High School Football Playoff Preview

White Cloud at Beal City
Friday 7 p.m.
There’s a lot of pride on this WC team. They have had some ups and downs but they persevered and find themselves in the playoffs. 
Beal City has had no downs. The Aggies  began the season falling behind a rugged Ravenna team before pulling off a one point win. From there they never looked back, running off an undefeated season challenged only by conference rival Evart. In what proved to be the title game they handed the Wildcats their only defeat. Five of their victories came against teams playing in week 10.
White Cloud struggled against the better teams on their schedule going 0-3 against playoff bound teams and 3-0 against teams that went through the season winless. And of all the teams on their schedule this is not just one of the better squads they have taken on, it is likely the best of the bunch. The stingy Aggie defense only allowed 3 teams to score more than once and they have been masterful at controlling the ball putting together effective drives behind an intimidating o-line.
This looks to be a steep climb for the Cloud. To have a shot they would likely have to play a near perfect game, manage to not just win but dominate the turnover numbers and find a way to make some big plays.
Regardless of the outcome this team should be proud of what they have accomplished. Postseason games have been a rarity here and they have fought their way in twice in a row, equalling the number of times the school made the cut inna 44 year span from 1975 to 2019 (All teams in the state participated in the postseason in 2020). That’s huge and something to build on as the program moves forward.

Tri County at Belding
Friday 7pm
TC Coach Phil Butler will see a familiar face on the opposite side of the field when his Vikings travel to Belding. Monty Price who built a thriving program at Reed City is the head coach for the Black Knights who captured the OK Silver title.
Both teams score a lot of points with high powered quick strike offenses so this one could turn into a track meet. The teams seem pretty well matched so the  game’s outcome will probably hinge on who wins the turnover battle. 
Butler has done a masterful job with his team and they will come in prepared to fight for a week 11 game, which would more than likely mean a rematch with the Oakridge team that defeated the Vikings in the District final last year.

Montague at Reed City
Friday 7pm
The Wildcats got in with a 3-6 mark. That’s how tough the WMC Lakes Division is. The Coyotes lost a barnburner to Tri County in game 2 but no one else came close until  the regular season finale when they outlasted a stubborn Cadillac team for the overtime win. 
Last year the Wildcats came into Reed City as underdogs and knocked the Yotes out of the postseason in the District Final. This one is once again in Coyote country and the hosts are again the favorites.I would be surprised if the result was the same.
Not shocked, mind you, but surprised.
  
Kent City at Muskegon Catholic
Friday 7pm
A dozen state titles and another 3 visits to the finals are part of the football legacy of the Crusaders. Catholic played a much tougher schedule with 6 of the teams they faced  making it into the postseason. They won 5 of those games.
The Eagles schedule is considerably softer and they were blown out by the 2 best teams they played in Reed City and White Pigeon.
The Crusaders may not be adding another state title to their resume this year, but a win here would likely pit them against Reed City in what would be an intriguing matchup

Big Rapids at Whitehall
Friday 7pm
The Cards have a good team. 
The Vikings have a great team. 
To be undefeated in the WMC Lakes is no easy task and they tore through the conference outsourcing opponents 263-28.
This one could be over quickly

Ravenna at North Muskegon
Friday 7pm
A rematch from week 7 won by the Norse on the NM field. This one is also on the Norse turf. 
It’s pretty hard to beat a good team twice in a season and the Dawgs are a good team. Lot of pride on the line in this one.


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