1st & Goal: 2026 Week 3 Preview
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
September 10, 2026
Settle in, because things are about to get interesting.
That’s usually where we’re at when we hit Week 3 of the high school football season, with the early-season jitters fading and the first ideas emerging of which teams have looked good enough to be standing at the end.
Multiple matchups that decided league championships last season will be played out again this week and are highlighted below. So are a few more titanic nonleague tussles before the rest of the state jumps into conference play as we move into mid-September.
Games below are Friday unless noted. There are 19 games being played Thursday this week and 11 on Saturday. Tune in to the NFHS Network to watch the majority and follow the MHSAA Scores page for results as they’re submitted.
Bay & Thumb
New Lothrop (2-0) at Montrose (1-1)
Montrose’s 28-14 win over New Lothrop last season helped put the finishing touches on the Rams’ perfect run through the Mid-Michigan Activities Conference, although the Hornets do still own a 5-3 edge in the series since the league was formed in 2018. New Lothrop finished fourth in the MMAC last season but already has avenged a 2025 defeat to Durand, while Montrose opened this fall with a loss but to much larger Marshall.
Keep an eye on these FRIDAY Traverse City Central (2-0) at Davison (1-1), Mount Pleasant (2-0) at Midland Dow (1-1), Elkton-Pigeon-Bay Port Laker (1-1) at Millington (2-0), North Branch (2-0) at Armada (1-1).
Greater Detroit
Bloomfield Hills Brother Rice (2-0) at Warren De La Salle Collegiate (2-0)
While it’s fair to consider two-time reigning champion Detroit Catholic Central the favorite in the Catholic High School League Central, these two are almost always in the conversation as well. They’ve split their last 20 meetings, and neither has won this matchup more than two times in a row since Rice saw a run of victories end in 2006. The Warriors claimed last year’s game 22-17.
Keep an eye on these THURSDAY South Lyon East (2-0) at North Farmington (2-0). FRIDAY Detroit Country Day (1-1) at Dearborn Divine Child (2-0), Detroit Edison (1-1) at Romulus Summit Academy North (2-0), Detroit Cody (2-0) at Detroit Central (2-0).
Mid-Michigan
Dearborn (2-0) at Howell (2-0)
Howell has won 13 of its last 14 Kensington Lakes Activities Association divisional games, but the division alignments were changed for this fall and these two now find themselves together in the KLAA Gold and two of three (with Brighton) that have started the season 2-0. Dearborn has doubled up White Lake Lakeland and Dearborn Heights Crestwood, while Howell has double-digit wins over Traverse City West and Belleville.
Keep an eye on these FRIDAY Ogemaw Heights (2-0) at Clare (1-1), Grand Ledge (2-0) at Okemos (2-0), Perry (2-0) at Pewamo-Westphalia (2-0), Olivet (1-1) at Portland (2-0).
Northern Lower Peninsula
Charlevoix (2-0) at Kingsley (2-0)
These two met last season in a Week 9 nonleague matchup with Charlevoix undefeated and Kingsley emerging with a 44-18 victory on the way to reaching Ford Field and finishing Division 6 runner-up. Both are off to solid starts again, but now playing together in the Northern Shores Conference – making this a potential eventual league title decider.
Keep an eye on these FRIDAY Maple City Glen Lake (2-0) at East Jordan (1-1), Cadillac (1-1) at Gaylord (1-1), Coopersville (2-0) at Petoskey (2-0), Manton (1-1) at McBain (1-1).
Southeast & Border
Traverse City St. Francis (1-1) at Jackson Lumen Christi (2-0)
Even with St. Francis’ loss last week to Ogemaw Heights, this one is going to get statewide eyes especially with the possibility these two could meet again during the Division 6 playoffs. Lumen has won four straight over the Gladiators beginning with its Division 7 championship game victory in 2022 at Ford Field, and claimed last year’s matchup 27-12.
Keep an eye on these FRIDAY Chelsea (2-0) at Adrian (2-0), Napoleon (2-0) at Jonesville (2-0), Battle Creek Harper Creek (2-0) at Parma Western (1-1), Beal City (2-0) at Springport (2-0).
Southwest Corridor
Kalamazoo United (2-0) at Lawton (2-0)
United won the Southwestern Athletic Conference Lakeshore last season and Lawton was second in the SAC Valley, and with the league together as one division this fall these two certainly are among the favorites. They did play nonleague a year ago, with Lawton claiming a 22-19 victory, but this one will mean a lot more with both also looking toward matchups with reigning Valley champ Schoolcraft coming up.
Keep an eye on these FRIDAY Hastings (1-1) at Marshall (2-0), Portage Central (1-1) at Portage Northern (1-1), St. Joseph (1-1) at Stevensville Lakeshore (2-0), Plainwell (2-0) at Vicksburg (2-0).
Upper Peninsula
Bark River-Harris (2-0) at Iron Mountain (1-1)
Bark River-Harris’ wins over Iron Mountain last season – in Week 2 and again in a Division 8 District Final – were the Broncos’ first over the Mountaineers since the two began playing each other annually in 2018. That regular-season matchup decided the Western Peninsula Athletic Conference Iron title, and this one could too although L’Anse also is off to a 2-0 start gets Iron Mountain next.
Keep an eye on these FRIDAY Negaunee (2-0) at Calumet (2-0), Kingsford (2-0) at Gladstone (1-1), Manistique (1-1) at Hancock (1-1), Alpena (1-1) at Escanaba (0-2).
West Michigan
Grand Rapids South Christian (2-0) at Grand Rapids West Catholic (1-1)
Both have made Ford Field trips over the last three seasons, South Christian as Division 4 runner-up in 2023 and West Catholic as Division 5 champion last fall, and they’ve loaded up their schedules again. The Sailors already had to get past East Grand Rapids last week and have Hudsonville Unity Christian and Zeeland West up next after this one, and Grand Rapids Catholic Central in Week 9. West Catholic is coming off a loss to Coopersville and after league play will finish up this regular season with Traverse City St. Francis.
Keep an eye on these FRIDAY Rockford (1-1) at Caledonia (1-1), Grandville (1-1) at East Kentwood (2-0), Grand Haven (2-0) at Hudsonville (1-1), Hudsonville Unity Christian (1-1) at Zeeland East (2-0).
8-Player
Bay City All Saints (2-0) at Kinde North Huron (2-0)
These two finished first and second in the Big Thumb Conference Red last season, thanks to All Saints’ big win in Week 8. North Huron has shown early this fall it can pull off the close calls, defeating Mayville and Peck by six points apiece. All Saints has blasted out of the gate with a pair of shutouts and 93 points total over the first two weeks.
Keep an eye on these FRIDAY Marcellus (2-0) at Bridgman (2-0), Dansville (2-0) at Potterville (2-0), Blanchard Montabella (2-0) at Breckenridge (2-0). SATURDAY Deckerville (2-0) at Byron (2-0).
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PHOTO Detroit Country Day’s Gavin Shaw (14) stretches for the end zone during his team’s 19-14 loss to Saginaw Swan Valley on Aug. 27. (Click for more from High School Sports Scene.)
Superb Seniors Bringing Gladwin to Ford Field as 1st-Time Football Finalist
By
Paul Costanzo
Special for MHSAA.com
November 23, 2022
Nick Wheeler had a feeling growing up that he and his Gladwin classmates could have some success when it was their time to lead the Flying Gs varsity football program.
He just had no idea how much.
“I never saw the state championship,” the Gladwin senior quarterback and safety said. “I saw us winning the Jack Pine Conference, which was something that hadn’t been done in a while.”
Wheeler and his teammates have blown past those expectations and are now one win away from what once felt impossible.
Led by a strong senior class, Gladwin will play in an MHSAA Football Final for the first time Saturday. In Division 5, the Flying Gs will take on Frankenmuth, which is also seeking its first football title.
“This has been our dream since we’ve been in high school,” senior linebacker and running back Logan Kokotovich said. “We went down (to Ford Field) to watch games my freshman year, and it was amazing. Back before high school, we were blowing teams out of the water. Everyone thought we could be good, but we knew we had to really work hard to get there.”
Gladwin football was in a much different place when Wheeler, Kokotovich and their classmates entered high school. The program had won just six games total over the previous three seasons, and hadn’t been to the postseason since 2014.
“I remember going to games when I was young and we would always lose,” Kokotovich said. “I would tell my dad, ‘That’s not a surprise.’”
As the Class of 2023 entered the high school, the Flying Gs were getting new leadership. Marc Jarstfer took over as head coach in 2019 after being an assistant at his alma mater – and Gladwin’s arch rival – Clare.
“I had no idea of what was coming up,” Jarstfer said. “I didn’t really pay attention to the youth programs (at Gladwin) or that sort of thing. I was familiar with the current situation. I think in that first year our staff was here, we saw that group had pretty significant potential. They went undefeated on JV with two freshmen playing on varsity. We figured if they continue to work hard and do the right things, they could be very good.”
Kokotovich and receiver/safety Kaden McDonald both played varsity as freshmen, and 10 members of the Class of 2023 played varsity as sophomores.
It was during that 2020 season that the turnaround started to feel more like reality. Gladwin went 4-4, but its three regular-season losses were by a combined 24 points. It also had a win against Division 2 Dexter, which featured multiple college prospects.
“That’s when I started noticing it,” Wheeler said. “We were in close games with teams that we were never close with before, like Clare and Beaverton. And we were just young sophomores.”
The following year was a true breakthrough, as Gladwin went 9-0, claiming its first Jack Pine title in 20 years and winning it outright for the first time ever. Gladwin got there by defeating Clare for the first time in 40 years.
Then, in the first round of the playoffs, the Flying Gs’ season came to an abrupt halt, with a loss to that same Clare team.
It was humbling, but also motivating.
“We just thought we were the best,” Wheeler said. “That really put us down and made us work even harder for next season to achieve our goal. The coaches, they put pictures right in front of our squat rack of Clare beating us. So that’s looking at us every time we lift.”
The motivation clearly worked, as Gladwin repeated its 9-0 regular season, winning a second-straight Jack Pine title. This time, however, the Flying Gs were even more dominant. They outscored their regular-season opponents by a combined 444-48, with 27 of those points allowed coming in their 33-27 win at Pontiac Notre Dame Prep.
But nothing Gladwin accomplished could compare to its 28-21 Semifinal win against Grand Rapids Catholic Central. The Cougars had won Finals titles in four of the past five seasons, including the past two Division 5 titles. It was the first postseason loss for Catholic Central since 2018.
“Everybody doubted us going into that game,” Wheeler said. “Grand Rapids Catholic Central, everybody thinks they’re just the best, but we just took it as they were another team. We didn’t think of them any differently. Everybody (on the team) believed. It was probably the best feeling of my life.”
The Flying Gs are now one win away from an even better feeling. But no matter what happens at Ford Field on Saturday, they’ve already established themselves as the group that turned the program around.
That’s a feeling that’s made even more special by the fact they’ve been able to do it with their lifelong friends.
“It is definitely going to be something I remember for the rest of my life,” Kokotovich said. “This group of guys is everything. We’ve pushed each other so much, and it’s all just falling together. This is awesome.”
Paul Costanzo served as a sportswriter at The Port Huron Times Herald from 2006-15, including three years as lead sportswriter, and prior to that as sports editor at the Hillsdale Daily News from 2005-06. He can be reached at [email protected] with story ideas for Genesee, Lapeer, St. Clair, Sanilac, Huron, Tuscola, Saginaw, Bay, Arenac, Midland and Gladwin counties.
PHOTOS (Top) Gladwin's Logan Kokotovich (12) holds onto the ball during Saturday's Semifinal win over Grand Rapids Catholic Central. (Middle) Senior Lincoln McKinnon works to shed a blocker and get to the GRCC quarterback. (Below) Earl Esiline keeps his feet on the icy turf. (Photos by Mike Kolleth.)