Football Playoffs: Finals in Review
November 29, 2011
Game over. But what a way to finish.
How should we end a four-month MHSAA football season? With 26 hours worth of Finals over the course of two days, viewable from the comfy confines of Detroit's Ford Field.
Following are my final takes from our Finals weekend. Click on the headers below to see our coverage from each game, and check out the videos for a taste of some of the weekend's hoopla.
The first video was done by Potterville grad and MHSAA Scholar-Athlete award winner Sam Davis, and has at least a couple of us ready to put our helmets back on and hit the field. The other is a slice from one of the most raucous student sections from the weekend.
1st and 10
5 and 4 to No. 1: Bloomfield Hills Brother Rice and Flint Powers Catholic weren’t the first teams to reach Finals with a 5-4 record entering the postseason. But both doing so and winning speaks loudly not just of their respective talents, but also on the gains each made by playing tough opponents. Both came out of tough leagues – Brother Rice was one of three finalists from the Detroit Catholic League Central, and Powers played much larger schools in the Big Nine. Both also played and lost to eventual MHSAA champions during the regular season – Brother Rice against Division 3 winner Orchard Lake St. Mary, and Powers against Division 7 champ Saginaw Nouvel.
Like a rock – or Stone: Detroit Cass Tech linebacker/fullback Royce Jenkins-Stone might’ve been the most impressive all-around player from the weekend. The 6-foot-1, 215-pound Michigan prospect ran for 65 yards and had seven tackles – numbers that don’t stick out. But he scored on a 32-yard run, a three-yard pass and a 36-yard interception return.
Just the beginning: Technicians freshman quarterback Jayru Campbell will be in the statewide lens for the next three seasons after throwing for 240 yards and five touchdowns in the Final. He’s 6-3 and 170 pounds, and easily blended in among his star-studded teammates in just his first year of high school. He’ll also have junior Jordan Lewis (four catches, 89 yards, TD) to throw to for another year.
Good company: Brother Rice’s Devin Church was the other individual performer who seemed to wow the media crowd most with his Finals performance. He capped a 900-yard playoffs with 244 and three touchdowns – and drew comparisons from Lowell coach Noel Dean to past star backs like Kevin Grady and T.J. Duckett. Church will sign with Northern Illinois this winter.
Making tracks: Talk about a running attack, Orchard Lake St. Mary’s came within eight yards of putting three backs over 100 each in its Final. The Eaglets ran for 479 yards total – falling just 53 short of the MHSAA Finals record book minimum. Spencer McInnis ran for 214 yards and three scores, while Grant Niemiec and Parker McInnis both ran for 96 yards and a touchdown.
Rough and rumble: Zeeland West’s physicality in the Division 4 game was simply stifling. Keep in mind the Dux were without all-state linebacker Josh Blanton because of an injury. Then note that the team had just eight players weighing 200 pounds or more – and only three between 250-275. Zeeland West ran for 288 yards, but more impressively held Marine City to 79.
Charging forward: The weekend’s biggest stunner had to be Flint Powers over Lansing Catholic, for a number of reasons. Powers entered the postseason 5-4 (see above), Lansing Catholic was 9-0. The Cougars had beaten the Chargers 37-17 in Week 2. Lansing Catholic was ranked No. 1 by The Associated Press, while Powers was unranked.
Just the beginning, part II: Ithaca sophomore quarterback Travis Smith is another who will be watched closely after a big-time Ford Field debut. He threw for 299 yards and a touchdown and ran for another score in the Yellowjackets’ Division 6 win. Ithaca will graduate a lot in the spring. But the 6-1, 180-pound Smith provides the base needed for a quick rebuild.
Backing it up: Saginaw Nouvel’s Bennett Lewis was another player as good as advertised to those who hadn’t seen him play this season. He ran for 200 yards and five touchdowns in a half in Division 7, using both speed and muscle to make his way. At 5-foot-9 and 181 pounds, the Division 7-8 AP Player of the Year is getting some Division I looks and is at least a high Division II prospect.
Consistently contending: Here’s an idea why Mendon’s is such an impressive machine – eight of John Schwartz’s assistant coaches also played for him. The ninth, Bob Critz, has been at Schwartz’s side since the latter took over the program in 1989. During the post-championship press conference, Schwartz revealed that he’d had cancer surgery in June and his assistants ran the program through all of the summer prep.
Numbers game
55,360 – Number of fans who attended the 2011 Finals. The total was slightly higher Friday than Saturday.
5 – Number of touchdown passes by Cass Tech’s Campbell and number of rushing scores by Nouvel’s Lewis. Both tied MHSAA Finals records.
56 – Number of points scored by both Saginaw Nouvel (Division 7) and Flint Powers (Division 5) to set the Finals record for most in a championship game. Nouvel scored all of its points in the first half. Both games ended with scores of 56-26 -- and oddly, no other MHSAA game ended with that score this season.
413 – Total yards by Powers junior quarterback Garrett Pougnet, just 13 shy of the MHSAA Finals record set by Holland Christian quarterback A.J. Westendorp in the 2008 Division 4 Final.
97 – Distance in yards of Zeeland West senior Brad Mesbergen’s Finals record kickoff return in the Division 4 Final.
Link up
MHSAA.tv: See full postgame press conferences (and field interviews after the Divisions 3 and 4 Finals).
Fox Sports Detroit: Dan Dickerson and John Wangler wrap the two days of finals.
1st & Goal: 2025 Week 9 Preview
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
October 23, 2025
This is it – the final football weekend for more than half of Michigan’s high school teams, and also the final opportunity for a few hundred playoff hopefuls to earn their way into this year’s playoffs – or affect who they might play and where on their MHSAA championship drives.
A pair of late Saturday games will conclude this fall’s regular-season schedule. Follow the ever-changing playoff picture as scores are reported on the Football Playoff Point Summary page, which includes playoff-point averages and how teams rank as they hope to reach the fields of 32 teams in 11-player divisions and 16 teams in the 8-player brackets.
The announcement of the qualifiers and first-round pairings for both will take place at 5 p.m. Sunday on the “Selection Sunday Show” on the NFHS Network (no subscription required). The playoff qualifiers and pairings will be posted to the MHSAA Website following the show, and times and dates will be added Monday.
Below are several games this weekend that surely will impact where teams will land.
Bay & Thumb
Harbor Beach (8-0) at Millington (7-1) WATCH
This is a meeting of Big Thumb Conference champions with aspirations for more trophies next month. Harbor Beach won the BTC Black and hasn’t ranked lower that sixth on the Division 8 playoff list since at least Week 3. The Pirates also haven’t given up more than 14 points in a game and 62 total over eight, making for an intriguing matchup for the Cardinals – last season’s Division 7 champion, who shared the BTC White title this fall and have scored more than 50 three times but also 14 three times.
Keep an eye on these FRIDAY Midland (4-4) at Midland Dow (7-1) WATCH, Detroit Edison (7-1) at Almont (8-0) WATCH, Saginaw Valley Lutheran (8-0) at Unionville-Sebewaing (6-2) WATCH, Marysville (6-2) at Marine City (6-2).
Greater Detroit
Detroit Catholic Central (8-0) vs. Detroit Martin Luther King (5-3) at Ford Field, Saturday WATCH
The final kickoff of the 2025 regular season features a pair of teams facing off at Ford Field and hoping to return there for Thanksgiving weekend. This Catholic High School League Prep Bowl matchup will actually be King’s second-straight game on the Detroit Lions’ home field, as they fell in last week’s Detroit Public School League Blue city championship game to Cass Tech – the only in-state team to defeat King this season, and a possible playoff opponent for DCC at some point in the Division 1 bracket. The Shamrocks’ closest games this season have been a pair decided by 13 points.
Keep an eye on these FRIDAY Howell (7-1) at Belleville (7-1) WATCH, Birmingham Groves (5-3) at Birmingham Seaholm (5-3) WATCH, Utica Eisenhower (5-3) at Clarkston (7-1) WATCH, Grand Blanc (8-0) at Romeo (6-2) WATCH.
Mid-Michigan
DeWitt (8-0) at Lansing Everett (5-3) WATCH
The Capital Area Activities Conference Blue is one of the final leagues still deciding its champion(s) for this season, and DeWitt already has clinched a share as it looks to extend its winning streak over the Vikings to five. Grand Ledge is in second place and would benefit from an Everett upset, but the challenge will be mighty as the Panthers have scored 50 or more points in every league game and given up 14 total over their last five. Everett did break a three-game losing streak last week with a 28-21 win over Holt, and has faced another still-undefeated contender in Grand Blanc.
Keep an eye on these FRIDAY Durand (6-2) at Bath (4-4) WATCH, McBain (6-2) at Fowler (6-2) WATCH, Beal City (8-0) at Ithaca (6-2) WATCH, White Pigeon (6-2) at Stockbridge (4-4) WATCH.
Northern Lower Peninsula
Charlevoix (8-0) at Kingsley (6-2) WATCH
This should be an excellent playoff primer for both. Charlevoix has won two straight games by three points or fewer to keep its perfect regular season hopes alive and is third on the Division 7 playoff list. Kingsley, with losses only to undefeated Gaylord and rival Traverse City St. Francis by a point, sits 10th on the Division 6 list and one spot ahead of the Gladiators – meaning a home game if they can maintain that advantage and meet again in the playoffs. The Stags won 47-28 when these two met in Week 9 a year ago.
Keep an eye on these FRIDAY Kalkaska (5-3) at Boyne City (5-3) WATCH, Elk Rapids (4-4) at East Jordan (5-3) WATCH, Maple City Glen Lake (6-1) at Mancelona (5-3) WATCH, Traverse City Central (5-3) at Traverse City West (4-4).
Southeast & Border
Ann Arbor Father Gabriel Richard (8-0) vs. Allen Park Cabrini (8-0) at Ford Field, Saturday WATCH
For the second week in a row, FGR will puts its perfect record on the line against another undefeated opponent – this time as part of the Prep Bowl at Ford Field. The Irish clinched the CHSL Intersectional 1 championship last week by handing Macomb Lutheran North its lone defeat, 44-19. Cabrini is the champion from the Intersectional 2 and aspiring to complete its first perfect regular season since 1967, when it finished 7-0-1 according the Michigan-Football.com. The Monarchs finished 5-5 a year ago and already have their most wins since 2007.
Keep an eye on these FRIDAY Linden (6-2) at Chelsea (7-1) WATCH, Bronson (7-1) at Springport (8-0) WATCH. SATURDAY Hanover-Horton (6-2) at Michigan Center (8-0) WATCH, Jackson Lumen Christi (5-3) vs. Center Line (7-1) at Ford Field.
Southwest Corridor
Portage Central (8-0) at St. Joseph (5-3) WATCH
The Southwestern Michigan Athletic Conference West also is finishing up league play, with Portage Central owning a share of the title but a St. Joseph win tonight creating a three-team share with these two and Portage Northern. The Mustangs may have the most impressive defense in the state with seven shutouts and only 10 points allowed. That said, St. Joseph won last year’s meeting 15-0 to create a shared league title between the two, and has scored 35 points or more every game since a Week 1 loss to last season’s Division 4 runner-up and still-undefeated Niles.
Keep an eye on these FRIDAY Hudson (8-0) at Berrien Springs (5-1) WATCH, Lawton (6-2) at Constantine (6-2) WATCH, Niles (8-0) at Edwardsburg (6-2) WATCH, Kalamazoo United (6-2) at Schoolcraft (7-1) WATCH.
Upper Peninsula
Kingsford (6-2) at Marquette (5-3) WATCH
These two are now three years removed from being longtime league rivals in the Great Northern Conference, but this game continues to carry significant weight and especially when it comes to Marquette’s playoff future. Kingsford has won the last three meetings, and last year’s 27-17 victory contributed to keeping the Sentinels out of the postseason. Marquette sits No. 27 on the Division 3 list this week with losses to opponents that are a combined 20-4. The Flivvers are No. 16 in Division 5 but coming off a tough league-deciding defeat against Menominee.
Keep an eye on these THURSDAY Iron Mountain (5-2) at Negaunee (5-3) WATCH. FRIDAY Gladstone (3-5) at Escanaba (7-1) WATCH, Calumet (6-2) at L’Anse (5-3) WATCH, Hancock (1-7) at West Iron County (3-4) WATCH.
West Michigan
Wyoming Godwin Heights (7-1) at Belding (7-1)
This is a winner-take-all for the Ottawa-Kent Conference Silver title, as Belding looks to extend its league championship streak to four and Godwin Heights seeks to add a historic accomplishment to what also will be its first playoff season since 2018 (not counting COVID-shortened 2020, when nearly all teams qualified). Although Belding has won the last three meetings between these two, Godwin did claim it as recently as 2021 – the last time the Black Knights didn’t win the Silver.
Keep an eye on these FRIDAY Grand Rapids South Christian (4-4) at Grand Rapids Catholic Central (8-0) WATCH, Zeeland West (6-2) at Grand Rapids West Catholic (7-1), Pontiac Notre Dame Prep (6-2) at Hudsonville Unity Christian (8-0) WATCH, North Muskegon (6-2) at Muskegon Oakridge (5-3) WATCH.
8-Player
Indian River Inland Lakes (8-0) at Gaylord St. Mary (7-1)
The Ski Valley Conference title is at stake, and Inland Lakes has won all four of those since joining the league in 2021 – with St. Mary finishing runner-up the last three seasons. They played one-score games against each other in 2022 and 2023 before the Bulldogs won big a year ago. Inland Lakes also has an argument for most impressive defense in the state this season, with its 14 points allowed to Hillman in Week 5 the only points the team has surrendered all fall. The Snowbirds have three shutouts in league play and their only loss came two weeks ago to a likely playoff team in Breckenridge.
Keep an eye on these FRIDAY Blanchard Montabella (8-0) at Portland St. Patrick (8-0), Marion (6-2) at Kingston (7-1) WATCH, Bridgman (7-1) at Brown City (6-2) WATCH, Climax-Scotts (6-2) at Pittsford (7-1) WATCH.
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PHOTO Detroit Martin Luther King and Cass Tech players contend for a pass in the end zone during last week's PSL Blue city championship game. (Photo by Olivia B. Photography.)