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.)
Quick Study Central Lake Clinches 1st Title
November 18, 2017
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
MARQUETTE – Central Lake may not have been totally sure what it got itself into switching to 8-player football heading into this fall.
Clearly it didn’t take the Trojans long to figure things out.
A year after finishing 2-7 with 11 players on the field, Central Lake finished Saturday afternoon at the Superior Dome with its first football championship, downing Deckerville 32-30 in the inaugural 8-Player Division 1 Final.
The championship was the first for the school in any MHSAA tournament sport since claiming the Class D softball title in 1980. The Trojans also finished 13-0 this fall.
“Last year it was not even something. Or just growing up, you’re watching the Finals on TV … ‘I’m never going to be there,’ but it’s cool to watch,” Central Lake senior quarterback Gavin Mortensen said. “You dream about it. And then all of a sudden, you’re a state champion. It’s crazy.”
And so was the finish, as Mortensen put his team ahead to stay on a six-yard touchdown run with 2:49 to play. Central Lake came back from 10 points down with under a minute to play in the third quarter, riding a powerful running game to the final two of four rushing touchdowns on the day, while also halting two Deckerville fourth-quarter drives that reached the Trojans’ 21-yard line.
“Those get your heart pumping, don’t they, those stops? But what a great way to win,” Central Lake coach Rob Heeke said.
Junior running back Grant Papineau went over 2,000 yards rushing for the season, adding 183 for a final total of 2,067 while also rushing for his 26th touchdown of the fall. Junior Skyler Spangler had 101 yards and two scores on the ground to finish the season with 1,753 yards and 28 touchdowns rushing.
Mortensen, in addition to running the show, made it count when his number was called, adding a 49-yard touchdown pass to senior Jayce Hoogerhyde. And Hoogerhyde, who had 15 pass break-ups as a defensive back entering the game, made an equally significant play on that side of the ball batting down Deckerville’s final pass into the end zone.
Those are the guys who got most of the attention during the perfect run. But a most unlikely contributor deserved his share as well Saturday. Junior center Dalin Clark (6-foot, 265 pounds) left the game with an injury near the end of the first half. In came sophomore Vance Hoeksema (5-6, 140), who had played that position only a couple of times this fall. But the Central Lake attack just kept rolling.
“We just kinda rallied around Vance, and he did a great job,” Mortensen said. “After we got the first few bad snaps out of the way, exchange-wise, he did really well.
Guys on the line picked him up and told him what to do if he didn’t know, and it worked out.”
Hoogerhyde said it wasn’t until a 14-point Week 8 win over Onekama – that clinched for the Trojans the Midwest Central Michigan Conference championship – that he and his teammates started to realize what they might be capable of accomplishing this fall.
Deckerville had been to this level before, winning the 8-player championship in 2012 and finishing runner-up to two-time champion Powers North Central a year ago. That the Eagles (11-2) returned to the final game Saturday was impressive though, considering they replaced nearly their entire backfield from a year ago and then didn’t have injured leading rusher Cruz Ibarra for the last two games.
Senior Kenton Bowerman ran for 83 yards and also caught three passes for 93 yards and a score in the Final. Sophomore quarterback Isaac Keinath threw for three scores total.
“We’d love to win that state championship, but I think we overachieved maybe a little bit,” Deckerville coach Bill Brown said. “They really came together as a team midway through the season and as a head football coach, when you watch your kids and they come together and they’re playing as a team, and you’re getting those selfless acts … we have kids giving just everything they have out there. When you’re a coach, that’s all you ask for.
“I’m disappointed in the outcome of course. That doesn’t define this football team. We could play that game again, and we might win by two touchdowns.”
Spangler had 15 tackles, Mortensen 14, Papineau 13 and senior Dylan Michael 12 for Central Lake. Junior Curtis Vogel had 20 tackles and senior Wyatt Janowiak had 15 for the Eagles. Senior Zach Ostrowski also caught a touchdown pass, and senior Brendan Hadley ran for a score.
The MHSAA Playoffs are sponsored by the Michigan Army National Guard.
PHOTOS: (Top) Central Lake quarterback Gavin Mortensen begins to turn the corner on the way to scoring the go-head touchdown Saturday. (Middle) Deckerville’s Wyatt Janowiak hauls in a third-quarter touchdown pass over the tight coverage of Jayce Hoogerhyde. (Photos by John Johnson.)