2011 MHSAA Team District/Regional Preview
---DIVISION 4---
2/9/2011
The road to Battle Creek will begin this Wednesday when the MHSAA Team Districts get underway all across the state and in just under three weeks from now the Division 1, 2, 3, and 4 Team State Champions will be crowned
Below you will find our breakdown of each Team Regional in Division 4, as well as the notable District level matchups to look for. In addition, we have predicted who to expect to see in Battle Creek in a couple weeks.
Following the Team Regionals check back for our detailed State Tournament preview!
Division 4 Outlook:
It has been an exciting year in Division 4 and this week’s district action will kick off what should be a very exciting postseason. Coming into the year returning state champion Hudson appeared to be a big favorite to repeat. However, over the course of the year New Lothrop and Hesperia have both emerged as serious threats to compete for a title here as well. In addition to the top contenders, several other teams including Manchester, Decatur and Dansville have looked very good at times and could play a factor at the state meet. Most of Division 4’s top teams are separated pretty well for districts and most of the big match ups will not happen until regionals. Expect most of the top teams to advance pretty easily with a few scattered competitive matchups.
Following districts the Division 4 race will start to heat up at regionals where several ranked teams are set to clash. Among the teams who will be greatly tested is top ranked Hudson. The Tigers will see #7 Springport, #10 Napoleon as well as returning state finalist Addison in their regional. This should be a good early test for Hudson who is looking to claim their third consecutive state title. Another region with several teams capable of winning is the St Ignace region. In addition to eighth ranked Rogers City, several other teams including Iron Mountain, Traverse City St Francis and Mancelona all could play a factor. Most of Division 4’s other top teams have relatively easy regionals which should set up some great quarterfinal matchups at the state meet.
Notable District Matchups:
No. 200-4 at Mancelona
Teams - Traverse City St Francis, Mancelona, Charlevoix
The Mancelona district should be one of Division 4’s most competitive districts. While there are no ranked teams here, all of these squads have had some success this year and could have a chance to advance. Mancelona will most likely reach the finals where they should meet with Traverse City St Francis. Whoever winds up winning this district could have a shot at upsetting Rogers City at regionals next week.
No. 218-4 Centreville
Marcellus, #9 Constantine, Centreville, White Pigeon
Ninth ranked Constantine could face a pretty tough test in the district finals where they will likely meet with White Pigeon. White Pigeon has had a very successful season and will look to carry that over to the postseason. Intensity will be high at this district, as the winner will have an excellent shot at advancing through regionals and reaching the state finals.
Regional Breakdown
Here is a breakdown of what teams will be battling out at each regional for a shot at advancing to the D2 Team State Finals in Battle Creek.
125-4 at St Ignace
Top contenders: #8 Rogers City, Iron Mountain, Traverse City SF, Mancelona
Outlook: Parity should be high in the northern-most region which features several teams with the ability to make some noise. Rogers City is currently ranked eighth and will be the favorite here. The Hurons have not scored many signature wins yet this year so this regional should be an indicator of whether they can compete in Battle Creek. Among the other quality squads looking to earn a trip to the state meet will be Iron Mountain, Traverse City St Francis and Mancelona. Iron Mountain has proven able to roll with Rogers City as they outscored them at the Elks tournament, however, RC out-did Iron Mountain at the Northern Michigan Championships, so expect a good dual between those two.
Our Pick: Rogers City
126-4 at Farwell
Top Contenders: #3 Hesperia, St. Louis
Outlook: Third ranked Hesperia will be heavily favored to claim first place honors at this regional. The Panthers appear to be peaking at the right time of year and should go into the state meet as a serious contender to win it all. St Louis has had a solid season and should have a good chance to meet Hesperia in the finals
Our Pick: Hesperia
127-4 at Kent City
Top Contenders: #6 Dansville, Ithaca, Carson City-Crystal
Outlook: This is region will be headlined by Dansville who has been a mainstay in the Division 4 rankings this year. After putting together a very good season Dansville will look to carry their success over to the postseason and advance to the state meet. In order for the Aggies to get through this region they will have to get past some pretty decent competition from the winner of the Carson City Crystal vs Ithaca. Ithaca and Dansville are familiar foes and expect for Ithaca to show up ready to rock, but Dansville's horsepower should be too much to handle.
Our Pick: Dansville
128-4 at New Lothrop
Top Contenders: #2 New Lothrop,
Outlook: After entering the season unranked, New Lothrop has been one of the impressive teams across the state throughout the course of the season. The Hornets have scored several huge wins and have climbed to the number two spot in the Division 4 rankings. New Lothrop should have a fairly easy road to the state meet where they will likely be a top three seed.
Our Pick: New Lothrop
129-4 at Bangor
Top Contenders: #5 Decatur, Niles Brandywine, Watervliet
Outlook: Decatur has looked strong late in the season and will have an excellent opportunity to earn a spot at the team state finals with a pair of wins in this regional. Also looking to earn a regional championship will be Niles Brandywine and Watervliet. Both teams have had some dual meet success this year and will be potential candidates to emerge from this regional. This should server as a good test for Decatur who enters the postseason ranked fifth in Division 4.
Our Pick: Decatur
130-4 at Athens
Top Contenders: #9 Constantine, Schoolcraft, White Pigeon
Outlook: Definitely one of the more wide-open regions in Division 4, this one will likely go to the winner of the Constantine vs White Pigeon matchup at the Centreville district. In addition to those two teams, Schoolcraft has spent some time in the Division 4 rankings this year and should be in the mix. All three of these schools should have a legitimate chance of earning a regional title here.
Our Pick: Constantine
131-4 at Addison
Top Contenders: #1 Hudson, #7 Springport, #10 Napoleon, Addison
Outlook: There is little doubt that this is Division 4’s most difficult regional. Unfortuntately for a few very solid Creek-worthy teams, the 2x reigning champs Hudson show no signs of weakness this year and are a very, very big favorite to win this regional. In addition to the Tigers, Springport and Napoleon are also ranked and will make for some very competitive wrestling here and also worthy of mention is host Addison. While they took some serious losses to graduation, Addison reached the finals in Division 4 last year and has proven that they can win in the postseason. While the competition is very good, Hudson is Division 4’s top team and if they lose here it will be a huge upset.
Our Pick: Hudson
132-4 at Manchester
Top contenders: #4 Manchester, Sand Creek
Outlook: After putting together an impressive regular season Manchester should have a relatively path to the state meet where they will have a chance to be a top four seed. The Dutchmen’s main test at regionals will most likely come from Sand Creek. Sand Creek has put together some pretty solid wins this year, however a win here would be a major upset.
Our Pick - Manchester
State Finals Outlook:
This years Division 4 state tournament should be as competitive as any year in recent memory. Leading the way as the likely top seed will be Hudson. The Tigers have won state titles the past two years and have emerged as one of the state’s elite programs. After an impressive regular season that featured several big wins Hudson should find themselves as the number one seed.
Prior to the finals, the best matchup in Division 4 will likely come when Hesperia meets New Lothrop in the semifinals. Both teams have been strong all year and should receive the number two and three seeds. After entering the season unranked New Lothrop has had an excellent year and appears to be a serious threat to win a state title. However, the Hornets will have to go through a very good Hesperia team who also is capable of winning it all. Both teams have some serious studs as well as good depth. This dual meet will be a barn burner with the winner going on to wrestle Hudson in the finals.
Hudson should not have too much difficulty advancing through the quarterfinal and semifinal rounds. Among the teams they could see in the semifinals are Manchester, Decatur and Dansville. Hudson’s top-notch firepower should carry them to the finals where they will likely square off with New Lothrop or Hesperia in what should be a fantastic finals match. While Hudson’s recent postseason success gives them a slight edge the Tigers are far from a lock and it will take a massive team effort if they are going to win their third consecutive championship.
District/Regional Pairings
Districts - Feb 9-10, 2011
Regionals - Feb 16, 2011
No. 197-4 Iron River-West Iron County
Gwinn
Iron River West Iron County
Iron Mountain
Norway
No. 198-4 Rudyard
Munising
Rudyard
Newberry
No. 199-4 St. Ignace
Onaway
St Ignace
Rogers City
No. 200-4 Mancelona
Traverse City St Francis
Mancelona
Charlevoix
No. 201-4 Leroy Pine River
Mason County Eastern
Manton
Fife Lake Forest Area
Leroy Pine River
No. 202-4 Blanchard-Montabella
Hesperia Community
Farwell
Hart
Blanchard-Montabella
No. 203-4 Breckenridge
Saginaw Nouvel
Breckenridge
Merrill
St Louis
No. 204-4 Whittemore-Prescott
Oscoda
Clare
Mio
Whittemore-Prescott
No. 205-4 Holton
Holton
Montague
Kent City
No. 206-4 Martin
Grandville Calvin Christian
Martin
Vermontville Maple Valley
Wyoming Lee
No. 207-4 Bellevue
Dansville
Leslie
Bellevue
No. 208-4 Middleton-Fulton
Carson City-Crystal
Fulton-Middleton
Ithaca
No. 209-4 Laingsburg
Byron
Laingsburg
Burton Bendle
Burton Bentley
No. 210-4 Saginaw-Michigan Lutheran Seminary
New Lothrop
Saginaw Michigan Lutheran Seminary
Saginaw Valley Lutheran
St Charles
No. 211-4 Mayville
Marlette
Brown City
Mayville
Sandusky
No. 212-4 Bad Axe
Cass City
Pigeon-Laker
Bad Axe
No. 213-4 Lawrence
Bloomingdale
Bangor
Lawrence
Gobles
No. 214-4 Covert
Covert
Watervliet
Hartford
No. 215-4 Niles-Brandywine
Bridgman
Three Oaks River Valley
Niles Brandywine
No. 216-4 Decatur
Decatur
Eau Claire
Benton Harbor Countryside Academy
Cassopolis
No. 217-4 Lawton
Lawton
Climax-Scotts
Galesburg-Augusta
Schoolcraft
No. 218-4 Centreville
Marcellus
Constantine
Centreville
White Pigeon
No. 219-4 Colon Community
Mendon
Colon
Bronson
No. 220-4 Homer
Athens
Union City
Quincy
Homer
No. 221-4 Springport
Concord
Hanover-Horton
Springport
No. 222-4 Napoleon
East Jackson
Napoleon
Michigan Center
No. 223-4 Jonesville
Jackson The daVinci Institute
Vandercook Lake
Jonesville
Addison
No. 224-4 Hudson Area
Hudson Area
Morenci Area
Pittsford
Reading
No. 225-4 Blissfield
Blissfield
Monroe St Mary CC
Adrian-Madison
Sand Creek
No. 226-4 Grass Lake
Grass Lake
Clinton
Manchester
No. 227-4 Lutheran HS Westland
Allen Park Inter-City Baptist
Lutheran HS Westland
Riverview Gabriel Richard
Webberville
No. 228-4 Memphis
Memphis
Flint Hamady
New Haven
Madison Heights Bishop Foley
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-------------------------ST IGNACE REGIONAL
------------------------FARWELL REGIONAL
-------------------------KENT CITY REGIONAL
---------------------------NEW LOTHROP REGIONAL
-------------------------BANGOR REGIONAL
-------------------------ATHENS REGIONAL
-------------------------ADDISON REGIONAL
-------------------------MANCHESTER REGIONAL
