Division 2 District Finals Preview

Things are starting to get interesting in the Division 2 bracket. Last week, things went almost exactly how I thought they would. I was a little surprised to see Bedford beat Allen Park, then a few 50/50 games that personally did not surprise me. This week, things are far more interesting. Most of these games still have a heavy favorite, but a few of them are looking like amazing matchups.   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Region 1</h2>   District 1   Traverse City Central @ Muskegon   Last week, TCC earned revenge on their crosstown rival in another low-scoring affair. It was a great win for TCC, who have now won four of their last five games. They're playing great football right now, but they need to step up if they want to pull off the upset at Muskegon this Friday. The Big Reds have won seven of their last eight games and have looked unstoppable for most of the season. The Big Reds are looking like very heavy favorites in this one.   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='1055695' first='Carter' last='Gle']<a href="https://prepredzone.com/player/lamar-bradford/"></a>   District 2   Byron Center @ Portage Central   Two super high-quality programs from West Michigan. Last year, Byron Center went on a historic run, as they massively outperformed expectations. This year, Portage Central is looking like last year's Bryon Center squad. PC has been the most dominant team in Division 2 this season, sitting at a perfect 10-0. Byron Center had a tougher strength of schedule, but even when weighing both schedules, Portage Central looks like the obvious favorite. Though Byron Center has won six straight, and I'm not going to count them completely out.   Top Prospects: [player_tooltip player_id='1687693' first='Camden' last='Noe']<a href="https://prepredzone.com/player/camden-noe/"></a> , [player_tooltip player_id='568196' first='Charlie' last='Jilek'], [player_tooltip player_id='1573500' first='Cameron' last='Payne'], [player_tooltip player_id='1529462' first='Tate' last='Bainbridge']<a href="https://prepredzone.com/player/tate-bainbridge/"></a>   <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity" />   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Region 2</h2>   District 1   East Lansing @ Midland Dow   Last weekend, East Lansing pulled off the slight upset against White Lake Lakeland. It was an "upset", as East Lansing had a bad 3-6 regular season, but played a pretty difficult schedule. While East Lansing isn't nearly as good as they were last year, it's a battle-tested program that is playing good football.   Dow is the favorite in this one. One of the highest-scoring offenses in the state, headlined by excellent QB play. East Lansing has not seen a passing offense like this in a long, long time. Though I've grown used to East Lansing having a good secondary. Still, unless something crazy happens, I'm picking Dow.   Top Prospects: [player_tooltip player_id='1262603' first='Wynn' last='Diegel']   District 2   Brother Rice @ St. Mary's   It doesn't get any better than this. A couple of weeks ago, Brother Rice pulled off the improbable upset against St. Mary's, boosting them into postseason contention. Well, BR did what they had to do in order to sneak into the postseason, and they're once again facing their catholic league rival.   Is it crazy for me to call this a toss-up? I watched their previous game on NFHS, and Brother Rice didn't get lucky- they were flat-out the better team. If Brother Rice's passing offense is as efficient as last time, I think there's a great chance that Brother Rice moves on. On paper, St. Mary's is slightly older, more experienced, and more talented. At the same time, all the pressure has to be on OLSM. Super, super fun matchup.   Top Prospects: [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'], [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']   <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity" />   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Region 3</h2>   District 1   Dexter @ South Lyon   I'm going to throw out a hot take. This game is either going to end up being a close win by South Lyon, or a blowout win for Dexter. That said, I trust this Dexter team more than I do South Lyon. Dexter's only loss has been to Saline, and they were still able to put up 34 points in the contest. South Lyon has a ton of dudes, and a few underrated guys that will keep them in this game. At the end of the day, I just have a feeling that Dexter will come out on top.   Top Prospects: [player_tooltip player_id='1101222' first='Gannon' last='Limotte'], Jacob Stoyanovich, [player_tooltip player_id='1113047' first='Holden' last='Niemi'], [player_tooltip player_id='566881' first='Nathan' last='Gersh']   District 2   Bedford @ Carlson   It was a little bit of a shock to see Bedford destroy Allen Park last week. Good on Bedford, but I fear that Carlson is simply the better team here. Carlson has been knocking on the door for a while, and they have an incredibly favorable path to the state championship this season. I think they're good enough to get it done, and I frankly think they'll send Bedford packing here. Though we have seen the rare off-week from Carlson over the years. As long as Carlson doesn't sleepwalk into this one, they should be able to move on.   Top Prospects: [player_tooltip player_id='1420863' first='Jacob' last='Spoonmore'], [player_tooltip player_id='1681279' first='Sam' last='Przytula'], [player_tooltip player_id='563425' first='Izaiah' last='Wright']<a href="https://prepredzone.com/player/izaiah-wright/"></a>   <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity" />   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Region 4</h2>   District 1   Cousino @ Groves   I hope everyone is as excited for this game as I am.   Warren Cousino earned a high-quality playoff win against Birmingham Seaholm last week. Cousino has looked phenomenal this season, and this program seems to be on the up and up. Several skill players lead the way, and they have the athletic ability to score against Groves, as well at stop them.   Groves has taken a step up as a program in the past 5 or so years. Last season, they were a play away from making (and very likely winning) the state championship. While the 2025 squad isn't as talented as 2024 on paper, the best playmakers on this team are finally starting to get into their rhythm. They've got a run game that's firing on all cylinders, and this is a battle-tested team, with a tough OAA White schedule.   Top Prospects: [player_tooltip player_id='1615802' first='Jeremiah' last='Whitley'], [player_tooltip player_id='913877' first='Dominic' last='Taylor'], [player_tooltip player_id='1688121' first='Damarkus' last='Wright']<a href="https://prepredzone.com/player/damarkus-wright/"></a> , [player_tooltip player_id='1687704' first='Amari' last='Eldridge']<a href="https://prepredzone.com/player/amari-eldridge/"></a> , [player_tooltip player_id='1298677' first='Daniel' last='Carter']   District 2   Lakeview @ Grosse Pointe South   Both of these programs are playing phenomenal ball as of late. Call it six straight for Lakeview, with super high-quality wins against PHN, IKE, and Grosse Pointe South (all playoff teams). Of course, the 25-22 win against Grosse Pointe South stands out. Could they get it done again? Considering their momentum, I could see it happening.   I feel like Grosse Pointe South is the favorite here. Yes, they fell to Lakeview back on October 10, though GPS has dominated their common opponents with Lakeview. I'm having a hard time picking against GPS.   Top Prospects: [player_tooltip player_id='1581326' first='Jaylen' last='Lewis'], [player_tooltip player_id='1321278' first='Sam' last='Rouleau'], [player_tooltip player_id='1337363' first='Charlie' last='Bedsworth']<a href="https://prepredzone.com/player/marcus-whyte/"></a>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Regional Finals Matchup Predictions</h2>   Region 1   Muskegon vs. Portage Central   Region 2   St. Mary's vs. Midland Dow   Region 3   Dexter vs. Carlson   Region 4   Grosse Pointe South vs. Groves

Things are starting to get interesting in the Division 2 bracket. Last week, things went almost exactly how I thought they would. I was a little surprised to see Bedford beat Allen Park, then a few 50/50 games that personally did not surprise me. This week, things are far more interesting. Most of these games still have a heavy favorite, but a few of them are looking like amazing matchups.