2017 Prep Kickoff Classic schedule

The 2017 Prep Kickoff Classic will feature 13 teams from Michigan and one from Indiana. The three-day event will feature seven games between August 24th and the 26th at Wayne State University.

Prep Kickoff Classic – Detroit MLK vs. Indianapolis Cathedral

Headlining the three-day event will be two-time defending Michigan Division 2 champ Detroit Martin Luther King taking-on Indiana-power Indianapolis Cathedral. The two will square-off in the seventh game of the event on August 26th at 6 P.M.

MLK finished 2016 ranked No. 3 in the High School Football America Michigan Top 10 with a 12-2 record. The Crusaders’ only losses were against Division I champ Cass Tech, which finished No. 15 in our national rankings last year.

Returning for MLK is Class of 2019 quarterback Dequan Finn, who led the Crusaders to a state title as a sophomore. Other top players are seniors-to-be wide receiver Erik Gibson, who has given his verbal commitment to Minnesota, and cornerback Jaeveyon Morton, who has 18 college scholarship offers. Junior-to-be safety Marvin Grant is the No. 3 overall prospect in Michigan in the Class of 2019. Grant has offers from Michigan and Notre Dame.

Cathedral (7-5 in 2016) has two seniors-to-be that have already given their verbals to Michigan and Notre Dame. Center Michigan-recruit Emil Ekiyor is the top-ranked prospect in the Hoosier State, according to 247Sports.com’s composite rankings. Ekiyor, a 4-star recruit, is ranked the No. 95 overall prospect in America. Notre Dame-recruit running back Markese Stepp is the No. 2 overall prospect in Indiana.

The Prep Kickoff Classic will open on August 24th with the team that lost to MLK in the state championship game, Walled Lake Western taking-on West Bloomfield. Walled Lake Western finished No. 5 in last year’s High School Football America Michigan Top 10.

Last year’s No. 4 team Utica Eisenhower will play Oak Park on August 26th. Lowell, which finished No. 9 last year in our Michigan Top 10, will play Warren De La Salle on August 25th.