Team District Preview: #3 Hartland/#4 Brighton showdown looms in D1

2/4/14

Wednesday, February 5^th

Division 1

108 @ Hartland
#3 Hartland
#4 Brighton
Howell
Pinckney

Every year there seems to be one district that ends the season of semifinal caliber team in premature fashion, and that is exactly what we have here. #3 Hartland is a serious contender to upend #1 Davison or #2 DCC, but they will have there hands full with #4 Brighton on Wednesday night. Brighton was slow out of the gate, but really seems to have hit their stride as of late with wins over #5 Holt and #6 Temperance Bedford. There is almost no margin of error whatsoever, but there are enough swing matches for the Bulldogs to pull off an upset. On the other hand, Hartland has a chance to make it pretty lopsided if they can win the key weights.

Prediction – Hartland +10 over Brighton

119 @ Dearborn Heights Crestwood
Dearborn Heights Crestwood
Livonia Franklin
Garden City
Dearborn

Neither Crestwood or Franklin has had an especially great season, but thanks to an extremely favorable draw, whichever emerges from this district will have a very real chance to wrestle in Battle Creek. I think Crestwood is probably the better rounded lineup, but Franklin’s Coach Chiola is a great tactician, and after the lineup moves his team made at KLAA’s I think he will have enough versatility to create the matchups necessary for a narrow win.

Prediction – Franklin +3 over Crestwood

124 @ Temperance Bedford
#7 Temperance Bedford
Brownstown Woodhaven
Monroe
Ypsilanti-Lincoln

Bedford seems to be reeling a bit, and Woodhaven seems to be really hitting their stride, so I think there is upset potential here. Monroe is tough as well, but, like Bedford, they seem to have faded a bit since midseason. Woodhaven would probably need at least one if not two significant individual upset to make it happen, but an upset is not out of the question

Prediction – Bedford +10 over Woodhaven

129 @ Anchor Bay
D1 #10 Macomb Dakota
Anchor Bay
L’Anse Creuse North

This is not a particularly deep region, and as it stands know Anchor Bay appears to be the only serious contender to knock off #10 Dakota. From 160 up Anchor Bay is no match for Dakota, but if the rest of the lineup can step up and sweep the key matches down low they are capable to make this an extremely tight dual.

Prediction – Dakota +15 over Anchor Bay

Division 3

173 @ Muskegon Orchard View
Shelby
Whitehall
Muskegon Orchard View

The talent distribution is far more even in D3 than D1, or any other division for that matter, so there isn’t much in the way of team state implications this week. All the top 10 teams will advance through districts with little trouble. This will be the best matchup between a pair of very competitive programs who are very familiar with each other. They have met twice this season with each side winning one dual, and both were decided by 2 points or less. However, the winner will be tasked with #4 Grand Rapids CC this week, so their BC prospects are not particularly good.

Prediction – Whitehall +1 over Shelby

Thursday, February 6^th

Division 2

149-2 Niles
#4 Niles
Stevensville Lakeshore
St. Joseph

Stevensville Lakeshore has been banged up badly all year, and even lost to St. Joseph for the first time in quite a few years. However, they seem to finally have all their pieces in place. They are not nearly as well-round as #4 Niles, but they have enough indidividual talent to make this a very competitive dual. Niles won by 27 when they met a couple weeks back, and while I don’t Lakeshore has enough to erase that margin, I do think they will cut it in half.

Prediction – Niles +14 over Lakeshore

163 @ Ortonville Brandon
#5 Ortonville Brandon
#9 Holly
Lapeer West
Lapeer East

Without a doubt this is the district to watch in D2. #5 Brandon has had themselves a spectacular season, but it will take their best to extend it. #9 Holly is really hitting their stride, and fell short by 6 when the team’s met a couple weeks back. The teams saw each other again at their league meet last weekend, so expect another barn burner between these familiar foes with the winner likely to advance through regionals to BC.

Prediction – Ortonville Brandon +5 over Holly

Divison 4

207-4 Breckenridge
#10 St. Louis
Blanchard Montabella
Middleton Fulton
Breckenridge

Montabella was ranked for the first half of the season, but they have been hampered by injury, and were eventually knocked out of the rankings than none other than #10 St. Louis. I imagine a lot of this dual will come down to how complete the Montabella lineup is, which is hard to know at the moment.  Whoever wins will have a good shot at BC, but will have to get through a very solid Kent City team next week.

Prediction – Blanchard Montabella +3

216-4 Decatur
#5 Lawton
#9 Decatur
Marcellus

Without a doubt D4’s premier matchup, whoever comes out on top should have little trouble taking care of business at regionals next week. A few weeks back in an SAC showdown Lawton came out on top by 22. There are enough winnable matchups are there for Decatur to avenge the loss, but they have no margin for error.

Prediction – Lawton +16 over Decatur

COMMENTS

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robert jones

OVER 9 YEARS

Congrats to the central Montcalm hornets on their 2nd consecutive district championship

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robert jones

OVER 9 YEARS

Don't forget the Carson City Eagles are in the same region as kent city and montebella

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