After a great first week of the High School Football season, we head to an action-packed week two of the football season. Here are the games that catch our eye, along with our picks
Southgate at Allen Park- Allen Park High School
Both teams come into this one sitting at 1-0 in the Downriver League. Last week, Southgate opened the season at Wayne State in the Xenith Prep Kickoff Classic against Trenton, while Allen Park beat Taylor. For Southgate, it took a last-second touchdown for them to come up with a 27-26 victory, and Allen Park beat Taylor 30-8.
There are plenty of storylines in this one. You have yet another matchup in this rivalry game, with Allen Park owning a 27-7 lead in the series, with the last Southgate victory coming back in 2010. This will also be the third year for Southgate under former Allen Park Defensive Coordinator Bobby Martin so it will be another battle between teacher and student.
Southgate will again lean on Jackson Sage and Thomas Laskowski to try and lead the team to their first 2-0 start since 2018. The Jaguars broke in a new Quarterback last week in Ben Klos. Against a team like Taylor, which is easy this week against Southgate, Klos will have to lean on returners Quintin Liepe, Weston Glei, and Brody Matelic.
Will the connection between Sage and Laskowski be enough to overpower the Jaguars, or will a new-looking offensive unit led by Klos be enough for the Jaguars to pounce on the Titans?
Bear: Allen Park
Nat: Southgate
Kirby: Allen Park
Mona Shores at River Rouge- River Rouge High School
River Rouge will welcome Mona Shores in a battle of first-time foes. Both teams started the season 1-0. It’s been a long time since either team has gone 2-0 in a season. For Mona Shores, the last time was in 2020, when they went 12-0 en route to a State Title. For River Rouge, it’s been longer; the last time they managed to do that was in 2015 when they went 12-2, and they made it to Ford Field and came up just short of a State Title.
In the win over Westland John Glenn last week, River Rouge relied heavily on the run game last week as Jamauri Foster scored three times behind one of the best offensive lines in the state. River Rouge will look to get Quarterback McKale McDowell more active in the game this week.
Mona Shores will be making the three-hour trip to take on River Rouge. They leaned on Senior Quarterback Jonathan Pittman in the win over Grand Blanc a week ago. Pittman has been Mona Shores’ guy under center for the last three years, and his experience paid off as he did it, leading the way by rushing and being able to pass the ball. It wasn’t just Pittman who showed out for Mona Shores; Tomarion Steward also helped in the rushing attack.
Will the three-hour tour be enough to send the Sailors of Mona Shores off course, or will the Panthers of River Rouge get seasick after going toe to toe with the Sailors?
Bear: River Rouge
Nat: River Rouge
Kirby: River Rouge
De La Salle at Detroit MLK-Detroit MLK High School-Game of the Week
De La Salle will play Detroit Martin Luther King for the seventh time in the two schools’ storied history and the first time since the 2017 State Semifinal, which was won by De La Salle 14-13. Last week, both teams won their respective games at the Xenith Prep Kickoff Classic. De La Salle beat Davison 21-3, and Martin Luther King overtook Cleveland Heights by a final of 25-21.
For Martin Luther King in the win, they relied heavily on Running Back Michael Dukes in the win. However, that wasn’t the only way they were able to get things, as quarterback Darryl Flemister was able to use his arm to help in the win.
While De La Salle won, the final score was closer than it looked. De La Salle trailed at half but managed to edge out Davison with the help of Anthony Bitonti. Bitonti was the spark that De La Salle needed as he scored all three touchdowns, and he was the driving factor as he took a bad snap on a punt and turned it into a giant gain that set up his first touchdown of the game.
Will De La Salle push it to two straight victories over Martin Luther King, or will home-field advantage give Martin Luther King a third victory in this series?
Bear: De La Salle
Nat: MLK
Kirby: MLK