 upsets (in my opinion). Although this round played out exactly as I thought it would, we're now in store for four incredible district finals matchups.