By Frank Vajcner
It’s another regular season rematch in the postseason, as bitter rivals Summerfield and Whiteford tangle in Ottawa Lake with a District Championship on the line. This will be the 64th all-time meeting between both schools, but just the fourth in the playoffs. Whiteford leads the series 37-26, including 3-0 in postseason play.
Summerfield Bulldogs (3-5, 9th playoff appearance, 8-8 playoff record)
HOW THEY GOT HERE:
Defeated Allen Park Cabrini 41-0 in First Round
Defeated Detroit Southeastern 29-20 in District Semis
Raise your hand if you thought Summerfield would get this far in the postseason after going 1-5 in the regular season—didn’t think so. Alex Lipka and company have strongly embraced the “Road Dawg” mantra, Of all teams still playing across all divisions, only Oak Park has a worse record at 2-6 in Division 2.
The Bulldogs love to let it fly on offense, as evidenced by QB Devin Albain’s totals (79-136, 1542 yards, 16 TDs). Albain will distribute the ball to plenty of targets, such as Gavin Fietz (22 catches, 462, yards 6 TDs), Ethan Eyler (19 catches, 383 yards, 3 TDs), and Drew Dafoe (12 catches, 173 yards, 2 TDs). Roman Iott (8 catches, 247 yards, 2 TDs) and Brandon Thompson (8 catches, 170 yards, 2 TDs) have come on strong in the postseason.
Albain (328 rushing yards, 8 TDs) and Jake LaRocca (344 rushing yards, 3 TDs) are the primary options to run the ball, but Eyler and Fietz may also see some time at RB.
On defense, look for Eyler (125 Tackles, sack, interception, forced fumble, fumble recovery)to be the leader. Nathan Herrmann (96 tackles, interception), Dafoe (57 tackles, sack, forced fumble, 2 fumble recoveries), LaRocca (62 tackles, sack) and Albain (42 tackles, sack, 2 interceptions) are other names to watch.
The Dawgs also have a reliable kicker in Austin Porter (18-22 PAT, 2-2 FG).
Whiteford Bobcats (6-2, 21st playoff appearance, 23-19 playoff record)
HOW THEY GOT HERE:
Defeated Britton-Deerfield 58-26 in First Round
Defeated Detroit Leadership Academy 46-34 in District Semis
Has Jason Mensing’s decision to open up the offense made the Bobcats more dangerous? Given the numbers of sophomore QB Shea Ruddy (52-90, 929 yards, 9 TDs passing; 657 rushing yards, 6 TDs), one could make such argument. RBs Devon Shaw (895 rushing yards, 15 TDs) and Cole Giesege (480 rushing yards, 8 TDs) give the Bobcats two strong compliments to Ruddy running the ball. When throwing the ball, look for Jack Andrews (13 catches, 339 yards, 6 TDs), Levi Hillard (14 catches, 253 yards), and Clay Spiewek (15 catches, 176 yards) to make noise.
Leaders for the Bobcats on defense include Noah Bauman (31.5 tackles, 9.5 TFL, forced fumble), Jake Iott (37 tackles, 6.5 TFL, sack, forced fumble, 2 fumble recoveries), Hillard (44 tackles, 5 TFL, 4 fumble recoveries, 4 pass breakups), and Giesege (23.5 tackles, 2 TFL, 10 PBU, 3 interceptions). Bauman is also a standout on the offensive line.
Outlook: Regardless of which team you support, this will be a fun contest. The last two have been decided by a combined eight points, and with some hardware on the line, things should be that much more intense.
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Looks like the TCC may not be so down after all with 3 teams playing for district finals. Even though the last two meetings between these teams have been close with each team winning, it's hard to bet against Whiteford unless their facing a team that presents an insurmountable talent disparity ... especially in a big game.
TCC is an excellent D8 league. No doubt about that.