MHSAA Football Playoffs – 2nd Round

By Matt DeVries / @DeVries_Matt

The 1st Round did not disappoint. Round 2 will surely bring just as much excitement from both Saginaw Valley League and area schools alike. Local team fared well with four of the six SVL schools advancing in the postseason, with the two schools who were eliminated, fell at the hands of a conference counterpart (Davison, Midland).

Read below as two games can be heard on ESPN 100.9-FM this weekend, along with many others being brought to you by other local radio and internet outlets.

DIVISION 1: Romeo (9-1) @ Lapeer (10-0), Friday 7pm, US 103.1 FM

It was closer than some might have thought, but Lapeer made it through their rematch with Davison in the 1st Round with a 36-24 win at home. After falling to Clarkston in the district finals last year, the Lightning will be looking to advanced to the regional this season when they welcome one-loss Romeo to their barn.

“It’s a great playoff win,” Lapeer coach Mike Smith told MLive.com following the game. “We played Davison in back-to-back games. They played better in this one. We had three or four fumbles we have to clean up. But it’s definitely nice to have a playoff win.”

This won’t be Lapeer’s first rodeo with Romeo in their short two-year history as combined Lapeer East and West. The Lightning and Bulldogs met in a pre-district matchup in 2014 with Lapeer prevailing 23-15.

Romeo, who has qualified for the playoffs 12 consecutive years and 14 out of the last 15, was undefeated heading into Week 9 this season. But they were tripped up by perennial powerhouse Utica Eisenhower 17-14 to finish the regular season 8-1.

A win against Clarkston in their pre-district game last week sets up their matchup Friday, with the winner advancing to the Division 1 Regionals where they’ll meet the winner of Novi (6-4) and Detroit Catholic Central (8-2).

DIVISION 2: Dow (9-1) @ Fenton (9-1), Friday 6:30pm, ESPN 100.9-FM

The Midland Chemics showed a lot more intensity during pre-game warm-ups than they did a week prior. However, come kickoff it didn’t much matter as the Dow Chargers rolled 42-7 in their pre-district replay of the city championship.

It’s been well-documented the run Dow has been on since stumbling out of the gate in Week 1 against Mt. Pleasant. The Chargers have since rattled off nine wins in a row and are looking to advance past the 2nd Round for the first time since 1997 (they lost to Farmington Hills Harrison in the state finals that year 21-6). 

Dow and Fenton have played two times in their history, with each school winning once (Fenton won 24-0 in 2010; Dow won 30-21 in 2013) . The Tigers have won five consecutive Flint Metro League titles, including this year, which is the second-longest streak in conference history. Fenton is playing in its eight straight postseason and collected its last Division 2 district title in 2011 with a win against Okemos. The Tigers fell to Davison in the first week of the season 29-26, but have since also won nine games in a row. 

With a record of 44-9 of the last five seasons, Fenton has built themselves into a consistent contender in Division 2. The winner of Friday night’s matchup will advance to the Division 2 Regionals to face the winner of Walled Lake Western (10-0) and Birmingham Groves (10-0). If Dow were to advance, they would be on the road.

DIVISION 3: Petoskey (8-2) @ Mt. Pleasant (8-2), Saturday 12:30pm, ESPN 100.9-FM

Questions were being asked of Mt. Pleasant throughout the regular season with some thinking they may have been overrated. However, injuries played a major role with key players Kalebb Perry and Obie Ricumstrict missing time. The Oilers dropped back-t0-back games in the middle of their schedule to Midland and Lapeer, but got their playoff campaign underway with a comfortable 24-3 win against Gaylord last week. This excerpt from a feature by Paul Beroza of The Morning Sun gives you an idea of how ready the Oilers are for a rematch against Petoskey. 

With Perry showing off his dual threat ability at quarterback – he will play wide receiver in college – and Hunter Buczkowski battery-ramming through defenses at running back, Mt. Pleasant is certainly in good hands as it takes the first steps towards postseason glory. Add in the other 25 seniors on the roster as well, all with a sour taste in their mouths after getting bounced from the playoffs by Petoskey, 20-14, in districts last season, and it’s easy to see why the Oilers believe they’re perfectly positioned to book a long trip through the postseason. 

The Northmen have put together back-to-back successful regular seasons going 7-2 in 2014 and 2015. Petoskey eliminated Mt. Pleasant last year in the playoffs with 20-14 win, but fell to Muskegon the next week in the regionals. This is the Northmen’s seventh appearance in the last 10 seasons.

The winner of this matchup will move on and play in the Division 3 Regionals where the winner of East Grand Rapids (7-3) and Zeeland East (7-3) awaits. If the Oilers were to advance, they would host the game at Community Memorial Stadium.

DIVISION 4: Lake Fenton (6-4) @ Powers Catholic (8-2), Friday 7pm, 1470AM WFNT

After Friday’s 41-0 win at Goodrich, Flint Powers players weren’t afraid to admit that MLive’s Beat the Elite predictions is what motivated them to win. Powers was picked to lose 24-14 but ended up shutting out the home team with a strong performance. Flint Powers entered halftime with a comfortable 35-0 lead then a running clock was applied for the entire third and fourth quarters.

An excerpt from MLive.com above details the situation heading into last week’s pre-district game for Powers Catholic against favored Goodrich. The Chargers flipped the script and turned the game on its head. Powers at one point, made the playoffs nine consecutive seasons from 1999-2007. Since that time, the Chargers have now advanced to the postseason in consecutive seasons. Powers did play Dow close on the road in Week 5, only losing 35-30.

Safe to say, Lake Fenton was not expected to beat a one-loss Corunna school last week, but proved the doubters wrong with a hard-fought 29-27 win on the road. The Blue Devils have taken their licks, including a three-game losing streak to Flint Beecher, Goodrich and Corunna before salvaging a playoff spot with a 39-14 win against Williamston.

The game will be played at historic Atwood Stadium in Flint, with the winner then heading on the road for their Division 4 Regional game against the winner of Richmond (9-1) and Notre Dame Prep (8-2) next week.

OTHER AREA GAMES

DIVISION 5: Frankenmuth (9-1) at Freeland (10-0), Friday 6:45pm, Great Lakes Sports Network

DIVISION 6: Sanford Meridian (10-0) at Ithaca (10-0), Friday 7pm, WQBX 104.9/1280 WFYC

DIVISION 7: McBain (7-3) at Saginaw Nouvel (9-1), Friday 6:45pm, Great Lakes Sports Network

DIVISION 7: Cass City (8-2) at Sandusky (10-0), Friday 7pm

DIVISION 7: Flint Beecher (7-2) at New Lothrop (10-0), Friday 7pm

DIVISION 8: Muskegon Catholic Central (7-2) at Beal City (9-1), Friday 7pm

DIVISION 8: Fowler (7-3) at Michigan Lutheran Seminary (9-1), Friday 6:45pm, Great Lakes Sports Network

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