Watch and Read - Football Playoffs: Previews and predictions for each matchup
HILLSDALE COUNTY — Prep football playoff time is here. Only two teams remain in Hillsdale County. One will do battle in the 8-player ranks, and the other will take on the 11-player field of 32 teams in their division. It looks to be a great Friday night of football, and to get you ready for the matchups, here is a breakdown of each matchup and who we think will be playing another week of football in November.
8-Player: Camden-Frontier (5-4) at Colon (9-0)- 7:00 p.m. Kickoff Time
Camden-Frontier football is back in the playoffs after a one-year rebuilding phase during head coach Rob Wickham's first year at the helm. Camden-Frontier has made the playoffs every other year of their time in the 8-player football divisions. This year, they face a rematch with the top-three ranked Colon Magi in the 8-player Division 2 playoffs.
Colon and head coach Robbie Hattan followed up their 2021 state championship appearance with an undefeated season in 2022. The Magi have earned the top respect from the associated press voters and from the MHSFCA coaches' poll. This is largely due to the team's victory over Adrian Lenawee Christian earlier this season. LCS lost their first game of 8-player football since making the jump in 2020. That game was a crushing 40-24 defeat for the Cougars, and the Magi seem ready to take their final hurdle as a program and win a state title.
Both of these SCAA Division A schools met in week eight, just before the end of the regular season. The Camden-Frontier defense gave up 73 points to the talented Magi, but Camden-Frontier found a way to put up 34 points on the board. The 5-4 Camden-Frontier football team has a tough challenge ahead of them, quite possibly the hardest round one matchup for any team in the playoff field. Let's take a look at some of the players to watch on both sides who could make a difference.
Colon Players to Watch and Keys to Victory
Justin Wickey - WR; Simon Vinson - QB; Tucker Lafler - RB
All three of these seniors for Colon are responsible for the team averaging 54 points a game during the regular season. The Colon defense has given up some points this season to teams, but the main problem opponents have faced this fall is trying to stop the dynamic duo of Vinson and Wickey. Vinson has thrown close to 3400 yards of passing this season and 39 touchdowns. Wickey has been breaking MHSAA records with his 1,569 receiving yards and 31 touchdowns.
The Magi have been unstoppable in this category and running backs like Tucker Lafler have been able to hit defenses that have played it too safe with their pass protection schemes. The biggest hurdle for any team taking on Colon this year will be stopping these three players. No one has done it yet, and it's likely Camden-Frontier won't be able to slow them down Friday night. It's simple, Colon needs to continue to be a dominant offensive unit, and their path to the state finals should be well within their grasp.
Camden-Frontier Players to Watch and Keys to Victory
Ethan 'Worm' Wickham - TE/DE; Mikey Roe - QB; Brayden Miller - RB
In the games that Camden-Frontier has won this season, they have managed to outscore their opponents by double-digits in four of those five victories. Much of their offensive efforts this season have been on the ground, but recently the team has begun to mix it up when they are called upon to do so. Coach Wickham has developed a balanced offensive attack that will pass for 300 yards in one game and then run for 302 yards (see Athens contest) in another. The rushing offense has been carried by several players this season, including Brayden Miller, Kaiden Conroy, Wade Brown, and Brandon Hall.
Coach Wickham's son - Worm Wickham - has been a consistent target for quarterback Mikey Roe. Roe has begun to find a rhythm with his passing game in the past few games, including a two-touchdown game against North Adams-Jerome to end the season. Wickham hauled in three receptions for 154 yards and two touchdowns in that contest. The Camden-Frontier offense managed to put points on the board late into the game against the Magi in week eight, but the defense suffered greatly as they tried to find a way to stop Wickey and Vinson.
Coach Rob Wickham has had the team working on schemes and solutions to solve this on defense, but the second-year head coach said that everything they do on Friday night will have to start with their physicality. Many of Camden's players play both ways, and they have developed a physicality that should be a strength of theirs on Friday night. For Camden-Frontier, the path to victory will have to come from playing tough-nose football for four quarters. If Camden-Frontier can somehow slow down the record-breaking offense of the Colon Magi, their offense led by quarterback Mikey Roe could help keep things within reach to start the game.
Unfortunately for Camden-Frontier, this season seems to be fate for the Colon Magi. While Camden-Frontier may give Colon a scare in the first half, the Colon Magi should be able to pull away by the end of the third quarter for their first victory on their playoff path.
Final Score: Colon 54 - Camden-Frontier 24
11-Player: Decatur (6-3) at Reading (7-2) - 7:00 p.m. Kickoff Time
The Rangers are back in the playoffs for their sixth season in a row. Head coach Rick Bailey and the Rangers match up with the 6-3 Decatur Raiders in a district semifinal in Division 8.
The Raiders have had an up-and-down season so far this fall. They have earned major wins over White Pigeon and Delton, but they have fallen to Centreville 6-54 and lost to Lakewood 8-35. The Raiders will face the number one seeded team in their district bracket in Reading.
The Rangers look to win their first district title since their 2019 state title run. The Rangers have outscored their opponents 320-142 this season, and the team lost two games by three points or less. The Rangers are looking for a statement win this Friday night on their home turf. They should have all the tools to get the job done.
Reading Players to Watch and Keys to Victory
Quarterback Colton Bassage looks to lead the Ranger offense, with leading rusher Maverick Messenger behind him. The senior signal-caller has nearly 1,000 passing yards this season, and he has thrown for 10 touchdowns. Bassage is also a solid running option for the Ranger offense, and there are games where Reading likes to utilize him to their advantage with designed QB runs.
Maverick Messenger has 1,000 rushing yards this season and 10 rushing touchdowns. Messenger has been the opposing force defenses have had to prepare for this season. Messenger has also been a consistent target for Bassage, with the Ranger hauling in multiple touchdown passes this season.
It's hard to argue that there's a more talented position group in this district championship bracket other than the Reading Ranger defense. With all-region and all-state athletes across the field, the Rangers haven't been an easy team to score on, with the most points given up to a single team being 36 points. The Ranger's run stuffing defense is led by linebacker Joey Campbell, who has consistently led the team in tackles this fall. Senior Zac Affholter leads a senior-laden offensive and defensive line that has been tough to run against all year. When teams are forced to go away from their run game, opposing quarterbacks are met by the Ranger secondary, led by senior all-state player Jacob Hamilton and senior Landen Clabaugh.
Clabaugh and Hamilton show up on the stat sheet with turnovers in almost every game this fall. Junior standout and all-region player Tayshawn Bester is another additional weapon for the Ranger secondary, having scored multiple touchdowns off of turnovers this year. The key to victory tonight will come down to how much the Rangers are able to control the Raiders' run-first offense, led by running backs Cameron Cropsey and Gio Benavides.
The Ranger offense should be able to control the narrative of this game. The Raiders have been hard-pressed to outscore their opponents this year. They have given up 196 points and have scored 201 points. The Rangers should find a path to victory this Friday night and should have another week of football ahead of them in November. If they win, they'll face either Centreville or White Pigeon for a district title, and that would be played on the Rangers' home turf.
Final Score: Reading 35 - Decatur 12
This article originally appeared on Hillsdale Daily News: Football Playoff Previews: Score predictions for each matchup
