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Detroit Cass Tech's Peyton Robinson (10) attempts to pull away from King's Gerald Thomas (34)

1st & Goal: 2026 Week 8 Review

By Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor

October 19, 2026

Week 8 of this Michigan high school football season was billed to be spectacular, with league-deciding matchups all over the state. 

MI Student AidSpectacular was just the start.

In fact, as happens every week, more headliners emerged than originally anticipated. Read on for several as we next prepare for regular-season finales and playoff selection over the next five days.

Bay & Thumb

HEADLINER Grand Blanc 28, Davison 21 The Bobcats clinched a third-straight Saginaw Valley League South championship as these rivals decided the title for the third-straight season. The next time they play each other for a football title will be similar but different; this also was the last game for both before they join the Oakland Activities Association next fall. Click for more from the Flint Journal. 

Watch list Frankenmuth 41, Saginaw Swan Valley 22 The top challenger has shifted the last few seasons, but Frankenmuth (7-1) remains the Tri-Valley Conference Red champion as the Eagles won their 78th consecutive league game dating back to 2014 while handing the Vikings (7-1) their lone loss. 

On the move Burton Bendle 39, Flint Elite 0 After sharing the Genesee Area Conference title a year ago, these two met to decide it again with Bendle (8-0) avenging last season’s 34-8 loss to clinch a share and earn a chance to finish as outright champion this week. Goodrich 49, Fenton 14 Goodrich (8-0) finished its third-straight Flint Metro League overall championship run against a familiar opponent as these two have faced off in the deciding game all of the last three seasons. Sanford Meridian 28, Gladwin 13 The Mustangs (8-0) added the Jack Pine Conference overall championship while earning an opportunity this week to finish the regular season perfect for the first time since 2015. 

Greater Detroit

HEADLINER Detroit Cass Tech 21, Detroit Martin Luther King 20 For the second time in four seasons, these two played a city championship rematch that came down to a single point – and Cass Tech (8-0) prevailed with a fifth-straight Detroit Public School League title game victory, adding to its Week 4 20-7 PSL Blue win over the Crusaders (7-2). Click for more from the Detroit Free Press. 

Watch list Harper Woods 28, Clarkston 13 Harper Woods (7-1) is undefeated since losing its season opener to Cheslea, and this OAA Red/Blue crossover of league champions ended with the Pioneers celebrating a second win in two years over the Wolves (7-1). 

On the move Detroit Edison 30, Ecorse 20 Edison (7-1) clinched the Charter School Conference Gold championship outright with a perfect run through the league schedule, handing Ecorse (7-1) its lone defeat. Walled Lake Western 42, South Lyon East 14 Western (7-1) maintained its position among three teams tied for first in the Lakes Valley Conference, and knocked East (6-2) out of that mix. Detroit Central 8, Detroit Denby 6 These two met for the second-straight week, this time for the PSL Gold city championship, and with another low-scoring result after Central (7-1) defeated Denby (5-3) seven days earlier 6-2. 

Mid-Michigan

HEADLINER Grand Ledge 28, DeWitt 14 The Comets claimed the Capital Area Activities Conference Blue title outright by downing DeWitt (6-2) in this winner-take-all matchup, and also avenged last season’s 59-7 loss that ended up deciding the league championship. Grand Ledge (8-0) is one of eight undefeated teams left in Division 1. Click for more from the Lansing State Journal.

Watch list Hastings 54, Mason 49 The Saxons started this season 1-2, but they’ve won five straight and this was certainly the most notable of the run as the Bulldogs (7-1) haven’t let any other opponents come within 12 points. 

On the move Ithaca 35, Fowler 0 The Yellowjackets (8-0) have outscored their opponents by a combined 412-26, and in this one shut out a Fowler team that has scored 42 or more points five times during its 6-2 start. Mount Pleasant 34, Midland 10 The Oilers (7-1) clinched a share of the SVL North title, but will be rooting for Midland (4-4) this week to defeat Dow – which with Traverse City West also can clinch a share. Lake Odessa Lakewood 31, Olivet 21 Lakewood (7-1) has reached seven wins for the first time since 2018 and is up to No. 5 on the Division 5 playoff-points list, with its only loss to undefeated Portland by three points. 

Northern Lower Peninsula

HEADLINER Traverse City West 27, Bay City Western 26 After putting themselves in position to claim a share of the SVL North title in Week 7 with a two-point win over league leader Mount Pleasant, West maintained that possibility in similar fashion. The Titans (5-3) scored during the final minute in this one and face rival Traverse City Central this week hoping to become a league champion as well. Bay City Western (3-5) faces Bay City Central seeking to move back into the Division 3 playoff field after falling out of the top 32. Click for more from the Traverse City Record-Eagle.

Watch list East Jordan 13, Frankfort 0 The Red Devils’ defense posted its second shutout this fall as East Jordan (7-1) clinched a share of the Northern Michigan Football Conference championship. Frankfort (5-3) also ranks among the top 20 on the Division 8 playoff-points list, so these two could meet again. 

On the move Charlevoix 9, Elk Rapids 0 The Rayders (6-2) do not have a game this week but finished the regular season with three straight shutouts, this one to stay ahead of the Elks (5-3) for second place in the Northern Shores Conference. Kingsley 50, Kalkaska 6 Kingsley (8-0) locked up, outright, the first NSC football championship. Harbor Springs 41, Johannesburg-Lewiston 0 Harbor Springs’ ascension the last two seasons has been speedy and impressive, from going a combined 0-26 from 2023-25 to setting up a matchup with East Jordan this week for a share of the NMFC title.

Grayling's Jaden Peters (7) winds up to throw a pass during his team's 42-0 win at Bath.

Southeast & Border

HEADLINER Saline 35, Temperance Bedford 21 Saline finished a repeat run through the Southeastern Conference Red with this winner-take-all championship clincher against the previously undefeated Kicking Mules (7-1). The Hornets (8-0) can finish a first perfect regular season since 2021 with a win this week over Lake Orion. Click for more from the Ann Arbor News.

Watch list Monroe Jefferson 8, Monroe St. Mary Catholic Central 6 By nearly the slimmest of margins, Jefferson (8-0) clinched the Huron League title in another winner-take-all matchup against a previously undefeated opponent. The Bears will face Clinton this week seeking to finish a first perfect regular season since 1993.

On the move Clinton 24, Adrian Madison 21, Hudson 26, Ida 0 With these victories, Clinton and Hudson broke a four-team tie for first in the Lenawee County Athletic Association, finishing as co-champions. Hanover-Horton 36, Manchester 30 The Comets (7-1) clinched the overall Cascades Conference championship for the second-straight season, coming back from a 30-12 deficit to catch Manchester (6-2). Jackson Lumen Christi 28, Detroit Country Day 27 Lumen Christi (7-1) held on to set up a winner-take-all for the Catholic High School League AA title this week against co-leader Dearborn Divine Child. 

Southwest Corridor

HEADLINER Edwardsburg 59, Vicksburg 27 The Eddies (8-0) are Wolverine Conference champions for the first time since 2022, clinching a share with this victory and earning an opportunity to finish as outright title winner this week against Niles. Edwardsburg had broken 40 points five times this fall entering the night but scored its season high in handing Vicksburg (7-1) its only loss. Click for more from the Niles Daily Star.

Watch list Cassopolis 34, Saugatuck 14 A Week 1 loss to Decatur ended up derailing the Rangers’ Southwest 10 Conference title hopes, but there are more championship  opportunities ahead as Cassopolis (7-1) moved up to No. 20 in Division 7 playoff points by sending Saugatuck to 5-3. 

On the move Parchment 41, Lawton 34 The Parchment/Richland Gull Lake co-op improved to 5-3, two more wins than those two schools combined for last season. Bronson 42, Reading 16 Bronson (6-2) opened this season 1-2 falling to the top contenders in the Big 8 Conference, but has won five straight to jump up to No. 16 on the Division 7 list. Portage Northern 46, Kalamazoo Loy Norrix 13 Portage Northern (5-3) has climbed all the way to No. 16 on the Division 2 playoff points list with four wins over its last five games including two straight over Division 1 opponents. 

Upper Peninsula

HEADLINER Kingsford 21, Menominee 14 Kingsford has accomplished plenty throughout its storied history, but this must go down as one of the program’s most memorable wins over the last three decades as the Flivvers clinched the winner-take-all outright championship in the Western Peninsula Athletic Conference Copper by ending Menominee’s 21-game winning streak. Kingsford (8-0) can finish a perfect regular season this week against another league champion in Marquette. Click for more from My UP Now.

Watch list Marquette 19, Petoskey 10 The Sentinels (6-2) are Big North Conference champions now outright after ending Petoskey’s pursuit to earn a share. These two could see each other again though, with Marquette No. 18 on the Division 3 playoff-points list and Petoskey (5-3) remaining at No. 26. 

On the move L’Anse 34, Hancock 26 The Purple Hornets (4-4) leaped back into the Division 8 playoff mix, jumping 11 spots to No. 26 on that playoff list after breaking a two-game losing streak. Bark River-Harris 45, Manistique 16 The Broncos (7-1) finished a West-PAC Iron outright title run and will conclude the regular season against Menominee. Calumet 44, Gladstone 28 The Copper Kings (5-3) bounced back from a Week 7 loss as they build toward the Division 6 playoffs. 

West Michigan

HEADLINER North Muskegon 21, Ravenna 13 Make that 28 wins in 28 chances for North Muskegon in the West Michigan Conference Rivers, as the Norsemen came back and held on in this winner-take-all matchup to clinch a fifth-straight league title. Ravenna (6-2) led 13-0 at halftime before North Muskegon began climbing back. Click for more from the Local Sports Journal. 

Watch list Grand Rapids Kenowa Hills 35, Lowell 21 A winner-take-all is set in the River Cities Alliance as Kenowa Hills (7-1) will take on Coopersville this week for the outright league championship. The Knights had to get past third-place Lowell (5-3) to make that happen and scored the most points the Red Arrows have given up this fall. 

On the move Grand Rapids Catholic Central 21, Holland Christian 20 (OT) The Cougars (7-1) eluded a major scare from Holland Christian (3-5), with that one deciding point also giving Grand Rapids Catholic Central the Ottawa-Kent Conference Black title outright. East Grand Rapids 28, Middleville Thornapple Kellogg 27 EGR (6-2) was right there waiting for a Catholic Central slip but finished second in the O-K Black by edging third-place MTK (6-2) by the same margin. Hudsonville 17, Rockford 14 Hudsonville got past its longtime rival to hold onto hope of grabbing a share of the O-K Red title from Week 9 opponent East Kentwood, which clinched a share Friday against Holland West Ottawa. (Caledonia remains in the mix as well.) The Rams (4-4) still control their ability to extend their record playoff streak to 32 straight seasons, as they sit No. 24 on the Division 1 playoff-points list.

8-Player

HEADLINER Mendon 28, Climax-Scotts 24 The Hornets (8-0) scored the only points of the fourth quarter with 6:11 to play to push past Climax-Scotts (6-2) and clinch the outright Southern Central Athletic Association Red title. The game-winner was Zak Iobe’s fourth touchdown run of the game, and he finished with 104 yards rushing. Click for more from WTHD. 

Watch list Waldron 48, Pittsford 28 Waldron (5-3) upended Pittsford in the SCAA Blue, cementing a third-place tie in the league for the Spartans but leaving Pittsford (5-3) to share the championship with Litchfield – which the Wildcats had defeated the week before. It was Waldron’s first win in five games against Pittsford as 8-player opponents. 

On the move Gaylord St. Mary 42, Pickford 0 The Snowbirds (8-0) have six shutouts in seven games on the field (one win was a forfeit), but this certainly was the most impressive as Pickford (6-2) entered averaging 41 points per game. Powers North Central 42, Felch North Dickinson 34 The Jets (6-2) picked up an important win as they moved up to No. 12 on the Division 2 playoff list, and they also pushed last season’s Division 2 runner-up North Dickinson (4-4) down to No. 18 and out of the potential field with one week to play. Marion 64, Onekama 6 Marion (8-0) will have an opportunity to finish the regular season perfect this week thanks to avenging last year’s 22-point defeat against the Portagers (6-2).

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PHOTOS (Top) Detroit Cass Tech's Peyton Robinson (10) attempts to pull away from King's Gerald Thomas (34). (Middle) Grayling's Jaden Peters (7) winds up to throw a pass during his team's 42-0 win at Bath. (Cass Tech/King photo by Olivia B. Photography. Grayling/Bath photo by TCP Photography.)

Farewell Silverdome; Our Memories Live On

By Ron Pesch
MHSAA historian

November 28, 2017

Farewell Pontiac Silverdome.

In early December, more than 15 years after the Detroit Lions played their last game beneath its air-supported Teflon-paneled roof, the “Dome” will take a last breath and then depart.

Finally.

The last few years have been cruel to the stadium that was once a gem and the home of dreams.

The Lions arrived at the newly opened “Pontiac Metropolitan Stadium” (or “Ponmet” as it was called by enthusiasts of the new structure) in August 1975. It was renamed “Pontiac Stadium” later in the year by the city council, and in October of 1976 the Pontiac council again re-christened the building as the “Pontiac Silverdome.”

“We feel the new name better conveys the image of our facility,” said Charles McSwigan, Jr., stadium executive director, at the time. “It certainly lets everyone around the country know we have a modern year-round domed stadium.”

The move was primarily marketing motivated. “The other three giants, Super, Astro and King, get all the publicity,” added McSwigan, further explaining the change. “Promoters call them, but they don’t even come near us.”

Launched in 1975, the MHSAA football championship games were played outdoors at college stadiums that first year on the Saturday before Thanksgiving. While deemed a success, the games were played at two different sites. That had presented challenges.

Following that first year, consideration was given to the new structure in Pontiac.

“There are some problems,” remarked Al Bush, MHSAA executive director, explaining the logistics of a possible move to the NFL stadium. “For instance, it would be difficult to play four games on the same day. We would have to start early in the morning, and the last game would have to start late at night.”

Competition for attendance with various events, including deer hunting season, and college football – especially the televised University of Michigan-Ohio State game – were factors to be considered. The high school football playoffs were still a new product without a tradition. Finances also were an area of worry. It was estimated that a crowd of between 20,000 and 25,000 would be needed to make the jump economically feasible. 

So, it was with great caution and trepidation that the move was made indoors to Pontiac. Initially, the contract was for a single year. The games would be played on the Saturday following Thanksgiving. By all measures, to the delight of all involved, the 1976 championships were a huge success.

“The four state championship games, which were played in the Silverdome in two sessions on Saturday, drew a paid attendance of 29,423 fans,” said Associated Press writer Harry Atkins in a follow-up piece following the games, “bringing smiles of relief and joy to MHSAA Executive Director Al Bush and his assistant, Vern Norris. The attendance figure was almost double the number of fans who turned out last year in ice box-like weather at two sites – Western Michigan University and Central Michigan University.”

With that, a new contract was signed, and for 29 years the city of Pontiac served as home to the MHSAA 11-player football championships. “Goin’ to the Dome” soon became the goal of every high school in Michigan that offered the sport. 

Following a 15-10 victory over the Dallas Cowboys in early January 2002, the Lions departed the Silverdome for Ford Field, located in downtown Detroit. The high school Finals stayed put for three more years before moving to Ford Field.

Twelve seasons after following the Lions from Pontiac to Detroit, countless memories and several MHSAA championship game records still stand from those years under the Dome.

Four championship games were played at the Silverdome to close each season from 1976-90. In 1991, the playoffs were expanded to eight classifications and the Finals expanded to eight games over a two-day showcase.

For many across Michigan, those 176 high school state title games were their first live exposure to the building many had only seen on television. For football fans, the MHSAA Finals provided an affordable and unique chance to visit the stadium and watch the game between the 20-yard-lines at ground level.  An NFL game, concert, or in later years a Pistons basketball game at the Silverdome was far from an intimate experience for most. Seating 80,311, it was the largest stadium in the NFL until 1997.

For thousands of athletes and coaches, the playing surface was their first exposure to artificial turf. It was an honor to set foot on the field. After all, who didn’t want to run on the same canvas on which Lions legend Barry Sanders painted?

Who can forget the Mill Colemen-led comeback drive to title glory in the final minutes as Farmington Hills Harrison downed DeWitt for the Class B title in 1989, or “The Catch” by Muskegon Reeths-Puffer’s Stacy Starr that broke the hearts of Walled Lake Western players and fans in the final seconds in Class A in 1992? Who remembers the wild 91 points (and 883 yards in total offense) posted in Belding’s 50-41 victory over Detroit Country Day in Class B in 1994, when Belding trailed by 19 points at the half? The combined final score remains the record for most points tallied in a title game by two teams.  

Farmington Hills Harrison and coach John Herrington won five consecutive finals in Pontiac (1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001), and 12 of their 13 MHSAA Finals titles at the Silverdome. A total of 12 of Detroit Catholic Central’s 17 trips to the Finals meant a bus ride to Pontiac.

One record performance set in the opening game of the 1976  championships still stands in the MHSAA championship record book. With the evolution of the game, it may never fall.

Despite the climate-controlled environment afforded by moving indoors, Crystal Falls Forest Park threw only three passes against Flint Holy Rosary in the Class D title game, completing one for a net -3 yards. By default, that total established a record for pass defense in a title game. It remains the zenith.

Forest Park had little need for the pass that day. The Trojans rolled up 234 rushing yards on 48 carries, including a 74-yard touchdown run off left tackle by all-state running back Marty Ball with 4:36 to play in the first quarter. Less than two minutes later, a fumble recovery by Forest Park’s Charlie Davis was returned 25 yards for a score, and the Trojans led, 14-0. Holy Rosary passed for 204 yards including an 18-yard pass from Ron Fray to Dan Lehoux in the second quarter, but couldn’t overcome that first quarter deficit, falling 14-6. A crowd of 14,879 attended the day’s first session, comprised of the Class D and Class A games.

Other long-standing record performances at the Dome still can be spotted in the record book.

Josh Wuerfel’s 46-yard field goal in the second quarter gave Traverse City a 10-0 halftime lead and aided the second-ranked Trojans’ 24-14 defeat of top-ranked Detroit Catholic Central in the 1988 Class A contest. The kick stood for 28 years as the title game record before finally being exceeded (twice!) at the 2016 championships played at Ford Field. Liam Putz of Grand Rapids West Catholic shattered the mark with a 47-yarder against Menominee in the Division 5 title game, before Ben Fee of Orchard Lake St. Mary’s topped the kick in the eighth game of the weekend. Fee’s 49-yard field goal late in the fourth quarter helped St. Mary’s down Muskegon 29-28 in the Division 3 thriller. The boot was his third field goal of the game. Combined with two extra points, he finished as the Eaglets’ top scorer.

Paul Gross of Jackson Lumen Christi established a new mark for extra points against Livonia Clarenceville in the 2001 Division 5 game, connecting accurately on all seven of his attempts. The record has been matched twice since the move to downtown Detroit.

Nick Williams’ 90-yard touchdown dash on Farmington Hills Harrison’s first play from scrimmage in the 1994 Class A game, a 17-13 victory over Grand Rapids Forest Hills Central, still tops the record book category for longest run play in a title game. An 89-yard TD run by Constantine’s Jim Schragg sits directly behind the Williams’ mark. Schragg rolled up 307 yards in a 34-13 win over Suttons Bay in the 2004 Division 6 game, during the final year at the Silverdome. His total established the pinnacle for rushing yards in a game.

Ravenna’s Benny Clark carried the ball 49 times (including 29 rushes in the second half) for 212 yards as the Bulldogs topped Morenci 30-14 in the 1996 Class C contest. The total, which exceeded the previous mark of 40 set by Dan Lato of Crystal Falls Forest Park in 1977, has yet to be matched or exceeded.

The fastest championship game passing touchdown came 15 seconds into the 2003 Division 5 Final, when Jackson Lumen Christi‘s Tyler Aldridge found wide-open Matt Russell on a reverse pass on the second play from scrimmage. The Titans defeated Muskegon Oakridge 23-0 for the title.

Quarterback Tony Koshar tossed a short pass to Jim Steinman, “who shed a tackler and managed to stay in bounds as he took off for the end zone on a 96-yard scoring play,” as Gobles grabbed a 31-22 upset victory over top-ranked Crystal Falls Forest Park in the 1984 Class D title game. The reception for the longest pass play lasted 24 years before it was finally topped in 2008.

Kirk Williams’ 15 pass receptions for DeWitt against East Grand Rapids in the 2002 Division 3 contest still stand the test of time, as does Brad Johnson’s 87-yard punt return for a touchdown for Schoolcraft against Frankfort in the 1988 Class D championship game.

The 1991 title games saw two defensive marks set, both on the same day. On Saturday, November 30, Rick Marcotte of Lake Linden-Hubbell scooped up a fumble and dashed 79 yards for a touchdown and a new Finals record versus Mendon in Class DD. Less than 16 hours earlier Nate Cierlak of Muskegon Catholic Central had set the mark with a 56-yard return for a TD against Harbor Beach. In that year’s Class CC Final against Negaunee, Jason Livengood of Battle Creek Pennfield set the one mark that statistically can never be topped when he returned a pick-six for 100 yards.

Eight punts by Muskegon’s Jason Crago in the Big Reds’ 16-13 victory over Detroit Martin Luther King in the 1989 Class A title game was unmatched until 2007, when Aaron Hudson of Blissfield equaled the total. On Saturday, Clarkston’s Jermaine Roemer also tied the record in the Division 1 Final.

Between 1976 and 2004, more than 1.5 million fans attended the games in Pontiac, with a peak of attendance of 71,156 in 1995.

Soon the site will be cleared, with plans for redevelopment. Not far down the road, The Palace of Auburn Hills, once home to the MHSAA Basketball Finals and longtime home to the MHSAA Individual Wrestling Finals, will be scrubbed from the earth. Along with them, the structural evidence of the home of countless accomplishments will disappear.

Change is constant, and time moves on. Still those achievements, and several others, live on in the pages of the MHSAA record book, in the memories of those who competed and the recollections of those who played witness.

Ron Pesch has taken an active role in researching the history of MHSAA events since 1985 and began writing for MHSAA Finals programs in 1986, adding additional features and "flashbacks" in 1992. He inherited the title of MHSAA historian from the late Dick Kishpaugh following the 1993-94 school year, and resides in Muskegon. Contact him at [email protected] with ideas for historical articles.

PHOTOS: (Top) Constantine and Suttons Bay played in the Division 6 Final at the Silverdome as part of the last weekend of MHSAA games in the building in 2004. (Top middle) The 1976 program welcomed Finals fans to the Dome for the first time. (Bottom middle) The author's children during a trip to the Silverdome before the Finals moved to Ford Field. (Below) The 1986 Finals ticket got fans into two games at the Silverdome for $4. (Photos courtesy of Ron Pesch and MHSAA files.)