1st & Goal: 2026 Week 2 Preview
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
September 3, 2026
If you’re traveling for the long weekend and see stadium lights shining in the distance, you might want to make a quick stop and check out one of these matchups.
Nearly 80 percent of this weekend’s games will be played Thursday, although those waiting for Friday won’t miss out as there are plenty of opportunities that night as well to see high-profile nonleague clashes or conference openers that could eventually determine championships.
Staying close to home? Tune in to the NFHS Network for the majority of games across the state, and follow the MHSAA Scores page for results as they’re submitted.
Bay & Thumb
Almont (1-0) at Armada (1-0) – Thursday
Almont has continued to set the standard in the Blue Water Area Conference with three straight league championships. The Raiders’ most recent league loss came in 2022 – to Armada, which has finished second once and third in the league twice over that stretch. Both opened this season with wins over 2025 playoff teams, Armada over St. Clair Shores Lakeview and Almont over Marysville.
Keep an eye on these THURSDAY Saginaw Swan Valley (1-0) at Freeland (0-1), Lapeer (0-1) at Goodrich (1-0), Saginaw Heritage (0-1) at Midland Dow (1-0), Marysville (0-1) at Port Huron (1-0).
Greater Detroit
Detroit Martin Luther King (1-0) at Orchard Lake St. Mary’s (1-0) – Friday
This power pair is facing off for the first time since 2006, and theirs will certainly be one of the most discussed games statewide this weekend. St. Mary’s is coming off winning last season’s Division 2 championship and opened with a 35-27 win over Muskegon Mona Shores, while King reached the Division 3 Regional Finals last fall and began this one by downing annual Ohio contender Toledo Whitmer.
Keep an eye on these THURSDAY Howell (1-0) at Belleville (0-1), Rochester Adams (0-1) at Rochester (1-0), Clarkston (1-0) at Rochester Hills Stoney Creek (1-0). FRIDAY Davison (1-0) at Detroit Catholic Central (1-0).
Mid-Michigan
DeWitt (1-0) at Mason (1-0) – Thursday
This has developed into one of the most intriguing rivalries in the Lansing area, with both teams playing at Ford Field over the last three seasons – with 2023 also when these two started their current series. DeWitt has a 2-1 edge and won last year’s matchup 44-37 – the Panthers’ closest game during a run to the Division 3 championship – but Mason has brought back nearly its entire starting lineup this fall.
Keep an eye on these THURSDAY Fenton (0-1) at Haslett (0-1), Durand (1-0) at New Lothrop (1-0), Lansing Sexton (1-0) at Portland (1-0), Hastings (0-1) at Williamston (1-0).
Northern Lower Peninsula
Ogemaw Heights (1-0) at Traverse City St. Francis (1-0) – Friday
Ogemaw Heights made its first run to the Semifinals last season since 2009, and its only loss of the regular season came 42-32 to St. Francis in Week 2. The Falcons opened last week with an impressive win over Freeland, and the Gladiators downed Elk Rapids. This matchup is joined on St. Francis’ schedule by three games against teams that finished last season at Ford Field.
Keep an eye on these THURSDAY Escanaba (0-1) at Gaylord (1-0), East Jordan (0-1) at Oscoda (0-1). FRIDAY Boyne City (0-1) at Charlevoix (1-0), Grand Rapids Christian (0-1) at Traverse City West (0-1).
Southeast & Border
Pewamo-Westphalia (1-0) at Ottawa Lake Whiteford (0-1) – Friday
These two small-school powers are playing for the first time, but it might not be the last time this season as both stand to be in the Division 7 playoff chase in two months. Whiteford also played a first-time opponent last week, falling to Monroe St. Mary Catholic Central 37-28, while the Pirates are also coming off a tough opener after having outlasted North Muskegon 17-9.
Keep an eye on these THURSDAY Monroe Jefferson (1-0) at Carleton Airport (0-1), Brooklyn Columbia Central (1-0) at Michigan Center (1-0), Union City (1-0) at Reading (1-0). FRIDAY Flat Rock (0-1) at Monroe St. Mary Catholic Central (1-0).
Southwest Corridor
Cedar Springs (0-1) at Battle Creek Harper Creek (1-0) – Friday
Harper Creek hasn’t received enough attention for its run over the last three seasons, which has included two straight Interstate 8 Athletic Conference titles and a combined 22-6 record. The Beavers opened this campaign with a fourth-straight win (and third-straight shutout) of rival Battle Creek Lakeview and now will have a chance to avenge last fall’s lone regular-season loss. Cedar Springs won that Week 2 matchup 30-20 and is seeking to bounce back after falling to Zeeland West last week.
Keep an eye on these THURSDAY Grand Rapids Forest Hills Central (0-1) at Portage Central (0-1), Lansing Everett (0-1) at Battle Creek Central (1-0). FRIDAY Stevensville Lakeshore (1-0) at Niles (0-1), Lowell (0-1) at St. Joseph (1-0).
Upper Peninsula
Menominee (1-0) at Marquette (1-0) – Thursday
These former Great Northern Conference rivals are meeting for the first time since 2022, the last season of football for that league. The Sentinels have won four of their last five matchups, but both have found success since their last time facing off. Over the last three seasons, Menominee has played at Ford Field twice – winning last year’s Division 7 title – and Marquette has reached the Division 3 playoffs twice and opened with a close but impressive loss last week to Negaunee.
Keep an eye on these THURSDAY Ishpeming Westwood (0-1) at Calumet (1-0), Houghton (0-1) at Kingsford (1-0). FRIDAY Gladstone (1-0) at Negaunee (1-0), North Muskegon (0-1) vs. Iron Mountain (1-0) at Petoskey.
West Michigan
East Kentwood (1-0) at Byron Center (1-0) – Thursday
Rare are the days when Muskegon/Rockford isn’t be the default “game of the week” in West Michigan. But don’t look past this matchup this time. East Kentwood is coming off a run to the Division 1 Semifinals last season, which included a 43-14 win over 2024 Division 2 runner-up Byron Center in Week 2. The Bulldogs emerged from an 0-2 start last season, including that defeat by the Falcons, to go 7-2 the rest of the way, and they’ve already avenged the first of last year’s losses by downing Hudsonville 41-20 last week.
Keep an eye on these THURSDAY Grand Rapids South Christian (1-0) at East Grand Rapids (1-0), Detroit Cass Tech (1-0) at Grandville (1-0). FRIDAY Muskegon (0-1) at Rockford (0-1), Midland (1-0) at Zeeland West (1-0).
8-Player
Portland St. Patrick at Blanchard Montabella – Friday
There may not be a team in MHSAA 8-player football history that scheduled a tougher slate to start the season than Montabella, which avenged last fall’s Division 1 championship game loss with a 62-12 win over Martin last week and now gets the reigning Division 2 champion Shamrocks. St. Patrick handed the Mustangs their only regular-season defeat a year ago, 42-16, in Week 9 on the way to a perfect run, and even had a few more days to prepare this time with its Week 1 opponent Wyoming Tri-unity Christian canceling its season.
Keep an eye on these THURSDAY Merrill (1-0) at Morrice (1-0), Central Lake (1-0) at Gaylord St. Mary (1-0), Britton Deerfield (1-0) at Climax-Scotts (1-0). FRIDAY Pickford (1-0) at Rudyard (1-0).
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PHOTO Ithaca defenders wrap up a Mount Pleasant Sacred Heart ball carrier during their 48-6 Week 1 win. (Click for more from High School Sports Scene.)
Chain Gang Linked by Decades of Down & Distance
By
Pam Shebest
Special for MHSAA.com
September 18, 2018
SCHOOLCRAFT — Skip Fox figures he and his buddies have the best seats in the house when it comes to Schoolcraft football.
And the four have had them for a combined 167 years.
Fox, Jeff Bell, David Krum and Dick Goldschmeding make up the chain gang for the Eagles’ home games, and boast tenures individually and working together that surely rank among the longest in Michigan for providing that gameday duty.
They work well together, an asset when it comes to games like Schoolcraft’s 49-48 double overtime win against Saugatuck last Friday.
Each has a specific job with Bell and Goldschmeding working the chains, Krum the clip and Fox the down box.
Do they lose focus during those long games?
“Never,” Bell said, as the others burst into laughter, with one chiming in: “Good answer.”
“We’re always consummate chain people,” Bell continued. “Never once have I been leaning on that stake and having Dick on the other end pull me along to get going.”
The camaraderie among the four is evident as they share memories.
Fox, who is in his 55th season working the chains, started on the sidelines after his 1964 graduation from Schoolcraft High School.
“When I started, it was a three-man crew,” he said. “We always invited somebody from the opposing team to be on the chains. Then they started changing some of the rules.
“At that time, we worked one half on the visitors’ side and one half on the home side. When the chains had to be opposite the press box, we started working the games all on one side.
“It’s always the opposing side, so we’ve heard a lot of opposing coaches over the years. We’ve learned a few new words.”
Bell, a 1966 Schoolcraft grad, joined the crew 51 years ago.
Before retiring, he was a middle school teacher in the district for 28 years and “doing that, you get to know all the kids so it was always fun to be down there watching the kids you knew.
“It’s different now (that he is retired). We kind of refer to the program all the time to make sure we know who’s who on the team.”
The gang has seen definite changes in the game over their tenure.
“We see a lot more conditioning and a lot more safety regulations,” Bell said. “The rules change and we try to keep up with that as much as possible.
“It’s a faster paced game than it was when we first started.”
Krum worked part-time on the chain gang from 1965 to 1970 while he attended Michigan State University and has been full-time the last 49 seasons.
One down side of the job, he said, is “Mother Nature. At times I wished we weren’t out there because we can’t leave. We’re stuck there rain or snow.”
Bell said weather seems to be one of the biggest changes over the years.
“At least half of the season we worked in Carhartts and snow was at least ankle deep,” he said. “Now we usually don’t see snow, but we get cold weather, mosquitoes, things like that.”
Krum really did have the best seat in the house to see his son, Dean, make an outstanding play several years ago.
“It was right in front of us in the end zone,” Krum said. “He knocked a pass down on the last play and we won the game. The whole crowd went crazy.
“I was in utter shock. I kept asking the guys, ‘He didn’t get a penalty, did he?’ It saved a two-pointer and we won the game by one.”
Krum is the one who protects the sideline.
“I’m the one who tells the coaches and players to please get back as we are going up and down,” he said. “You’ve got to talk to them all the time.”
Goldschmeding is the new guy on the crew.
A graduate of Portage Central High school, he moved to Schoolcraft 50 years ago and was recruited 12 years ago.
“We’ve been friends for a number of years, and they said they had an opening on the chain gang and would I be interested,” Goldschmeding said. “I fell for it hook, line and sinker.
“At the time I was assisting on the (Schoolcraft) sideline at football games, so I moved from one side of the field to the other.”
As an assistant coach, Goldschmeding said he was well aware of the guys working the chains across the field.
“I think every coach is aware of what is going on on the other side of the field because they have to be involved in every play,” he said. “They’re thinking two or three plays ahead all the time.”
One of the first things the crew does is meet with game officials to coordinate moves.
“When a first down is made, one of us will mark the spot and the other will extend the chain the full extent of the 10 yards,” Bell said. “We hold that position until the officials give us the nod.”
Sometimes the crew has to scamper down the field, which becomes time for Fox’s stand-in to appear.
“When they have a 40- or 50-yard run, David’s nephew (Blake Krum) takes over and runs down the field for me,” Fox said. “At age 72, I’m not that fast anymore.”
Bell said the crew’s goal is to go unnoticed.
“If you hold up the game, that’s real bad,” he said. “You want to do your job, and if you’re not noticed and nobody has anything to say about the chain gang, you’ve done your job. That’s pretty much the way it works.”
Fox said about the only downside of the job is not sitting with their wives at games.
“All our wives sit on the other side without us,” he said. “You’ve got to have understanding wives.”
Sideline service one of many school connections
For Fox, Schoolcraft football has been a generational thing.
He lettered in football all four years and added, “My oldest son (Matthew) was on the championship team in 1990 and my other son, Mark, made all-state on both offense and defense, which was a rarity.”
“I’ve got four grandsons, and they all played for Schoolcraft.”
He also served on the Schoolcraft Board of Education for 34 years.
Bell played basketball for the Eagles and his son, Ross, played on the MHSAA Division 6 champion football team in 2001.
Krum did not play sports, but was a sports enthusiast in school.
He spent 29½ years on the school board.
Although he wasn’t involved in Eagles sports as a student, Goldschmeding’s two sons, John and Josh, played football at Schoolcraft and he was involved in the Athletic Boosters. He also has grandchildren involved in Schoolcraft sports.
Pam Shebest served as a sportswriter at the Kalamazoo Gazette from 1985-2009 after 11 years part-time with the Gazette while teaching French and English at White Pigeon High School. She can be reached at [email protected] with story ideas for Calhoun, Kalamazoo and Van Buren counties.
PHOTOS: (Top) Schoolcraft's Jeff Bell, Skip Fox, David Krum, Dick Goldschmeding work the chains during a game this season. (Middle) Clockwise, from top left: Bell, Fox, Goldschmeding and Krum. (Below) From left, Goldschmeding, Bell and Krum meet with game officials. (Photos by Pam Shebest.)