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Ada Forest Hills Eastern defenders close in on a Ypsilanti Community ball carrier during the Hawks' 46-22 win on Friday.

1st & Goal: 2026 Week 9 Review

By Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor

October 26, 2026

Every game counts. Week 9 provided 11 more examples of why. 

MI Student AidAs Michigan’s high school football teams concluded their regular-season schedules – and more than 300 took the field for the last time in 2026 – a total of 11 teams earned opportunities to continue playing this week, with 11 also falling out of the final playoff mix.

We detail several of those deciders below, as well as a few final league championship games and others that helped determine how brackets were drawn for our title drives beginning Friday with 11-Player Districts and 8-Player Regionals.

Bay & Thumb

HEADLINER Port Huron 13, Port Huron Northern 10 The Red Hawks stacked memorable accomplishments with this win. They defeated rival Northern for the first time since 2023. They finished the regular season 9-0 for the first time since 1952, according to Michigan-football.com. (Port Huron also was perfect during the COVID-shortened 2020 regular season, over six games). And the Red Hawks held onto the top spot on the Division 3 playoff-points list, giving them home games for the first three rounds.

Watch list Marine City 21, Marysville 6 The Mariners (9-0) capped a perfect regular season for the first time since 2021, and they did so by defeating another league champion in Marysville (5-4) while holding the Vikings to their season-low scoring total. 

On the move Goodrich 28, Gladwin 20 The Martians (9-0) ran their regular-season winning streak to 26 going back to Week 1 of 2024, and also did so by defeating another league champion in Gladwin (5-4). Grand Blanc 31, Macomb Dakota 24 The Bobcats’ 9-0 regular-season finish also was their second straight and moved them up to No. 7 on the Division 1 playoff-points list. Ubly 30, Cass City 8 The Bearcats (6-3) bounced back from a Week 8 loss to avenge last season’s 42-6 defeat to Cass City (6-3) and secure the possibility of playing home games this week and next. 

Greater Detroit

HEADLINER Bloomfield Hills Brother Rice 31, Detroit Catholic Central 25 (OT) The regular season ended with this Catholic High School League Prep Bowl stunner, as Deondre Hills scored the game-winner in overtime to give the Division 1 Shamrocks (8-1) their only loss. DCC still ended up sharing the CHSL Central championship with Toledo Central Catholic, and the Warriors (7-2) tied for third but jumped six spots to No. 9 on the Division 2 playoff-points list – giving them the possibility of three home playoff games. Click for more from the Detroit Free Press.

Watch list Dearborn Divine Child 28, Jackson Lumen Christi 21 The Falcons (8-1) won a matchup of 2025 Finals champions in another Prep Bowl battle, clinching the CHSL AA title with a second league win by seven points this fall. Divine Child is lined up to host two playoff games, while Lumen Christi (7-2) would be home through its Division 6 Regional Final. 

On the move Gibraltar Carlson 17, Allen Park 10 Carlson (9-0) navigated a third win this fall by seven points or fewer to finish a fourth-straight outright championship in the Downriver League and sixth-straight including shared titles. Milford 31, Walled Lake Western 28 Milford (8-1) battled back from a Week 4 loss to South Lyon to share the Lakes Valley Conference title with the Lions, while ending that opportunity for Western (7-2). Romeo 56, Oxford 24 Romeo (9-0) finished its first perfect regular season since 1977, moving up to a tie for No. 2 on the Division 1 playoff-point list, and against an Oxford team that ranks No. 6 at 7-2. 

Mid-Michigan

HEADLINER Beal City 29, Ithaca 26 Only one team could finish the regular season undefeated, but both will be championship contenders next month. Beal City clinched the perfect regular season and will be home for the first three rounds at No. 5 on the Division 8 playoff-points list, while Ithaca (8-1) did take the slim loss but fell only one spot to No. 11 on the Division 7 list. Click for more from WJRT.

Watch list Howell 35, Northville 22 The Highlanders avenged last season’s loss to Northville to claim a third-straight Kensington Lakes Activities Association overall championship – and more. Howell held onto the top spot on the Division 1 playoff-points list, guaranteeing three home playoff games in a bracket that also includes undefeated East Kentwood and Grand Ledge.

On the move Portland 28, Hudsonville Unity Christian 24 The Raiders (9-0) have won 43 straight regular-season games after finishing perfect for the fourth-straight year – and with this their second-closest win this season but third-closest during the 43-game run. Grand Ledge 35, Temperance Bedford 7 The Comets finished 9-0 for the first time since 2015, winning their toughest two games the last two weeks by downing Bedford (7-2) and DeWitt in Week 8. Mason 24, Harper Woods 18 The Bulldogs (8-1) bounced back from a Week 8 loss and avenged last season’s defeat to Harper Woods (7-2), although they could see each other again in a Division 2 Semifinal. 

Northern Lower Peninsula

HEADLINER Harbor Springs 34, East Jordan 29 Harbor Springs (8-1) broke a five-game losing streak against the Red Devils (7-2) to clinch a share of the Northern Michigan Football Conference title along with East Jordan, and Maple City Glen Lake as well. The championship was Harbor Springs’ first since 1987, according to the Petoskey News-Review.

Watch list Traverse City West 38, Traverse City Central 27 The annual Patriot Game didn’t disappoint, as West (6-3) was able to clinch a share of the Saginaw Valley League North title and both teams qualified for the Division 2 playoffs on opposite sides of their Regional bracket.

On the move Oscoda 22, Frankfort 21 The Owls (6-3) were 0-6 against Frankfort (5-4) this decade, but they picked a great time for a first win as this one helped secure their spot in the Division 7 playoff field. McBain 29, Fowler 28 McBain (7-2) survived a major challenge from a Fowler team that finished 6-3 with its losses to Division 7 opponents with a combined 23-3 record. Manistee 34, Ludington 28 Manistee (4-5) jumped 11 spots to No. 17 on the Division 7 playoff-point list and earned a home game this week with this impressive win over Division 4 Ludington (7-2), one of seven teams on the Mariners’ schedule to finish with a winning regular-season record.

Southeast & Border

HEADLINER Clinton 52, Monroe Jefferson 28 Over the last three weeks, Clinton has turned away Ida to remain in contention in the Lenawee County Athletic Association, then defeated Adrian Madison to clinch a share of the title, and Friday handed Jefferson (8-1) its only loss in a big way – which also sent the Redwolves (8-1) up to No. 9 on the Division 6 playoff-points list. Huron League champ Jefferson is still set to host three games in Division 5. Click for more from the Adrian Daily Telegram.

Watch list Hudson 39, Berrien Springs 0 The Tigers (8-1) haven’t given up a point in three weeks, and after also clinching a share of the LCAA title in Week 8 handed Berrien Springs (8-1) its only defeat. The Shamrocks entered the game averaging 44 points per contest. 

On the move Chelsea 56, Linden 48 Chelsea (9-0) finished its first perfect regular season since 2021, defeating five playoff teams along the way including Linden (6-3). Monroe St. Mary Catholic Central 42, Hanover-Horton 6 SMCC (8-1) missed out on the Huron League title but bounced back from a Week 8 defeat to down Cascades Conference overall champion Hanover-Horton (7-2) – with these two potentially meeting again in a Division 7 Regional Final. Adrian 35, New Boston Huron 22 The Maples (8-1) bumped up to No. 12 on the Division 4 playoff-points list with this win over Division 3 Huron (6-3) and will host league foe Tecumseh to open the postseason.

Southwest Corridor

HEADLINER Portage Central 28, St. Joseph 14 This matchup of Southwestern Michigan Athletic Conference division champions ended with Portage Central (8-1) becoming the first of the pair to win this rivalry game for a second-straight year since St. Joseph claimed four in a row from 2017-20. St. Joseph (7-2) is set to be home for three playoff rounds in Division 3, while Central will be home this week but may travel after as the fourth seed in its Division 1 Regional. Click for more from WSJM.

Watch list Paw Paw 14, Vicksburg 7 They ended up finishing second and third, respectively, in the Wolverine Conference, as Edwardsburg finished an outright championship with a win over Niles. But this did affect who the Eddies see next – they’ll face Vicksburg (7-2) after Paw Paw (8-1) moved past the Bulldogs on the Division 4 playoff-points list. 

On the move Decatur 32, Parchment 24 The Raiders (9-0) capped their first perfect regular season since 2002 with their closest win since Week 1. Parchment ended 5-4, a two-win improvement from a year ago. Schoolcraft 35, Lawton 7 Schoolcraft (7-2) finished third in the Southwestern Athletic Conference but fourth on the Division 7 playoff-points list, earning the opportunity to be home for both District rounds including a possible rematch with Lawton (5-4) in two weeks. Stevensville Lakeshore 21, Portage Northern 14 Lakeshore (8-1) has enjoyed a phenomenal comeback season after winning a combined six games over the last two. This avenged last year’s 25-point loss to Northern (5-4).

A Lansing Catholic ball carrier works to break away as Pewamo-Westphalia defenders swarm during a 35-13 victory.

Upper Peninsula

HEADLINER Kingsford 42, Marquette 26 The Flivvers (9-0) won this matchup of league champions, in doing so finishing off their second perfect regular season over the last three and jumping five spots to No. 3 on the Division 5 playoff-points list. Amazingly, these former Great Northern Conference rivals have split their last 16 games, with Marquette (7-2) last season’s winner. Click for more from Upper Michigan’s Source.

Watch list Iron Mountain 21, Negaunee 20 After opening this season 1-2, Iron Mountain has strung together six straight wins (including a forfeit victory), with this over the Division 5 Miners (5-4) the big one. It helped push the Mountaineers (7-2) past East Jordan on the Division 8 playoff-points list, giving Iron Mountain the home game in their matchup this week.

On the move Menominee 38, Bark River-Harris 30 The Maroons (8-1) bounced back from a league-deciding loss in Week 8 to defeat another league’s champion and will be home in the Division 7 playoffs until Semifinals. Hancock 16, Houghton 10 The Bulldogs (4-5) ended a six-game losing streak against Houghton with this Copper Bowl win, capping a season of improvement after Hancock won a combined three games over the last three years. Calumet 50, L’Anse 8 The Copper Kings (6-3) closed the regular season with three wins over their last four games, this one over another playoff qualifier in L’Anse (4-5).

West Michigan

HEADLINER East Kentwood 42, Hudsonville 14 East Kentwood (9-0) clinched the outright Ottawa-Kent Conference Red championship, ending Hudsonville’s two-year reign and climbing into a tie for the No. 2 spot on the Division 1 playoff-points list, earning the Falcons home games this week and next. East Kentwood broke away during a massive fourth-quarter run to cap its first perfect regular season since 2002 and send the Eagles to 6-3. Click for more from WOOD TV.

Watch list Grand Rapids Kenowa Hills 44, Coopersville 0 Kenowa Hills (8-1) finished a repeat run in the River Cities Alliance in a big way, downing Coopersville (8-1) in a winner-take-all for the championship. Kenowa Hills has given up a combined 67 points over the last eight games after allowing 59 in a season-opening loss to DeWitt. 

On the move Spring Lake 35, Zeeland West 26 In upsetting the Dux (7-2), Spring Lake vaulted from No. 35 on the Division 4 playoff-points list into the field tied for the No. 27 spot. Grand Rapids Christian 24, Holland Christian 22 This win gave the Eagles (4-5) a similar jump, from No. 36 on the Division 4 list into the field in the No. 32 slot. Grand Rapids South Christian 42, Grand Rapids Catholic Central 26 These two enter as contenders in their respective playoff divisions, South Christian (8-1) at No. 5 on the Division 4 playoff-points list and Catholic Central (7-2) still holding down the top line in Division 5 by a substantial margin.

8-Player

HEADLINER Mio 26, Rogers City 14 Mio clinched the North Star League Big Dipper championship outright in claiming this winner-take-all, and also jumped from a tie for the No. 16 spot into the field for sure at No. 13. The league title was Mio’s second straight after it shared the Little Dipper championship in 2025. Click for more from the Bay City Times. 

Watch list Powers North Central 55, Crystal Falls Forest Park 36 This rivalry added a chapter that won’t soon be forgotten, as North Central’s second-straight win in the annual series improved the Jets to 7-2 and sent Forest Park out of the Division 1 playoff field with a final record of 6-3.

On the move Gaylord St. Mary 54, Indian River Inland Lakes 6 The Snowbirds (9-0) capped their first perfect regular season since 2017 having given up a combined 14 points over eight games played (one win was a forfeit) – and having pushed Inland Lakes (5-4) out of the Division 1 bracket. St. Ignace 62, Central Lake 40 St. Ignace finished off a second 8-1 season over the last four years, moving up to No. 5 on the Division 2 playoff-points list while keeping Central Lake (6-3) from moving into the Division 1 field. Portland St. Patrick 35, Dansville 7 The Aggies (7-2) moved to 8-player football this season and have found great success, but St. Patrick (9-0) earned the win in this first matchup with Dansville since 2011 in 11-player. 

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PHOTOS (Top) Ada Forest Hills Eastern defenders close in on a Ypsilanti Community ball carrier during the Hawks' 46-22 win on Friday. (Middle) A Lansing Catholic ball carrier works to break away as Pewamo-Westphalia defenders swarm during a 35-13 victory. (FHE/Ypsilanti photo by Michigan Sports Media. Lansing Catholic/P-W photo by TCP Photography.)

Inside Selection Sunday: Mapnalysis '15

October 26, 2015

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

Consider that one hour Sunday night was the product of nine weeks of games on top of two more weeks of practice, hours of lifting weights, conditioning and camps and a total of six months of work at the MHSAA office, in addition to hours upon hours put in by athletic directors scheduling years in advance.

The anticipation for the release of another year's MHSAA Football Playoff pairings is matched by a giant exhale only after the results are broadcast on Fox Sports Detroit, streamed online and posted on locker room doors and Facebook walls all over our state.

And then the fun begins again. 

But the Selection Sunday Show is the favorite hour of the season for many fans across our state. And that’s why, for the fifth year, we’ll explain our most difficult decisions in this Mapnalysis 2015 breakdown of how we paired 272 teams that will play next month for championships across nine divisions.

For those familiar with our playoff selection process, or who have read this report in the past and don’t want a refresher on how we do what we do, skip the next section and go directly to the “Observations & Answers: 2015.” For the rest, what follows is an explanation of how we selected the playoff pairings during the morning hours Sunday, followed by how we made some of the toughest decisions and a few thoughts on the breakdown of the field. 

Ground Rules

Our past: The MHSAA 11-player playoff structure – with 256 teams in eight divisions, and six wins equaling an automatic berth (or five wins for teams playing eight or fewer games) – debuted in 1999. An 8-player tournament was added in 2011, resulting in nine champions total each season.

The first playoffs were conducted in 1975 with four champions. Four more football classes were added in 1990 for a total of eight champions each fall. Through 1998, only 128 teams made the postseason, based on their playoff point averages within regions (four for each class) that were drawn before the beginning of the season. The drawing of Districts and Regionals after the end of the regular season did not begin until the most recent playoff expansion.

In early years of the current process, lines were drawn by hand. Dots representing qualifying schools were pasted on maps, one map for each division, and those maps were then covered by plastic sheets. Districts and Regionals literally were drawn with dry-erase markers.

Our present: After a late Saturday night tracking scores, we file in as the sun rises Sunday morning for a final round of gathering results we may still need (which can include making a few early a.m. calls to athletic directors). Re-checking and triple-checking of enrollments, what schools played in co-ops and opted to play as a higher class start a week in advance, and more numbers are crunched Sunday morning as the fields are set.

This season, there were a record-low 216 automatic qualifiers by win total – with the final 40 at-large then selected, by playoff-point average, one from each class in order (A, B, C, D) until the field was filled. There were only four Class D additional qualifiers with 5-4 or 4-4 (playing eight games) records from which we could choose – so after those four we added 12 teams each from Class A, Class B and Class C.

Those 256 11-player teams are then split into eight equal divisions based on enrollment, and their locations are marked on digital maps that are projected on wall-size screens and then discussed by nearly half of the MHSAA staff plus a representative from the Michigan High School Football Coaches Association. Only the locations themselves are marked (by yellow dots) – not records, playoff point averages or names of the schools or towns. In fact, mentions of those are strictly prohibited. Records and playoff points are not part of the criteria. Matchups, rivalries, previous playoff pairings, etc. also DO NOT come into play.

The same process is followed for organizing the 8-player bracket, with the difference that the 16 teams are selected purely on playoff-point average.

Geography rules: This long has been rule number one for drawing MHSAA brackets in any sport. Travel distance and ease DO come into play. Jumping on a major highway clearly is easier than driving across county-wide back roads, and that’s taken into consideration. Also, remember there’s only one Mackinac Bridge and hence only one way to cross between peninsulas – and boats are not considered a possible form of transportation. When opponents from both peninsulas will be in the same District, distance to the bridge is far more important than as the bird flies.

Tradition doesn’t reign: Every group of 32 dots is a new group – these 32 teams have not been placed in a bracket together before. How maps have been drawn in the past isn’t considered – it’s hard to say a division has been drawn in a certain way traditionally when this set of 32 teams is making up a division for the first time.

Observations & Answers: 2015  

Go north with ease: For the most part, most Regional pairings were easier to draw than in past years. For the most part. Divisions 2 and 4 were not easy, specifically when it came to deciding which teams would be paired with an Upper Peninsula qualifier or a team from the Traverse City area. Keep in mind, distance on these maps isn’t based on how the bird flies, but how a bus would drive. In Division 2, that meant putting Muskegon, Muskegon Mona Shores and Grand Rapids Forest Hills Northern – near U.S. 31 and U.S. 131 – with Traverse City Central instead of sending Midland and Midland Dow west, up I-75 and then east-to-west again on more non-highway roads. In Division 4, we considered pairing Alma and Saginaw Swan Valley with Escanaba instead of Big Rapids and Remus Chippewa Hills. That decision came down to Big Rapids being about 14 miles closer to Escanaba than Swan Valley (Whitehall would go with Big Rapids and Chippewa Hills regardless.).

Four counties wide: Yes, on first glance it looks a little odd that Bay City John Glenn and Orchard Lake St. Mary’s would be in the same Division 3 District – but look at the map as a whole. Eight Division 3 teams are located south and mostly east of St. Mary’s, and John Glenn is the only team that could be considered in the northeastern quarter of the Lower Peninsula (Mount Pleasant and Gaylord are right down the middle and naturals to go with Sault Ste. Marie and Petoskey.). With the thumb playoff qualifiers of near-similar size in Division 4, there were no other options than to create this four-county trip between the Eaglets and Bobcats.

Semifinal selection: When all the Regional lines are drawn for a division, we also must figure out which Regionals will meet for Semifinals. This annually provides some challenges. Do we match east vs. west or north vs. south? If something seems iffy in four weeks when those games are played, again, keep in mind the entire map and entire Regionals that are matched up.

Scheduled strong: Because we’re looking only at dots on a map, we don’t see the matchups until everything is drawn – and in that way, we’re like everyone else. It wasn’t lost on us that two 9-0 teams will have road games this week or three 5-4 at-large qualifiers will be at home. For those 9-0 teams, it’s true: there’s nothing more they could’ve done on the field. But here’s why they will travel.

  • Clinton, in Division 6, hasn’t lost a regular-season game since 2011, and in fact plays in a strong Tri-County Conference made up of Class C schools and one Class D. Four of eight from the league made the playoffs, and the competition was so strong that Morenci and Petersburg-Summerfield will host games in Division 8. But Clinton’s opponent, Monroe St. Mary Catholic Central, while it did have one loss, fell to one-loss Class B Lansing Catholic – and the Falcons played eight Class B and one Class A school this season. Beating a Class B team is worth 16 points more than beating a Class C and 32 more than beating a Class D (with those points then divided over the number of games a team plays that season) – and all of that made the difference in St. Mary’s final eight-point playoff average edge over Clinton.
  • Saugatuck in Division 7 is a similar story. The Indians are one of three undefeated teams in their District, and did play a pair of Class B opponents. But by no fault of their own, especially in league play where the schedule is set, Saugatuck didn’t face a team this season that won more than five games. Hesperia played three Class B opponents including one that finished 6-3 – enough for the slim 1.8 points more in playoff average that earned the Panthers homefield advantage. Pewamo-Westphalia has the highest average in the District and didn’t play a Class B – the Pirates actually played three Class D teams. But they also beat four teams that made the playoffs including two that finished 8-1 – giving them a 2.7-point edge on Hesperia and 4.5 edge on Saugatuck.
  • The 5-4 teams that will host – Redford Thurston in Division 3 and Escanaba and Benton Harbor in Division 4, all earned their spots. Escanaba faced six playoff teams and beat three, Class B Benton Harbor played eight Class A teams, and Thurston played five playoff teams and a sixth that just missed an at-large bid.  

At the end of the day ... 

What you see is what our committee decided upon after multiple discussions among multiple groups that broke down every sensible possibility we could muster. There are certainly points open to argument – and we likely made those arguments as well.

Those who would like to see the playoff selection process changed are in favor of a larger strength-of-schedule component, and it’s interesting to see how strength of schedule inadvertently made a larger impact this season than in the recent past – especially given the examples above of undefeated teams going on the road and at-large teams hosting.

Why were there fewer automatic qualifiers than ever before? Here's one theory. There were 11 fewer teams in 11-player football this season than in 2014 (most moved to 8-player). An argument can be made that there were fewer wins to be gained against teams that last season might have struggled to field 11-player teams, shifting the balance to fewer automatic qualifiers and more parity with stronger teams facing each other to fill their schedules.

Meanwhile, the 8-player field grew by nine teams this fall and has its strongest ever, with seven teams that finished 5-4 missing the postseason after a team with a sub-.500 record got in just a year ago.

Given how some matchups shook out this fall, the next argument by those seeking change likely will center on seeding entire Regionals instead of just Districts. But keep this in mind as well: if Regionals were seeded with this year's groupings, it would create possibilities of first-week trips like Battle Creek to Traverse City and Cedar Springs to Sault Ste. Marie. We're fairly sure most coaches and players would dread such journeys for a first-round game. 

It's a lot to digest, and the scrutinizing will surely continue long after these playoffs are done as we all work to conduct the best tournament possible. 

But at the end of the day – and the end of these next five weeks – to be the best, teams will need to beat the best no matter the matchups. And we’ve got plenty to look forward to starting this weekend and all the way through the 11-player Division 3 Final on Nov. 28 at Ford Field.

The MHSAA Football Playoffs are sponsored by the Michigan National Guard.

PHOTO: The Division 4 map was among the most difficult to draw during this year's selection process.