We are three weeks away from the playoffs, and with those right around the corner, we are looking at rivalry games and some games that will play a massive role in deciding League Championships.
John Glenn at Fordson
It’s a battle for second place as the Rockets of John Glenn head to take on the Tractors of Fordson. This will be the 11th meeting between the two schools. While John Glenn has won the last two meetings, Fordson holds a 6-4 advantage.
The Rockets are coming off a loss to Belleville, and honestly, who hasn’t? While the Rockets scored two touchdowns, one of the scores came from Running Back Ethan Moore. Moore had 104 yards and a score on 22 carries, and they will look for him to have a big game against a good Fordson team. On defense, Michael Gray and Garnet Cheeks led the way with five tackles each.
The Tractors have been great this year behind players like Khalil Bander and Mstafa Aljanaby. In their win last week, Bandar had himself a game as he rushed 12 times for 140 yards and two touchdowns. While Bander went off last week, the star of the show for the Tractors has been Aljanaby. Through six weeks, Aljanaby has seven touchdowns. While Bandar and Aljanaby are top of the line, they also get great production on defense from TJ Reaves and Ali Alziyadi. In last week’s win, Alziyadi finished with eight tackles and a sack, while Reaves had a forced fumble and six tackles.
Bear: Fordson
Nat: Fordson
Kirby: Fordson
Allen Park at Trenton
The Allen Park Jaguars will travel to face off against the Trojans of Trenton. This will be the 56th all-time meeting for the two schools, with Allen Park leading the series 29-24-2.
The Allen Park Jaguars enter this game at 6-0 and control their own destiny in the Downriver League. Last week, they defeated Wyandotte 23-0 behind the play of Xavier Liepe. Liepe finished the game with a touchdown and 40 yards rushing while pulling in three catches for 34 yards. If the Jaguars want to stay undefeated, they will need star player Weston Geli to get back on track and add to his team-high five touchdowns. The Jaguars will also need Quarterback Ben Klos to step up and play his best game to date if they want any chance of winning the league title.
The Trenton Trojans enter this one on top of the world after they shocked everyone and beat Carlson a week ago. They did that by players like Ashton Rooney, Drew Carson, Brock Culpepper, and Ansel Fater having big games. It was another week of the same for Rooney as he rushed for 116 yards and two touchdowns to give him a chance to crack the 1000-yard mark for the first time in his three-year career this week. Also having a big game in the win last week were Culpepper and Fater they combined for 22 tackles, a touchdown and a forced fumble.
Bear: Allen Park
Nat: Trenton
Kirby: Allen Park
Woodhaven at Carlson- Game of the Week
Woodhaven and Carlson have been heated in the past, but in the last three years, it has been all Carlson. Woodhaven holds a 14-9 series lead in 23 other meetings outside the last three years.
The Carlson Marauders are coming off their first loss in the league since September 30, 2022. That is an impressive feat, but now they will look to bounce back against a Woodhaven team that they have been able to beat up. In their loss last week, Carlson got back star Running Back Izaiah Wright, which isn’t why they lost. To help them bounce back this week will have to be the play of Wright but also of Quarterback Joe Krolak. Last week, Krolak passed for 151 yards and a touchdown. He also ran for 176 yards and a touchdown. Krolak will need to be a driving force for the Marauders to come away with a victory over their rival.
For the Woodhaven Warriors, it’s been a different story. They are sitting at 3-3 with hopes of trying to make it back to the playoffs for the first time since 2022. Last week wasn’t a great week for the Warriors, but Preston Scheffler had a decent night, throwing for 69 yards and a touchdown in the game. Receiver Mo Tyler will need to step up and be the weapon he has shown if they have any chance of winning their game this week.
Bear: Carlson
Nat: Carlson
Kirby: Woodhaven