8-Player Powers Converge in Greenville

November 15, 2012

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

Friday’s second-ever MHSAA 8-player football championship game will feature teams representing different stages of the new division’s development.

Coming down from the north is Bellaire, one of the first schools to jump on the new format in 2009 and a major success since doing so. Traveling west from the Thumb is Deckerville, a solid 11-player program in years past that has gotten smaller over the last decade and made the switch this fall.

Together, they should bring an exciting conclusion to the 8-player season at Greenville High School’s recently-built Legacy Field, a tremendous structure comparable to a small college stadium.

Tickets for the 8-player Final cost $8. Can’t make the trip? Watch it live on Fox Sports Detroit Plus (Comcast channel 901, check local listings for other providers). Kickoff is 7 p.m.

Here’s a look at the teams squaring off:

BELLAIRE
Record:
 9-3
Coach: Ron Bindi, fifth season (25-24)
League finish: Fourth in Bridge Alliance Conference
Championship history: Has never appeared in an MHSAA Final.
Best wins: 28-16 and 20-16 (Semifinal) over Rapid River, 48-0 over Owendale-Gagetown (Regional Final).
Players to watch: RB/CB Chase Small, 5-8/170, soph. (185 carries, 1,574 yards, 24 TDs rushing); QB Zach Smith, 5-11/158, sr. (29 for 73, 676 yards, 7 TDs passing; 389 yards, 15 TDs rushing); OL/DL Drew Bailey, 6-4/200, sr. (73 tackles), LB/C James Campis, 5-10/195, jr. (171 tackles), SE/CB Wes Villafane, 5-8/151, sr. (14 caches, 514 yards, five TDs, four interceptions).
Outlook: After finishing a combined 1-16 in its final two seasons in 11-player football, Bellaire is 23-8 since making the switch. The Eagles’ quick start included representing their conference against Mid-Michigan 8-Man League winner Carsonville Port-Sanilac in a non-MHSAA championship game at the end of the first 8-player season. This year’s team started 0-2 before hitting its stride. There’s no question Bellaire is a running team, with 3,413 rushing yards this fall led by Small’s 1,574. The team has thrown for 823 yards, with Villafane catching nearly half the team’s passes. Campis and junior Hunter Walsh are the big hitters for a defense giving up only seven points per game during the postseason.

DECKERVILLE
Record/rank:
 11-1
Coach: Bill Brown, 20th season (154-60)
League finish: First in North Central Thumb League
Championship history: Has never appeared in an MHSAA Final.
Best wins: 32-12, 48-39 and 42-39 (District Final) over Carsonville-Port Sanilac, 24-18 over Peck, 36-30 (2OT) over Portland St. Patrick (Semifinal).
Players to watch: QB Nick Pagel, 5-10/170, jr. (132 carries, 824 yards, 11 TDs rushing; 31 of 63, 463 yards, six TDs passing), RB Corey Wagester, 6-0/165, sr. (136 carries, 820 yards 12 TDs rushing), FB/LB Chris Wolfe, 5-10/170, sr. (151 carries, 1,580 yards, 14 TDs rushing).
Outlook: This is Deckerville’s first season of 8-player football. But unlike a lot of others that have made the switch, the Eagles had plenty of success in 11-player with four seasons of at least 10 wins beginning in 2000 – when they made the Division 8 Semifinals and fell six points shy of reaching the Pontiac Silverdome. Their lone loss this season came in Week 2 to powerful Cedarville; Deckerville has rolled since although it had two close calls during the playoffs. The Eagles also focus on the run led by two strong backs and two-way quarterbacking threat Pagel, and will have a hefty size advantage thanks to guys like senior Kevin Hammond (6-foot-1/235 pounds), sophomore Cody Mausolf (6-2/240) and senior Zachary Bowerman (6-0/210) up front. 

1st & Goal: 2025 Week 6 Preview

By Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor

October 3, 2025

League title time has arrived as this Michigan high school football season rumbles into October. 

MI Student AidWe've already celebrated one champion this season, and that crowd should grow substantially this weekend as several leagues move into the final games of their schedules and leaders begin guaranteeing they'll finish with at least a share of the conference crown. 

All of our games featured below will have league title implications either this week or over the next few. Watch for scores for every game across the state this weekend as they are reported on the MHSAA Scores page, and tune into several on the NFHS Network, including those with “WATCH” linked below.

Bay & Thumb

Ithaca (5-0) at Saginaw Valley Lutheran (5-0)

Tonight’s winner claims a share of the Tri-Valley Conference Blue championship with one more league game to play. Ithaca has won every matchup with Valley Lutheran since they joined the TVC together in 2006, but the Chargers over the last three seasons also are enjoying their best run of success in more than a decade. Both have played comparably close games against Michigan Lutheran Seminary this fall – Ithaca winning by two points in Week 3 and Valley Lutheran by 10 last week.

Keep an eye on these FRIDAY Armada (4-1) at Almont (5-0) WATCH, Mount Pleasant (5-0) at Bay City Western (3-2) WATCH, Bay City John Glenn (4-1) at Frankenmuth (4-1) WATCH, Ogemaw Heights (4-1) at Midland Bullock Creek (3-2) WATCH.

Greater Detroit

Macomb Dakota (5-0) at Romeo (3-2) WATCH

Reigning co-champ Dakota can clinch a share of its third Macomb Area Conference Red title over the last four seasons, while Romeo would clinch a share of its first since 2021. A Romeo victory also would be its first in the series since that Bulldogs’ title-winning run. They’ve put together a nice string of victories heading into this matchup, starting with a 34-28 win over the other reigning Red co-champ Utica Eisenhower in Week 3. Dakota’s only single-digit game was a 14-10 season-opening win over Bloomfield Hills Brother Rice, although Romeo and then Eisenhower should make the start of October their toughest challenge to date.

Keep an eye on these FRIDAY South Lyon (5-0) at Waterford Mott (3-2) WATCH, Hazel Park (4-1) at Madison Heights Madison (4-1), West Bloomfield (5-0) at Oxford (3-2) WATCH, Rochester Adams (3-2) at Rochester Hills Stoney Creek (4-1) WATCH.

Mid-Michigan

Williamston (5-0) at Haslett (4-1)

The winner earns a share of the Capital Area Activities Conference Red title – Williamston potentially continuing its rebound from last year’s 3-7 season, and Haslett after just missing out on last year’s championship due to an overtime loss to eventual Red winner Mason. While the focus tonight may be on offense – Williamston with it’s high-powered passing game and Haslett with its college recruit-loaded running attack – defense may be the decider. The Hornets haven’t allowed a point since Week 2. Haslett – after holding DeWitt to a season-low 21 points in their opener – hasn’t given up more than 14 in a game.

Keep an eye on these FRIDAY Lansing Everett (4-1) at Grand Ledge (5-0) WATCH, DeWitt (5-0) at Holt (3-2) WATCH, Goodrich (5-0) at Owosso (4-1) WATCH, Howell (4-1) at Hartland (3-2) WATCH.

Northern Lower Peninsula

Boyne City (4-1) at Traverse City St. Francis (5-0)

St. Francis can finish its Northern Michigan Football Conference Legends slate undefeated after getting past Kingsley by a point a week ago. Kingsley owns a Week 4 win over Boyne City – setting up an identical scenario as last year when Boyne City also fell to the Stags but then defeated the Gladiators 23-20 to create a three-way shared title. And it doesn’t easier from here for either team; Boyne’s last two opponents this regular season are both still undefeated, and St. Francis takes on reigning Division 5 champion Pontiac Notre Dame Prep and 2024 Division 6 winner Lumen Christi over the next two weeks.

Keep an eye on these FRIDAY Mancelona (3-2) at East Jordan (3-2) WATCH, Maple City Glen Lake (3-1) at Kalkaska (5-0) WATCH, Cadillac (2-3) at Petoskey (2-3) WATCH, Midland Dow (4-1) at Traverse City West (3-2).

Southeast & Border

Chelsea (4-1) at Ypsilanti Community (3-2)

Although Chelsea would still need one more win after this weekend to clinch a share of another Southeastern Conference White title, a victory tonight would be a nice rebound off last week’s 42-28 loss to Dexter and extend the Bulldogs’ league winning streak to 14 over the last three seasons. Ypsilanti hasn’t downed Chelsea since 2015, but needs just one more win this fall to guarantee its best finish since 2020 after defeating Pinckney last week to avenge a 2024 defeat.

Keep an eye on these FRIDAY Tecumseh (3-2) at Adrian (4-1) WATCH, Saline (5-0) at Ann Arbor Huron (3-2) WATCH, Adrian Madison (3-2) at Ida (4-1) WATCH, Stockbridge (2-3) at Springport (5-0) WATCH.

Southwest Corridor

Schoolcraft (4-1) at Lawton (4-1) WATCH

Recent history sends this matchup to the front of a strong slate of games in the southwest this week. After matching up from different divisions of the Southwestern Athletic Conference in a 2019 District Final – won by Schoolcraft – these two have played together in the SAC Valley and determined that league’s champion four of the last five seasons. Schoolcraft broke Lawton’s three-year hold on the Valley title with a 17-3 win in last year’s regular-season meeting, and also claimed a Division 7 District Final rematch 38-0.

Keep an eye on these FRIDAY Kalamazoo United (3-2) at Constantine (4-1), Berrien Springs (3-1) at Dowagiac (4-1), Three Rivers (4-1) at Niles (5-0) WATCH, St. Joseph (3-2) at Portage Northern (4-1) WATCH.

Upper Peninsula

Marquette (3-2) at Escanaba (5-0) WATCH

This annual rivalry showdown assures Escanaba won't look ahead to a potential Big North Conference-deciding Week 7 matchup against Gaylord. Escanaba is one win away from guaranteeing its best finish since 2019 and seeking its first victory over Marquette since 2017, after the Sentinels won last year’s meeting 28-7. Marquette fell to undefeated Gaylord by just a point in Week 3 and will be Escanaba’s biggest fan if it can get a win tonight and revive its BNC title hopes.

Keep an eye on these FRIDAY Houghton (2-3) at Calumet (3-2) WATCH, Bark River-Harris (3-1) at L’Anse (4-1) WATCH, Gladstone (2-3) at Menominee (5-0) WATCH.

West Michigan

Hudsonville (5-0) at Rockford (4-1) WATCH

The Ottawa-Kent Conference Red, top to bottom, may be as strong as it’s ever been – and these two are again the frontrunners. Hudsonville broke through last season for its first win over the Rams since 2016 and went on to finish the season at Ford Field as the Division 1 runner-up. The Eagles faced arguably their toughest challenge this season last week and shut out Jenison 42-0, while Rockford also is coming off a 28-0 shutout of a solid Grandville team.

Keep an eye on these FRIDAY Grand Rapids Christian (3-2) at Grand Rapids West Catholic (4-1), Belding (4-1) at Fruitport (3-2), Muskegon (3-2) at Muskegon Mona Shores (3-2), Hudsonville Unity Christian (5-0) at Zeeland West (4-1).

8-Player

Lake Linden-Hubbell (4-1) at Power North Central (4-1) WATCH

This is only the second week of the Great Lakes Eight Conference West schedule, but this game almost assuredly will impact the league championship picture with these two and undefeated Bessemer the anticipated contenders. North Central’s Week 2 loss to Norway looks better by the week as the undefeated Knights lead the GLEC East, and the same can be said of LL-H’s season-opening defeat to still-unbeaten Felch North Dickinson from the GLEC Central. The Jets have won six of their last eight against the Lakes, including 60-8 a year ago but after LL-H swept regular-season and playoff matchups in 2023.

Keep an eye on these FRIDAY Peck (4-1) at Kinde North Huron (3-1) WATCH, Concord (3-2) at Pittsford (4-1) WATCH, Indian River Inland Lakes (5-0) at Rogers City (4-1), Central Lake (3-2) at Onekama (5-0) WATCH.

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PHOTO A Muskegon ball carrier outruns Grand Rapids Forest Hills Northern's pursuing defenders during the Big Reds' 40-21 win last week. (Photo by Tim Reilly.)