This week’s conference slate includes many interesting matchups. Below is analysis and predictions for each game this upcoming week.

Greenville (1-0) v. Kenowa Hills (1-0)

Both teams head into this Week 2 showdown at 1-0. Greenville boasts a scary offense coming off of a 49-6 win against Belding. Their quarterback, Cal Syrjala, looks to lead his offense like he did against Belding. This week, Greenville looks to continue this success against an opportunistic Kenowa defense. Kenowa had three interceptions, and held Ottawa Hills to only 12 points on their way to a 28-12 win. They are led on defense by Jared Ching, who had 2 interceptions in Week 1. On offense, their attack is led by Benito Hernandez, who ran for two touchdowns and passed for another. This game will be decided in the trenches. If either team can enforce their will on their opponent, and limit turnovers, this team will have a great chance to win.

Prediction: Greenville 33, Kenowa Hills 28

Ottawa Hills (0-1) v. Holland (0-1)

Ottawa Hills and Holland both stumble into Week 2 after 16 and 18 point losses respectively. Both teams are coming off of sub-.500 seasons, and are looking to right the ship in Week 2. Both teams looked sloppy on offense in Week 1. Holland ended with 163 yards and 5 turnovers. They finished with 16 points, after a small second half score, losing 34-16. Holland looks to defend the solid pass offense of Ottawa Hills. In their game against Kenowa Hills, Jeremy Glasco Jr. was 10 for 27 with 213 yards and two touchdowns. However, he threw 3 interceptions. Both defenses will look to create turnovers based off last week’s results. The team that can limit mistakes, and not turn the ball over should win in a lower scoring ballgame.

Prediction: Ottawa Hills 20, Holland 12

Cedar Springs (0-1) v. Sparta (1-0)

Both teams enter this game from opposite extremes. Cedar Springs suffered a 5 point loss to defending D4 state champion Zeeland West, while Sparta crushed Fremont, who finished 0-9 last year, by a score of 39-0. The Red Hawks played well on offense led by senior quarterback Collin Alvesteffer. They were unable to finish drives, and only scored 9 points. The last play was a good summary of the game, as the Dux stopped a game-winning drive in the final seconds to preserve their win. The Red Hawk defense played well in the first half, and shut out the Duxas well. However, they were worn down on two separate 10 minute drives in the second half. This resulted in the scoreline of 14-9 and a Dux win. This week should be an easier test against Sparta. Although Sparta won big against Fremont, they will face a significantly better team this week. If Cedar Springs can repeat their performance against Zeeland West, they should win by a large margin.

Prediction: Cedar Springs 38, Sparta 6

Forest Hills Northern (0-1) v. East Grand Rapids (0-1)

With both teams coming off of road losses, FHN and EGR will look to capture their first victory in Week 2. Forest Hills Northern will look to an explosive passing game that performed well in a 49-35 loss at Byron Center. Senior QB Chase Morello will look to keep the same form on offense from the previous week. The Huskies will look to star receiver Tyler Black, and power back Connor Bruinius to keep the offense rolling. They will look to big play weapon Will Hawkins, who scored on a 98 yard bomb against Byron Center, to provide an early spark as well. Unlike Forest Hills Northern, East Grand Rapids struggled on offense in their opening 27-6 loss at Catholic Central. They turned the ball over, and only mustered one touchdown to spoil a CC shutout. The single bright spot of EGR’s offense was Hub Hejna who scored the only EGR touchdown and rushed for 102 yards. The offenses of EGR and FHN put out very different performances, but the defenses performed in a very similar fashion. Both defenses limp into this game after Forest Hills Northern gave up 49 points and East Grand Rapids gave up 27. If Northern can control EGR’s running game on defense, and keep their same pace on offense, they should be able to take home the W in Week 2.

Prediction: Forest Hills Northern 32, East Grand Rapids 21

Northview (0-1) v. Jenison (0-1)

Both team’s defenses will try to rebound after a lackluster Week 1. Northview gave up 34 to Comstock Park in a 34-17 loss. Jenison did slightly better giving up 21 points in the first half to an upstart Forest Hills Central Rangers team in a 21-0 loss. With that loss, Jenison lost their third straight home opener. They will try to get back on track in Week 2. This starts by improving on a horrible offensive performance. They turned the ball over 3 times and mustered 55 yards against a stout FHC defense. On the contrary, Northview’s offense played well. They scored 17 points and had a solid ground game. If they can have the same success on offense and tighten up their defense, Northview should take home a nail biting Week 2 win.

Prediction: Northview 14, Jenison 13

Lowell (1-0) v. Rockford (0-1)

Lowell versus Rockford is one of the last games on the OK White conference slate in Week 2. This game may be the Game of the Week in West Michigan if it is played. Rockford had to forfeit their first game due to an illness that has affected the majority of the team. However, Rockford is coming off a great year last year as they finished 6-3 and won a District championship. Their season ended in a 36-16 loss in the third playoff round to Grand Ledge. Lowell is coming off of an even better year, as they lost in the D2 state title game to Detroit Martin Luther King on a hail mary in the final seconds. They showed this dominance again in Week 1 as they beat 2014 D2 champion Warren De La Salle 36-19. In that game, Lowell was led by senior quarterback David Kruse and senior running back Nate Stephens. They emerged as new faces for Lowell football for their 2016 season. They even managed to shut out De La Salle in the second half on defense. Not everything was perfect for Lowell in their debut though. They turned the ball over 3 times leading to 3 De La Salle touchdowns. If Lowell can produce another dominant performance without turning the ball over, it should be another win for the Red Arrows.

Prediction: Lowell 41, Rockford 28

The final game of the conference slate takes place at FHC, when your Rangers take on West Ottawa. The game is at 7pm on Thursday, September 1st.