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Playoff Preview and Pick

We are back with our playoff picks for the first round of the playoffs. This week, we are joined by Lincoln Park High School Head Coach Chad Bonmon. In the regular season, our trio of experts finished like this: Bear: 15-10, Nat 13-12, Kirby 15-10. We didn’t have a guest picker in the regular season. 

Division One 

Kalamazoo Central at Howell

This will be the first meeting between the two schools. 

Bear: Howell

Nat: Howell

Kirby: Howell

Coach Bonmon: Howell

Ann Arbor Pioneer at Belleville 

This will be the third time these two schools have met. The other two times, Pioneer came out on top. The last time they met was in the 2015 Playoffs, in a game that Pioneer won 22-7. 

Bear: Belleville 

Nat: Belleville

Kirby: Belleville

Coach Bonmon: Belleville

Saline at Northville

This will be the third time these two schools have met, with the series tied at one game each. The teams last met in 2005, when Saline won 40-13. 

Bear: Saline

Nat: Northville

Kirby: Saline

Coach Bonmon: Saline

Livonia Stevenson at Detroit Catholic Central

This will be the ninth time these two schools have met. Catholic Central leads the series 7-1, with the last one coming in the 2017 playoffs, a game that Catholic Central won 24-7. 

Bear:  CC

Nat: CC

Kirby: CC

Coach Bonmon: CC

Sterling Heights Stevenson at Detroit Cass Tech 

This will be the third time that the two schools have met. Stevenson leads the series 2-0, with the last game coming in 2019, which Stevenson won 9-7.

Bear: Cass Tech

Nat: Cass Tech

Kirby: Cass Tech

Coach Bonmon: Cass Tech

Dearborn at Dearborn Fordson 

This will be the 48th meeting between the cross-town rivals, a set that Fordson leads 33-14. The last meeting came in week five of this season, a game Fordson won 14-10. 

Bear: Fordson

Nat: Fordson

Kirby: Fordson

Coach Bonmon: Dearborn 

Division Two

South Lyon East at Dexter 

This will only be the second time Dexter will face off with South Lyon East. These two schools last met in 2017 in a game in which South Lyon East won 42-13.

Bear: Dexter

Nat: Dexter

Kirby: Dexter

Coach Bonmon: Dexter

Milford at East Lansing 

These two schools have met once before. That meeting was in the 2021 playoffs, a game that East Lansing won 27-0. 

Bear: Milford

Nat: East Lansing

Kirby: Milford 

Coach Bonmon: East Lansing 

Temperance Bedford at Gibraltar Carlson 

This will be the fifth meeting between Carlson and Bedford. Bedford holds a 3-1 lead all-time. The last time these two schools played each other came in 1989, in which Bedford won 31-7. 

Bear: Carlson

Nat: Carlson

Kirby: Bedford 

Coach Bonmon: Carlson

Livonia Franklin at Allen Park

This will be the first meeting between the two schools. 

Bear: Allen Park

Nat: Franklin

Kirby: Franklin 

Coach Bonmon: Franklin

Warren De La Salle at Port Huron Northern

This will be the third time that the two schools have met, with De La Salle winning both previous games. The last time these two met was back in the 2018 playoffs, a game that De La Salle won 21-3. 

Bear: De La Salle

Nat: Port Huron Northern

Kirby: De La Salle

Coach Bonmon: De La Salle

Division Three

River Rouge at Southgate

This will be the sixth time Southgate and River Rouge have met, with River Rouge leading the series 3-2. The last time these two schools faced off was in the 2023 playoffs, a game that River Rouge won 47-14. 

Bear: River Rogue

Nat: River Rouge

Kirby: River Rouge 

Coach Bonmon: River Rouge

Riverview at Trenton

This will be the 28th meeting between the two schools. Trenton leads the series 15-12. The last meeting was in the playoffs last year, and Riverview won 27-25. 

Bear: Trenton

Nat: Riverview

Kirby: Trenton 

Coach Bonmon: Riverview

Warren Fitzgerald at Detroit Martin Luther King

This will be the second meeting between the two schools, with Martin Luther King winning the only other meeting in the 2021 playoffs by a final score of 55-12. 

Bear: MLK

Nat: MLK

Kirby: MLK

Coach Bonmon: MLK

Division Four

Divine Child at Madison Heights Lamphere

This will be the first meeting between the two schools. 

Bear: Divine Child

Nat: Lamphere

Kirby: Divine Child

Coach Bonmon: Divine Child

Harper Woods at Redford Union

This will be the third all-time meeting between the two schools, with Harper Woods holding a 2-0 lead. The last game came in week one of the season, a game that Harper Woods won 43-21. 

Bear: Harper Woods 

Nat: Redford Union

Kirby: Redford Union 

Coach Bonmon: Harper Woods 

Division Five 

Detroit Denby at Flat Rock

This will be the first meeting between the two schools. 

Bear: Flat Rock 

Nat: Flat Rock

Kirby: Flat Rock

Coach Bonmon: Flat Rock 

Detroit Voyageur at Summit Academy 

This will be the sixth all-time meeting between the two schools, with Summit holding a 4-1 series lead. They played last in week 8 of the regular season with Voyageur winning it 28-9. 

Bear: Voyageur 

Nat: Voyageur 

Kirby: Summit 

Coach Bonmon: Voyageur 

Division Six

Dearborn Heights Robichaud at Jackson Lumen Christi 

This will be the first meeting between the two schools. 

Bear:  Lumen Christi 

Nat: Lumen Christi 

Kirby:  Lumen Christi 

Coach Bonmon: Lumen Christi 

Division Eight 

Allen Park Cabrini at Riverview Gabriel Richard

This will be the 49th all-time meeting between the two schools, with Gabriel Richard leading the series 28-19-1. The last time these two faced off was in the playoffs last year, in a game in which Gabriel Richard won 50-14.  

Bear: Gabriel Richard 

Nat: Gabriel Richard 

Kirby: Gabriel Richard 

Coach Bonmon: Gabriel Richard

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