Pallone's Official State Championship Predictions

The State Championships kick off tomorrow! It's truly the best weekend of the year for me, and I truly hope you feel the same. It's always an incredibly fun and exciting weekend- I'm so happy to cover it once again.   Here, I'll give my thoughts and predictions on all eight state championship games!   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Division 1 </h2>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Hudsonville vs. Cass Tech</h2>   My Pick: Hudsonville   Confidence Level: Low   It's extremely difficult to bet against either team.   My reasoning? In short- Rockford beat Cass Tech, and Hudsonville beat Rockford.   Granted, it's a lot more complicated than that. First of all, Cass Tech played Rockford during Week 1, and they've undoubtably improved a ton since then. Second, Cass Tech is on a tear, coming off of wins against Detroit Catholic Central and Dakota- two incredible programs.   Hudsonville is hot, too. This postseason, they came out of the gate cold but just demolished Howell and Adams- two teams who rarely if ever get blown out.   Score Prediction: 31-28   I see both teams scoring on their first dirve, then a stalemate for the rest of the half. I think [player_tooltip player_id='1290565' first='Griffin' last='Baker'] will lead the charge rushing then finishing off the first drive with a passing TD. Then, Cass Tech drives right down the field and scores with their Freshman QB [player_tooltip player_id='1111167' first='Donald' last='Tabron II']. In the second half, a lot of points will be put on the board and Hudsonville will win with a game-winning field goal- just like they did in the first round.   <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity" />   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Division 2</h2>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Byron Center vs. OLSM</h2>   My Pick: Byron Center   Confidence Level: Low   I go back-and-forth. Like all State Championship teams, these two teams are playing their best football right now.   In short, I pick Byron Center because they've been much more consistent all season.   Granted, OLSM has faced a more difficult schedule. Very few if any teams can match the competition in the Catholic League. Still, they didn't win a close game until last weekend. I expect Byron Center to be a little more sharp, and I expect them to eventually pull away at the end.   Score Prediction: 35-21   I expect the first half to be incredibly tight. I'm talking 14-14 at the half. Both teams play great defense, but both teams put together two very good drives that lead to TDs. In the second half, I predict a 7-7 3rd-quarter followed by a statement 14-0 4th Quarter from Byron Center.   <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity" />   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Division 3</h2>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Zeeland West vs. Detroit MLK</h2>   My Pick: Zeeland West   Confidence Level: Medium   The more I think about it, the more I like Zeeland West here.   The Dux just held DeWitt's offense to 20 points- a unit I think is on par with King's offense. On top of that, I don't think King's played any Power-T offenses this season, let alone the best Power-T in Michigan. I think King will be able to keep it close for a bit, but I expect Zeeland West to eventually win decisively.   Score Prediction: 31-14   Full-game prediction   Both teams will have an explosive 40+ yard touchdown in the first quarter. After both teams trade scores, Zeeland West's defense will shut out King in the first half while the offense scores two more touchdowns on long drives. At halftime, the score will be 21-7.   In the second half, King buckles down on defense a little better, they get another explosive TD from [player_tooltip player_id='1226338' first='Michael' last='Dukes'], but overall cannot get their offense going enough to get the job done. A 3rd-quarter FG then a late TD from [player_tooltip player_id='1290838' first='Keaton' last='Hendricks'] seals it for West.   <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity" />   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Division 4</h2>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Niles vs. Goodrich</h2>   My Pick: Goodrich   Confidence Level: Low   This may be my most anticipated game of the weekend. I have Goodrich winning, but I am not confident at all in that prediction.   In short, I think these are two evenly matched teams, but Goodrich has way more playoff and State Championship experience.   Still, my gut feeling is that this game will be a shootout. Niles has averaged 40.5PPG in the playoffs, while Goodrich has averaged 36.5PPG. I strongly believe that Niles has the best offense in D4, and Goodrich has the 2nd-best. I also think that Niles has a solid defense, but Goodrich is much better defensively.   Score Prediction: 50-48   Full-game prediction   The entire game will be full of scoring. The first quarter will see both teams get off to hot starts, with two touchdowns for each team. In the second quarter, two more TDs from each team, and 8 total first-half TDs. At halftime, Niles leads 30-28.   The second half will see slightly better defense, but not enough to slow down scoring much. [player_tooltip player_id='604132' first='Sam' last='Rucker'] starts the half with a kick return TD, but Niles doesn't convert the 2-pt conversion. Both teams then go back and forth throughout half #2, but Niles' missed 2-pt conversions will come back to bite them. At the end of the game, Goodrich will gain a few critical first downs then kneel to seal the victory.   <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity" />   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Division 5</h2>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Frankenmuth vs. Notre Dame Prep</h2>   My Pick: ND Prep   Confidence Level: Medium   I have a pretty good gut feeling that Notre Dame Prep will defeat Frankenmuth.   A big reason is because of the common opponent: Grand Rapids Catholic Central. Frankenmuth beat them 42-35 last week, while ND Prep beat them 42-0 during week 3. Yes, a lot of time has passed since Week 3, but I still think my point holds weight.   Both of these teams ran through their sides of the bracket. Frankenmuth beat their playoff opponents by an average score of 44-12, while ND Prep beat their opponents by an average score of 50-13. With both teams having great offense and defense, it's difficult to say how the final score will look.   Score Prediction: 20-13   Full-game Prediction   Both defenses will come out of the gate strong. Scoreless first-quarter. In the second quarter, Notre Dame Prep finally gets on the board from a deep shot. In the second half, Frankenmuth comes out of the gate strong and scores on their first two offensive possessions but misses an extra point. Heading into the 4th, Frankenmuth leads 13-7. In the middle of the fourth quarter, ND Prep finally scores their second touchdown, taking the lead at 14-13. On the next drive, Frankenmuth throws a pick-six, then get stopped on their final drive.   <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity" />   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Division 6</h2>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Lansing Catholic vs. Lumen Christi</h2>   My Pick: Lumen Christi   Confidence Level: High   I've been wrong before, but I strongly believe that Lumen Christi will win in dominating fashion.   Lumen is about to make it three straight. They've dominated their way to the state championship, winning each playoff game by an average score of 42-12. On the other side, Lansing Catholic won their games by an average score of 37-29. I think Lansing Catholic will be able to score some points, but I don't think they'll be able to stop Lumen's offense.   Score Prediction: 42-22   Full-game prediction   KaDale Williams TDs in every quarter. Lansing Catholic earns TDs off of a few explosive plays from their great receiver group. Expect pedal to the metal from Lumen, and still pretty good offense from Lansing Catholic.   <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity" />   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Division 7</h2>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Millington vs. Monroe SMCC</h2>   My Pick: Monroe SMCC   Confidence Level: Medium   Don't sleep on the small school games! This has a chance to be a really good one, but I do predict a Monroe SMCC win.   Millington was obviously the best team in Region 2, as they beat their regional opponents 104-21. Then, they won a close game against North Muskegon to make it to the State Championship   Monroe SMCC had similar dominance. Comparing them with Millington, they won their first 3 postseason games by a score of 147-54. So, it looked like Monroe SMCC has a slightly better offense, but Millington the slightly better defense.   Score Prediction: 38-30   <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity" />   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Division 8</h2>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Beal City vs. Riverview Gabriel Richard</h2>   My Pick: Riverview Gabriel Richard   Confidence Level: High   The Division 8 State Title also has the oppurtunity to be a great game. Still, I think all signs point toward a Riverview Gabriel Richard Victory.   Beal City is always a very good team, and they've rode three 1-score games to the State Championship. Their offense hasn't been amazing- averaging 17 points per game since the District Finals. Though, the defense has been stellar, giving up only 12 per game since the District Finals.   Gabriel Richard's offense has carried them through the playoffs. They're averaging 40 points per game this postseason while only giving up 23 points per game. Frankly, I expect Gabriel Richard's speed to break through the tough Beal City defense   Score Prediction: 28-7

The State Championships kick off tomorrow! It's truly the best weekend of the year for me, and I truly hope you feel the same. It's always an incredibly fun and exciting weekend- I'm so happy to cover it once again.