No time to waste. Here are my predictions for Divisions 1-2-3. I broke down everything, match by match, though I include just total points and championship finals here. Agree, disagree?

DIVISION 1
Novi 30, Brother Rice 25, Troy 25, Ann Arbor Huron 22, Ann Arbor Pioneer 17, Bloomfield Hills 13, Rochester Adams 13, Northville 10, Port Huron Northern 10, Troy Athens 9, Ann Arbor Skyline 9, Grand Blanc 9, Grosse Pointe South 7, Holland West-Ottawa 6, Traverse City Central 5, Rochester 4, Grandville 4, Midland 3, Eisenhower 2, Livonia Stevenson 1, Utica 0, Livonia Churchill 0

Flight Finalists
1S — Tim Wang (Novi) d. Connor Johnston (Northville)
2S — Koushik Kondapi (Novi) d. Steve Forman (Troy)
3S — Alex Wen (Novi) d. Jack Winkler (Brother Rice)
4S — Andre Liu (Novi) d. Henry Fuchs (Ann Arbor Pioneer)
1D — George Hamaty-Joe Paradiso (Brother Rice) d. Maxx Anderson-Daniel Yu (Novi)
2D — Will Brenner-Orion Sang (AA Huron) d. Brendan Dillon-Christian Abelarde (Brother Rice)
3D — Adi Das-Anidow Saha (Troy) d. Alex Cardigan-Brenden Chen (AA Huron)
4D — Chauncey Williams-Anders Rasmussen (AA Huron) d. Aneesh Rastogi-Brandon Guo (Troy)

My thoughts
When the season began, I was a firm believer in Novi's singles lineup and the team depth(s) of Brother Rice and Troy. But the Wildcats have proved to have some depth as well - two #1 seeds in doubles. There just isn't a scenario I see where Novi doesn't bring home the state title. There would have to be at least two upsets in singles and the 1-seeds in doubles would have to stumble. Could it happen? Sure. But I don't see that. Can't wait to see Wang-Johnston - Part 3. I don't think the Tim Wang I saw at regionals is the one that will show up Saturday. Johnston looked great. Wang did not. I want to see them when they're both on. Kondapi is hungry, Wen is really good and Liu is due (see how that worked out?) I predict a Novi sweep in singles, but something tells me they'll get three titles there. Just couldn't figure out which one to take away. I liked Brother Rice's draws. I have them getting to three flight finals. I think Hamaty and Paradiso are hungry.

Related
State finals preview
Novi regional story/photos
Regional roundup
Clarkston regional story/photos
Wang-Johnston feature story


DIVISION 2
Midland Dow 31, Grand Rapids Forest Hills Northern 25, Grand Rapids Forest Hills Central  22, Portage Central 19, Detroit U-D Jesuit 17, Birmingham Seaholm 15, Birmingham Groves 15, Grosse Pointe North 13, North Farmington 11, Okemos 9, Portage Northern 7, Battle Creek Lakeview 6, Flushing 4, Walled Lake Western 3, Gibraltar Carlson 3, Holly 2, Berkley 1, Pinckney 1, Wyandotte Roosevelt 0, SCS Lakeview 0, Southgate Anderson 0, Edsel Ford 0

Flight finalists
1S — Steward Sell (Portage Northern) d. Varun Shanker (Midland Dow)
2S — Colin Angell (Midland Dow) d. Ben Orwin (Portage Central)
3S — Michael Szabo (Midland Dow) d. Justin Minzlaff (GRFHN)
4S — Aditya Middha (Midland Dow) d. Jacob Wiltjer (GRFHC)
1D — Nick Cusmano-Mitchell Zacharias (GPN) d. Sahil Tandon-Cameron Raedy (Portage Central)
2D — Ryan Roach-Daiki Adachi (GRFHN) d. Andrew Latessa-Will Geller (Seaholm)
3D — Humzah Azeem-Ryan Conner (GRFHC) d. Jalen Zeman-Jack Dolan (Groves)
4D — Sanjay Balijepalli-Daniel Zhang (Midland Dow) d. Joey Preston-Reed Aleck (GRFHC)

My thoughts
Full transparency here. Division 2 is always the hardest to predict - for me. I don't have many results from the west side of the state. And there are more great teams over there than here on the east side. So I rely on the great work of the seeding committee to guide myself. Not many upsets picked here. Dow has won five straight state championships and should win No. 6 on Saturday. Local teams Seaholm and Groves will see the quarterfinal round in a handful of flights each, but I have them reaching the semifinals in just two apiece. Just not enough points to compete with the top five.

Related
State finals preview
Groves regional story/photos
North Farmington regional story/photos
Regional preview story/photos


DIVISION 3
Country Day 39, Cranbrook 31, East Grand Rapids 23, Grand Rapids Christian 16, Holland Christian 17, Coldwater 11, Sturgis 11, St. Joseph 10, Petoskey 9, Zeeland East 9, Haslett 8, DeWitt 7, St. Clair 6, Parma Western 6, Trenton 5, Mt. Pleasant 5, Chelsea 4, Hamilton 4, Richmond 4, Armada 2, Yale 2, Goodrich 2, Allegan 1, Charlotte 1, Cadillac 0

Flight finalists
1S — Noah Karoub (Country Day) d. Benji Jacobson (C-K)
2S — Marc Sable (C-K) d. Davis Wong (Country Day)
3S — Jakob Gahn (Country Day) d. Ryan Rhoades (Holland Christian)
4S — Michael Khaghany (Country Day) d. Max Condon (EGR)
1D — Blake Burstein-Damian Runkle (Country Day) d. Chase Ghesquiere-Matthew Gerard (C-K)
2D — Rishabh Nayak-Adam Junn (Country Day) d. Nolan Trepeck-Joe Cavataio (C-K)
3D — D.J. Bailey-Andrew Joslyn (Country Day) d. Alex Hubers-Steven Meng (C-K)
4D — Anand Prabhu-Jack Mettler (Country Day) d. Colin Petzold-Brandon Kerr (C-K)

My thoughts
The separation between Country Day and Cranbrook - and the rest of the state - is staggering. The Yellowjackets are arguably the best team in the state, depending on who you ask. It would be fun to break down a Novi-Country Day matchup involving all their starting parts. That aside, the Yellowjackets have a chance to sweep here, something they have not been able to do over their past three championship runs. This team is as or more balanced as any of those teams. The #1 singles final could go either way. Jacobson is really, really talented, but Karoub is so steady. The 2-singles final should be good too. I liked the way Sable looked at the regional. Enjoy Burstein and Runkle at 1-doubles. They're the best pairing in the state - all divisions.

Related
State finals preview
Cranbrook regional story/photos


For all of our tennis stories and photos, go to our Tennis home page on MIPrepZone

OK, so I've spent far too much time breaking down - match by match - all the draws for each of the four divisions. So I know which teams are going to win state championships this weekend. Because I don't want to put any undue pressure on any individual singles and doubles players, I'll instead give you my finalists in each flight, as well as the Top-10 teams and their projected point totals. I'll also offer a few thoughts. Here goes:

DIVISION 1
Port Huron Northern, Clarkston and Grosse Pointe South are the class of this division - appropriately ranked No. 1-2-3 heading into the finals at Midland. Northern beat Clarkston twice this season head to head, both times by a 5-3 score. Clarkston beat GPS 5-3. But in a tournament format, it's all about depth and scoring at all flights. And that's what may separate the winner from the other two.

My predicted Top-10
1. Port Huron Northern 27 points
2. Clarkston 26
3. Grosse Pointe South 23
4. Ann Arbor Pioneer 19
T-5. Ann Arbor Huron 16
T-5. Saline 16
7. Midland Dow 14
T-8. Northville 13
T-8. Novi 13
10. Troy 12

Flight finalists
1S Katie Brozovich (C) d. Mary Hanna (S)
2S Lexi Baylis (C) d. Allie Sweeney (PHN)
3S Lizzie Brozovich (PHN) d. Paige Olsen (C)
4S Rae Brozovich (PHN) d. Catherine Chou (AAH)
1D Dana Olsen-Olivia Dunn (C) d. Alexa Arvidson-Julia Rampton (AAP)
2D Amelia Boccaccio-Carrie Lynch (GPS) d. Elizabeth Sakorafis-Jordan Hermiz (NOR)
3D Anna Borowicz-Sarah Court (AAP) d. Amy Tseng-Maggie Bachella (PHN)
4D Alyssa Roopas-Evie Van DeWege (AAP) d. Monique Zentner-Katie Hubregsen (C)

Thoughts: I tried to give Clarkston every possible edge in close matches, even predicting a mini upset at No. 1 singles and No. 1 doubles. Port Huron Northern is just too strong on the back half of its singles lineup and just balanced enough in doubles to make it the team to beat. If Clarkston can get fellow Oakland County power Novi to pull off a second-round upset at No. 4 doubles, the Wolves might have a chance. That, or if their No. 2 and 3 doubles can somehow pick up a big upset win in the second round, they might be able to get by the Huskies.
If Ann Arbor Pioneer had a stronger singles lineup, it might have a chance to make it a four-team race. But tough draws at 1-2-3 singles hurt its chances. If my predictions hold true, it could be quite a day for the Brozovich family. Lizzie and Rae are the younger first cousins of Katie. One of their teams should walk away with the championship trophy.
Though I didn't list it above, I do think Novi's Abby Wang - the fourth seed at No. 1 singles - will reach the semifinals, where she'll face Hanna. Same goes for Troy's No. 1 doubles team of Kalie Collins and Tonya Malyarenko. I've got them falling to Olsen and Dunn in the semifinals.

DIVISION 2
I'll be at these finals in Kalamazoo. And I can't wait. Again, maybe I was a little fixated on the local teams competing for a chance to deny Grand Rapids Forest Hills Northern of a state title for the first time since Seaholm did it back in 2004. But it's for good reason. Marian, Andover and Seaholm enter as the 1-2-3 ranked teams in the state. And there's no reason to think they won't finish 1-2-3 on Saturday afternoon.
Balance throughout each of their lineups will carry them into the finals, all with a chance to take home the title.

My predicted Top-10
1. Birmingham Marian 29 points
T-2. Birmingham Seaholm 27
T-2. Bloomfield Hills Andover 27
4. Okemos 20
5. Farmington Hills Mercy 19
6. Forest Hills Northern 18
T-7. Bloomfield Hills Lahser 14
T-7. Traverse City Central 14
9. Grand Rapids Northview 10
10. Mason 7

Flight finalists
1S Mollie Fox (BHL) d. Kerry Hu (BHA)
2S Labina Petrovska (BS) d. Kristen Law (BHA)
3S Catherine Christian (BM) d. Draga Sabotic (O)
4S Lauren Dietz (BM) d. Claire Markley (BS)
1D Victoria Minzlaff-Ariel Verbrugge (FHN) d. Kelly Lunghamer-Olivia Underwood (BHM)
2D Anna Hinrichs-Christy Snyder (FHM) d. Paige Atkinson-Hailey Brownstein (BHA)
3D Jackie Meier-Rachel Wilson (BS) d. Molly MacKenzie-Bianca Emde (BHM)
4D Macy Hudson-Mallory Hudson (BHM) d. Sydney Aronovitz-Madison Lorenz (BHA)

Thoughts: Where do I start? I mentioned in yesterday's blog that I was disappointed to see Seaholm's Nancy Benda and Andover's Kerry Hu pitted against each other in the second round. I'm basing my decision to pick Hu on the fact that her sprained ankle won't bother her much. If it does - and same goes for Benda - then each might get knocked off before the finals. Either way, Mollie Fox of Lahser is my clear-cut choice to run away with the No. 1 singles title.
Okemos got some love by the seeding committee in singles. But something tells me Andover's Kristen Law is primed for an upset in the semifinals at No. 2 singles. And if Labina Petrovska of Seaholm can make it three straight wins over Marian's Elaine Apaza in the semifinals at No. 2 singles, it will be one heckuva championship match. At 3-singles, Catherine Christian (Marian) and Lauren Frazier (Seaholm) split this season, with Frazier beating CC in a close, 3-setter in the regional final. Expect Saturday's semifinal to be another close match.
Another barn burner should be Mercy and Marian in a semifinal at No. 1 doubles. Mercy's Margaux Kabodian and Jessie Guindi  split with Marian's Kelly Lunghamer and Olivia Underwood. This one could go either way, which is why it'll be so fun to watch. Either way, the winner will get Forest Hills Northern, the best team in the state.
I see Oakland County matchups in the finals at 2-3-4 doubles. In the end, I wouldn't be surprised to see Marian, Seaholm or Andover win it all. If Benda beats Hu, Seaholm could pull it out. I don't have Andover winning a flight championship. If it does, the Barons could win it all.

DIVISION 3
Unlike Divisions 1 and 2, where a match or two could decide the championship, Division 3 is a bit more clear cut. Cranbrook enters ranked No. 1 and beat the No. 2 team, East Grand Rapids, 6-2 a couple weeks ago. And that was with Alexandria Najarian still out of the lineup. Now that she's back, the Cranes are running on all cylinders. The real battle will be for second place, where Country Day, East Grand Rapids and Allegan will all battle it out.

My predicted Top-10
1. Cranbrook 33 points
2. Country Day 25
3. East Grand Rapids 23
4. Allegan 22
5. Holland Christian 17
6. Forest Hills Eastern 16
7. St. Clair 14
8. GR Catholic Central 11
9. Sturgis 10
10. Haslett 6

Flight finalists
1S Alexandria Najarian (CK) d. Sydney Liggins (GRCC)
2S Madelyn Karoub (CD) d. Abbey Dekkinga (A)
3S Marina Selenica (CD) d. Madeline Bissett (FHE)
4S Jane Ziecik (CD) d. Alissa Rowens (CK)
1D Megan Simmons-Meg Phyle (CK) d. Kaycee Harness-Christin Drozd (A)
2D Carly Sillivan-Maddy Boylen (EGR) d. Claire Huttenlocher-Maria Landi (CK)
3D Briana Letica-Holly Meers (CK) d. Lauren Krug-Jeanie Weinrich (EGR)
4D Lauren Lanzon-Christina Roualet (CK) d. Kathleen Schumar-Margaret Gregg (EGR)

Thoughts: I don't often go out to a lot of practices, but last week I went out to Cranbrook for a feature story on Najarian. And what I witnessed was one of the most intense tennis practices I've ever seen. Coaches Keith Cullen and Jeff Etterbeek make the most of their time with the girls. And it always seems to pay off as the Cranes are battle tested and ready to go at states.
Despite having the dominant singles lineup in the state, Country Day lacks depth in doubles and that'll keep the Yellowjackets from catching Cranbrook. That's exactly what will prove to be the difference for the Cranes. I expect all four doubles teams to reach the finals, with three winning them.

DIVISION 4
This was by far the hardest division to predict. Heck, half the teams involved haven't seen all too many of the other teams competing. And considering there are just a handful of metro-Detroit teams playing in Holland, it's really hard for me to gauge the competition. But I tried. The easy part was figuring out the winner. Last year's runner-up, and the team that was ranked No. 1 from start to finish this spring, Academy of the Sacred Heart, has the most talent from top to bottom.
If the singles can pick up a few key victories, the doubles will carry the Gazelles to the first state championship in school history. Williamston, currently ranked No. 2, Ann Arbor Greenhills (#10) and St. Mary's Catholic Central (#7) should push Sacred Heart. Notre Dame Prep's balanced lineup should carry it to a top-eight finish, according to my estimates. If the Irish can pick up an upset or two, they could vault themselves into the top-five.

My predicted Top-10
1. Academy of the Sacred Heart 27 points
T-2. Williamston 22
T-2. Ann Arbor Greenhills 22
4. St. Mary's Catholic Central 20
5. Lansing Catholic Central 18
6. Portland 17
7. Ann Arbor Gabriel Richard 16
8. Notre Dame Prep 14
9. Grandville Calvin Christian 11
10. Traverse City St. Francis 10

Flight finalists
1S Kasey Gardiner (AAG) d. Meika Ashby (KH)
2S Colleen O'Brien (AAG) d. Katie Blake (P)
3S Calla Ramont (LC) d. Charli Greenhoe (P)
4S Corrine Gardner (AAG) d. Bailey Ray (TCSF)
1D Kelsey Nagle-Emily Nash (ASH) d. Caitlyn Chick-Delaney Nikolai (W)
2D Hannah Gerard-Elia Wilson (ASH) d. Holly Laginess-Chrissy Flynn (SMCC)
3D Heidi Lemon-Sarah Spangler (ASH) d. Amber Laginess-Vinnie Gupta (SMCC)
4D Kendall Lehmann-Teresa Walawender (ASH) d. Sarah Stayman-Courtney McCardel (TCSF)

Thoughts: The target, so to speak, has been on the Gazelles' collective back since they finished runner-up at last year's finals. They were returning 10 of their starters - most in key flights - and surely had the talent to take it up a notch. Greenhills has the best singles lineup, but Sacred Heart has the best doubles players.
There's a bit of pressure on the Gazelles' doubles to perform this weekend. That's where a good chunk of the team's points should come from. They're all seeded #1. Confidence will be key. They are seeded #1 for a reason. They are the best. If Kelsey Nagle, Emily Walsh, Hannah Gerard, Elia Wilson, Heidi Lemon, Sarah Spangler, Kendall Lehmann and Teresa Walawender all play to their abilities, Sacred Heart wins.
Notre Dame Prep scored seven points at last year's finals. This year, the Irish had a couple good draws and could score multiple points at a number of flights. It's unfortunate senior No. 1 Lisa Savagian is in Kasey Gardiner's quarter of the bracket, but her early draw is favorable and she could win a couple matches before seeing Gardiner.

Follow me on Twitter @MIPrepZone as I'll be trying to tweet on Saturday. And go to MIPrepZone's tennis home page for all of our tennis coverage from this year - as well as after Saturday's finals.

About two weeks ago, as I started gathering information for my 2012 Girls Tennis Preview, it seemed as if it was almost a foregone conclusion that Oakland County tennis teams would be heavily favored to bring home state championships in all four divisions.
Clarkston, the defending champs in Division 1, had a whole lot of firepower returning including much of what was by far the best singles lineup in the state last year, regardless of division. Seaholm and Marian - who finished 2-3 at last year's finals - were ready to take advantage of six-time defending Division 2 champion Grand Rapids Forest Hills Northern, which graduated 10 starters from last year's squad.
Over in Division 3, Cranbrook and Country Day once again were the teams to beat. No one else will really come close to the Cranes and Yellowjackets this year. And in Division 4, Bloomfield Hills Academy of the Sacred Heart returns 10 starters from last year's state runner-up squad. The Gazelles are ranked No. 1 and should battle it out with Monroe St. Mary Catholic Central for a chance to win the first state championship in school history.
But upon making phone calls and learning a bit more about just how good all of these teams were going to be this year, I began to realize that, though it could happen, it won't be easy for an Oakland County sweep in 2012.
Clarkston was the overwhelming favorite - and is ranked No. 1 in the state right now. But with Gabriella Spindler, a state semifinalist at No. 1 singles last year, deciding not to play this season, it really brings the Wolves back to the pack. I feel confident in senior No. 1 Katie Brozovich scoring some big points at this year's finals. And sophomore Lexi Baylis is a sure thing to repeat as state champion at No. 2. The No. 1 doubles team of Dana and Paige Olsen will also score well for coach Becky Freeman.
But what it will come down to is whether or not the team's depth (Nos. 3-4 singles and 3-4 doubles) will score enough for a Clarkston repeat. Port Huron Northern returns all four of its singles players, one half of its No. 1 doubles and both members of its No. 2 doubles team, a team that beat Clarkston at the finals last year.
And never count out Grosse Pointe South and Ann Arbor Pioneer, which always has depth and will score well at the lower flights.
Another team that suffered a huge blow was Birmingham Seaholm. The Maples lost junior No. 1 Nancy Benda to a stress fracture and will bump up their 2-3-4 singles. That weakens the team at each of those flights. Because of that, I'd have to say Birmingham Marian is the odds-on-favorite to capture the state title. I still think Marian, Seaholm and Andover will finish 1-2-3. I also like Farmington Hills Mercy to finish in the top-five.
In Division 3, like I said, Cranbrook and Country Day will finish 1-2, probably in that order. The season is young, but both schools return a good portion of last year's teams, which ran away from East Grand Rapids to finish first and second (Cranbrook won).
And in Division 4, I do see it coming down to Sacred Heart and St. Mary Catholic Central. Seeding and matchups will once again play a big role in who wins that title. But on paper, I'd give Sacred Heart the nod.

Odds to win a state title in 2012 - set my yours truly
Division 1
Clarkston 3 to 1
Division 2
Birmingham Marian 3 to 1
Birmingham Seaholm 5 to 1
Bloomfield Hills Andover 6 to 1
Farmington Hills Mercy 10 to 1
Division 3
Cranbrook Kingswood 2 to 1
Country Day 3 to 1
Division 4
Academy of the Sacred Heart 3 to 1

This past spring I blogged my predictions for the girls tennis finals. And I wasn't too far off. I'm going to try and do the same for the boys here.

Division 1
Ann Arbor Huron 28, Birmingham Brother Rice 24, Detroit Catholic Central 23, Novi 21, Troy 16, Port Huron Northern 13, Ann Arbor Pioneer 12, West Bloomfield 12, Northville 11, Rochester Adams 8

Division 2
Midland Dow 34, GR Forest Hills Central 21, Bloomfield Hills Andover 19, Portage Central 17, North Farmington 16, Battle Creek Lakeview 15, Birmingham Groves 14, Traverse City Central 13, Okemos 13, East Lansing 11

Division 3
St. Joseph 29, Detroit Country Day 29, GR Forest Hills Northern 24, Cranbrook 23, East Grand Rapids 16

Division 4
Ann Arbor Greenhills 27, Lansing Catholic 26, University Liggett 17, Portland 16, Grosse Ile 13



For the record, here's how I projected the girls' finals:

Division 1
Clarkston 29 points, Ann Arbor Pioneer 24, Midland Dow 23, Grosse Pointe South 19
ACTUAL: Clarkston 27, Ann Arbor Pioneer 25, Midland Dow 21, Grosse Pointe South 17

Division 2
Grand Rapids Forest Hills Northern 30, Birmingham Marian 27, Bloomfield Hills Andover 26, Birmingham Seaholm 24
ACTUAL: GR Forest Hills Northern 33, Birmingham Seaholm 26, Birmingham Marian 23, Bloomfield Hills Andover 22

Division 3
Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood 33, Birmingham Detroit Country Day 32, East Grand Rapids 26
ACTUAL: Cranbrook 33, Country Day 32, East Grand Rapids 26 (yes, dead on)

Division 4
Grand Rapids NorthPointe Christian 27, Bloomfield Hills Academy of the Sacred Heart 24, Grand Rapids South Christian 18, Kalamazoo Christian 16, Williamston 16
ACTUAL:  GR Northpointe Christian 25, BH Academy of the Sacred Heart 22, Monroe St. Mary's Catholic 18, Kalamazoo Christian 16, Portland 14, Williamston 14