2015 Week 6 Football Playoff Listing
September 29, 2015
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
Here is a list of Michigan High School Athletic Association football playing schools, displaying their win-loss records and playoff averages through the fifth week of the season.
Schools on this list are in enrollment order for 11-player teams, with 8-player teams ordered by playoff average. An asterisk (*) beside a record indicates a team has eight or fewer games scheduled. A caret (^) beside a school’s name indicates a team is one win away from playoff qualification.
Those schools with 11-player teams with six or more wins playing nine-game schedules, or five or more wins playing eight games or fewer, will qualify for the MHSAA Football Playoffs beginning Oct. 30. Schools with 5-4, 4-3 or 4-4 records may qualify if the number of potential qualifiers by win total does not reach the 256 mark. Schools with six or more wins playing nine-game schedules or five or more wins playing eight games or fewer may be subtracted from the field based on playoff average if the number of potential qualifiers exceeds the 256 mark.
Once the 256 qualifying schools are determined, they will be divided by enrollment groups into eight equal divisions of 32 schools, and then drawn into regions of eight teams each and districts of four teams each. Those schools with 8-player teams will be ranked by playoff average at season’s end, and the top 16 programs will be drawn into regions of eight teams each for the playoff in that division, which also begins Oct. 30.
To review a list of all football playoff schools, individual school playoff point details and to report errors, visit the Football page of the MHSAA Website.
The announcement of the qualifiers and first-round pairings for both the 11 and 8-player playoffs will take place at 7 p.m. Oct. 25 on the Selection Sunday Show on FOX Sports Detroit. The playoff qualifiers and pairings will be posted to the MHSAA Website following the Selection Sunday Show.
11-Player Playoff Listing
1. Macomb Dakota, 2921, 4-1, 82.200
2. Grand Blanc, 2727, 4-1, 76.000
3. Clarkston, 2707, 3-2, 55.800
4. Utica Eisenhower, 2669, 3-2, 62.000
5. Sterling Heights Stevenson, 2634, 4-1, 72.600
6. Clinton Township Chippewa Valley, 2611, 4-1, 85.400
7. East Kentwood, 2581, 4-1, 78.800
8. Howell, 2567, 4-1, 74.200
9. Rockford, 2561, 3-2, 60.800
10. Detroit Cass Tech, 2285, 4-1, 76.000
11. Northville ^, 2281, 5-0, 89.600
12. Brighton ^, 2211, 5-0, 94.400
13. Troy Athens, 2153, 3-2, 55.400
14. Detroit Catholic Central, 2138, 4-1, 64.800
15. Utica Ford, 2080, 4-1, 82.400
16. Canton ^, 2076, 5-0, 91.200
17. Monroe, 2066, 3-2, 55.800
18. Lapeer ^, 2059, 5-0, 86.400
19. Plymouth, 2057, 4-1, 72.400
20. Ann Arbor Pioneer ^, 2025, 5-0, 92.800
21. Hartland, 2017, 3-2, 52.600
22. New Baltimore Anchor Bay, 1946, 3-2, 55.000
23. West Bloomfield ^, 1932, 5-0, 96.000
24. Saline ^, 1879, 5-0, 86.400
25. Livonia Stevenson ^, 1831, 5-0, 96.000
26. Warren Mott, 1810, 4-1, 80.600
27. Utica, 1788, 3-2, 59.000
28. Holt, 1788, 3-2, 55.400
29. Davison, 1765, 3-2, 53.600
30. Hudsonville, 1763, 4-1, 78.800
31. Belleville, 1735, 4-1, 72.200
32. Romeo ^, 1673, 5-0, 99.200
33. Grand Ledge ^, 1663, 5-0, 88.000
34. Grosse Pointe South, 1629, 3-2, 57.200
35. Livonia Churchill, 1620, 3-2, 49.400
36. Walled Lake Northern, 1611, 4-1, 76.000
37. Warren DeLaSalle, 1572, 4-1, 77.600
38. Sterling Heights, 1561, 4-1, 67.800
39. Detroit Martin Luther King ^, 1537, 5-0, 100.800
40. Flint Carman-Ainsworth, 1533, 3-2, 50.600
41. Warren Cousino, 1514, 3-2, 52.200
42. Waterford Kettering, 1512, 3-2, 54.200
43. Detroit U-D Jesuit, 1486, 4-1, 65.000
44. Traverse City Central ^, 1474, 5-0, 94.400
45. Walled Lake Western ^, 1462, 5-0, 99.200
46. Midland ^, 1419, 5-0, 88.000
47. Jenison, 1418, 3-2, 60.000
48. Portage Northern, 1375, 3-2, 53.800
49. Lincoln Park, 1363, 4-1, 72.800
50. Portage Central ^, 1351, 5-0, 94.400
51. Wyandotte Roosevelt, 1346, 4-1, 77.400
52. Battle Creek Lakeview, 1344, 3-2, 58.600
53. Detroit East English, 1338, 4-1, 69.600
54. Southfield-Lathrup, 1320, 3-2, 49.200
55. Grand Rapids Ottawa Hills, 1280, 3-2, 49.000
56. Southfield, 1269, 3-2, 62.000
57. North Farmington, 1267, 3-2, 53.400
58. Port Huron Northern, 1260, 3-2, 50.000
59. Midland Dow, 1256, 4-1, 67.600
60. Birmingham Groves ^, 1248, 5-0, 83.200
61. Berkley, 1248, 4-1, 62.800
62. Royal Oak, 1248, 3-2, 50.200
63. Jackson, 1244, 3-2, 50.600
64. Flushing, 1242, 3-2, 55.400
65. Muskegon Mona Shores ^, 1239, 5-0, 97.600
66. Muskegon Reeths-Puffer, 1222, 3-2, 48.800
67. Farmington Hills Harrison, 1218, 4-1, 75.800
68. Farmington, 1176, 3-2, 75.817
69. Lowell, 1168, 4-1, 82.400
70. Gibraltar Carlson, 1140, 3-2, 52.400
71. Grand Rapids Forest Hills Northern ^, 1124, 5-0, 92.800
72. Muskegon, 1113, 4-1, 82.200
73. Fenton, 1108, 4-1, 75.600
74. Byron Center, 1070, 4-1, 71.200
75. Holly, 1068, 3-2, 60.400
76. Redford Thurston, 1064, 3-2, 58.800
77. Mt. Pleasant, 1061, 3-2, 60.800
78. Ortonville-Brandon, 1060, 3-2, 53.600
79. Allen Park, 1058, 4-1, 74.200
80. St. Johns, 1053, 4-1, 80.600
81. Zeeland East, 1040, 3-2, 64.400
82. Mason, 1033, 3-2, 54.200
83. Orchard Lake St. Mary's *^, 1032, 4-1, 79.267
84. Hamtramck, 984, 3-2, 44.800
85. St. Joseph, 980, 4-1, 77.200
86. East Grand Rapids, 975, 4-1, 79.000
87. Petoskey, 970, 4-1, 64.600
88. DeWitt ^, 960, 5-0, 96.000
89. Romulus, 956, 4-1, 72.800
90. Trenton ^, 953, 5-0, 89.600
91. Linden, 947, 4-1, 77.600
92. Cedar Springs, 943, 3-2, 47.600
93. Gaylord, 940, 4-1, 63.600
94. Sturgis, 926, 4-1, 64.200
95. Riverview, 912, 3-2, 41.400
96. Grand Rapids Christian, 905, 3-2, 52.400
97. Parma Western, 876, 3-2, 47.800
98. Haslett, 875, 3-2, 57.000
99. Stevensville Lakeshore, 874, 3-2, 60.400
100. Fruitport, 865, 3-2, 44.200
101. Coldwater ^, 863, 5-0, 86.400
102. Marshall, 863, 4-1, 74.400
103. Vicksburg, 858, 3-2, 49.400
104. Edwardsburg ^, 851, 5-0, 80.000
105. Sault Ste. Marie, 850, 3-2, 61.600
106. Bay City John Glenn, 847, 3-2, 47.600
107. Chelsea ^, 845, 5-0, 81.600
108. Zeeland West ^, 840, 5-0, 84.800
109. Detroit Mumford, 837, 3-2, 53.800
110. Ada Forest Hills Eastern ^, 828, 5-0, 80.000
111. Milan, 820, 4-1, 67.800
112. Battle Creek Harper Creek, 816, 3-2, 47.200
113. Plainwell, 807, 3-2, 44.000
114. Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood ^, 794, 5-0, 67.200
115. Marysville, 783, 3-2, 53.800
116. Holland Christian, 759, 3-2, 47.800
117. North Branch, 758, 3-2, 45.400
118. Goodrich, 754, 3-2, 50.600
119. Pontiac Notre Dame Prep, 728, 4-1, 71.000
120. Detroit Douglass, 718, 3-2, 43.800
121. Harper Woods Chandler Park Academy, 692, 3-2, 49.200
122. Detroit Country Day, 685, 4-1, 64.600
123. Comstock Park, 682, 4-1, 74.400
124. Detroit Cesar Chavez Academy, 681, 4-1, 47.200
125. St. Clair Shores South Lake ^, 668, 5-0, 88.000
126. Croswell-Lexington, 668, 4-1, 53.400
127. Hudsonville Unity Christian, 665, 3-2, 39.400
128. Grand Rapids Catholic Central, 658, 4-1, 77.400
129. Williamston, 657, 4-1, 67.800
130. Corunna, 656, 4-1, 62.800
131. Whitehall, 656, 3-2, 48.000
132. Paw Paw, 653, 3-2, 49.400
133. Alma, 642, 3-2, 47.600
134. Wyoming Kelloggsville, 640, 3-2, 39.600
135. Detroit Collegiate Prep ^, 632, 5-0, 78.400
136. Benton Harbor, 631, 3-2, 57.000
137. Lake Fenton, 625, 4-1, 60.000
138. Lake Odessa Lakewood ^, 624, 5-0, 68.800
139. Saginaw Swan Valley, 613, 3-2, 48.800
140. Dowagiac, 611, 3-2, 44.400
141. Flint Powers Catholic, 610, 3-2, 57.000
142. Big Rapids, 609, 4-1, 56.400
143. Richmond, 605, 4-1, 68.000
144. Wyoming Godwin Heights, 602, 3-2, 36.200
145. Remus Chippewa Hills, 600, 4-1, 59.600
146. River Rouge ^, 593, 5-0, 81.600
147. Clawson, 592, 4-1, 53.000
148. Dearborn Heights Robichaud, 573, 4-1, 64.600
149. Gladwin, 571, 3-2, 42.400
150. Portland ^, 563, 5-0, 84.800
151. Freeland ^, 563, 5-0, 83.200
152. Essexville Garber, 557, 3-2, 47.600
153. Ann Arbor Gabriel Richard, 556, 4-1, 60.200
154. Ida ^, 548, 5-0, 81.600
155. Kingsford, 547, 3-2, 50.000
156. Marine City, 540, 3-2, 44.800
157. Muskegon Oakridge, 538, 4-1, 49.800
158. Algonac ^, 532, 5-0, 70.400
159. Frankenmuth ^, 529, 5-0, 72.000
160. Olivet, 524, 3-2, 41.000
161. Chesaning, 523, 3-2, 46.000
162. Detroit Henry Ford, 523, 3-2, 37.800
163. Lansing Catholic, 517, 4-1, 66.400
164. Almont ^, 513, 5-0, 70.400
165. Onsted, 509, 4-1, 48.800
166. Detroit Central Collegiate, 508, 3-2, 40.800
167. Berrien Springs ^, 495, 5-0, 71.200
168. Stockbridge, 493, 4-1, 61.600
169. Parchment, 493, 4-1, 48.000
170. Reed City ^, 491, 5-0, 61.600
171. Ovid-Elsie, 491, 3-2, 48.000
172. Grayling, 489, 4-1, 59.800
173. Standish-Sterling Central, 489, 3-2, 39.000
174. Dundee, 489, 3-2, 32.600
175. Clinton Township Clintondale, 486, 3-2, 50.600
176. Menominee ^, 480, 5-0, 82.133
177. Harper Woods, 476, 4-1, 47.000
178. Manistee ^, 469, 5-0, 66.000
179. Brooklyn Columbia Central, 463, 4-1, 60.000
180. Buchanan ^, 459, 5-0, 72.000
181. Grand Rapids West Catholic, 442, 3-2, 52.600
182. Kalkaska, 437, 3-2, 37.800
183. Harrison, 430, 4-1, 54.600
184. Hillsdale, 430, 3-2, 43.000
185. Jackson Lumen Christi, 426, 4-1, 67.800
186. Warren Michigan Collegiate, 421, 3-2, 47.800
187. Calumet, 419, 3-2, 44.267
188. Lakeview, 417, 3-2, 39.000
189. Sanford Meridian Early College ^, 408, 5-0, 67.200
190. Michigan Center, 406, 3-2, 34.200
191. Detroit Pershing, 405, 3-2, 37.600
192. Ithaca ^, 402, 5-0, 67.200
193. Byron, 399, 3-2, 39.800
194. Millington, 398, 4-1, 64.800
195. Delton Kellogg, 398, 4-1, 56.400
196. Montague ^, 396, 5-0, 68.800
197. Burton Bendle, 393, 4-1, 50.400
198. Oscoda, 391, 4-1, 40.200
199. Detroit Edison Public School Academy, 390, 3-2, 28.000
200. Monroe St. Mary Catholic Central ^, 389, 5-0, 84.800
201. Morley Stanwood, 386, 3-2, 42.600
202. Negaunee ^, 385, 5-0, 65.600
203. Constantine, 385, 3-2, 43.000
204. Maple City Glen Lake, 384, 4-1, 48.600
205. Boyne City, 383, 4-1, 52.000
206. Niles Brandywine, 380, 3-2, 37.800
207. Adrian Madison, 379, 3-2, 36.600
208. Vassar, 377, 4-1, 47.000
209. Mason County Central, 376, 3-2, 39.600
210. St. Louis, 374, 3-2, 37.800
211. Laingsburg, 373, 4-1, 45.400
212. Watervliet, 372, 4-1, 56.800
213. Madison Heights Madison, 367, 4-1, 68.000
214. Manchester, 365, 4-1, 45.600
215. Schoolcraft ^, 357, 5-0, 65.600
216. Charlevoix, 350, 3-2, 31.600
217. Leroy Pine River, 349, 3-2, 42.800
218. Quincy, 346, 3-2, 34.000
219. Grand Rapids NorthPointe Christian ^, 345, 5-0, 67.200
220. Lawton ^, 342, 5-0, 60.800
221. Vandercook Lake ^, 341, 5-0, 59.200
222. Clinton ^, 335, 5-0, 64.000
223. Traverse City St. Francis ^, 320, 5-0, 75.200
224. Hesperia ^, 310, 5-0, 62.400
225. Sandusky ^, 310, 5-0, 62.400
226. Iron Mountain, 309, 3-2, 36.800
227. McBain, 307, 4-1, 56.800
228. Cass City, 304, 4-1, 46.800
229. Bridgman, 303, 4-1, 52.000
230. Gobles, 301, 3-2, 41.000
231. Union City, 298, 3-2, 34.600
232. Marlette, 298, 3-2, 34.200
233. Elkton-Pigeon-Bay Port Laker, 296, 3-2, 39.400
234. Homer, 294, 4-1, 48.400
235. Pewamo-Westphalia ^, 292, 5-0, 60.800
236. Rochester Hills Lutheran Northwest, 292, 3-2, 36.000
237. Flint Hamady ^, 291, 5-0, 59.200
238. Dansville, 289, 4-1, 47.200
239. Springport, 287, 3-2, 33.200
240. Saginaw Nouvel, 285, 4-1, 58.000
241. Riverview Gabriel Richard ^, 284, 5-0, 64.000
242. Grosse Pointe Woods University Liggett, 282, 3-2, 42.200
243. Harbor Springs, 281, 3-2, 24.800
244. Ishpeming *, 278, 5-0, 64.000
245. Flint Beecher, 278, 4-1, 59.800
246. New Lothrop ^, 276, 5-0, 72.000
247. Detroit Loyola, 276, 4-1, 71.000
248. Saugatuck ^, 271, 5-0, 62.400
249. Ubly, 271, 3-2, 39.800
250. Cassopolis, 270, 3-2, 38.400
251. Concord, 267, 4-1, 51.800
252. Decatur, 266, 3-2, 36.400
253. Lincoln Alcona, 265, 4-1, 33.800
254. Unionville-Sebewaing, 262, 4-1, 48.800
255. Ottawa Lake Whiteford, 255, 4-1, 40.600
256. Indian River Inland Lakes, 251, 4-1, 42.400
257. Onekama, 250, 4-1, 40.600
258. Petersburg-Summerfield, 240, 4-1, 47.000
259. Beal City, 228, 4-1, 53.000
260. Johannesburg-Lewiston, 226, 4-1, 44.000
261. St. Ignace ^, 225, 5-0, 59.200
262. Saginaw Michigan Lutheran Seminary ^, 223, 5-0, 65.600
263. Mayville, 217, 4-1, 40.800
264. L'Anse, 215, 3-2, 42.600
265. Pittsford, 211, 4-1, 40.600
266. Newberry, 211, 3-2, 36.400
267. Marcellus, 209, 3-2, 29.800
268. Vestaburg, 205, 4-1, 39.000
269. Bark River-Harris ^, 194, 5-0, 52.800
270. Morenci, 191, 4-1, 55.200
271. Munising, 191, 4-1, 44.667
272. Central Lake, 189, 3-2, 25.400
273. Fowler, 183, 4-1, 43.800
274. Sterling Heights Parkway Christian, 178, 3-2, 38.200
275. Muskegon Catholic Central *, 177, 3-1, 55.000
276. Adrian Lenawee Christian, 170, 4-1, 34.800
277. Climax-Scotts ^, 163, 5-0, 46.400
278. Crystal Falls Forest Park *, 163, 3-2, 33.467
279. Frankfort, 160, 4-1, 53.400
280. Waterford Our Lady ^, 157, 5-0, 67.200
281. Lake Linden-Hubbell ^, 155, 5-0, 56.800
282. Colon, 153, 3-2, 33.800
283. Hillman, 146, 4-1, 35.400
284. Bay City All Saints, 118, 3-2, 28.200
8-Player Playoff Listing
1. Owendale-Gagetown, 49, 5-0, 50.400
2. Powers North Central, 198, 5-0, 49.600
3. Posen, 84, 5-0, 48.000
4. Waldron, 88, 5-0, 46.400
5. Deckerville, 178, 5-0, 44.800
6. Battle Creek St. Philip, 144, 5-0, 43.200
7. Rapid River, 111, 4-1, 40.400
8. Cedarville, 144, 4-1, 37.400
9. Lawrence, 189, 5-0, 36.800
10. Morrice, 169, 4-1, 36.000
11. New Haven Merritt Academy, 148, 4-1, 33.600
12. Peck, 152, 4-1, 32.600
13. Portland St. Patrick, 87, 4-1, 31.200
14. Webberville, 184, 4-1, 29.600
15. Stephenson, 186, 3-2, 28.400
16. Engadine, 85, 3-2, 28.400
17. Pickford, 164, 3-2, 27.000
18. Onaway, 196, 3-2, 26.800
19. Akron-Fairgrove, 99, 3-2, 25.050
20. Bellaire, 134, 3-2, 24.000
21. Baraga, 164, 3-2, 23.600
22. Marion, 145, 2-3, 20.600
23. Kingston, 187, 2-3, 18.200
24. Kinde-North Huron, 147, 2-3, 17.600
25. Tekonsha, 148, 2-3, 16.400
26. Caseville, 91, 2-3, 15.800
27. Big Rapids Crossroads Academy, 190, 1-4, 12.250
28. Ewen-Trout Creek, 126, 1-4, 10.400
29. Burr Oak, 75, 1-4, 8.800
30. St. Helen Charlton Heston Academy, 108, 1-4, 8.400
31. Eben Junction Superior Central, 123, 1-4, 8.200
32. Ontonagon, 129, 1-4, 8.000
33. Hale, 132, 1-4, 7.850
34. St Joseph Michigan Lutheran, 103, 0-5, 3.600
35. Carsonville-Port Sanilac, 120, 0-5, 2.400
36. Litchfield, 92, 0-5, 2.400
37. Pellston, 170, 0-5, 1.800
38. Flint Michigan School For The Deaf, 47, 0-4, 1.800
39. Covert, 91, 0-3, 1.650
40. Brimley, 142, 0-5, 1.600
Bad Axe Sharp Again in Building on 2020 Success with 5-0 Start
By
Paul Costanzo
Special for MHSAA.com
September 30, 2021
When it comes to dishing out praise for the newfound success of the Bad Axe football program, those involved are doing plenty of finger pointing.
The good kind.
“I think it’s all the responsibility of our head coach, coach (Kal) Pokley,” Bad Axe senior offensive and defensive lineman Sam Hass said. “He was essential to our team – just his coaching skills and bringing us all together and getting us focused for our games.”
Pokley pointed right back.
“It really comes down to the kids and the parents,” he said. “The kids have really bought into the program. They’ve bought into our offense and our defense. They trust it, and they know it works. Because of that, we’ve been able to be more successful. They’re very hard workers, and they’ve been willing to put in the work in the offseason.”
They’re both right, and now the Hatchets are reaping the benefits. After a 2020 season that saw it win a share of the Greater Thumb Conference West title and earn its first playoff victory since 1978, Bad Axe is now off to a 5-0 start, its best since 2001.
“It’s a blast to see all of our hard work pay off – all the hard work we put in through the offseason,” junior quarterback and defensive back Keaton Braun said. “I think last year, winning our first league title in who knows how long, and our first playoff win and everything, it kind of puts in perspective how hard work can lead you in the right direction.”
Pokley took over the Bad Axe program as head coach prior to the 2020 season, after serving as a junior high and junior varsity coach the previous four seasons. He inherited a program that had a single playoff appearance (2014) since 2001, and just nine winning seasons during the playoff era (since 1975). The 1978 team lost in the Class C Final, but the three playoff wins that season represented the only three in program history prior to 2020.
But Pokley had coached the JV team to a perfect record in 2019, and saw the potential in the players within the program. While they opened the 2020 season with a 36-6 loss to Sandusky, Pokley’s optimism for the program didn’t waver, and his players backed that up, showing up early for a Sunday film session following that game. The Hatchets would win their next four, not allowing a “here we go again” attitude to creep in.
“As a coaching staff, that wasn’t going to be an option, so it wasn’t talked about,” Pokley said. “We had done some preseason polls, some meetings with the kids, and a bunch of the seniors from last year, they were very vocal early on that they weren’t OK with that, and they weren’t going to let that happen.”
The Hatchets finished the regular season 4-2, their other loss coming against Division 8 finalist Ubly, and defeated rival Elkton-Pigeon-Bay Port Laker in the opening round of the playoffs before losing 20-17 to Hemlock in the second round.
“It felt pretty good knowing that we had changed the culture,” Hass said. “For years, Bad Axe had kind of been on the (back) end of the league. Being part of a team that kind of flipped that around felt pretty good.”
That has continued into this season, as Bad Axe is perfect heading into Week 6 when it will take on another undefeated GTC West team, Reese. To get to this point, the Hatchets have ridden a balanced offensive attack and a dominant defense. After winning 42-33 in Week 1 against perennial Greater Thumb Conference contender Harbor Beach, the Hatchets have allowed just 14 points total over their past four games.
That defensive effort has been led by junior linebacker Jake MacPhee, who has 41 tackles on the season.
Offensively, the Hatchets have had multiple players stand out on different nights. Braun was the star against Harbor Beach, running for 165 yards and throwing for 146 more, along with two touchdowns. Griffin Meinhold (135 yards, two touchdowns) and Devyn Howard (116 yards, one touchdown) led the attack against Cass City, and Blake Talaski (82 yards, two touchdowns) handled things against Caro.
Braun is averaging an impressive 8.7 yards per carry through five weeks, and he’s well behind Meinhold (16.8) and Howard (17.2), who are spitting out big plays nearly every time they touch the ball.
“They’re focused, and they know they’re capable as long as they’re continuing to put in the hard work,” Pokley said. “Up to this point, they’ve really been focused on doing the right things – staying after practice, watching film, staying healthy and getting good grades. It’s really a blessing – I can’t say enough about this group of kids.”
The players said they’ve noticed a different energy around town and in their school, which has turned into big, excited crowds on Friday nights.
“There are a lot more people showing up to our games,” senior offensive and defensive lineman Austin Volmering said. “There’s a lot more cheering, and that helps us get more momentum.”
The Hatchets are hoping that momentum turns into another GTC West title, and then a longer playoff run. They aren’t shying away from the biggest of goals, either, as they feel they can play with anyone lined up in front of them. After seeing some of their league mates make deep runs, there’s a bit of a “why not us?” vibe in a program where that once seemed unthinkable.
“It motivates us a lot to see (Ubly, Harbor Beach and other GTC teams) getting to that stage in the playoffs, and know that a small-town team can play football with the bigger towns and bigger teams,” Meinhold said. “It means a lot knowing that they can do that, and we believe that we can, too.”
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) The Bad Axe offense, including Noah Braun (53) and Draiden Romas (24), lines up against Caro during their Week 5 matchup. (Middle) Blake Talaski (20) pulls in a touchdown grab against the Tigers. (Below) The Hatchets are off to their best season start since 2001. (Photos courtesy of the Bad Axe football program.)