A few teams are left
Mid-Michigan still well represented.
There are a few teams left in the Mid-Michigan area as far as the MHSAA football state playoffs are concerned.
In fact, 11 Mid-Michigan area teams are still alive, with five of those teams hosting games either this Friday night or Saturday afternoon. In fact, one team is even hosting a home game for the first time after winning their first two playoff games on the road. Here's a closer look at this weekend's games, starting in Division 2.
Division 2
Davison (8-3) at Midland (9-2)-F7: At first look, it might appear that the Big Nine-champion Cardinals are over matched against the Chemics, who were the co-champions of the of the SVL. But a cloeser look at Davison's schedule shows that their only losses were to fellow playoff qualifiers, Lowell, Rockford and Holt.
Still, the game is in Midland.
PICK: Chemics 19, Cardinals 8
Division 3
Mt. Pleasant (8-3) at East Grand Rapids (10-1)-S1: Being that both of the my parents are MPHS grads, and because my father was a starting DL for two years for the Oilers (1960-61); I don't like to pick against Mt. Pleasant. I don't care if the Pioneers have the better record.
PICK: Oilers 34, Pioneers 31
Division 4
Marine City (10-1) at Alma (11-0)-F7:30: The Panthers' QB Adam Follett won a championship a year ago as a junior before transfering to Alma for his senior season.
I don't if that will be the case again, but he won't lose just yet.
PICK: Panthers 21, Mariners 18
Division 5
Standish-Sterling (10-1) vs. Menominee (11-0) at Gaylord H.S.-S2: The Panthers look like a solid team, especially after they shutdown Frankenmuth in week one. But the Maroons are the defending D5 State Champs, and they appear to be headed that way again.
PICK: Maroons 42, Panthers 21
Chesaning (8-3) at Madison Heights Madison (11-0)-S1: The Indians' Joe Bitterman pulled a little more than a rabbit out of his magic hat in last week's thrilling 29-28 win over Millington. Unfortunately for coach Jim Szappan, the Eagles are unbeaten and Bitterman's magic may be used up.
PICK: Eagles 35, Indians 14
Division 6
Sanford-Meridian (8-3) at Saginaw Nouvel (7-3)-F7: After back-to-back wins on the road against Reese and St. Charles, Nouvel gets a home game against the Mustangs. Really....did anyone actually think that this was going to be a rebuilding year for the Panthers.
PICK: Panthers 28, Mustangs 7
Division 7
Merrill (9-2) at Harbor Beach (11-0)-S1: The Pirates carry the banner as the lone Thumb team left in the playoffs, and they show no sign of letting it fall just yet.
PICK: Pirates 22, Vandals 12
Division 8
Frankfort (9-2) at Beal City (9-2)-F7: The Aggies only losses came in close contests with Clare (9-0) and Marion (13-12), both of whom are bigger schools than Beal City. That kind of competition helps come playoff time.
PICK: Aggies 29, Panthers 21
What about the ladies?
Even though nothing has been written about it here in a while, volleyball is still going on around here. And we don't want to be viewed as not caring about the plights of the ladies in the Tuscola County area, it's just that here, we look at high school volleyball like the NHL. The regular season is fun to watch, but the real action heats up come playoff time.
Regional action kicks off this Saturday, and five area teams are still alive. There are three who were expected to be here, and two Cinderella teams.
Class A: North Branch is the number one team in the state in Class A and should have no problem winning the Regional title this weekend at Bay City Western.
Class B: At Williamston, Frankenmuth once again has a District Title, thanks to the stellar play of Nicole Bade and Heather Schultz. The surprising team here is Caro. This is the first-ever appearance for the Lady Tigers program at the Regional level, which would be surprising if not for the proven winner who is the coach. Bob Tobey has been coaching high school volleyball for more than twenty years, building a great program in Millington before taking over the reigns at Caro a few years back. It could come down to the Eagles and the Tigers in the Regional finals, but Frankenmuth should win and move on.
Class C: At Carrollton, Marlette's Jenna Lange and her team look to win a Regional title, and should get their most challenging game of the year when they face Saginaw-Valley Lutheran in their opener. If Lange has a good game, they might just find themselves squaring off against fellow-GTE team Ubly in the Regional finals. Lange almost had 1,000 kills in the regular season, and it appear that she and her team has enough to get by here.
Class D: At Bay City All Saints, it would appear that Akron-Fairgrove's season will end this Saturday, as the Vikings face Genesee Christian in their Regional opener. Still, it was a great season for coach Judy Campbell and her team, as they captured the school's first indoor league and District title since 1993. Great job!
There are a few teams left in the Mid-Michigan area as far as the MHSAA football state playoffs are concerned.
In fact, 11 Mid-Michigan area teams are still alive, with five of those teams hosting games either this Friday night or Saturday afternoon. In fact, one team is even hosting a home game for the first time after winning their first two playoff games on the road. Here's a closer look at this weekend's games, starting in Division 2.
Division 2
Davison (8-3) at Midland (9-2)-F7: At first look, it might appear that the Big Nine-champion Cardinals are over matched against the Chemics, who were the co-champions of the of the SVL. But a cloeser look at Davison's schedule shows that their only losses were to fellow playoff qualifiers, Lowell, Rockford and Holt.
Still, the game is in Midland.
PICK: Chemics 19, Cardinals 8
Division 3
Mt. Pleasant (8-3) at East Grand Rapids (10-1)-S1: Being that both of the my parents are MPHS grads, and because my father was a starting DL for two years for the Oilers (1960-61); I don't like to pick against Mt. Pleasant. I don't care if the Pioneers have the better record.
PICK: Oilers 34, Pioneers 31
Division 4
Marine City (10-1) at Alma (11-0)-F7:30: The Panthers' QB Adam Follett won a championship a year ago as a junior before transfering to Alma for his senior season.
I don't if that will be the case again, but he won't lose just yet.
PICK: Panthers 21, Mariners 18
Division 5
Standish-Sterling (10-1) vs. Menominee (11-0) at Gaylord H.S.-S2: The Panthers look like a solid team, especially after they shutdown Frankenmuth in week one. But the Maroons are the defending D5 State Champs, and they appear to be headed that way again.
PICK: Maroons 42, Panthers 21
Chesaning (8-3) at Madison Heights Madison (11-0)-S1: The Indians' Joe Bitterman pulled a little more than a rabbit out of his magic hat in last week's thrilling 29-28 win over Millington. Unfortunately for coach Jim Szappan, the Eagles are unbeaten and Bitterman's magic may be used up.
PICK: Eagles 35, Indians 14
Division 6
Sanford-Meridian (8-3) at Saginaw Nouvel (7-3)-F7: After back-to-back wins on the road against Reese and St. Charles, Nouvel gets a home game against the Mustangs. Really....did anyone actually think that this was going to be a rebuilding year for the Panthers.
PICK: Panthers 28, Mustangs 7
Division 7
Merrill (9-2) at Harbor Beach (11-0)-S1: The Pirates carry the banner as the lone Thumb team left in the playoffs, and they show no sign of letting it fall just yet.
PICK: Pirates 22, Vandals 12
Division 8
Frankfort (9-2) at Beal City (9-2)-F7: The Aggies only losses came in close contests with Clare (9-0) and Marion (13-12), both of whom are bigger schools than Beal City. That kind of competition helps come playoff time.
PICK: Aggies 29, Panthers 21
What about the ladies?
Even though nothing has been written about it here in a while, volleyball is still going on around here. And we don't want to be viewed as not caring about the plights of the ladies in the Tuscola County area, it's just that here, we look at high school volleyball like the NHL. The regular season is fun to watch, but the real action heats up come playoff time.
Regional action kicks off this Saturday, and five area teams are still alive. There are three who were expected to be here, and two Cinderella teams.
Class A: North Branch is the number one team in the state in Class A and should have no problem winning the Regional title this weekend at Bay City Western.
Class B: At Williamston, Frankenmuth once again has a District Title, thanks to the stellar play of Nicole Bade and Heather Schultz. The surprising team here is Caro. This is the first-ever appearance for the Lady Tigers program at the Regional level, which would be surprising if not for the proven winner who is the coach. Bob Tobey has been coaching high school volleyball for more than twenty years, building a great program in Millington before taking over the reigns at Caro a few years back. It could come down to the Eagles and the Tigers in the Regional finals, but Frankenmuth should win and move on.
Class C: At Carrollton, Marlette's Jenna Lange and her team look to win a Regional title, and should get their most challenging game of the year when they face Saginaw-Valley Lutheran in their opener. If Lange has a good game, they might just find themselves squaring off against fellow-GTE team Ubly in the Regional finals. Lange almost had 1,000 kills in the regular season, and it appear that she and her team has enough to get by here.
Class D: At Bay City All Saints, it would appear that Akron-Fairgrove's season will end this Saturday, as the Vikings face Genesee Christian in their Regional opener. Still, it was a great season for coach Judy Campbell and her team, as they captured the school's first indoor league and District title since 1993. Great job!
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