FHC and Byron Center neck-and-neck in the OK-White
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With 5 weeks remaining on the regular-season schedule, Forest Hills Central and Byron Center look like the favorites to win the White. Last season, these two teams actually shared the OK-White championship, though some teams are creeping up, such as…
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Continue ReadingWith 5 weeks remaining on the regular-season schedule, Forest Hills Central and Byron Center look like the favorites to win the White. Last season, these two teams actually shared the OK-White championship, though some teams are creeping up, such as Northview. Let’s take a look at the current standings, and recap the season thus far.
Standings
(4-0) Byron Center – The Bulldogs kicked off their season with a win against defending OAA White champion Seaholm, then went on to win against Elkhart (IN), and East GR, with a forfeit (W) against Thornapple Kellogg. The rest of Byron Center’s schedule is jam-packed with great league matchups, headlined by @ Northview this Friday, then @ FHC October 15. WR Brady Breit leads the charge in Byron Center’s high-octane air attack. I am concerned with the lack of big competition, and the fact that it’s a young team.
(3-1) Forest Hills Central – Forest Hills Central looks like one of the best teams in the state, with their only loss being a thriller against Grand Blanc, a team that has state championship expectations. Statistically, FHC has the best offense and defense in the OK-White. QB Hunter Robinson just came back from injury, replacing QB Justin Osterhouse who played incredibly in his absence. The one and only weakness I see from FHC is special teams play.
(3-1) Northview – The Wildcats have looked significantly improved from last season. LB Calvin Cuba has been playing very well, and RB Da’Torian Roberts Da’Torian Roberts 6'1" | 215 lbs | LB Northview | 2022 MI has been leading the charge offensively. They also have some good up-and-coming talent with ’24 CB Mike Murphy. Their next game against Byron Center is going to be crucial to the rest of the season.
(2-2) Grand Rapids Christian – The Eagles have bounced back in a big way after beginning the season 0-2. This began with defeating rival East Grand Rapids on the road, as well as destroying Greenville. When I watched GR Christian, LB CJ Jones stood out to be as he was flying all over the field.
(1-3) Lowell – Not a great start for Lowell, and quite frankly, it’s been a while since they’ve had a great team. Doesn’t help that the teams they have faced this year are excellent, with Mona Shores and FHC to name a few. OT Ian George and C Ethan Post are bright spots on the offensive line, though they have plenty of holes to fill.
(1-3) East Grand Rapids – EGR could easily be 3-1 right now if only they had a few more things go right. The difference is a possession vs Byron Center, and a field goal vs Christian. They have 3 very winnable games ahead of them as well.
(1-3) Forest Hills Northern – FHN has not been great, though they’ve faced decent competition. They’ve only been outscored 90-78 this season, which compared to Lowell and Greenville, that could be viewed as a plus. Other than that, they fought incredibly hard against Northview and see a test in EGR this week.
(0-4) Greenville – I’m afraid this is not unknown territory for Greenville, as they haven’t won a game since week 5 of the 2019 season. In addition, their last winning season was way back in 2014. I can only hope that Greenville turns it around soon.