Preview: De La Salle Collegiate Pilots vs. Muskegon Big Reds
De La Salle Collegiate has enjoyed the comforts of home their last six games, but now they'll head out on the road. They will square off against the Muskegon Big Reds at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
De La Salle Collegiate had already proven themselves in the regular season, and didn't miss a beat now that it's playoff time. They were the clear victor by a 45-19 margin over Mott. Given De La Salle Collegiate's advantage in MaxPreps' Michigan football rankings (they are ranked tenth, while Mott is ranked 51st), the result on Saturday wasn't entirely unexpected.
De La Salle Collegiate's win was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Sante Gasperoni, who threw for 227 yards and three touchdowns while completing 75% of his passes, and also punched in a touchdown on the ground. Damion King IV also deserves a shout-out for his two touchdowns.
Meanwhile, Muskegon waltzed into Saturday's game with ten straight wins but they left with 11. They took their contest at home with ease, bagging a 42-7 victory over East Lansing. 42 seems to be a good number for Muskegon as the team scooped up a win with the same number of points in their previous game.
De La Salle Collegiate pushed their record up to 11-2 with that victory, which was their 12th straight at home dating back to last season. It's not like the team was facing easy opposition over that stretch either, as it included 8-2 Denby and 8-3 Catholic Central (their opponents had an average overall winning percentage of 58.4% over those games). As for Muskegon, their win bumped their record up to 11-2.
De La Salle Collegiate was able to grind out a solid win over Muskegon when the teams last played back in September, winning 40-28. Does De La Salle Collegiate have another victory up their sleeve, or will Muskegon turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
