Division 1 Playoff Preview

Man, the regular season flew by! Now, we're on the doorstep of postseason play. As always, the Division 1 bracket is absolutely loaded. Will the top contenders cruise to Ford Field, or will we see a dark horse emerge?   Below, I'll share my quick thoughts regarding all 16 round 1 matchups. For all brackets, please visit <a href="https://www.mhsaa.com/sports/football/brackets">this link</a>.   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Region 1</h2>   A pretty wide-open region. You could argue that this region has 5 state championship contenders when these teams are at full strength. Hudsonville, Rockford, Howell, and East Kentwood are all major contenders to advance to the semifinals. Grand Ledge is a fun dark horse. The "west region" may be the most entertaining region.   District 1   Hudsonville (9-0) vs. Jenison (4-5)   It's always fun to get a crosstown rivalry in the postseason. Hudsonville is the clear favorite, being the only 9-0 team in the OK Red and having beaten Jenison 42-0 earlier this season. I could see Jenison putting up a fight- this program has looked much better since the hiring of Josh Lucas. Jenison pulls off the upset by keeping this game relatively low-scoring and keeping control of the clock. Though I absolutely see Hudsonville advancing.   Rockford (7-2) vs. Grandville (4-5)   Another classic rivalry to kick off postseason play. For most of the season, Grandville looked unstoppable. Ever since a few brutal injuries, they have not been the same team. Grandville did play an incredibly competitive game against Hudsonville last week, but I still think Rockford holds the advantage. Unbeatable home-field advantage for Rockford- I have them facing Hudsonville in the District Finals.   District 2   Howell (8-1) vs. Kalamazoo Central (6-3)   A rematch from last season's pre-districts. Last season, both programs were playing their best football during this time of the year. This year is no different. Howell is coming off their 2nd KLAA championship in a row, once again defeating powerhouse Belleville. As for Kalamazoo Central, they're heading into the postseason on a 3-game winning streak. Both teams are hot, but I think Howell rises to the occasion and takes care of business at home.   East Kentwood (7-2) vs. Grand Ledge (7-2)   This could be an interesting matchup. Grand Ledge is a tough team to predict. They kept it close for a while against Detroit Catholic Central, but otherwise got hammered by DeWitt, and had a poor strength of schedule otherwise. On the other side, East Kentwood has taken that leap forward that I expected. [player_tooltip player_id='570285' first='Kayd' last='Coffman'] is playing lights-out, as is the entire team. I've got East Kentwood moving on to face Howell in Districts.   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Region 2</h2>   My gosh, this region is strong. Detroit Catholic Central is my personal pick, but you could make a genuine case for many other teams. Clarkston is 8-1, having faced an extremely difficult schedule in the OAA Red. West Bloomfield and Oxford are both 7-2 in that same OAA red. Brighton has been competitive in every single game they've played. Then, you've got Grand Blanc and Davison, who both sport absolutely elite offenses.   District 1   Detroit Catholic Central (9-0) vs. Hartland (5-4)   Well, someone had to play Detroit Catholic Central in Round 1. Hartland is not a bad team- they're 5-4 with a pretty difficult schedule. Though they were not competitive against the good playoff teams on their schedule. Detroit Catholic Central is pretty much an undisputed top-2 team in Michigan, and I have them cruising to the District Finals.   West Bloomfield (7-2) vs. Brighton (6-3)   These two programs have been extremely fun to follow this season. It's a bounce-back year for West Bloomfield, improving greatly from their 5-6 record last season. They've done a better job at closing things out. Brighton is a respectable 6-3 with a worse strength of schedule compared to West Bloomfield. Aside from Week 1, they've been in every game they've played. A few things go differently against Howell and Fordson; Brighton may be at home here. Still, I see West Bloomfield winning at home, then going to to take a shot at DCC.   District 2   Clarkston (8-1) vs. Davison (8-1)   Gosh, what an insane district. Clarkston vs. Davison is a classic matchup that we've seen a few times over the years. This is a brutal pick. Love both QBs- Alex Waszcenko and [player_tooltip player_id='119260' first='Jaxson' last='Dosh']. These two teams also have a boatload of talent and excellent coaching. Man, I've got to go with the OAA Red champs here. I've got Clarkston winning at home.   Grand Blanc (9-0) vs. Oxford (7-2)   Oxford has excelled at winning close games this season, while Grand Blanc has made a habit of scoring 30+ before halftime. Two extremely well-coached programs, and pretty neck-and-neck defenses in my opinion. Grand Blanc QB [player_tooltip player_id='909904' first='Jake' last='Morrow'] has been on fire this season, and it seems like he's playing with a chip on his shoulder. Grand Blanc's offense is elite, and I have them moving on to the District Finals.   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Region 3</h2>   A region headlined by a few elite programs. Most are going to pick Saline to win District 1, and Cass Tech to win District 2. I have a hard time disagreeing with that take. Although there are teams outside of those two programs that are playing really good ball. Woodhaven has played excellently this season, Belleville has a boatload of talent, and both Farmington & Fordson are having great seasons.   District 1   Saline (8-1) vs. Salem (5-4)   The Salem Rocks did a good job sliding into the postseason, ending the regular season with a dominant win over Livonia Stevenson. Saline is cruising into the postseason with an 8-1 record and one of the best rosters in the state. Saline is absolutely a State Championship contender, and I see [player_tooltip player_id='568192' first='Tommy' last='Carr'] and the Saline offense cruising through this game and into the District Finals.   Belleville (7-2) vs. Woodhaven (7-2)   This could be an excellent matchup. Of course, Belleville is the favorite here. Sure, Bryce Underwood is gone, but I feel that the defense as a whole + the O-Line regressed much more than the QB position. That said, Belleville has some weaknesses for Woodhaven to potentially exploit, but Belleville as a whole is still a more talented team. Woodhaven's strength of schedule was pretty poor this season, but they did only lose by one score to Carlson, a State Championship contender in Division 2. IF Belleville has a down week and Woodhaven plays one of their better games, Woodhaven could pull off the upset. For the sake of making a prediction, I cannot pick against Belleville. Book the rematch vs. Saline.   District 2   Cass Tech (9-0) vs. Northville (7-2)   Just like someone had to draw DCC, someone had to draw Cass Tech in the first round. Northville comes into this matchup 7-2 with a few good wins on its resume. The week 3 win against Howell is a high point, while the week 8 loss to Novi is a definite low point. If Northville were to win this game, they'd have to play even better than they did during week 3. Cass Tech is on a quest to defend its state title, and I don't see that defense ending here.   Farmington (7-2) vs. Fordson (7-2)   I'm curious to see how these two teams match up. Farmington is always a solid team, but they've proven to be a step ahead of their usual selves by winning the OAA Blue with little resistance. The week 2 loss to Holly sticks out like a sore thumb, and the 7-49 loss to Clarkston likely tells us that this team is not a championship contender.   Fordson is in a similar situation. 7-2, with both of their losses coming in the first two weeks of the season. Their strength of schedule in the KLAA West isn't amazing, but it is better than Farmington in the OAA Blue. I beleive Fordson to be a Top 50 program in the state, and I have them getting a big pre-district win on Farmington's home turf.   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Region 4</h2>   Region 4 looks to me like the most wide-open region. I could see Adams, Stoney Creek, Romeo, Utica, or Dakota advancing to the semifinals. I beleive the top 2 teams to be Adams and Romeo, but there's not a huge gap between them and the next tier of teams. I'm very excited to see how this region pans out.   District 1   Adams (7-2) vs. Rochester (5-4)   These teams met back in week 2, and Adams came away with the 31-3 victory. Honestly, I expect this game to go similarly. Adams has proven once again that they're able to hang with just about anyone. Rochester, on the other hand, has proven to be a good team, but they've consistently come up short against good playoff programs.   Stoney Creek (6-3) vs. IKE (5-4)   This is an extremely exciting matchup. Stoney Creek is a dark horse, and I think this region shapes out super favorably for them. They're 6-3, with 1-possession losses to Adams and Harper Woods, plus a two-possession loss to Groves. This team runs great offensive and defensive coaching, and they've proven they can limit an elite rushing offense (Adams) and an elite passing offense (Harper Woods). Take care of the football, and I think Stoney Creek comes away with the victory. IKE has had a little bit of a down year, just like a couple of other teams in the usually elite MAC Red. They have two decent wins on their resume against Riverview and SH Stevenson, but they've fallen short against good playoff teams.   District 2   Romeo (6-3) vs. SH Stevenson (5-4)   Romeo and SH Stevenson met just a few weeks ago on October 10. In that matchup, Romeo dominated, coming away with a 45-9 road victory. Considering how tough Romeo played Grand Blanc last week, I have the Bulldogs winning comfortably here. It's been a solid season for SH Stevenson, and there is plenty of optimism for the future. I don't like Stevenson's odds in pulling off the upset.   Utica (7-2) vs. Dakota (6-3)   Possibly the game of the week in Division 1. Utica is heading into the playoffs on a 6-game winning streak, even having upset Dakota two weeks ago by a score of 26-17. Utica is heading into the postseason with a ton of confidence. They've earned this home game. In my opinion, this game is a coin flip.

Man, the regular season flew by! Now, we're on the doorstep of postseason play. As always, the Division 1 bracket is absolutely loaded. Will the top contenders cruise to Ford Field, or will we see a dark horse emerge?