With Pre-Regionals all wrapped up we welcome in the big dogs who earned a bye with their regular season play and a few of these WM teams have a serious chance to win the whole thing. The opening round went pretty much as we predicted for you last week with the Lowell and Spring Lake affair being a very close match-up that propelled the Red Arrows towards a showdown with top seeded and host school Forest Hills Central. We break down the Regional round below as games face-off on Wednesday.

D1 Region 1

Second seeded Rockford will play host to Hartland on Wednesday after Hartland rolled past Zeeland’s Co-Op team 17-2. The Rams will prove to be a much tougher foe for Hartland and we fully expect the Rams to advance to next weeks Regional Semis.

Grand Haven put up 19 goals in their opening round game against Vicksburg and now draws South Lyon who is seeded 3rd in this region. It will be a long drive for the Bucs tomorrow so the game plan should be rock solid and it will come down to execution for GH to advance. South Lyon doesn’t exactly light up many scoreboards but does often come up with just enough offense to win the game for their solid defense. The Bucs will need to get balls into the net to pull the upset and after the Vicksburg game many players have to be feeling good about their game.

Forest Hills Northern/Eastern is the 4 seed and will face West Ottawa after the Panthers dismantled Kalamazoo Central 17-1. These two squared off back on the 8th of May and FHN/E took home a 20-9 victory on the Panthers home field. Look for much of the same here as the disparity between these two teams is far too wide.

D2 Region 5

Top seeded Forest Hills Central is hosting this Region and will open with Lowell tomorrow at 7pm. FHC has it’s sights much deeper into this bracket and will just need to focus on the task at hand and should fend off the Arrow attack. Rangers advance.

A very intriguing game happens below FHC as Holland Christian will host Grand Rapids Christian on Thursday after their 17-3 drubbing of Battle Creek Lakeview. Christian got here via a 12-5 win over Portage Northern last Thursday. These conference foes know each other well after the May 3rd meeting that was a back and forth affair that the Maroons took in the 4th quarter with a 5-1 advantage to grab a 11-9 victory. That game was also at Holland Christian and the Eagles will be seeking revenge when it really counts.

At the bottom of the bracket we have a 3 vs 6 match-up between Mattawan and Grand Rapids Catholic Central. Mattawan is a very good and aggressive team, Catholic Central will have their hands full and I would be pretty surprised if they could pull off the upset here. Look for Mattawan to show down with Portage Central in the Regional Semis.

D2 Region 6

Top seeded East Grand Rapids draws Lapeer West and should advance easily onto the next round. East will outmatch Lapeer and maybe even Okemos in the next round.

Despite our recent absence WMA has kept and eye on the heartbeat of the High School Sports scene and we are pumped for the Boys Lacrosse Playoffs! Many local teams have high hopes and legitimate chances of bringing home some real hardware come early June. Forest Hills Central has already captured the Tier 1 crown with big wins over Forest Hills Northern/Eastern and East Grand Rapids on Friday(5-11) and Tuesday(5-15) respectively. Below is a link to the Regionals featuring WM teams with the participating teams listed below.

Division 1

Region 1 Hosted by Holt

2 Seed: Rockford, 4 Seed: FHN/E, 5 Seed: West Ottawa, 6 Seed: Grand Haven, 10 Seed: Zeeland.

Zeeland will be in action tonight against Hartland, the 7 Seed. Grand Haven draws Vicksburg on Saturday with the rest of the opening round games set for Monday (We will preview those games Monday). Look for Grand Haven to advance while Zeeland will need to jump out ahead early to gain an edge on Hartland.

Division 2

Region 5 Hosted by Forest Hills Central

1 Seed: FHC, 4 Seed: Holland Christian, 5 Seed: GR Christian, 6 Seed: GR Catholic Central, 8 Seed: Lowell, 9 Seed: Spring Lake 10 Seed: Northview, 11 Seed: Caledionia.

In this Region in early action we’re taking Lowell, GR Christian, Battle Creek Pennfield and GR Catholic Central. Yes they are all the higher seed and for valid reason. BC Penn is going to be too tough and physical for Northview. Spring Lake and Lowell will be a very nice battle to keep an eye on with Lowell taking the regular season meeting 9-5, SL will be looking for revenge.

Region 6 Hosted by Haslett

1 Seed: East Grand Rapids.

Check back on Monday for previews of those games as we welcome in the top seeds next week.

Portage Northern will play host to this Class A Regional where our boys from Ottawa Hills will be looking to take home some more hardware. Niles is coming off of beating back-to-back Class A champ Kalamazoo Central in their District opener while league rivals Okemos and Jackson will look to play spoiler.

Jackson: The Vikings enter as a team just over the .500 level but has been playing great ball of late. A decisive win over Mason on Friday has the Vikings riding high entering this game and they will look to be playing the upset. Ottawa Hills is the opening round draw here and the Bengals may recognize one of the Vikings specifically as Marquis Mondy has been a late season addition for Jackson. Mondy spent some time at Forest Hills Central over the past few seasons but is now playing for Jackson and is gathering significant minutes. Jackson is not very deep as they pretty much run their starting five at you all night but keeping and eye on the sharp shooting Jeremey Willamson will be a major point of emphasis for the Bengals.

Okemos: Chris Harrison-Docks leads Okemos as they found a way to upset Lansing Eastern in OT on Friday and escape with the District crown. Facing off with Niles in the opener will not be easy and I expect that to be a very hard fought game. Will the Okemos glass slipper crack under the pressure of the rowdy Niles fans? Athleticism will be the key here and Niles ability to keep Harrison-Docks away from the rim and charity stripe following penetration.

Ottawa Hills: The Bengals come in as the only team in this Region that was expected to win their District. Each of the other three teams pulled off some big wins that many may not have picked them to take home, such is March. Shakur Sanders and Daryl White lead this very talented and deep group down south and have hopes of advancing to Lansing next Tuesday. First Ottawa will get a Jackson team that comes in on a roll. Jumping out early will be the key for Ottawa as their defense can single handily win games, something the rest of this bracket cannot say for themselves.

Niles: The Vikings come in after hosting Districts and pulling off a pair of big wins over Kalamazoo Central and Loy Norrix in order to advance to Regionals. Niles will not have the benefit of playing at home in this round but they are the closest team to this truly neutral site. Okemos in the opener will be a true test for both of these teams as we look for who is for real and who is just happy to be here. The Vikings are a great shooting team and will make runs when the three-ball is falling for them so getting out on defense will be key in taking down this team.

I think Ottawa Hills enters this Region feeling very good about themselves. They should win games here and need to come out thinking so. Jackson in the opener will give the Bengals a chance to get comfortable and show off that stifling defense, if they find a way to fill it up on the offensive end I expect them to control the game and advance by 8 or so. Niles and Okemos should give us a great nightcap here as I feel these two teams are more equal competition for one another. If Niles can slow Harrison-Docks then they should advance. Ottawa Hills and Niles will make for a great final with the chance to play in Lansing next Tuesday, Niles will bring some fans and Ottawa Hills needs to match that challenge. I think the Bengals can get out on the Viking shooters and make them play a game that they’d rather not get involved in. Sanders has a great ability to make things happen for his teammates and I think Ottawa will advance to Quarters!

Regional 29 action at Sacred Heart High School in Mount Pleasant should be filled with interesting story lines with the likes of Tri-Unity Christian and the team they beat in last year’s state final, Fulton-Middleton. As well as Muskegon Catholic Central and Pentwater.

Team Overall Record Conf. Record Head-to-head
Tri-Unity Christian 21-2       10-0      2-0
Musk. Cath. Central 14-9        4-6       0-2
Fulton                          19-3         n/a      n/a
Pentwater                   8-14        n/a       n/a

Tri-Unity Christian- The Defenders from Tri-Unity are once again in a familiar situation. The Regionals has been almost as guaranteed as Districts for Tri-Unity the last 14 years. They will face Fulton-Middleton in the first round Monday night. The two teams met in the State Finals last season with Tri-Unity coming out on top. Look for Joey Blauwkamp to lead the Defenders to a strong victory and continue to move on.

Muskegon Catholic Central- MCC won their two district games by a combined 56 points. It’s hard to tell how good they really are playing right now as their competition has not been that great. However, MCC has been known to play tough defense and could surprise if they are taken lightly.

Fulton- Fulton comes in as a real test for Tri-Unity in the first round holding a record of 19-3. The game is set for a 6pm start time on Monday night. Look for Fulton to battle tough with the Defenders as they did last year in the state finals.
Pentwater- Pentwater was the surprise of their District as they pulled off two upsets. Pentwater enters Regionals with an 8-14 record and will be looking to spoil MCC’s run on Monday night and keep the Cinderella story alive.

Prediction
It’s hard not to go with Tri-Unity. The Defenders should take care of business on both Monday and Wednesday to make a return to the Breslin Center for the State-Semis and beyond. However, Regionals should be a little tougher and watch for Fulton to give Tri-Unity a real test on Monday followed by a much better showing from Muskegon Catholic Central than they previously showed earlier this season having two big losses to the Defenders.

Sparta hosts Class B, Region 14, and the home town fans will get at least one more opportunity to cheer on their Spartans.  Both games on Monday should be close, but the final on Wednesday could potentially get ugly.

Sparta: The Spartans get the pleasure of hosting this round of the playoffs, and the home court advantage will be a necessity if they hope to make it to the Quarter Finals.  Sparta has not been tested yet in the post season, making it through the Belding District rather easily, winning their three games by an average of 23 points.  We know the Spartans can score points, with three players averaging 10+ per game, Luke Marble (12.5), Jared Bradford (11.6) and Kory Brown (10.8)– Monday’s contest against Big Rapids should show us how they fare in closer games.

Big Rapids:  To make a run in the playoffs you need to be able to win close games, and Big Rapids has proven they can do just that.  The Cardinals won two close games as they worked their way through District play in Reed City, taking down Fremont by three and Reed City by two.  Big Rapids is on a roll right now, having won eleven straight games, dating back to late January.

Muskegon Heights: Muskegon Heights is another team in this Region that hasn’t really been tested yet, winning their three District games by an average of 28 points.  The Tigers have a potent offense, as displayed by back-to-back 70 point outputs last week.  Juwon Martin is the leader of Muskegon Heights’ offense, but he isn’t going things alone, with Deshaun Thrower and Mike Davis there to help out.  Muskegon Heights will face a test on Monday, but if they get by, they should be favorites to win this Region.

Hemlock: The Huskies have shown they can win big, dropping 81 on Midland Bullock Creek to open the playoffs.  They’ve shown they can win close, eeking past Shepard by three.  Hemlock is the one team that poses a threat to derailing Mukegon Heights’ hopes of making a trip to Lansing.  TJ Vondette’s 14.9 PPG, along with Ryan Hagerty’s 10.4 lead this squad, which has won eleven of its previous twelve contests.  Monday night’s showdown with the Tigers will likely be the showcase game in this Region.  If the Huskies knock-off Muskegon Heights, they should have little trouble with the winner of Big Rapids/Sparta

Monday night should have two very close games.  In the early game, Muskegon Heights/Hemlock should be the premiere battle of the Region.  Both the Tigers and Huskies have their eyes set on East Lansing, and fans can expect a spirited contest between the schools.  I predict this game will feature a decent amount of scoring, with both teams putting up 60+ points.  Muskegon Heights will do all they can to win, but in the end I think Hemlock will manage to keep one bucket ahead of the Tigers.  Monday’s second game, Sparta/Big Rapids, could go either way.  The Spartans have home court and the offense, but the Cardinals have shown they can win the tight games.  I predict that Big Rapids will slip by the host team of Sparta, winning yet another nail-biter.  In Wednesday’s Region Final, Hemlock will get by Big Rapids without too much trouble.

Agree with my predictions?  Think I’m totally off-base?  We’d love to hear your thoughts!  Leave us a comment below!

We have moved on to Regionals in the boys basketball tournament which means everyone here has earned their way and no easy wins are left to be had. This will certainly provide to be true in Regional 21 at Shelby. The regional features the two previous Western Michigan Conference champions in Montague(2011) and Shelby(2012) while adding to the mix district 83 winner Ithaca and district 79 champion Grand Rapids NorthPointe Christian. NorthPointe and Montague will tip at 6 PM on Monday night followed by Shelby versus Ithaca which is slated for a 7:30 start time.

Grand Rapids NorthPointe Christian – The Mustangs rolled through districts winning all three contests by double figures. This NorthPointe team can light up a scoreboard as this team has several options when it comes to scoring. Their big three in Drew Zuidema(16.2 ppg), Preston Huckaby(15.2 ppg), and Eric VanSwol(14.9 ppg) combined for a 1000 points on the season. What these young men do best is shoot the three ball as this team has knocked down 112 triples with 52 coming from Zuidema himself. The Mustangs have a lot of depth which will not allow Montague on Monday night any easy runs.

Ithaca – Ithaca just barely survived district 83 winning a tightly contested match up with Beal City last Friday night. Sometimes it’s those tough games early that propel you on a deep run and build confidence in your team. Will see if that holds true on Monday night when Ithaca will get tested right away in this regional when they square off with Shelby. Lucas Slater performed exceptionally well for Ithaca in district play scoring 41 points in their last two contests and will most likely need to do more of the same if they hope to advance out of this region.

Montague - The Wildcats got a huge win Friday night when they defeated rival North Muskegon to win a district championship. Now the challenge for Montague will be too move on from their win over the Norsemen and focus on making a run at a regional championship and another chance to avenge a pair of  regular season losses against Shelby. For Montague they will rely on their juniors who came up big in the district championship just as they have all season long in Brandon Moore and Chase Casebolt. Casebolt overcame an illness to score 17 points, 10 of which came in the fourth quarter on Friday night while Moore recorded a double-double with 19 points and 20 rebounds. This Wildcat team has seemingly gelled at the right time of the year and may just do something that was seen as more of a possibility for last years squad then this years and win a regional title.

Shelby – The Tigers record can speak for itself. When you only lose two games all season long you have high hopes  for what you can do in the post season. Shelby was untested in district play and will welcome these challenges that lie ahead. The “Big Reds” of Lucas Landis and JR James are dominant forces down low and shut down the post for the Tigers defensively causing opposing offenses to reevaluate their offensive game plan. While the “Big Reds” take care of business in the post DJ Beckman handles things from the outside as he is the best on the team at creating his own shot and shooting from the perimeter. As long as Shelby can stay healthy and keep their big three on the floor this team will have a chance to go far in pursuit of a class C title.

I expect a hard fought battle to take place between Montague and NorthPointe Christian to open up this regional on Monday night but I like the Wildcats to continue on what may be shaping up to be a remarkable tournament run. The combination of Moore and Casebolt and the way they have performed in this tournament gives me the confidence to make this pick. The one common opponent between these two this year may give some good insight into this match up as NorthPointe split with Muskegon Western Michigan Christian this year in two close contests while Montague handled the Warriors easily last Wednesday night in district play. From there I believe Ithaca will run into a bigger and stronger Shelby team that will use defense to advance to the regional final setting up another West Michigan Conference showdown. What a story it would be if Montague could once again up-end a conference foe that defeated them twice in the regular season and beat Shelby to claim a regional championship. I however don’t see this happening as I had the privilege of watching these two compete earlier in the year and too me it didn’t look like Montague matched up well with Shelby as the Tigers have more size and can control the tempo this game will be played at. My prediction is for Shelby to get the challenges they will need to prepare them for a run at the class C title and come away with a regional championship in front of their home crowd.

Feel free to discuss below in the comments section and tell us all the reasons why we’re right, as well as why we’re wrong.

Coopersville provides our neutral site for this Regional that features two of the better teams in WM with only one to survive. Godwin Heights has been throttling opponents all year long while GR Christian dropped their league to Greenville but has only lost to the Jackets, Rockford and Hudsy. Unity and Hastings will be looking to pull off a miracle.

Hastings – The Saxons finished 6th in the OK Gold!! They finnally got over the Middleville Thornapple Kellogg hump in beating the Trojans by 13 Friday night. Max Clark leads this well balanced team and can knock down the 3. That may be vital early as GRC will most likely come out in a flurry knowing that they are the better team and can win the opener early on. Hastings is shooting over 75% from the line as a team which is a very high number for HS. Weathering the Eagle storm early will be the key while also doing all they can to match the athleticism of Christian.

Unity Christian – Unity is an interesting team to me, they don’t play as brutal of a league as many OK teams yet they lost 4 OK Green games. They handed Otsego one of their three losses while handing Zeeland East its lone regular season loss only to get bounced by 16 against the Chix later in the year. A confusing team at times that struggles to put point on the board against tougher competition. They will get their toughest competition of the year in Godwin Heights who is not happy about how they closed Districts.

GR Christian - The Eagles are rolling right now, getting by East is never easy as that rivalry runs deep. As I said before Christian’s losses are to some great teams and Hastings just isn’t a great team. Last year Godwin and Christian were in the same District and the Eagles got the best of Godwin on the Wolverines home floor. This year Christian is less polished than 2011′s squad. Many young guys are playing key roles for the Eagles none maybe bigger than DaRohn Scott, the 6’8″ sophomore was inserted into the starting line-up late in the year and has flourished with increased playing time.

Godwin Heights – #teambangbang has been the best team in WM all year in my eyes and I made that statement in week 2 of the season (never had them ranked lower than #2). Kevin Badger is such a leader for this team and offense, he finds a way to pour in buckets while also setting up he teammates for easy points as well. If Godwin is knocking down three-balls then forget it, there isn’t anyone that can beat them if they are shooting well. Quantrell Hastings and Devona Guydon will have their hands full with GRC’s talent and the Wolverines lack some size but make up for it with all their intangibles.

Things should go as planned on Monday night as Godwin and GR Christian are facing off with lesser competition and if either lose it will be a SHOCKING upset. That being said we should be set for a dream match-up on Wednesday between the Wolverines and Eagles. GR Christian knocked off Godwin last year but I feel those teams have gone in opposite directions since then. Godwin is a complete team who knocks down open shots off kick outs and Kevin Badger is a beast when it comes to finding the open man. He can also provide that dominant scoring if it is needed for him to take over. The Eagles have been a bit raw all year long and appear to finding their game at the right time. Drake Harris is the headliner and has improved upon his outside shot from last year where he relied on driving to the hoop. Christian is long and has a few kids that can knock down big shots especially against smaller defenders. Size will be one thing to keep an eye on in this game but Godwin has played big teams all year and they are still unbeaten. I have stuck by Godwin all year long and think they are just in a class all their own. Every time you see them play you find another aspect of their game that you like. Defense is the focus for Godwin and I think defense is a weakness for the Eagles, DaRohn Scott’s play will dictate the paint so staying out of foul trouble will be important for GRC. Godwin should advance to Middleville Thornapple Kellogg for Quarterfinals where they will face the winner of the Sturgis Regional with a decent draw in relation to home.

Feel free to discuss below in the comments section and tell us all the reasons why we’re right, as well as why we’re wrong.

In what is listed as the Grandville Regional, the opening round is split between Grandville High School and Traverse City Central High School. Things will conclude back at Grandville on Wednesday for what is sure to be an amazing Final heading into Quarters. The OK Red is well represented in this bracket with a very tough newcomer in Petoskey joining the Red rivals.

Grand Haven – The Bucs took care of business including taking down Muskegon for the 3rd time this year in the Cedar Springs District and now hop on the bus to make the long journey North. This 22-1 Petoskey team will be a tough challenge and scouting will be the major factor in this one. Alex Eidson leads the Bucs and their deep defensive minded team. Slowing down the Northmen will present a challenge as Petoskey is entering Regionals for a 3rd straight year.

Hudsonville – Hudsy roared back to save their season thanks to Blake Hibbitts and his mega block late against Jenison. The Eagles are hoping to defend this Regional that they took home late year in thrilling fashion. The Eagles dropped both games against the Rams this year including a nail biter at Rockford. Using their size will be the key here as these two teams know each other very well so it will all come down to execution. Beating a league foe three times in one year is a very tough thing to accomplish and Hudsonville will hope that holds true come Monday.

Rockford - The Rams blew by Northview on Friday and are playing great defense! A wonderful game plan gave the Rams the District crown and now they will look to capture the Region by taking down Hudsonville. Chad Carlson will have the advantage at the point in this one and the rest of the Rams will have to deal with the length that the Eagles throw at you. Fouls were an issue in the last meeting and BJ Van Loo has struggled to stay on the floor at times for Hudsy. Attacking the lane should be a point of emphasis for the Rams.

Petoskey – At 22-1 you are going to raise some eyebrows, no matter who you play all season. Petoskey is just flat out better than much of the competition up north and will receive a great challenge from this Grand Haven team. Jake Mullin leads the Northmen and this game will present the first challenge of March so far for Petoskey. Playing in a familiar gym should help but playing such a high quality team will not. This one will be interesting.

In the opener up in Traverse City I see a Grand Haven team that lost to TC Central at home earlier this year while Petoskey rolled by TCC twice this year as this was the only common opponent between the two schools. The closeness to home should provide the Northmen the advantage they need to pull out a close one with the Bucs and head down to Grandville on Wednesday. The OK Red showdown between the Rams and Eagles will be one to remember and that gym is sure to be rocking! Rockford will try to grind this game to a halt and Hibbitts may get some looks from deep, he missed them in the last meeting but drilling a few early could open up the Rams defense. Attacking the bigs of Hudsonville will be the key as foul trouble hurts the eagles especially on the offensive end. Van Loo has developed into a big time scorer this season and it will be up to Ivy Johnson and Aaron Weston to slow the Eagle senior. Rockford is playing great ball right now and the Eagles just keep finding ways to win, this one could go either way. I have to lean towards the Rams but if Hudsy knocks down jumpers then I will be very wrong. In the Final I have Rockford and Petoskey squaring off and if Grand Haven presents a challenge for the Northmen then Rockford will have them shaking their heads all night long. The Rams have a way of eliminating your best scorer (or top two for that matter) and it takes a team effort to beat them. Traveling that far on such little rest cannot bode well for Petoskey as I actually see either Rockford or Hudsonville advancing to Lansing Eastern next week.

Feel free to discuss below in the comments section and tell us all the reasons why we’re right, as well as why we’re wrong.

Tonight’s District Final out at Rockford High School will be one for the ages. The fans of WMA picked the Rockford bracket as the most exciting and they were exactly right. Monday night we saw Greenville (Our #2 team in the entire area) go down at the hands of Northview and now those same Wildcats will have a chance to upset Rockford for a second consecutive year in the District. Both Rockford and Northview are led by exceptional point guard who dictate the success of their squads. The Rams are led by Chad Carlson and Northview by Darren Kapustka. Both guards are smaller in stature but play with some of the biggest hearts and intensity that you’ll find at this level. We will break down these two great players as well as the team match-up for tonight’s instant classic.

Kapustka is lightning quick!

Darren Kapustka has elevated Northview sports over his 4 year stay and will look to close out his run with some hardware. Kapustka Quarterbacked the Northview football team to it’s best season in years and nearly earned the Wildcats their first playoff berth in 30+ years. Darren is a magician with the ball in his hands and is always looking to set his man up for an easy bucket. He’s often looking for big man Kevin Rich and who can blame him with Rich’s skill set at this level he is a match-up up nightmare. Kapustka has led this team to many upsets over the years and many times it is because this Northview team is over looked but the talent is always there and in a District setting it’s one game at a time, a tough situation to knock off a talented team (ask Greenville). The ability (and confidence) to knock down a three-ball from seemingly anywhere on the floor causes defenses to play Kapustka rather tight but leaves open the susceptibility to him driving to the basket. Darren is smart and uses that aggressiveness to get to the line or hit the open shot when the D lays back. His showdown with Chad Carlson will be epic and the last man standing will most likely carry his team to the next round.

Carlson's signature hook shot. (It needs a name, thoughts?)

Chad Carlson is a Warrior. His creativity is unrivaled and he just has that knack for making shots fall that just leaves you scratching your head. The diminutive guard has had to fight past his size his entire life and his game has adapted to a point where he is nearly an impossible cover at times. Carlson possesses a driving hook shot with his left hand that you are sure to see once or twice a game and seems to reach just beyond even the tallest of defenders. I asked Kapustka about Carlson’s play and what makes him such a tough cover and this is what he had to say, “His quickness is a difficult thing to deal with on each end of the floor. Also he is a very smart player. The most impressive thing I’ve seen is his ability to knock down the 3 ball. His catch and shoot ability as well as his quickness makes him so tough.” These two go way back playing against each other and tonight will be just another chapter in this long standing rivalry. Chad plays as if he is the biggest, baddest dude on the floor and that fiery passion may be the key tonight as he looks to avenge last year’s District loss to the Wildcats.

Both of these guards want this one badly and for Kapustka it’s his last chance, “Senior year district championship would be awesome. Our team has worked hard all year and I am not quite ready to be done with high school basketball.” For Carlson, he will be back next year but this is an opportunity for him to gain some experience that last year couldn’t provide. Point Guard is the Quarterback of a Basketball team and Kapustka definitely has the experience there but I can assure you that Carlson and his Rams will not go down easy in front of their home crowd. We will be all over this one and look forward to crowning a very deserving District champion tonight.

The district at Grand Rapids Christian is rather intriguing as it is a new District in the area and sets us up for some intriguing match-ups.

Catholic Central – After winning the OK Gold last year the Cougars were left with a very young team and it showed in 2012. Although they are young, they do have plenty of talent and can definitely make some noise in this District. They open with FHE and split the season series with the Hawks, each winning on the other’s home floor. The loss by the Cougars to FHE only came by two points so they absolutely have a chance here. Moving on to face East is a winnable game as well.

East GR – The Pioneers drew a bye and will wait until Wednesday to tip but will have to prepare for two teams until Monday night. East has been a bit of a disappointment this year but has shown flashes of brilliance in nearly taking down some of the best in the area. They will have their hands full with either Catholic Central or FHE.

Forest Hills Eastern - The Hawks rode the middle of the OK Gold all year and now look to make some waves. Opening with Catholic Central is a tough draw and could go either way. The Hawks will look to use their experience to fly by the young Cougars. East is beatable in the 2^nd round however.

Comstock Park – Both Catholic Central and Comstock Park are very young teams; CP doesn’t have a senior on the roster! Ryan Shall is a magician at times and is lightning quick. The Panthers will be an interesting team next year but I just cannot see them taking down Christian, especially at the Quest Center, too much size and athleticism for the Eagles.

GR Christian – The host Eagles should be able to cruise into Regionals after getting by CP on Wednesday. East would be the only other team to give the Eagles a run for their money but I just can’t see it happening at Christian.

I predict Catholic Central to squeak by FHE and from then create some headlines with a win over East on Wednesday to make the District Final. Christian should get by Comstock Park to head into the Finals. If anyone can hang with Christian I’d be shocked as hosting Districts is a gift and with a bracket of lesser talent there are no excuses here for the Eagles. There will be GREAT games in this bracket, I just can’t see anyone other than the Eagles walking out of the Quest Center.

Feel free to discuss below in the comments section and tell us all the reasons why we’re right, as well as why we’re wrong.