Southfield vs. Cass Tech (At Wayne State)
No question the best match-up of week 1, and with all of the Division 1 talent that will take the field Friday, there's little doubt that this game will live up to the hype. The Technicians are the two-time defending state champions in Division 1 behind star quarterback Jayru Campbell and have star power all over the place. But the Blue Jays have just as much talent, including the state's best player Malik McDowell, along with Michigan commit Lawrence Marshall and plenty more on defens. Look for big debuts from McDowell and Jalen Brady who will suit up for Southfield for the first time in their careers.
PREDICTION: Southfield 27, Cass Tech 21
Orchard Lake St. Mary's vs. Oak Park (At Wayne State)
An intriguing match across the board with a new edition of the Eaglets going up against an Oak Park squad that returns a lot of fire power from last year's season. The best individual match-up of the week, regardless of what game, might come down to St. Mary's DB/WR Jalen Watts-Jackson and Oak Park DB/RB Johnny Kelly as both players are two of the best in the two-way players in the area. But look for the Knights to find just enough success in the run game to get by.
PREDICTION: Oak Park 33, OLSM 28
Birmingham Brother Rice vs. Cleveland St. Ignatius
This will be a tall task for the two-time Division 2 state champions to face a perennial power in the state of Ohio like St. Ignatius, but with the offensive firepower the Warriors have to work with, they can play with just about anyone. Look for a big effort from the passing game, led by Alex Malzone, Corey Lacanaria, Grant Perry and Josh Flye to lead Brother Rice in the season opener.
PREDICTION: Brother Rice 31, St. Ignatius 28 in OT
Birmingham Groves at Bloomfield Hills
The first ever game for the new Bloomfield Hills Black Hawks, and you can expect they will be more than ready to make a statement in their first opportunity to do so. Grove's running back Ross Williams could cause some big problems for Bloomfield Hills, but look for the duo of Spencer McCourt and Khalil Gracey to connect early and often to give the Black Hawks their first ever win.
PREDICTION: Bloomfield Hills 42, Groves 31
Walled Lake Northern at Livonia Churchill
A big opportunity for the Knights to prove that they are for real for a second straight season and can be a legitimate contender on a yearly basis. This match-up has proved to be high scoring in the last couple of years and this time around should see much of the same, but look for a big breakout game from quarterback Chase Burton as he takes over for what should be another prolific Northern offense.
PREDICTION: WLN 45, Churchilll 42
Clarkston at Rochester Adams
It's going to take quite a bit for opposing teams to slow down the Clarkston offense or defense with the star power the Wolves have to offer across the board. Adams will come ready to challenge the OAA Red favorites behind star quarterback Matt Sokol, but Clarkston should prove to be too much to handle in week one behind a balanced rushing attack led by Ian Eriksen and newcomer Centrus Williams.
PREDICTION: Clarkston 35, Adams 21
Lake Orion at Oxford
Likely to be a matchup of speed (Lake Orion) against power (Oxford) this week as the Dragons have their three-headed monster of Zak Arnold, Corey Ester and Chris Leigh going up against an Oxford rushing attack led by Ben Line. But the X-Factor in this game will be Oxford signal caller Glacier Wallington who has developed into one of the area's top dual threat quarterbacks over the course of the last couple of years.
PREDICTION: Oxford 17, Lake Orion 14
Waterford Kettering at South Lyon East
It should be interesting to see how the Cougars will go forward this year without the best player in school history, Cam Thomas, and how Kettering looks to take the next step with a key core of returning players. Look for Danny Hubbell and Juan Webb to have a big game to get the Captains off to a good start on the 2013 season.
PREDICTION: Kettering 31, SLE 21
Northville at Lakeland
A big chance for Lakeland to prove it is capable of being a legitimate contender in the KLAA this season, a win for the Eagles would prove to be a mini-upset and could put them on track to finally making the playoffs after narrowly missing out in recent years. But a senior-laden group led by Ross Heiman, Beau Wilhelm, Brad Govan and Dalton Christie will come out ready to go in week 1.
PREDICTION: Lakeland 23, Northville 21
Detroit Cody at Novi Detroit Catholic Central
There's a lot of new faces lining up for the Shamrocks this season, but don't expect much to change this fall, Catholic Central will still be Catholic Central and will once again have a punishing rushing attack. Look for a Zack Bock and Dylan Roney to help pick where last year's group left off and lead the Shamrocks to a convincing win.
PREDICTION: Catholic Central 38, Cody 14
Auburn Hills Oakland Christian at Clarkston Everest Collegiate
Saturday night should be a night filled with excitement for Everest as it will host its first ever game. However, the Mountaineers have a roster that has plenty of experience playing in big games in recent years, including quarterback Sal Mastromatteo, who was the starting quarterback at Waterford Our Lady of the Lakes last season, and should help lead Everest to its first ever win.
PREDICTION: Everest 29, Oakland Christian 21
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