It’s officially Playoff season, and we’re kicking off the playoffs with two Division Three matchups.
River Rouge at Southgate
The Panthers of River Rouge will travel to Southgate to play the Titans in our first playoff matchup. These two teams met last year in a game that the Panthers won 41-14.
The River Rouge Panthers went 4-4 in their first year without Nick Marsh. Even though they lost Marsh, they still returned a stacked team led by McKale McDowell under center, along with a trio of Running Backs in Jakoby Cross, Jamauri Foster, and JaPaul Keith. They also return an anchor on the offensive line in Jaylen Pitts, who will look to make a big impact on offense for the Panthers. On defense, they will look to Dijon Wilson to lock down Thomas Laskowski on the outside.
The Southgate Titans will look to avoid a third straight first-round exit. Looking to make sure that they get to play in their first District final since 2011 will be Quarterback Jackson Sage, and boy has he had a year. Sage passed for 1356 yards and 14 touchdowns on the year, but his passing numbers aren’t the only thing that sticks out when you talk about Sage, as he has also been able to run the ball for 505 yards and 11 touchdowns this season. Sage’s favorite target this season has been Thomas Laskowski, who has pulled in 37 passes for 877 yards and nine touchdowns. On the defensive side of the ball, they will look to DPOY finalist Conner Ensign to add to his 92 tackles from the season.
Bear: River Rouge
Nat: River Rouge
Kirby: River Rouge
Riverview at Trenton- Game of the Week
Our Game of the Week takes us to another rematch from a year ago. Last year, Riverview won this game 27-25. Not only was it a close game last year, but both of these teams are almost a spitting image of each other as they both heavily rely on the running attack.
The Pirates of Riverview come into this game looking to make it two in a row over the Trojans of Trenton. Looking to help his team make it two in a row is Running Back Nathan Pinkava. Pinkava has done it as both a running back and as a receiver. He has run the ball 70 times this year for 1173 yards and 17 touchdowns, which is what you would expect out of the Riverview offense. What you wouldn’t expect is the six receptions for 138 yards and three more touchdowns.
The Trojans of Trenton strictly run the ball, and their main source of offense has been Ashton Rooney. This year, Rooney has moved his way into the record books, running the ball 141 times for 1361 yards and 15 touchdowns. If the Trojans hope to win this game, they will need Rooney to keep up his 9.6 yards per carry all season.
Bear: Trenton
Nat: Riverview
Kirby: Trenton