SMCC (8-1) is coming off of a loss to undefeated Lansing Catholic 27-22 while Grass Lake defeated Jonesville 53-27. The teams have met twice in the playoffs over the last 5 years with SMCC winning both games.
SMCC continues to be powered by a strong running game and a solid defense. The Falcons were dinged up a little bit last week, but have a “next man up” attitude. Seniors John Lako and Bryce Windham will lead the Falcon offense. TE Riley Woolford and OL Kyle Bausman are blocking standouts for SMCC.
Defensively SMCC had only given up 21 points during the Huron League campaign, but gave that many up in the first half last week. The defense will get better this week led by Darius Marks and Justin LaPlante.
This is not a vintage Grass Lake team. The program had won 81 games in the previous nine seasons, but they did managed to qualify for the playoffs for a 10th consecutive season. Junior QB Kyle Farley and senior RB Justin Wright lead the Warriors spread offense that averages over 30 ppg.
On defense the Warriors are led by junior LB Todd Coppernoll and senior LB Cody Brown along with junior DL Cody Dakin.
This should be a warm up for the Falcons, but Grass Lake is a solid program that is well coached by veteran Warrior Randy Cole. Prediction: SMCC 33 Grass Lake 7