HILLSDALE Week one of football, across all levels, has seen an uptick in memorable and challenging matchups being schedule against teams that could be contenders in playoffs and in league championship races.

This has trickled down to the high school level, where several high profile events including the Xenith Prep Kickoff Classic and the Battle at the Big House have propelled teams to face their toughest opponents of the season in their first games of the fall.

Teams like Clarkston High School and Davison will battle at the University of Michigan and DeWitt will face Haslett. Many other teams outside these major events have also scheduled week one slugfests.

With the new playoff points system, getting wins against top-tier opponents can be the best way for smaller schools to gain an advantage in the playoff race at the beginning of the season. On the other hand, these games could crush teams' postseason hopes before their season really has begun.

Three Hillsdale County 11-player squads will take part in week one matchups that could be the biggest game of their season. Hillsdale and Jonesville will take part in the cross-county showdown at Hillsdale High School and MHSFCA D8 No. 5 Reading will take on No. 7 White Pigeon.

These two contests are the Hillsdale Daily News Games of the Week. Take a look inside the matchups and see how we think each team will fair in their opening weekend matchups.

2021 had similar endings for both White Pigeon and Reading High School. Both schools met their playoff ends at the hands of eventual D8 state champion Hudson Tigers.

White Pigeon managed to claw their way through Decatur and Saugatuck with ease in their playoff run. The Hudson Tigers escaped with an 8-0 win over White Pigeon. Reading met Hudson in their pre-district playoff opener.

Head coach Rick Bailey and the Rangers held the Tigers to just 8 points in the first half. The Rangers had red zone opportunities to tie the game, but the Rangers were unable to punch it in.

After missing out on the Big 8 title in 2021 and 2020, the Rangers are eager to find their way back and are 'hungry' for a return to playoff contention. Their week one matchup against White Pigeon is one of the few matchups between top 10 ranked D8 opponents, and the game could be an early predictor for who could storm their way to a conference title and more in 2022.

The Rangers will have to contend with a strong group of White Pigeon players that will be tall up front on both offensive and defensive lines. Seniors including Cole Jackson, Estaban Castro, Jordan Tamper and James Stewart will help lead a white pigeon offense that will look to run on more than three-quarters of their plays. The T-offense will be led by a carrousel of running backs.

The Rangers return in 2022 with 16 seniors on their roster and a trio of playmakers. Junior Tayshawn Bester led the team in total yards last season. The junior athlete will line up all over the field for the Rangers, where Senior signal caller Colton Bassage will look for him and senior tight end Colton Wiler. Bassage returns in 2022 healthier and more experienced, having played most of last season still recuperating from a lower leg injury. The Rangers' playoff run last season was limited by those injuries from last season that resulted in several starters sitting out in the second half of the season. Reading looks to be fully healthy and ready to play for week one, and their range of athletes could prove too much for White Pigeon to handle.

Ranger Keys to Victory: Reading's defense, which includes two returning All-State defenders: Linebacker Joey Campbell and defensive back Jacob Hamilton, will have to contain the White Pigeon running game early. Dual threat quarterback Colton Bassage and the efficient Rangers offense should be able to put points on the board early and often. If the defense can limit the big run plays from White Pigeon, they could find themselves marching their way to a week one victory.

Daily News Prediction: Reading 27 White Pigeon 24

For the first time since the series started in 2014, the Jonesville Comets defeated Hillsdale in the opening season cross-county showdown. The 2021 matchup ended in a 22-6 victory for the Comets. The Comets took advantage of their home field atmosphere to strike on several big plays. Senior (then junior) quarterback Cowen Keller had 161 passing yards and two touchdowns in the contest, with returning senior Brady Wright hauling in three catches for 77 yards and a touchdown.

The Comets also struck on the ground, with returning senior Dominic Aponte running for a 50-plus yard touchdown with 10 minutes left in the game. The senior had close to 100 yards on the ground in the contest. Hillsdale's young backfield and quarterback - Jack Bowles - were unable to help the team overcome early mistakes, including a muffed punt. The Hornets accumulated only 121 yards of total offense. Returning senior Jordan Barnes led the team with 67 total yards and a touchdown. The Hornets had to turn away from their run-first offense in the second half, and Jonesville's defense was able to key-in on the Hornet playmakers.

The Hornets will look to come back stronger, tougher and smarter in the 2022 matchup between the rival schools. The team returns it's trio of hard hitting running backs including seniors Peter Moore and Jordan Barns, as well as junior running back Stephen Petersen. Petersen and his teammates would only get better as the season went along. Petersen would end up rushing for more than 750 yards and would lead the team in touchdowns. The Hornets will rely on their experienced backfield to eat away at the clock and limit time of possession for a Comet squad that will look to strike from the air and on the ground.

Hornet Keys to Victory: The Hornets will need to limit the Comet's time of possession and win the field position battle if they want to keep within striking distance of the Comets. The Comets used their big-play ability to strike from anywhere on the field in 2021, which helped them march to an undefeated season. The Comets will have some fresh faces amongst their returning starters this season. If Hillsdale can contain the big play ability of the Comets, the Hornets could find their way to victory on their home turf. With a tough schedule that includes Berrien Springs and Hudson in weeks two and three, if the Hornets can pull off the week one upset, they could find a pay to a playoff berth.

Comet Keys to Victory: The Comets will have the advantage of their senior playmakers, who already have the keys to taking down the hornets. Seniors Brady Wright, Cowen Keller, Dominic Aponte and Tyler Scholfield could prove to be too much for the Hornets. The Comets have emphasized playing to their running strengths this season, and if the Comets can combine their big play attitude from 2021 and a new philosophy focused on power-runs, they could use the same keys to victory that the Hornets will look to use. Senior linebacker Braeden Trine and the linebackers may be the biggest key to the Comet's finding their way to victory. Trine and company will have the tough task of staying in their lanes and clogging up the middle and outside run opportunities for the T-offense of Hillsdale.

Daily News Prediction: Jonesville 21 Hillsdale 17

Times and Schedule: Reading heads to White Pigeon on Thursday, Aug. 25 for a game time of 7:00 p.m. Jonesville travels a few miles to Hillsdale High School on Friday for a game time of 7:00 p.m. The Ranger game is currently in contest for the Detroit Lions Michigan High School Football Game of the Week. Voting ends Aug. 24. Vote at detroitlions.com/highschool.

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Reading heads to White Pigeon and Hillsdale faces Jonesville in the week one Games of the Week - The Hillsdale Daily News