Buy Stock in these Three West Michigan Programs

Who is going to be better than they were last season? Every year, there are teams that rise and fall. One of the best things about high school football is the unpredictability of it all. There are going to be teams that went 5-4 last season that'll win 10+ games this season. There will be state champions that get knocked out in the District Finals, and good teams last year who'll be great teams this year.   This is all about teams that were good in 2024, who have a chance to be great in 2025. Here are three West Michigan teams that I feel will be even better than they were last season.   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Hudsonville Unity Christian</h2>   Last season: 10-1 (District Finals)   You'd be hard-pressed to find any high school football team that didn't have the occasional bad season. 2022 and 2023 were uncharacteristic for the West Michigan Powerhouse, going a combined 9-11 in those two seasons.   Last year, Unity Christian had a major resurgence. The season began with a dominant 43-21 victory over rival Whitehall. Then, UC cruised through the regular season, finishing 9-0 with decisive victories against teams like Notre Dame Prep (D5 State Champion) and Zeeland West (D3 State Champion).   Going into the D4 playoffs, Unity Christian was the heavy favorite to win it all. Sure, there were teams like Goodrich, Harper Woods, and Freeland on the other side of the bracket, and other good teams like Whitehall and South Christian in UC's region. Though nobody was beating up on teams like Unity Christian was. That was, until the District Finals. South Christian comes to town. A program coming off two straight State Championship appearances, but looked to be having a down year. In fact, Unity Christian beat South Christian 50-21 earlier in the season.   We all know how this played out. South Christian pulled off the 2nd-half comeback and upset Unity Christian 35-28. It was an extremely disappointing end to an incredible bounce-back season. This season, I feel that UC could break down the doors of Ford Field once again.   UC returns a nice amount of talent, as well as retaining an elite coaching staff.   Max Baragar returns to Mike LB, providing a ton of experience in stopping the inside run.   [player_tooltip player_id='1290864' first='Jared' last='DeVries'] is an impressive two-way player, acting as one of UC's fastest and relentless defenders, as well as a strong option in the run game   Secondary pieces like Justin Febus should take a step forward this season, while several new starters will undoubtedly emerge as crucial pieces to this team.   UC is a playoff lock and my preseason pick for Division 4 State Champion.   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Muskegon</h2>   Last season: 3-5 (missed playoffs)   There's no way around it. The 2024 season was a failure. Though the Big Reds weren't nearly as bad as their record would indicate. I'd still argue that they were a top-10 team in Division 2. Muskegon faced a grueling schedule. They fell to West MI Powerhouses Zeeland West, Rockford, Mona Shores, and Byron Center. 7 points decided the Rockford game, while the Byron Center game was decided by 3. Win one of those 1-score games, and Muskegon would have snuck into the postseason.   Sure, last season didn't go as planned. In my view, last season was a perfect storm against Muskegon. They lost a massive amount of talent in the Class of 2024, having to replace several multi-year starters. In addition, teams like Zeeland West, Byron Center, and Mona Shores retained most of their core players. It was a down year for Muskegon and a phenomenal year for some of Muskegon's best opponents. This year, I see the OK Green leveling out quite a bit. Muskegon has a few positions to replace, but nowhere near the losses in the Class of 2024. On the other side, Mona Shores and Byron Center are both replacing multi-year starting QBs, while Muskegon surprisingly doesn't have Zeeland West on their 2025 schedule.   Will Muskegon win the OK Green? Well, they've got to get through Mona Shores and Byron Center first. I will say that I give Muskegon a way better shot than last season. It is another grueling schedule for the Big Reds, as their first 4 games include Grandville, Rockford, Garfield Heights (OH), and Byron Center. Still, I'd be shocked if Muskegon missed out on the postseason. I think they've got a great shot to make another deep playoff run this season. Don't sleep on Muskegon just because of one down year.   QB [player_tooltip player_id='1643882' first='Lamar' last='Bradford'] is going to be huge to this team's success. He's got a live arm, good athletic traits, and I feel he can be a solid dual-threat.   DE [player_tooltip player_id='1264786' first='Recarder' last='Kitchen'] is going to be a nightmare. One of the best DEs in the country, and a super well-rounded high school football player. He'll be all over the field, and teams are going to purposely play away from Kitchen.   G [player_tooltip player_id='1148698' first='Ernesto' last='Botello'] is one of many on Muskegon's elite offensive line. I don't know a school in Michigan that's had such a consistently elite O-Line.   Jamier Jefferson is a skill player to watch out for. Can make a massive difference in Muskegon's secondary as well as their receiving core. A potential breakout star.   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Portage Central</h2>   Last season: 8-4 (regional finals)   A team that I've consistently undervalued in the past. My job is to find the best players, and honestly, Portage Central has never seemed like a star-studded team. A little more honesty, I do tend to overvalue teams with a lot of prospects that are familiar to me. Either Portage Central is great at doing more with less, or they're a team that I've neglected in terms of scouting. Probably a little bit of both.   I had the opportunity to watch Portage Central at a scrimmage last season. I came away from the scrimmage a little worried for the team, but boy, did they prove me wrong. I predicted an under .500 season. They ended up going 8-4, winning their league, and advancing all the way to the Regional Finals. The bread and butter of this team was defense. High-octane offenses were consistently held under 20 points. Mattawan is the best example- a team that had an insanely productive season offensively, but was shut out twice against Portage Central.   The offense helps the defense out quite a bit. Portage Central's veer offense isn't about explosive plays and dropping 40 every game. It's about slow, methodical, clock-chewing runs. Their offense feeds on tiring out the defense and making sure the game is played on their terms. Extremely similar scheme to Birmingham Seaholm and Rochester Adams- two teams that've made multiple semifinals since 2019.   Portage Central has consistently beaten teams that, on paper, have superior talent. I got them winning the Southwest - West again this season. Here's what I've got in terms of talent!   LB/RB [player_tooltip player_id='1687693' first='Camden' last='Noe'] is an extremely promising prospect. Has size + athleticism to be a Power 4 College Football player. As long as he's healthy, conditioned, and generally continues to develop, he'll be a game-breaking player on both sides of the ball.   LB Luke Ludwig brought the heat last season. A standout Sophomore who had nice versatility as an on-ball LB/EDGE. Love the way he was able to rush the passer. Athletic, bendy, and great play speed. Going to ruin a lot of drives for opposing offenses.   LB/TE/ATH [player_tooltip player_id='568196' first='Charlie' last='Jilek'] should have a monster senior season. The UCF commit will be a major force on both sides of the ball.   The more I dig into this team, the more excited I become. This team should be better than they were last year, and with a few teams in their region losing a significant amount of talent, Portage Central is absolutely in play for a State Championship run.

Who is going to be better than they were last season? Every year, there are teams that rise and fall. One of the best things about high school football is the unpredictability of it all. There are going to be teams that went 5-4 last season that'll win 10+ games this season. There will be state champions that get knocked out in the District Finals, and good teams last year who'll be great teams this year.