Division 2 Playoff Preview

The D2 playoffs are on our doorstep. This year's bracket is extremely interesting. With both of last year's finals teams on the same side of the bracket, we're guaranteed at least one new name at Ford Field. Below, I preview every pre-district matchup in Division 2, and list the top prospects in every game.   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Region 1</h2>   District 1   Muskegon (6-3) vs. Mona Shores (5-4)   One of many cross-town rivalries to kick off postseason play. Of course, this is one of the biggest rivalries in Michigan. Two teams with state championship expectations, and two teams that go out of their way to schedule difficult teams. Assuming good health, Muskegon has the upper hand. In their last meeting, Muskegon came away with the 28-12 victory. There's awesome talent + coaching on both sides, but I've got Muskegon moving on to the next round.   Top Prospects: [player_tooltip player_id='1264786' first='Recarder' last='Kitchen'], [player_tooltip player_id='1148698' first='Ernesto' last='Botello'], [player_tooltip player_id='1643882' first='Lamar' last='Bradford'], [player_tooltip player_id='1529458' first='Dominic' last='Piggue'], JC tornes.   Traverse City West (5-4) vs. Traverse City Central (5-4)   Another excellent cross-town rivalry. Actually, these two teams played last week. TC West squeaked out a 21-20 victory on their home field. Essentially, we're playing a rematch just one week later. Both teams know each other incredibly well, and it's a straight-up toss-up. I've gone back and forth, but right now I'm feeling Traverse City West. Whoever wins will be rooting for Mona Shores, as that would secure another home playoff game in Traverse City.   Top Prospects: [player_tooltip player_id='1055695' first='Carter' last='Gle'], Jack Vadnerheide, [player_tooltip player_id='1414287' first='Kaiden' last='Conley'], [player_tooltip player_id='568188' first='Drew' last='Esper'].   District 2   Portage Central (9-0) vs. Lansing Everett (5-4)   Love both teams. Everett is a gritty football team with a fun core group of players, and I'm happy to see them return to the postseason. Too bad they're running into Portage Central, who have only given up ONE touchdown all season. Geesh. Portage Central is my state championship pick. Because of that, I have them beating Everett in shutout fashion.   Top Prospects: [player_tooltip player_id='567890' first='Javari' last='Funches'], [player_tooltip player_id='1687693' first='Camden' last='Noe'], [player_tooltip player_id='568196' first='Charlie' last='Jilek'].   Byron Center (6-3) vs. Portage Northern (7-2)   This should be a good matchup. On paper, neither of these teams is as strong as we're used to. Byron Center had an incredible State Championship run last season, but they have regressed a little after graduating so much talent. Portage Northern has some top-end talent, a weaker strength of schedule than Byron Center, but their only two losses have come against OLSM and Portage Central. This is going to be an incredibly interesting matchup. Right now, I lean Byron Center.   Top Prospects: [player_tooltip player_id='1573500' first='Cameron' last='Payne'], [player_tooltip player_id='1529462' first='Tate' last='Bainbridge'], [player_tooltip player_id='568194' first='Gregory' last='Patrick'].   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Region 2</h2>   District 1   Midland Dow (8-1) vs. Waterford Mott (5-4)   Man, I love this Dow team, and I'm also happy that Mott has had a resurgent season. Right up front: I think Dow takes this one. A legitimately near-elite passing offense, and a defense that should be able to slow Mott down.   Top Prospects: [player_tooltip player_id='1262603' first='Wynn' last='Diegel'], [player_tooltip player_id='1148718' first='Geno' last='Sheets'], [player_tooltip player_id='566979' first='Maximus' last='Jansenvanvuren']   Lakeland (7-2) vs. East Lansing (4-5)   Really, really interesting matchup. We're used to seeing East Lansing contend for championships. This season, they've lost to every playoff team on their schedule aside from Everett. Though their losses have come against DeWitt, Davison, Hudsonville, Portage Central, and Grand Ledge. Four of those teams are legit championship contenders this season. This strength of schedule could pay off. This would be an excellent program win for Lakeland. We're used to seeing them in the postseason, but they typically struggle against the top-end programs. This game is a coin flip, but I'm going to lean Lakeland!   Top Prospects: [player_tooltip player_id='1680283' first='Landon' last='Gacki'], [player_tooltip player_id='427417' first='Vincent' last='Lazarre-Botello']   District 2   Walled Lake Western (7-2) vs. Brother Rice (5-4)   A clash between two excellent programs. It's a nice return to the postseason for Brother Rice, but I think they want more. After their huge upset against OLSM, I'm confident this team can beat anyone in D2 if they're playing at their best. On the other side, Walled Lake Western comes into the playoffs 7-2, playing a few more close games than they're used to this season. I think that Brother Rice's hot streak continues, and they'll likely go on to play at OLSM next week.   Top Prospects: [player_tooltip player_id='1148710' first='Jacarri' last='Anderson'], [player_tooltip player_id='1298640' first='David' last='Krall'], [player_tooltip player_id='284018' first='Wes' last='Nichols'], [player_tooltip player_id='1689091' first='Sam' last='Eyde III'], [player_tooltip player_id='1225746' first='Jacob' last='Johnson'], [player_tooltip player_id='977789' first='Jayden' last='Bell']   North Farmington (6-3) vs. OLSM (6-2)   Two good programs, and one of the state championship favorites. St Mary's heads into the playoffs with their only losses being against Detroit Catholic Central and Brother Rice. This North Farmington team is quite good, and they did great in the OAA Blue this season. Unfortunately for North Framington, OLSM is simply the better team. I expect OLSM to advance to the district finals.   Top Prospects: Tae Woods, [player_tooltip player_id='1148721' first='Terrance' last='James'], [player_tooltip player_id='489263' first='Jabin' last='Gonzales'], [player_tooltip player_id='284008' first='Camari' last='Patterson'], [player_tooltip player_id='1309977' first='Treighjan' last='Gibson']   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Region 3</h2>     District 1   South Lyon (9-0) vs. South Lyon East (4-5)   South Lyon may be the most intriguing team in Division 2. On one hand, they're 9-0. On the other hand, their strength of schedule is vastly inferior to that of most top D2 programs. For South Lyon East, they did a nice job sneaking into the playoffs, but they've done much worse than South Lyon against many common opponents. I expect South Lyon to advance to the District finals, where they'll likely face their biggest test yet against Dexter.   Top Prospects: [player_tooltip player_id='1148723' first='Johnny' last='Michaels'], [player_tooltip player_id='1413897' first='Carter' last='McGlinch'], [player_tooltip player_id='1684648' first='Chase' last='Hamilton']   Dexter (8-1) vs. Livonia Franklin (6-3)   Dexter is the obvious favorite in this matchup, but Livonia Franklin's resume isn't half bad. Starting with Dexter, their only loss has come against Saline. Other than that, they've taken care of the competition in the SEC Red. We're used to Dexter being a top-tier D2 team, and although their strength of schedule isn't excellent, I personally assume this is a great D2 program. As I said previously, Franklin's resume isn't half bad. Two early-season losses to Belleville and Fordson, then a loss to Northville. Playing their best ball, they can absolutely hang with Dexter. Better game than most would expect, but I still think Dexter takes care of business.   Top Prospects: [player_tooltip player_id='1080316' first='Owen' last='Winder'], [player_tooltip player_id='568190' first='Cole' last='Novara'], [player_tooltip player_id='1113047' first='Holden' last='Niemi'], [player_tooltip player_id='566881' first='Nathan' last='Gersh']   District 2   Carlson (9-0) vs. Lincoln Park (5-4)   One of those games where a legit state-championship contender faces off against a team that snuck their way into the postseason. Not splitting hairs here- I fully expect Carlson to win.   Top Prospects: [player_tooltip player_id='1681279' first='Sam' last='Przytula'], [player_tooltip player_id='563425' first='Izaiah' last='Wright'], [player_tooltip player_id='1675818' first='Omari' last='Harvey']   Allen Park (5-4) vs. Bedford (4-5)   A sneaky-good matchup between two good teams. Both programs have struggled against top-tier teams, but they've handled business against the worst teams on their schedule. I like Allen Park in this one, and they'll very likely have a hill to climb next week against Carlson.   Top Prospects: [player_tooltip player_id='568026' first='Joseph' last='Sackrison'], [player_tooltip player_id='1420863' first='Jacob' last='Spoonmore']   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Region 4</h2>   District 1   Groves (6-3) vs. Warren Mott (5-4)   Love this division. Groves vs. Warren Mott is looking like a solid matchup. Groves doesn't look quite as strong as they did last season, but considering the strength (or lack thereof) of this region, they could absolutely make another semifinal run. Warren Mott has done good this season, but they've generally struggled against the better teams on their schedule. I've got Groves in this one.   Top Prospects: [player_tooltip player_id='1615802' first='Jeremiah' last='Whitley'], [player_tooltip player_id='913877' first='Dominic' last='Taylor']   Warren Cousino (6-3) vs. Seaholm (5-4)   An incredibly exciting matchup. I have a ton of respect for Warren Cousino, as they've taken a massive step up from last season. Like Warren Mott, they've lost against the better teams on their schedule, but they've played every team close. Close against Stoney Creek, Port Huron Northern, and Utica. Cousino is absolutely a dark horse, and I could see them advancing as far as the semifinals.   Seaholm is also a really good football team. Not quite as good as their amazing 2023 or 2019 teams, but a good team nonetheless. I actually think they're a little better than last year, but other teams in the OAA Blue have also improved. Burn the clock, control the football, and NO FUMBLES. If Seaholm takes care of the football, they have an excellent chance to advance.   Top Prospects: [player_tooltip player_id='1688121' first='Damarkus' last='Wright'], [player_tooltip player_id='1687704' first='Amari' last='Eldridge'], [player_tooltip player_id='1298677' first='Daniel' last='Carter'], [player_tooltip player_id='1298755' first='Max' last='Kruger'], Jack Hughes   District 2   Grosse Pointe South (8-1) vs. Roseville (4-5)   A storied rivalry, but so far, a down year for Roseville. These two teams met back in week 5, and Grosse Pointe South came away with the 47-25 victory. I expect this game to be similar to that of Week 5.   Top Prospects: [player_tooltip player_id='1321278' first='Sam' last='Rouleau'], [player_tooltip player_id='1337363' first='Charlie' last='Bedsworth'], [player_tooltip player_id='1298771' first='Bryant' last='Snowden'], [player_tooltip player_id='1148714' first='Miles' last='Sharp']   Port Huron Northern (7-2) vs. Lakeview (7-2)   It's been a great year for both programs. Lakeview has a few excellent wins against Grosse Pointe South and IKE, but they also had a few early-season stumbles against Roseville and Utica. On the other side, Port Huron Northern has a great win on their resume against Cousino. A pick-em. I lean Port Huron Northern since they're the home team.   Top Prospects: [player_tooltip player_id='568140' first='Amir' last='Morelan'], [player_tooltip player_id='566936' first='Lincoln' last='Watkins'], [player_tooltip player_id='1581326' first='Jaylen' last='Lewis']

The D2 playoffs are on our doorstep. This year's bracket is extremely interesting. With both of last year's finals teams on the same side of the bracket, we're guaranteed at least one new name at Ford Field. Below, I preview every pre-district matchup in Division 2, and list the top prospects in every game.