The Seaholm Maples carry a 2-2 record to Oak Park on Friday, Sept. 25, for a 6:30 p.m. OAA Blue division game against a Knights team with an identical record.

Both squads sit at 1-1 in league play. A loss would drop either team below .500 in the division with two league games remaining, making the path to a league title much steeper.

Seaholm enters on a one-game skid after falling 14-13 to rival Groves on Sept. 18 at Groves High School, the Oakland Press reported. The Maples opened the year with a 30-13 loss at Milford, then followed with wins over Royal Oak (56-7) and Mott (41-20) before the narrow defeat to the Falcons.

Oak Park is coming off a 20-10 win at Mott on Sept. 18. The Knights opened with a 24-12 loss to Catholic Central, routed Kettering 48-0 at home, then absorbed a 54-6 loss at Harper Woods before rebounding against Mott.

The Maples have outscored opponents 123-71 through four games, according to MaxPreps. Oak Park's scoring margin is tighter at 86-88, according to MaxPreps.

Senior captains quarterback Brody Gable, running back/outside linebacker Ben Swisher and wide receiver/cornerback Will Forberg lead the Maples. Forberg and Gable were both active in the Week 4 loss to Groves, where Gable took a sack from Groves' Kam Smith.

The stakes are real.

The playoff math adds urgency. Heading into Week 5, Seaholm sits 24th in the MHSAA Division 2 playoff picture with 37.750 points, inside the 32-team qualifying bracket, according to MLive. Oak Park is on the outside in Division 3, listed among the first 10 teams out with 33.250 points.

A win would push Seaholm to 3-2 overall and 2-1 in the OAA Blue, strengthening its playoff position with a favorable stretch ahead. The Maples host Southfield Arts & Tech on Oct. 2, then welcome Harper Woods on Oct. 9 before closing the regular season at Utica on Oct. 23.

The 6:30 p.m. kickoff at Oak Park High School is earlier than Seaholm's usual start, the team said on X.