After a big weekend in the state that did see some upsets we are back with our District final predictions. Jumping in to be a guest picker this week is Taylor High School Head Coach Micheal Pitts. Before joining Taylor as the Head Coach Pitts was an assistant at Wayne from 2008-2012, Romulus DC 2012-2018, and Wayne Memorial assistant 2019.
Last week prediction record
Josh: 8-4
Jason: 8-4
Division 1
Rockford (10-0) v Grandville (7-3)
Earlier this season these two played an exciting double overtime thriller that saw Rockford win 53-46. Since that game Rockford went on a tear beating four of the six teams since that point by double digits. It’s a different story for Grandville as they started the season 1-3 and have gone on to win six straight games. It is tough to beat a team twice and Grandville is hot.
Josh: Grandville
Jason: Rockford
Pitts: Grandville
West Bloomfield (9-1) v Detroit Catholic Central (8-2)
The defending state champs West Bloomfield Lakers are looking to get back to the title game following the departure of coach Ron Bellamy and running back Donovan Edwards. The Dillion Tatum led Lakers only slip up came in week one as they lost to Rochester Adams. For the Shamrocks of Detroit CC their losses came to De La Salle who is a frontrunner in Division two and Chippewa Valley who may have the best player in the state in running back Cephus Harris.
Josh: West Bloomfield
Jason: West Bloomfield
Pitts: West Bloomfield
Sterling Heights Stevenson (8-2) v Clinton Township Chippewa Valley (7-3)
In a rematch of a week six matchup that saw Stevenson win 36-32. For Stevenson losses to undefeated Rockford, and one loss Romeo, only loss coming to Chippewa Valley, They will look to keep pushing. For Chippewa Valley it’s a rematch of a game they lost and they will come out hungry as they know it will be hard for Stevenson to beat them a second time.
Josh: Chippewa Valley
Jason: Chippewa Valley
Pitts: Chippewa Valley
Belleville (9-1) v Canton (7-3)
After an upset victory over Saline last week canton now has their sights set toward another upset, this time over Belleville. For Belleville they edged out Ann Arbor Huron 14-10 a week ago with Freshman quarterback Bryce Underwood shining under the brightest lights he’s proved to be ready for the Playoffs.
Josh: Belleville
Jason: Belleville
Pitts:Belleville
Fordson (8-2) v Woodhaven (9-1)
Coming off of a close game a week ago Woodhaven is looking to bounce back and get a better effort from their team than the 8-6 win over Dearborn. For Fordson they are coming off of a hard fought victory in overtime against Cass Tech. In this game watch for a matchup between two D1 athletes. Cornell Perry (Syracuse) and Antonio Gates Jr (Michigan State) Perry should be shadowing Gates when Woodhaven is on defense. Which D1 athlete will come out on top?
Josh: Fordson
Jason: Fordson
Pitts: Fordson
Division 2
Traverse City Central (9-1) v Bay City Western (8-2)
Following a 20 point loss to DeWitt in week one Traverse City Central ran through the rest of their schedule as they went 9-0 since that loss. For Traverse City Central they were led by Carson Bourdo and Josh Burnham(Notre Dame). Bay City Western got to where they are due to a high powered offense scoring 46 points per game.
Josh: Traverse City Central
Jason: Traverse City Central
Pitts: Traverse City Central
Caledonia (9-1) v Muskegon Mona Shores (8-2)
In a rematch of last year’s regional matchup that saw Mona Shores win that one. This year is different though as Caledonia is better suited for the matchup as they have only allowed 12.2 points per game on defense this year compared to 31.7 a season ago. For Mona Shores they will try to triple up on the average score allowed by Caledonia.
Josh: Mona Shores
Jason: Mona Shores
Pitts: Mona Shores
Livonia Churchill (8-2) v Livonia Franklin (5-5)
In a cross town battle Churchill and Franklin will meet for a second time this season. The first time around, Churchill beat Franklin by a final of 42-14. Can Franklin repay the favor this time?
Josh: Churchill
Jason: Franklin
Pitts: Churchill
De La Salle (9-0) v Grosse Pointe South (6-4)
De La Salle has flexed its muscle this season averaging 38.5 points in what many around the school thought was going to be a down year for the team. For Grosse Pointe South defense has been their calling card led by Will Johnson(Michigan) they are only giving up 15 points a game. What will break first the offense of De La Salle or the defense of Grosse Point South?
Josh: De La Salle
Jason: De La Salle
Pitts: De La Salle
Division 3
DeWitt (9-1) v Mount Pleasant (10-0)
DeWitt is looking to keep the winning ways on track as they look to go for their eighth straight playoff win. Mount Pleasant has already won a playoff game which is more than they can say over the last two seasons, which is also the last time they started the season 10-0.
Josh: DeWitt
Jason: DeWitt
Pitts: DeWitt
Detroit Martin Luther King (9-1) v River Rouge (7-2)
Rouge will play King in the playoffs once again dating back to the 2018-19 season they are tied at one a piece. King will look to grab the upper hand and avenge the 33-30 loss from a season ago. Rouge is looking to make it to their third straight finals appearance.
Josh: MLK
Jason: MLK
Pitts: MLK
Game of the Week
Carlson (9-1) v Allen Park (8-2)
Allen Park and Carlson will meet once more this season. In the first matchup that came in week three Allen Park came out of that one on top 42-14. A Fumble on the first drive by Carlson and a broken coverage right before half that allowed Allen Park to score were key plays in the Allen Park victory. For Allen Park they are led by MVP candidate Ethan Gajewski who said “We can’t make any mistakes,” when asked about what they need to do to make it to the Regional round. For Carlson they are also led by an MVP candidate in Cody Britt who said “We have to come out as the best version of ourselves,” that wasn’t the case in week three as Britt also said “We aren’t the same team as we were in week three.”
Josh: Allen Park
Jason: Allen Park
Pitts: Carlson