Lansing-Area H.S. Football Power Rankings After Round 1 Of Playoffs

Grand Ledge, Lansing Catholic, and Laingsburg all lost in the first round of the MHSAA playoffs. So that means there are changes to this week's poll.

There are eight area teams still alive with district titles on the line this weekend, including a pair of games involving area teams. In Division 3, Mason is at DeWitt. And in Division 4, Sexton is at Lakewood. Portland, Ithaca, P-W, and Portland St. Pats also have home games in Round 2.

Ok, on with this week's rankings:

1
Pewamo-Westphalia (10-0)
Last Week: No. 1
Another week, another crush for the Pirates. And another 200+ yard performance for Jared Smith. He's over 2,100 yards for the season.
The road gets a lot tougher, though. Unbeaten Saugatuck awaits on Saturday afternoon. And if they win that, a trip to Traverse City St. Francis is likely.
2
Portland (10-0)
Last Week: No. 2
The Red Raiders crushed Grandville Calvin Christian 58-16 on Friday night to advance to the district final for the second straight year. That's the good news.
The bad news...they host defending state champion Grand Rapids West Catholic on Friday night. Not easy at all.
3
DeWitt (9-1)
Last Week: No. 3
The Panthers had trouble with East Lansing, as they were tied at 7 early in the fourth quarter. But head coach Rob Zimmerman went to a wishbone offense in the final quarter and dominated after that.
DeWitt hosts Mason for the district title on Friday. The Panthers won back in September over the Bulldogs easily. The rematch should be closer.
4
Mason (9-1)
Last Week: No. 5
The Bulldogs continue to be a great story this season. They are unexpectedly in the district finals after a close 35-28 victory over Fowlerville.
They go to DeWitt this Friday, it should be closer than the 47-0 whitewashing in Week 4. But the Bulldogs are a decided underdog.
5
Ithaca (10-0)
Last Week: No. 6
They fell behind 7-0 to Belding in the first quarter and then scored 61 unanswered points en route to an easy win.
The Yellow Jackets host perennial power Muskegon Oakridge on Saturday. That will be tougher for them.
6
Lansing Catholic (8-2)
Last Week: No. 4
The Cougars nearly got shut out by Grand Rapids West Catholic last Friday night. It was a major downer for them after coming one play away from going 9-0 in the regular season.
Head coach Jim Ahearn has QB Michael Lynn III back for another season. That's a good head start for 2017.
7
Lakewood (9-1)
Last Week: No. 10
Congratulations to head coach Nick Boucher and the Vikings. They rallied from behind to beat Battle Creek Pennfield 38-32 to win their first ever playoff game.
Your reward? A home game with Sexton on Friday night for the Division 4 district title. Not easy, especially with starting QB Kyle Willett out for the season with an Achilles tear.
8
Grand Ledge (7-3)
Last Week: No. 7
A disappointing finish for the Comets, with a loss to arch-rival Holt in Week 9. And then a blowout loss to Grandville, 37-0 in Round 1.
Grand Ledge does have QB Nolan Bird returning for another season, and they have plenty of depth everywhere. But a poor finish for a team that made the state semifinals last season.
9
Fowlerville (7-3)
Last Week: No. 8
The Gladiators nearly came all the way to back against Mason last Friday night. But they fell to the Bulldogs, 35-28.
Head coach Brett Shrader has done a great job bringing this program back to prominence. They should be competitive once again in 2017.
10
Portland St. Patrick (10-0)
Last Week: Unranked
How about some love for the best 8-man team in Mid-Michigan?
The Shamrocks gave up over 400 yards of offense to Camden-Frontier. But behind Jarrid Pline's 4 rushing touchdowns, the 'Rocks advance to Round 2 at home against Wyoming Tri-Unity Christian on Saturday night.
Head coach Pat Russman has done a great job adjusting this team from an 11-man squad to a potent 8-man crew. But the road gets even tougher now.

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