1st & Goal: 2026 Week 9 Preview
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
October 22, 2026
By Saturday night, the 2026 football regular season will be over and every league championship race decided. By Sunday evening, the playoff season will be set to begin, with several more championship opportunities ahead.
And a lot can still happen to influence how the first ends up and the second gets started.
Most of the games listed below will affect league title races, playoff qualification and positioning, or both. Make sure to keep an eye this weekend on the Playoff Point Summary page as teams move in (or out) of potential MHSAA Playoff fields, and stream the NFHS Network at 5 p.m. Sunday to find out what’s next for all 288 teams that qualify to continue their seasons next week.
Games highlighted are tonight unless noted. Tune in to the NFHS Network to watch the majority and follow the MHSAA Scores page for results as they’re submitted.
Bay & Thumb
Chelsea (8-0) at Linden (6-2)
Both of these teams will play in the Division 3 bracket starting next week, with Chelsea entering this matchup No. 3 on the playoff points list and Linden No. 13. The Bulldogs haven’t had a single-digit game since their Week 1 nine-point win over Harper Woods, while Linden’s losses have come by a mere eight and seven points, respectively. Chelsea won last year’s meeting 35-28.
Keep an eye on these FRIDAY Unionville-Sebewaing (6-2) at Saginaw Valley Lutheran (6-2), Algonac (6-2) at Flint Powers Catholic (6-2), Armada (5-3) at Frankenmuth (7-1), Goodrich (8-0) at Gladwin (5-3).
Greater Detroit
Jackson Lumen Christi (7-1) vs. Dearborn Divine Child (7-1) at Ford Field – Saturday
Two of this weekend’s Prep Bowl games will have implications for Catholic High School League championship races, with this a winner-take-all in the CHSL AA. It’s also a matchup of reigning Finals champions, Divine Child in Division 4 and Lumen Christi in Division 6. The Falcons are coming off their lone loss, to Warren De La Salle Collegiate, while Lumen set up this opportunity with a one-point Week 8 win over Detroit Country Day.
Keep an eye on these FRIDAY Gibraltar Carlson (8-0) at Allen Park (7-1), Walled Lake Western (7-1) at Milford (7-1), Madison Heights Madison (7-1) at Ecorse (7-1). SATURDAY Detroit Catholic Central (8-0) vs. Bloomfield Hills Brother Rice (6-2) at Ford Field.
Mid-Michigan
Ithaca (8-0) at Beal City (8-0)
Beal City is seeking to finish off a second-straight perfect regular season and defeated Ithaca 39-8 last year to complete the first. The Aggies haven’t played a single-digit regular-season game over the last two years, and no opponent has come closer than 19 points this fall. Ithaca’s closest win this season was last week’s 35-0 shutout of Fowler – the Yellowjackets’ third shutout over the last four weeks.
Keep an eye on these FRIDAY Harper Woods (7-1) at Mason (7-1), Okemos (5-3) at DeWitt (6-2), Temperance Bedford (7-1) at Grand Ledge (8-0), Northville (7-1) at Howell (8-0).
Northern Lower Peninsula
Harbor Springs (7-1) at East Jordan (7-1)
Nearly every season, the Traverse City schools’ Patriot Game owns its week on the schedule in Northern Michigan. But this matchup deserves plenty of attention as well. Harbor Springs has posted three shutouts over the last four weeks and will attempt to claim a share of the Northern Michigan Football Conference championship from East Jordan, which clinched a share last week and has defeated the Rams in five straight meetings.
Keep an eye on these FRIDAY Oscoda (5-3) at Frankfort (5-3), Fowler (6-2) at McBain (6-2), Traverse City West (5-3) at Traverse City Central (4-4), Manton (6-2) at Johannesburg-Lewiston (3-5).
Southeast & Border
Clinton (7-1) at Monroe Jefferson (8-0)
Jefferson is coming off clinching the Huron League championship outright with an 8-6 win last week over Monroe St. Mary Catholic Central, and the Bears have navigated only two single-digit wins as they’ve pursued a first perfect regular season since 1993. Clinton’s chance at 9-0 dissolved with a Week 6 loss to Hudson, but the Redwolves hung on to claim a share of the Lenawee County Athletic Association title and could add another major highlight heading into the postseason.
Keep an eye on these FRIDAY New Boston Huron (6-2) at Adrian (7-1), Tecumseh (5-3) at Adrian Madison (6-2), Monroe St. Mary Catholic Central (7-1) at Hanover-Horton (7-1), Berrien Springs (8-0) at Hudson (7-1).
Southwest Corridor
Portage Central (7-1) at St. Joseph (7-1)
These two didn’t play in the same league this season for the first time since 2008, Central winning the larger-school division of the Southwestern Michigan Athletic Conference and St. Joseph winning the SMAC division made up of the smaller schools. Portage Central’s victories this season have all come by 11 points or more since falling Week 1 to Toledo Central Catholic, while the Bears have been little challenged since suffering their lone defeat in Week 2, by a point, to Lowell.
Keep an eye on these FRIDAY Cassopolis (7-1) at Galesburg-Augusta (7-1), Portage Northern (5-3) at Stevensville Lakeshore (7-1), Paw Paw (7-1) at Vicksburg (7-1), Hastings (6-2) at Battle Creek Harper Creek (6-2).
Upper Peninsula
Marquette (6-2) at Kingsford (8-0)
Both are riding notable winning streaks – Kingsford hasn’t lost at all this fall, and Marquette hasn’t lost again since starting 0-2. Both are league champions, and both still have plenty to gain – Kingsford sits No. 8 on the Division 5 playoff-points list and could make a jump defeating a strong Division 3 opponent, while the Sentinels are No. 18 on the Division 3 list amidst a large pack of teams with similar averages vying for a home playoff game.
Keep an eye on these THURSDAY Negaunee (5-3) at Iron Mountain (6-2). FRIDAY Menominee (7-1) at Bark River-Harris (7-1), L’Anse (4-4) at Calumet (5-3), Manistique (4-4) at Ishpeming Westwood (3-5).
West Michigan
Hudsonville (6-2) at East Kentwood (8-0)
East Kentwood has taken down all challengers by at least 21 points and last week earned a share of the Ottawa-Kent Conference Red championship. But Hudsonville is the two-time reigning league champ and can still earn a share this season despite falling to Caledonia in Week 5. These two also have met in the playoffs the last two seasons, with Hudsonville winning the regular-season meeting by a point last fall but the Falcons claiming the rematch in the Regional Final by 24.
Keep an eye on these FRIDAY Coopersville (8-0) at Grand Rapids Kenowa Hills (7-1), Grand Rapids Catholic Central (7-1) at Grand Rapids South Christian (7-1), Traverse City St. Francis (6-2) at Grand Rapids West Catholic (6-2), Montrose (7-1) at Kent City (6-2).
8-Player
Mio (5-3) at Rogers City (6-2)
The North Star League Big Dipper will be decided by these two with Rogers City seeking its first league championship since 2022 and Mio a second-straight after sharing the Little Dipper title last season. But there’s much more on the line as well. Mio sits tied for No. 16 on the Division 1 playoff-points list and Rogers City is No. 20 and one of two 6-2 teams not currently set to qualify in that division but working to climb.
Keep an eye on these THURSDAY St. Ignace (7-1) at Central Lake (6-2). FRIDAY Portland St. Patrick (8-0) at Dansville (7-1), St. Joseph Our Lady of the Lake Catholic (6-2) at Grand Rapids Sacred Heart (7-1), Dryden (8-0) at Kinde North Huron (7-1).
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PHOTO A Boyne City receiver attempts to get his hands on a pass over Charlevoix defenders during the Rayders’ 28-12 Week 2 victory. (Photo by kishba media.)
DCC's Mach Builds Legacy Sure to Live On
By
Tom Markowski
Special for Second Half
March 20, 2017
NOVI – Tom Mach’s impact on the Detroit Catholic Central football program didn’t end with his retirement Feb. 9.
The aftershocks will be felt for years to come.
Mach and C.C. football have become synonymous over the past 41 seasons. The double tight end, three-back backfield, sometimes lined up in the T-formation, is the offense we’ve been accustomed to watching game after game, year after year, so much so that it’s become a blue thread woven through the fabric that is high school football in this state.
But times change. Coaches move on, and new ones are hired.
Mach, 69, had been contemplating retirement for some time and the reasons to do so gathered momentum after the Shamrocks lost to Detroit Cass Tech, 49-20, in the Division 1 Final in November.
“You’re not as inspired as you used to be,” Mach said. “I’ve gone back a couple of times on my decision. It wasn’t an easy decision. It was real hard. I prayed real hard that God would tell me what to do. It’s stressful. People count on you. I finally said to myself that you have the confidence that the next guy would carry on with what we did here.
“My first meeting with the players (at C.C.) was in 1976. I remember writing the speech. I thought of that. The 41 years and all of the things that came in between.”
When Mach wrote his last speech he incorporated what C.C. football meant to him and to the players he coached. He tried to reassure the players that the program, and what it is today, will remain so the next day and the day after that.
“The actual doing it was hard,” he said. “It was the hardest speech I’ve ever done.”
Mach was hired in 1976 after gaining experience as an assistant coach at Southgate Aquinas. He never thought administrators at C.C. would hire him. In his mind, why would they? He had no experience as a head coach, and he thought the experience of going through the hiring process would benefit him when he applied somewhere else. To Mach’s surprise, he was hired.
C.C. went 8-1 in Mach’s first season. He said that success was crucial for him and his staff to win over the players and administration. Had C.C. finished below .500, the future might have been different for him. As it was, the players warmed up to his way of coaching, and three years later the Shamrocks won the Class A title, the first of 10 under Mach.
“The first thing I thought of when I got hired was, how am I going to fair against guys like (Birmingham Brother Rice coach) Al Fracassa? If I make it five years, I’ll be happy,” Mach recalled. “What was good for me, the team I inherited was talented. I had written a book on football and my philosophy but there are always questions. I was thankful for that (initial success). Once that happened, the next group would buy into it. I did the same thing. I have a good group of guys coming back. I wanted to leave a good legacy for the next guy. Having that good start made people believe in my philosophy.
“We did it. We never changed anything. We proved it in the way we handled things, and the kids bought into it. We did it the right way.”
Last weeks, DCC did hire that “next guy” – Shamrocks defensive coordinator Dan Anderson, who was promoted to take over the program after working 20 years under the longtime mentor.
But the initial shock of not being the person in charge will take time to sink in for Mach. What he will lean on to make this transition as smooth as possible are his family and friends.
Mach fought with this decision, but what made him make it at this time was his family, notably his wife, Lynn. His wife had knee replacement on Jan. 10, and on April 4 she is scheduled to have the other knee replaced. Whether it’s hip replacement, knee replacement or any similar type of surgery, the process is painstaking, and the person going through it must have someone close to assist in the process.
Being that person, Mach knew this would take time away from coaching his team in the offseason had he chosen to stay. Lynn had physical therapy sessions three days a week, and the other four Mach would assist with the therapy at home.
In the end, it would have been too difficult to do both.
“I have to be her coach,” he said. “After (the knee replacement) I was with her two weeks, every day. I don’t think I’ve ever done that before. Fourteen days. But we did it.”
Mach said Lynn is recovering well and is anxious to have the other one done.
The Machs will spend much of their free time at the summer home just south of Gaylord. Though not a fisherman or hunter, Mach does enjoy the outdoors. Snowshoeing is one hobby he enjoys as well as taking walks, often long walks.
To add to his activities, Mach has a brother who lives in Williamsburg, just outside of Traverse City, and his sister lives near Gaylord.
They will enjoy the peacefulness that place provides, but they’ll remain residents in southeast Michigan. Their two sons, Mike and Joe, both assistant coaches in the football program, live in the Detroit area. The Machs have one granddaughter with another grandchild on the way.
“(Lynn) won’t move anywhere,” Mach said. “We have friends here. This is our home.
“It’s always great when I’m up there, and it’s always tough to leave. Now we’ll have more time to go there and won’t be in such a hurry to leave.”
Mach said he’ll remain in contact with Catholic Central and the people who have been so much a part of his life over the years. He’ll go to games and root for the Shamrocks from his seat in the stands.
To give back to the sport, Mach said he will consider speaking at clinics or schools if asked. He mentioned that Ferris State University and Royal Oak Shrine have made contact with him on such matters.
Mach’s resume is as impressive as any coach. His teams won 10 MHSAA Finals titles and seven other times reached championship games. Those numbers are staggering. In 41 seasons when a Tom Mach-coached team began practice in August, more than 41 percent of the time it would reach the last game of the season.
He also ends third on the list of career coaching victories. His record is 370-94. Only Fracassa (Brother Rice, Shrine) with 430 and John Herrington at Farmington Hills Harrison (425) have more.
But Mach was never keen on talking about his accomplishments. For him, success was measured by the development of his players – physically, mentally and spiritually – and the respect they showed for the game.
“Throughout my life, I’ve been lucky,” he said. “It was a hard decision when you work with people so long. The school is great. The people are great. They all inspired me. It’s the people I’ll miss. You become a coach because you love it.
“I love C.C. I want them to do well. I want them to make sure the kids here have every opportunity to win.”
Tom Markowski is a columnist and directs website coverage for the State Champs! Sports Network. He previously covered primarily high school sports for the The Detroit News from 1984-2014, focusing on the Detroit area and contributing to statewide coverage of football and basketball. Contact him at [email protected] with story ideas for Oakland, Macomb and Wayne counties.
PHOTO: Detroit Catholic Central retiring football coach Tom Mach led his team to one last MHSAA Division 1 Final in the fall, against Detroit Cass Tech at Ford Field.