8-Man Division 2
Area Teams to Watch
Morrice: Morrice clinched their ninth straight playoff berth as they fashioned an 8-1 record this year with the lone loss being a 14-7 decision to top-ranked Portland St. Patrick. The Orioles have one of the most potent offenses in 8-man football as they are putting up 44.1 points per game. Quarterback Griffin Long has passed for over 1,100 yards and 13 scores this season. Long also ran the ball for over 700 yards and 17 scores while running back Austin Gutting has close to 800 yards rushing and 15 touchdowns. Defensively, the Orioles are allowing 10.3 points per game. The Orioles open the playoffs with a tough trip to 8-1 Deckerville.
Portland St. Patrick: After going 8-1 last season, the Shamrocks came back for an encore and went 9-0 this season. St. Patrick is tops in Division 2 in playoff points and owns wins against D1 powers Montabella and Merrill and earned a 14-7 win against rival Morrice. St. Patrick features a high-powered offense that is averaging 42.9 ppg. The offense is paced by quarterback Jerryd Scheurer and talented running backs Brady Leonard and Hudson King. The St. Patrick defense is also rock solid allowing just 8.6 points per game. St. Patrick begins their playoff by hosting Marion.
Top 8-Man D2 Contenders: Portland St. Patrick (9-0), North Dickinson (9-0), Mendon (9-0), Onekama (9-0), Morrice (8-1), Deckerville (8-1), Lake Linden-Hubbell (7-2), Powers North Central (7-2).
Preview: North Dickinson and Onekama are a pair of 9-0 teams in the top half of the bracket. Lake Linden-Hubbell and Powers North Central are both 7-2 but are capable of getting on a run. The lower half of the bracket has 9-0 teams Portland St. Patrick and Mendon in the same regional. The winner of that regional could very well face Deckerville or Morrice who both have 8-1 marks. The is plenty of intrigue in Division 2 this year.
HSSS 8-Man Division 2 State Final Prediction: Morrice 28, Lake Linden-Hubbell 22
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