Elite Eight - First Round Finishers

8. Matt Kosmalski - Walled Lake Northern WR/RB
Kosmalski did a little bit of everything on Friday night as he finished with five catches for over 180 yards and three touchdowns. The Northern senior also rushed for 133 yards on 11 carries to help lead the Knights to their first ever playoff win and into a district final showdown against Catholic Central.

7. Jon Malone - Novi Detroit Catholic Central DB/KR
Malone wasn't only the starter for the Shamrocks on Friday night, he was the finisher as well. After starting the game with a 97 yard kickoff return to help Catholic Central take an early 7-0 lead. Malone then sealed the 21-15 win for the Shamrocks as he picked off a Hartland pass late in the fourth quarter to allow Catholic Central to run out the clock.

6. Ben Line - Oxford RB
Line carried the ball 26 times on Friday night for almost 150 yards as Oxford came up with a first round blowout win over 8-1 Seaholm. Line also tallied four touchdowns on Friday night as he helped lead Oxford into a district final match-up against Brother Rice.

5. Michael Johnson - Auburn Hills Avondale
The Yellowjackets running back helped Avondale get out to a 14-7 halftime lead behind a pair of rushing touchdowns on Friday night. Johnson finished the game with over 170 yards rushing on just 22 carries to lead Avondale past Lahser and into the district finals against Orchard Lake St. Mary's.

4. Brian Walker - Birmingham Brother Rice RB
Walker was his usual overpowering self on Friday night as the junior running back rushed for over 200 yards and three touchdowns as he helped lead the Warriors past a dangerous Port Huron team. Walker's 200 yard night helped the Warriors go over the 350 rushing yards on the night. Big assist from the Brother Rice O-Line.

3. Gerald Gates - Southfield RB
Gates was a one-man wrecking crew on Friday as he rushed for over 200 yards on 32 carries to help lead Southfield past Detroit MLK for the second time this season. Gates also ran for two touchdowns on the afternoon, including the go-ahead score in the fourth quarter to give the Blue Jays a 22-19 lead.

2. Jermaih Johnson/Brandon Newvine - Pontiac Notre Dame Prep RB/QB
The dynamic duo did everything for the Fighting Irish on Saturday night as the Notre Dame Prep juniors combined for nearly 500 yards of offense to help lead the Irish into the district finals. Johnson was his usual dominant self on Saturday as he rushed for over 220 yards and found the end zone on four different occasions, while Newvine totaled over 250 yards of offense and tossed a pair of touchdowns on the day.

1. Rich Cross - Waterford Our Lady of the Lakes DB/WR
Cross did it all on Saturday afternoon on offense and defense, but he did the vast majority of his damage in the defensive secondary for the Lakers. Cross had not one, not two, but three interceptions to help lead a dominant performance from the WOLL defense. Cross also finished with over 100 yards of total offense and a touchdown which clinched the win for Lakes.