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Division 1 and Division 2 playoff analysis, complete with district winners, semifinalist and champions
Today I will look at the Division 1 and Division 2 playoffs in football and analyze the teams I believe will get to the semifinals and why.
Division 1
Saline doesn’t need any help to reach the semifinals but the Hornets’ district is made to order. Monroe won’t offer much opposition this week and the winner of the Belleville-Ann Arbor Pioneer isn’t expected to either. Look for Pioneer to beat Belleville, though.
In the region final Saline will face Northville.
To reach the semifinals Detroit Cass Tech must defeat three teams from the MAC Red Division; Sterling Heights Stevenson and Macomb Dakota will pose problems.
The Saline-Cass Tech game should be a dandy. I’m going with Saline.
Region 1 District 1 is too cloudy to predict. All four teams are 6-3 and all are from the O-K Red Division. Let’s go with Grandville to survive.
In the other district in this region I’m going with Brighton to beat Grand Ledge in the final with the winner facing Grandville.
Regardless, I don’t see the Region 1 winner to get past the Region 2 winner.
The Clarkston-Romeo game is the best opener and the winner will play at Lapeer. I like Lapeer to advance.
The other district features West Bloomfield (9-0) but the Lakers haven’t had much success in the playoffs. Detroit Catholic Central (7-2) is good enough to upset West Bloomfield. West Bloomfield’s talent might be good enough for the Lakers to advance but I still like Lapeer.
So we have Lapeer against, let’s say West Bloomfield and I’m going to Lapeer.
Saline will defeat Lapeer in the final in what should be a high-scoring game.
Division 2
In Region 1 Muskegon Mona Shores will likely play Muskegon in one district final and Lowell should advance in the other.
The Mona Shores-Muskegon winner against Lowell will be one of the best games in any divisions.
In Region 2 I’ve got to take Walled Lake Western. If Western does reach a semifinal it will have earned it. Western plays Walled Lake Northern, a team it defeated by three points, and then will likely play Farmington Hills Harrison. In the region final Midland Dow awaits unless Fenton can pull off the upset in a district final.
I’ve got W.L. Western playing Mona Shores in a semifinal with Mona Shores advancing.
The weakest region is Region 3. I’d like to pick Jackson because it enters the playoffs playing its best now. The Vikings defeated Holt and Jackson Lumen Christi the last two weeks.
There are two sleeper teams in this region, and both are 5-4. Oak Park and Farmington both lost their last game of the regular season and both are members of the OAA White Division.
Let’s go with Jackson and take our chances.
Region 4 has Detroit King in district 1 and the Crusaders will win that easily then face either Warren De La Salle, a team it defeated 12-10 earlier, or Detroit East English Village Prep, a team King defeated 20-15. De La Salle and East English play Friday and expect De La Salle to win a close one.
Mona Shores gets to the final and, for the second year in a row, loses. King is simply too talented.
