Battle Creek Game of the Week Preview: K-Central @ Lakeview

The final week of the regular season is here for Michigan high school football, and here in Battle Creek we know who to expect to see next week in the playoffs. While that won't be the case for the Lakeview Spartans after an 0-6 start, the team in purple has put a few things together over the past few weeks, looking to close the season on a three-game winning streak.

As for Kalamazoo Central, the Maroon Giants also have two wins on the season, one over their biggest rival, Battle Creek Central. It's been a rough season overall, but there's certainly a chance for K-Central to finish the season with the best winning percentage since 2019.

Kalamazoo Central Wants to Control the Clock

It's no secret that the Lakeview Spartans offense can score from anywhere at anytime. K-Central doesn't necessarily have that luxury, as they've been heldto 20 points or less in four games, all loses. In the three games they scored over 20 points, the Giants are 2-1, the one being a one-point loss to Mattawan. Lakeview, on the other hand, has scored at least 20 in every game.

As such, the Giants are going to want to lean on their running game to control the clock and pace of the game to force Lakeview to press to score quickly. Latay'vion Braxton and Demarcus Owens are the backfield playmakers that the Giants will want to lean on. Mixing in fullbacks Kosygin McNeely and Duwan Washington inside can bring a physical element that the Spartans have struggled to combat most of the season.

Lakeview Plays Clean and They Should Win

Lakeview has hit its stride. The Kucharczyk twins, Jake and Zach, have taken control of the offense as expected and are quite lethal. Davis Barr at wide receiver is one of the best athletes in the area. Those three elements have been constants all year, and leaning on them has proven fruitful for the Spartans all season long.

Where Lakeview has really improved, as we saw last week against the Bearcats, is playing cleanly and not shooting themselves in the foot. Lakeview and K-Central may have similar records, but the Spartans have more explosive athletes and a sound defense.They should win the game, but they have to stay consistent at avoiding preventable penalties and turnovers as they have the past two weeks.

How to Listen

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Tune into WBCK at 7 p.m. for the Battle Creek Game of the Week presented by the Battle Creek Community Foundation. The pre-game hosted by Mike Miller will air for 30 minutes prior to kickoff at 7:00. Myself (Jacob Harrison) and Da'Jzon Hughes will be on the call providing play-by-play and color commentary respectively. Mike Miller will follow the game with a postgame show recapping the game and the action from around the area.