2017 Week 8 Football Playoff Listing
October 10, 2017
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 seventh 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.
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. 27. 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 32 programs will then be divided into two divisions of 16 each based on enrollment. The playoff in that division also begins Oct. 27.
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. 22 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. The MHSAA Football Finals are presented by the Michigan Army National Guard.
11-Player Playoff Listing
1. Macomb Dakota, 3016, 5-2, 69.000
2. Dearborn Fordson, 2741, 6-1, 86.571
3. Utica Eisenhower, 2689, 7-0, 113.143
4. Grand Blanc, 2660, 6-1, 85.286
5. East Kentwood, 2639, 5-2, 66.429
6. Clarkston, 2603, 5-2, 74.429
7. Rockford, 2485, 4-3, 63.714
8. Clinton Township Chippewa Valley, 2434, 6-1, 94.571
9. Detroit Cass Tech *, 2434, 5-1, 76.143
10. Troy, 2422, 5-2, 71.000
11. Brighton, 2247, 4-3, 58.429
12. Canton, 2212, 6-1, 87.714
13. Holland West Ottawa, 2200, 6-1, 87.714
14. Salem, 2090, 4-3, 55.286
15. Detroit Catholic Central, 2080, 5-2, 73.714
16. West Bloomfield, 1990, 5-2, 74.429
17. New Baltimore Anchor Bay, 1956, 5-2, 66.857
18. Utica, 1907, 4-3, 56.571
19. Saline *, 1869, 6-1, 88.429
20. Bloomfield Hills, 1842, 5-2, 71.000
21. Lapeer, 1837, 5-2, 65.286
22. Livonia Stevenson, 1811, 4-3, 63.143
23. Walled Lake Central, 1804, 4-3, 58.143
24. White Lake Lakeland *, 1765, 5-2, 72.000
25. Romeo, 1753, 5-2, 76.619
26. Grandville, 1750, 5-2, 70.714
27. Grand Ledge, 1726, 6-1, 86.429
28. Warren Mott, 1712, 4-3, 56.714
29. Belleville, 1709, 7-0, 106.286
30. Detroit Western International, 1701, 4-3, 49.857
31. Davison, 1695, 6-1, 88.714
32. Walled Lake Northern, 1678, 5-2, 66.000
33. Grosse Pointe South, 1644, 4-3, 63.214
34. Rochester Adams, 1626, 6-1, 89.714
35. Waterford Mott, 1586, 6-1, 87.429
36. Traverse City West, 1582, 7-0, 97.143
37. Brownstown Woodhaven, 1569, 5-2, 71.429
38. Temperance Bedford, 1548, 6-1, 81.857
39. Warren DeLaSalle, 1538, 5-2, 76.943
40. Flint Carman-Ainsworth, 1502, 5-2, 68.857
41. Livonia Churchill, 1486, 6-1, 91.857
42. Livonia Franklin, 1469, 5-2, 66.286
43. Jenison, 1457, 5-2, 65.714
44. Roseville, 1412, 5-2, 68.429
45. Detroit Martin Luther King, 1404, 6-1, 77.810
46. Dearborn Edsel Ford, 1396, 5-2, 62.143
47. Oak Park, 1395, 5-2, 73.429
48. Grosse Pointe North *, 1371, 4-2, 61.048
49. Portage Central, 1353, 6-1, 87.571
50. Traverse City Central, 1345, 5-2, 71.286
51. Wyandotte Roosevelt, 1345, 7-0, 99.429
52. Royal Oak, 1332, 4-3, 49.714
53. Okemos, 1326, 4-3, 49.429
54. Walled Lake Western, 1318, 6-1, 92.143
55. Midland, 1316, 6-1, 84.286
56. Flushing, 1312, 5-2, 71.286
57. Birmingham Groves, 1300, 6-1, 89.714
58. Port Huron Northern, 1277, 6-1, 83.000
59. St Clair Shores Lake Shore, 1273, 4-3, 48.571
60. Pinckney, 1272, 6-1, 83.000
61. Detroit East English, 1270, 7-0, 86.857
62. Midland Dow, 1263, 6-1, 79.143
63. Grand Rapids Forest Hills Central, 1258, 7-0, 104.000
64. Muskegon Mona Shores, 1238, 7-0, 109.714
65. Birmingham Brother Rice, 1224, 4-3, 62.036
66. Ypsilanti Lincoln, 1222, 5-2, 72.000
67. Lowell, 1195, 4-3, 62.857
68. Muskegon Reeths-Puffer, 1186, 4-3, 50.286
69. Ferndale, 1180, 6-1, 75.857
70. Mattawan, 1171, 5-2, 68.714
71. Holly, 1166, 4-3, 52.429
72. Fenton, 1163, 7-0, 105.143
73. Greenville, 1158, 4-3, 51.000
74. Holland, 1140, 5-2, 64.286
75. Hamtramck, 1135, 5-2, 59.429
76. Detroit Renaissance, 1131, 4-3, 46.524
77. Gibraltar Carlson, 1125, 7-0, 101.714
78. East Lansing, 1108, 5-2, 67.714
79. Redford Thurston, 1102, 5-2, 61.571
80. Eastpointe, 1101, 4-3, 48.714
81. Warren Woods Tower, 1095, 6-1, 80.714
82. Byron Center, 1083, 4-3, 50.000
83. Muskegon, 1058, 7-0, 100.571
84. St. Joseph, 1043, 5-2, 70.714
85. Auburn Hills Avondale, 1033, 4-3, 61.143
86. Farmington Hills Harrison, 1030, 5-2, 77.000
87. East Grand Rapids, 1010, 7-0, 102.857
88. DeWitt, 994, 6-1, 87.571
89. Zeeland East, 994, 7-0, 93.714
90. St. Johns, 990, 4-3, 49.857
91. Gaylord, 980, 4-3, 49.571
92. Ortonville-Brandon, 969, 4-3, 54.714
93. Zeeland West, 960, 5-2, 74.714
94. Melvindale, 956, 4-3, 54.286
95. Cedar Springs, 946, 5-2, 72.143
96. Coldwater, 933, 4-3, 51.714
97. Riverview, 928, 6-1, 77.143
98. Detroit Cody, 924, 4-3, 48.810
99. Linden, 924, 6-1, 91.143
100. Warren Fitzgerald, 903, 5-2, 64.429
101. Grand Rapids Christian, 896, 6-1, 92.286
102. Stevensville Lakeshore, 891, 6-1, 91.857
103. Hazel Park, 889, 5-2, 67.571
104. Battle Creek Harper Creek, 884, 7-0, 91.429
105. Parma Western, 880, 4-3, 50.000
106. New Boston Huron, 877, 5-2, 64.000
107. Romulus, 864, 5-2, 65.429
108. Haslett, 856, 5-2, 66.286
109. Marshall, 854, 4-3, 49.429
110. Dearborn Divine Child, 852, 6-1, 85.143
111. Tecumseh, 850, 4-3, 54.286
112. Chelsea, 841, 6-1, 85.143
113. River Rouge, 836, 6-1, 84.286
114. Edwardsburg, 835, 6-1, 72.714
115. Bay City John Glenn, 831, 4-3, 52.143
116. Detroit Mumford, 829, 5-2, 60.810
117. Coopersville, 824, 5-2, 54.857
118. Sparta, 815, 4-3, 45.571
119. Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood, 812, 6-1, 73.857
120. Plainwell, 808, 5-2, 64.286
121. Vicksburg, 801, 6-1, 71.429
122. Milan, 772, 4-3, 48.857
123. Madison Heights Lamphere, 768, 4-3, 47.286
124. Detroit Old Redford, 763, 4-3, 36.143
125. Goodrich, 759, 6-1, 68.143
126. Escanaba, 739, 6-1, 78.048
127. Harper Woods Chandler Park Academy, 727, 5-2, 59.524
128. Pontiac Notre Dame Prep, 718, 6-1, 63.714
129. Three Rivers, 707, 6-1, 78.143
130. Croswell-Lexington, 681, 4-3, 42.143
131. Wyoming Godwin Heights, 679, 5-2, 50.714
132. Wyoming Kelloggsville, 678, 7-0, 86.857
133. Romulus Summit Academy North, 674, 4-3, 44.429
134. Paw Paw, 662, 4-3, 45.571
135. Whitehall, 661, 5-2, 52.000
136. Flint Powers Catholic, 660, 4-3, 57.571
137. Lake Fenton, 660, 6-1, 75.143
138. Flat Rock, 658, 5-2, 64.571
139. Grand Rapids Catholic Central, 646, 7-0, 79.048
140. Alma, 642, 6-1, 73.857
141. Comstock Park, 636, 4-3, 51.143
142. Williamston, 628, 5-2, 59.714
143. Lansing Sexton, 620, 5-2, 76.286
144. Lake Odessa Lakewood, 608, 6-1, 74.000
145. Hudsonville Unity Christian, 606, 4-3, 54.571
146. Grand Rapids South Christian, 602, 6-1, 73.857
147. Belding, 597, 6-1, 78.429
148. Bridgeport, 594, 4-3, 44.571
149. Muskegon Oakridge, 592, 5-2, 58.571
150. Saginaw Swan Valley, 586, 6-1, 77.429
151. Hancock, 584, 6-1, 61.857
152. North Muskegon, 579, 5-2, 43.714
153. Dowagiac, 568, 4-3, 52.286
154. Freeland, 564, 5-2, 60.857
155. Ann Arbor Father Gabriel Richard, 555, 6-1, 61.476
156. Olivet, 552, 7-0, 85.714
157. Lansing Catholic, 551, 6-1, 75.000
158. Remus Chippewa Hills, 550, 5-2, 60.714
159. Kingsford *, 542, 5-1, 71.131
160. Algonac, 534, 6-1, 71.571
161. Portland, 534, 6-1, 80.571
162. Frankenmuth, 528, 7-0, 88.190
163. Carrollton, 520, 6-1, 71.571
164. Ida, 520, 6-1, 63.429
165. Marine City, 514, 6-1, 87.714
166. Grant, 512, 5-2, 50.429
167. Kalkaska, 512, 4-3, 35.000
168. Richmond, 510, 7-0, 83.429
169. Grand Rapids West Catholic, 505, 6-1, 77.286
170. Onsted, 505, 5-2, 49.000
171. Reed City, 501, 6-1, 76.286
172. Almont, 494, 5-2, 58.714
173. Gladstone, 493, 6-1, 61.286
174. Grayling, 492, 4-3, 43.571
175. Berrien Springs, 484, 6-1, 65.429
176. Coloma, 480, 5-2, 51.429
177. Menominee, 479, 5-2, 61.321
178. Kalamazoo Hackett, 474, 5-2, 58.286
179. Newaygo, 474, 5-2, 56.143
180. Detroit Denby *, 461, 5-1, 69.667
181. Ovid-Elsie, 458, 5-2, 54.143
182. Clare, 457, 6-1, 64.857
183. Detroit Voyageur, 446, 4-3, 44.429
184. Parchment, 443, 5-2, 56.143
185. Boyne City, 428, 7-0, 80.000
186. Brooklyn Columbia Central, 426, 5-2, 65.143
187. Michigan Center, 419, 6-1, 61.143
188. Ecorse, 417, 4-3, 40.714
189. Harrison, 410, 5-2, 49.571
190. Montague, 409, 7-0, 85.714
191. Millington, 407, 6-1, 71.714
192. Hemlock, 405, 5-2, 47.714
193. Morley Stanwood, 405, 6-1, 55.714
194. Negaunee, 405, 4-3, 35.143
195. Ithaca, 403, 7-0, 78.857
196. Clinton Township Clintondale, 401, 6-1, 73.571
197. Calumet, 396, 4-3, 42.929
198. Detroit Henry Ford, 385, 4-3, 33.667
199. Warren Michigan Collegiate, 382, 7-0, 90.286
200. Montrose, 381, 6-1, 65.857
201. Maple City Glen Lake *, 376, 4-2, 44.000
202. Quincy, 376, 5-2, 53.857
203. Kent City, 375, 7-0, 70.857
204. Lakeview, 374, 4-3, 36.714
205. Napoleon, 373, 5-2, 56.143
206. Schoolcraft, 372, 5-2, 55.000
207. Blissfield, 371, 4-3, 55.571
208. Detroit Central, 369, 5-2, 54.143
209. Laingsburg, 367, 5-2, 48.286
210. Grass Lake, 365, 4-3, 38.000
211. Traverse City St. Francis, 362, 7-0, 86.476
212. Jackson Lumen Christi *, 361, 6-1, 80.857
213. Houghton Lake, 357, 4-3, 42.143
214. Watervliet, 355, 7-0, 75.048
215. Beaverton, 353, 7-0, 74.286
216. Elk Rapids, 353, 6-1, 64.857
217. Burton Bendle, 352, 4-3, 35.286
218. L'Anse, 351, 4-3, 43.571
219. Vermontville Maple Valley, 346, 4-3, 37.286
220. Allen Park Cabrini, 344, 4-3, 32.143
221. Monroe St. Mary Catholic Central, 344, 4-3, 54.286
222. Hanover-Horton, 342, 4-3, 33.714
223. Ishpeming Westwood, 342, 6-1, 55.571
224. Riverview Gabriel Richard, 341, 6-1, 53.286
225. Lake City, 333, 7-0, 75.429
226. Oscoda, 332, 4-3, 34.000
227. Detroit Delta Prep, 329, 5-2, 57.714
228. St. Louis, 329, 4-3, 39.714
229. Flint Hamady, 327, 5-2, 50.714
230. Grand Rapids NorthPointe Christian, 327, 5-2, 59.857
231. Union City, 327, 5-2, 52.571
232. Madison Heights Madison, 323, 7-0, 92.800
233. Hartford, 318, 5-2, 48.571
234. McBain, 314, 6-1, 59.143
235. New Lothrop, 311, 7-0, 78.857
236. Clinton, 309, 5-2, 50.000
237. Harbor Springs, 306, 4-3, 34.000
238. Pewamo-Westphalia, 305, 6-1, 61.000
239. Homer, 299, 4-3, 44.143
240. Saugatuck, 297, 5-2, 49.143
241. Saranac, 285, 4-3, 40.714
242. Springport, 285, 5-2, 45.857
243. Cass City, 282, 6-1, 65.857
244. Rochester Hills Lutheran Northwest, 279, 7-0, 62.476
245. Cassopolis, 268, 7-0, 69.714
246. Unionville-Sebewaing, 267, 4-3, 39.857
247. Elkton-Pigeon-Bay Port Laker, 263, 6-1, 63.571
248. Hudson, 263, 6-1, 70.429
249. Reading, 263, 6-1, 64.286
250. Carson City-Crystal, 258, 4-3, 33.714
251. Breckenridge, 254, 6-1, 56.857
252. Addison, 253, 6-1, 56.714
253. Auburn Hills Oakland Christian *, 248, 4-2, 43.000
254. Beal City, 247, 4-3, 38.857
255. Iron River West Iron County, 245, 6-1, 60.000
256. Ubly, 243, 6-1, 57.857
257. Ottawa Lake Whiteford, 239, 7-0, 69.714
258. St. Joseph Lake Michigan Catholic, 238, 5-2, 41.405
259. Petersburg-Summerfield, 235, 5-2, 47.143
260. Decatur, 234, 4-3, 38.857
261. Lincoln Alcona, 233, 6-1, 57.048
262. Norway, 230, 6-1, 55.643
263. Johannesburg-Lewiston, 228, 4-3, 34.714
264. Harbor Beach, 218, 6-1, 56.857
265. New Buffalo, 209, 4-3, 34.000
266. Saginaw Nouvel, 208, 7-0, 75.657
267. Mendon, 205, 7-0, 68.571
268. Newberry *, 205, 4-2, 42.714
269. Pittsford, 204, 6-1, 60.000
270. Morenci, 200, 4-3, 42.286
271. Munising *, 200, 4-3, 34.500
272. Sterling Heights Parkway Christian, 194, 4-3, 41.833
273. Adrian Lenawee Christian, 181, 5-2, 38.000
274. Athens, 181, 5-2, 32.286
275. Gaylord St. Mary, 173, 7-0, 70.667
276. Frankfort *, 170, 5-2, 43.619
277. Muskegon Catholic Central *, 169, 6-0, 74.667
278. Fulton, 167, 5-2, 44.714
279. Climax-Scotts, 162, 6-1, 53.286
280. AuGres-Sims *, 148, 7-0, 65.143
281. Hillman, 140, 4-3, 39.000
282. Mt. Pleasant Sacred Heart, 133, 5-2, 42.286
283. Waterford Our Lady *, 124, 4-2, 38.190
284. Clarkston Everest Collegiate, 112, 6-1, 55.905
8-Player Playoff Listing
1. Onekama, 136, 7-0, 57.143
2. Deckerville, 182, 6-1, 56.714
3. Rapid River, 118, 7-0, 56.381
4. Camden-Frontier, 156, 7-0, 56.000
5. Central Lake, 191, 7-0, 54.857
6. Pickford, 151, 7-0, 50.286
7. Morrice, 175, 6-1, 49.714
8. Bellevue, 174, 6-1, 47.714
9. Portland St Patrick, 103, 6-1, 46.429
10. Stephenson, 160, 6-1, 46.381
11. Marion, 136, 6-1, 44.095
12. Rudyard, 193, 6-1, 43.000
13. Cedarville, 152, 6-1, 42.857
14. Bay City All Saints, 97, 6-1, 41.857
15. Kinde-North Huron, 148, 6-1, 41.286
16. Kingston, 191, 5-2, 41.286
17. Flint International Academy, 150, 5-2, 39.143
18. Engadine, 95, 5-2, 38.143
19. Webberville, 179, 5-2, 36.857
20. Crystal Falls Forest Park *, 146, 4-2, 36.810
21. Wyoming Tri-unity Christian, 182, 4-3, 34.143
22. Ontonagon *, 187, 4-2, 33.952
23. Battle Creek St. Philip, 135, 4-3, 31.571
24. Mayville, 197, 4-3, 30.571
25. Powers North Central *, 112, 4-2, 30.333
26. Suttons Bay, 201, 4-3, 29.571
27. Mesick, 180, 4-3, 29.381
28. Tekonsha, 145, 4-3, 29.286
29. Peck, 127, 4-3, 25.714
30. Brimley, 164, 4-3, 24.714
31. Lawrence, 181, 3-4, 24.000
32. Bellaire, 142, 3-4, 22.286
33. Brethren *, 159, 3-3, 22.238
34. Carsonville-Port Sanilac, 106, 3-4, 21.857
35. Waldron, 79, 3-4, 21.571
36. Hale, 129, 3-4, 21.238
37. St. Joseph Michigan Lutheran, 99, 4-3, 20.286
38. North Adams-Jerome, 150, 3-4, 19.714
39. Atlanta, 74, 3-4, 18.571
40. New Haven Merritt Academy, 164, 3-4, 18.143
41. Onaway, 195, 3-4, 17.429
42. Manistee Catholic Central *, 178, 2-4, 17.000
43. Carney-Nadeau, 133, 2-5, 15.943
44. Fife Lake Forest Area, 165, 2-5, 15.857
45. Eben Junction Superior Central, 131, 2-5, 15.643
46. Bear Lake, 93, 2-5, 13.571
47. Baldwin, 105, 2-5, 11.095
48. Felch North Dickinson, 101, 1-6, 10.429
49. Burton Madison Academy, 171, 1-6, 8.429
50. Posen, 87, 1-6, 7.857
51. Caseville, 93, 1-6, 7.714
52. Owendale-Gagetown, 57, 1-6, 7.000
53. Burr Oak, 74, 0-7, 3.857
54. Pellston, 167, 0-7, 3.857
55. Litchfield, 81, 0-7, 3.571
56. St. Helen Charlton Heston Academy, 140, 0-7, 3.571
57. Big Rapids Crossroads Academy, 187, 0-7, 2.905
58. Akron-Fairgrove, 76, 0-7, 2.714
59. Flint Michigan School for the Deaf *, 47, 0-5, 1.686
1st & Goal: 2025 Football Finals Review
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
December 3, 2025
This season’s MHSAA Football Finals saw only two of 20 teams reach championship games for the first time – the lowest number of first-timers since the start of the 2020s – but several more play for Finals titles for the first time in a decade, or two, or even three or four.
Dearborn Divine Child won its first championship since 1985, Portland St. Patrick its first since 1992, and Harbor Beach, Menominee and Detroit Catholic Central all claimed their first titles in more than a decade as this fall came to a close over the last two weekends.
We also had repeat winners – Orchard Lake St. Mary’s, Jackson Lumen Christi and Martin – and although their runs ended in defeat, Blanchard Montabella and Dexter did advance to championship weekends for the first time.
MHSAA.com once again covered all 10 championship games, with quick recaps and links to those stories below followed by notations of performances entered into the MHSAA Finals record books and a report on some of the main storylines to emerge as those championships were being decided.
Finals in Review
11-Player Division 1: Detroit Catholic Central 42, Detroit Cass Tech 19 – Read
DCC claimed its first Finals championship since 2009 by emerging from this matchup of undefeated teams and avenging a 2024 Semifinal loss to eventual champion Cass Tech. While Shamrocks senior Samson Gash has received some of the highest statewide praise for his offensive talents this season, junior brother Gideon Gash starred this time with three touchdown catches all 37 yards or longer.
11-Player Division 2: Orchard Lake St. Mary’s 51, Dexter 14 – Read
Orchard Lake St. Mary’s repeated as Division 2 champion following quarterback Jabin Gonzales (304 yards/4 TDs passing, 102 yards rushing) but also thanks to a stellar defensive effort against the Dreadnaughts’ record-setting offensive attack. The Eaglets held Dexter to just 266 total yards, and only 69 during the second half after taking a 24-14 lead into the break.
11-Player Division 3: DeWitt 54, Mount Pleasant 20 – Read
This was another matchup of undefeated contenders, and DeWitt again lit up the scoreboard in winning its second championship. The Panthers set a team Finals record for most rushing yards (575) with senior Traverse Moore claiming the individual Finals rushing record with 397 – 83 more than the previous all-time best.
11-Player Division 4: Dearborn Divine Child 23, Hudsonville Unity Christian 22 – Read
Divine Child’s first Finals championship since 1985 was a product of steady play on both sides of the ball. Offensively, Marcello Vitti ran 19 times for 120 yards and a score and Drew Sheridan completed 19 passes for 241 yards and two touchdowns. Defensively, Divine Child stopped a two-point conversion try midway through the fourth quarter to keep a one-point lead, then held Unity to two yards on its final possession.
11-Player Division 5: Grand Rapids West Catholic 42, Pontiac Notre Dame Prep – Read
West Catholic jumped out to a 28-0 lead and didn’t allow reigning champion Notre Dame Prep to get on the scoreboard until the final minute of the first half. The 1-2 punch of running back Collin Abram and quarterback Grady Augustyn accounted for a combined 347 yards for the Falcons, and the Fighting Irish also lost all-state quarterback Sam Stowe for the majority of the second half with an injury.
11-Player Division 6: Jackson Lumen Christi 28, Kingsley 15 – Read
The Titans claimed a fourth-straight Finals championship and repeat in Division 6 by scoring the game’s only second-half points – 14 to go ahead and stay there during the fourth quarter. Lumen Christi’s Sean Walicki starred on both sides of the ball, running for 142 yards and two touchdowns and making 17 tackles.
11-Player Division 7: Menominee 34, Schoolcraft 6 – Read
Two years after finishing Division 7 runner-up and only four points shy of Lumen Christi in that title decider, Menominee returned to Ford Field and won its first championship since 2007. Clayton Miller ran for 112 yards and three touchdowns for the Maroons, who finished a perfect 14-0. Schoolcraft’s only points came with 6:09 to play.
11-Player Division 8: Harbor Beach 31, Hudson 20 – Read
The 11-Player Finals opened with a matchup of undefeated contenders. Harbor Beach withstood Hudson’s powerful running attack and followed quarterback Caden Bucholtz (146 yards/1 TD rushing, 82 yards/2 TDs passing) to its first Finals title since 2012. The Pirates took a 21-0 lead into the final four minutes of the first half and got a scoring run, touchdown reception and 20-yard field goal from Skiler Kruse.
8-Player Division 1: Martin 52, Blanchard Montabella 8 - Read
Hudson claimed its third Division 1 title in four seasons with a dominating performance, as Montabella scored the game’s first points but were held off the board the rest of the way. Quarterback Haylen Buell ran for 179 yards and three touchdowns on only nine carries, and completed all seven of his passes – including one for another score – for the undefeated Clippers.
8-Player Division 2: Portland St. Patrick 53, Felch North Dickinson 0 – Read
The Shamrocks seemed to set the tone on the opening kickoff – returning it to North Dickinson’s 3-yard line – on the way to winning their first 8-player championship and first in either football format since 1992. St. Patrick led 20-0 after just seven minutes and 33-0 at halftime, with seven players reaching the end zone at least once by the end of the contest.
Record Report
Detroit Catholic Central and Jackson Lumen Christi moved into a first-place tie with Farmington Hills Harrison for 11-Player Finals appearances as all three have played in 18. (Harrison closed in June 2019).
DeWitt senior Traverse Moore earned seven 11-Player Finals record book listings, his most notable for an all-time best 397 yards rushing – which broke Kadale Williams of Lumen Christi’s record of 314 set just last season. Moore also set records with three touchdown runs during the first quarter, and his 461 total yards (including 64 passing) are the second-most in Finals history. He made four more lists as well, including for 24 points scored.
Mount Pleasant quarterback Xavier Creguer also set a record during the Division 3 game, his 91-yard scoring run the longest rush in 11-player championship game history.
Three kickers made the 11-player single-game extra points list with six apiece – Orchard Lake St. Mary’s Beckett Keifer in Division 2, DeWitt’s Vincent Rose in Division 3 and Grand Rapids West Catholic’s Landon Smith in Division 5
A trio of quarterbacks also made 11-player record lists. Orchard Lake St. Mary’s Jabin Gonzales did so with 304 yards passing, his four touchdown tosses, and 406 total yards (including 102 rushing); the total yards rank eighth all-time. Detroit Cass Tech’s Donald Tabron II made passing lists with 25 completions, 37 attempts and 285 yards, and Dearborn Divine Child quarterback Drew Sheridan also made the completions list with 19. Tabron’s attempts rank eighth, and his completions tied for fourth on that list.
On the receiving end of some fine quarterback play, Cass Tech’s Corey Sadler Jr. made the 11-player single-game receptions list with 11, tying for third-most catches, while Grand Rapids West Catholic’s Thomas Puksta made the single-game receiving yardage list with 161 and Detroit Catholic Central’s Gideon Gash tied for the second-most touchdown receptions with three.
Dexter’s Cole Novara rewrote the season receiving records this fall, and added an 11-player championship game listing with a 96-yard kickoff return touchdown. St. Mary’s Daniel Taylor Jr. also made a return list, bringing back a fumble 59 yards for a score.
DeWitt with 54 points made the 11-player team single-game scoring list, but that was just the start. The Panthers’ 575 rushing yards and 639 total yards were records, their seven rushing touchdowns tied another one, their 24 first downs made a record list and their combined 959 total yards with Mount Pleasant made the total offense list for both teams in one game.
Orchard Lake St. Mary’s also made the 11-player scoring list with 51 points, and earned another entry with 314 passing yards. Dexter made the single-game completions list in that game with 24, and Detroit Cass Tech made that same list with 25 completions. Hudsonville Unity Christian made the single-game rushing carries list with 66.
Grand Rapids West Catholic tied the Finals record with two other teams by returning two interceptions for touchdowns.
Hudson made the list of teams that did not punt in a Final, and also joined Harbor Beach – which punted once – on the list for fewest punts by both teams combined in one game.
Martin quarterback Haylen Buell made the 8-player total yardage list with 313 in the Division 1 game, leading a Clippers attack that also made the single-quarter points list with 30, single-Final rushing list with 364 yards and rushing touchdown list with six.
Portland St. Patrick quarterback Jerryd Scheurer made the list for fastest touchdowns to begin an 8-Player Final, scoring on a run just 20 seconds into his team’s Division 2 win against Felch North Dickinson. St. Patrick also made the single-game touchdowns list with seven.
Stories Behind the Scores
Single Wing, Several Records: We detailed above most of how DeWitt ran its way into the Finals record book, but the Panthers’ strategy this season deserves more credit for its brilliance. Recognizing his team’s strength on the offensive line and depth of dynamic ball carriers, DeWitt coach Rob Zimmerman leaned heavily on single wing concepts that saw direct snaps to Traverse Moore – technically his quarterback – who then ran behind multiple blockers or worked through counters and other slights of hand that opened up multiple running lanes on just about every play. The Panthers have added several record book entries over the last 25 years thanks to a high-scoring spread passing attack, but they followed last season’s 702 points (ranking eighth all-time before this fall) with 727 this season that will ran fifth on the single-season scoring list. Moore finished with 2,512 yards and 33 touchdowns rushing, and it will be interesting to see if other programs follow suit by incorporating single-wing looks.
Memorable Menominee: The Maroons were once known as one of the last teams to run the single wing, and although they’ve added different looks and more balance under fourth-year coach Chad Brandt, that tough-running, physical culture lives on – and played a big part in Menominee’s perfect season and first Finals championship since 2007. The Maroons just missed winning the Division 7 title in 2023, losing to Jackson Lumen Christi 34-30, but came through this time to claim the Upper Peninsula’s first 11-player championship since 2015. This season, only 16 UP teams played 11-player, while 19 played 8-player.
Watch List: A total of 44,733 fans attended the 11 or 8-Player Finals this season, the highest combined total for the three days since 2019 and despite a snowstorm that blanketed much of the Lower Peninsula over the 11-player weekend. A notable crowd of fans also watched online; although this was the first year the 11-Player Finals were streamed only, on the NFHS Network, we know that the Division 1 championship game drew the fourth-most viewers all-time of any event from any state broadcast on the Network, and that they watched the game for the most minutes ever for a Network broadcast.
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PHOTOS (Top) This collage shows action photos from all 10 MHSAA Finals played this season. (2) Orchard Lake St. Mary’s Kareem Pruit (7) brings down Dexter quarterback Cooper Arnedt in 11-player Division 2. (3) Kingsley’s Nolan Hodges (28) wraps up Lumen Christi’s Ayden Gatewood in Division 6. (4) Martin’s Seth Toris (24) charges through a hole with Montabella’s Noah Carlson lining up to attempt a tackle in 8-player Division 1.