Football Preview Week IV

Mystery Ref has denied that his goal is to become the oldest active official

By Ken DeLaat, N3 Sports

Newaygo at Tri County
Whaddya got Lions?
With Coach Munger,who knows a bit about winning football games (338 and counting we believe) on the sidelines, the Lions have run off a 3-0 start and find themselves involved in an early season game with (gasp!) possible title implications. The win over Grant was expected by most but the week before they bested a tough Hornet team  in their hive, a game that could have been a turning point for a team that seems to be going into games convinced they can win. 
Friday is the first of two games against teams at venues that can be, shall we say, less than inviting for visitors.This is a tough one. The Vikes are always a handful on their home turf and  Coach Butler’s point-a-minute offense presents a challenge. But they haven’t faced a defense like Newaygo yet.
And the Lions seem to be getting better as the season progresses and that’s on Coach Munger and his staff. It’s a team that certainly has some talent, but when you get players to truly, not just verbally, believe in themselves?
Anything is possible.
Add: The Lions are ranked #9 in D6 in the latest AP poll. 
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Fremont at Grant
The N3 Packer Prognosticator is back this week and tells us Fremont will get off the schneid when they visit Grant Friday. A bold prediction given that the Tigers have been outscored 96-6 the past 2 games, but hey, we’re just happy to have him back.
Grant may have a couple of wins on their remaining schedule but I would be surprised if this was one. The Packers, despite an 0-3 start, have fared better than the Tigers against tougher competition. This is Fremont’s  opportunity to get the offense on track and develop  some traction.
The Tigers are having trouble stopping teams. Even the anemic K-ville offense scored three times on the defense and turnovers and errors have stifled too many drives. Not saying they couldn’t win this one with a break here and there,  but the PP guy says 2 TDs and I’d be surprised if it was that close.

Lakeview at White Cloud
Jayden Robinson and a strong supporting cast put on quite the show last Friday in a hard fought battle with Hesperia. The officials likely lost a few pounds from having to sprint up and down the field repeatedly in this 78 point, 11 touchdown contest.
Now the Indians welcome in Lakeview for their first conference game.
The Wildcats have been outscored 130-19 in their first 3 but the teams they played are a trio of pretty good squads who are each  likely to play a game 10.
The issue for the Cloud is the defense. Granted facing a QB like Blake Sayer is no picnic, but my hunch is there were too many big plays allowed for Coach Trice to be too happy with their performance.
I like the offensive talent on this team. Robinson is the centerpiece but this team has a lot of people who can score. They should be able to send fans home happy if those big plays don’t detour them.

North Muskegon at Hesperia
Coach Fehler’s youthful players from last year have become a solid team particularly on offense. Blake Sayer should be up for an Oscar for the amount of time he's been  watched on film by upcoming opponents. Defensively there are too many holes and a good offense will exploit those holes.
The Norsemen have a good offense. A really, really good offense. They have one of the toughest non conference schedules around and NM took down a high octane Mason County Central team last week They have 3 tough games coming up after this one and could be caught looking ahead, but that’s not likely with a program that has come to see the playoffs as an annual event in recent years. 
Sayer will see a lot more pressure than he has thus far this season, but he’s a gamer and won’t be easy to bring down. However, unless the Panthers have somehow revamped their defense, particularly against the pass, they will need a lot of things to go their way to capture this one.
Hopefully Ms. Mey will get an opportunity to tack on a few PAT’s for the Panthers.

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