A Game for Every Fan: Week 3
September 11, 2014
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
Gone is the rain (at least, apparently, for this week). But here comes the storm of league play.
By the end of this weekend, all but a handful of conferences schedules will be underway.
Some of the best league openers highlight the most significant games in the state this week:
West Michigan
Lowell (2-0) at East Grand Rapids (2-0)
After two uncharacteristic seasons of finishing a combined 9-9, East Grand Rapids looks on the way back up with wins over two teams – Grand Rapids Catholic Central and Ottawa Hills – that finished above .500 in 2013. The Pioneers played another strong Lowell team to within three points just a year ago, and the Red Arrows again look like favorites in the ultra-competitive Ottawa-Kent White after two wins against out-of-state opponents to open this fall.
Others that caught my eye: Grand Rapids West Catholic (2-0) at Ada Forest Hills Eastern (2-0), Muskegon Reeths-Puffer (2-0) at Grand Haven (2-0), Grand Rapids South Christian (0-2) at Hudsonville Unity Christian (2-0), Muskegon Mona Shores (2-0) at Rockford (2-0).
Mid-Michigan
Lansing Sexton (2-0) at Grand Ledge (1-1)
Although the Capital Area Activities Conference Blue looks like a possibility for up to four playoff teams, the league title could be decided tonight. Sexton has continued to build an impressive argument as an MHSAA title favorite with road wins over Detroit East English and Monroe, while Grand Ledge might be the league’s other top contender after a win over Forest Hills Central and then a loss last week to Holland West Ottawa after the Comets led by two scores.
Others that caught my eye: Jackson Lumen Christi (2-0) at Battle Creek Harper Creek (1-1), St. Johns (2-0) at Haslett (1-1), DeWitt (2-0) at Mason (1-1), Lansing Catholic (2-0) at Portland (2-0).
Upper Peninsula
Hurley, Wis. (3-0) at Crystal Falls Forest Park (2-0)
The Great Western Conference is one of only two during football season that includes both MHSAA and Wisconsin teams, and this continues to be the game that ends up deciding the champion. This is the fourth straight season these two have opened the league schedule against each other, with Forest Park coming off two straight victories in the series. The Trojans have a new coach after the retirement of Bill Santilli, one of the most highly-respected in either peninsula, but opened with a pair of wins of at least 27 points apiece.
Others that caught my eye: Iron Mountain (1-1) at Iron River West Iron County (2-0), Felch North Dickinson (2-0) at Munising (1-1), Gladstone (2-0) at Negaunee (2-0), L'Anse (1-1) at Lake Linden-Hubbell (1-1).
Greater Detroit
Oak Park (1-1) at Farmington Hills Harrison (2-0)
Harrison was second and Oak Park tied for third in the Oakland Activities Association White last season, and they’re contenders again if not favorites. They played one of the most exciting games in the entire OAA in 2013, a 60-52 Harrison win after Oak Park edged the Hawks 26-21 in 2012. The Knights enter with the lone loss between the two so far this fall – but it’s a 27-26 defeat to Detroit Cass Tech in arguably the best game of opening weekend.
Others that caught my eye: Warren Mott (2-0) at Macomb Dakota (1-1), New Boston Huron (2-0) at Monroe St. Mary Catholic Central (2-0), Detroit Country Day (1-1) at Detroit Loyola (2-0), Clinton (2-0) at Ottawa Lake Whiteford (2-0).
Southwest and Border
Stevensville Lakeshore (2-0) at Portage Central (1-0)
Beating Lakeshore 38-28 in Week 4 last season was the biggest early win on Portage Central’s way to its best finish ever – 12-1. The Mustangs are coming off an unexpected off week, as they were not able to reschedule against Battle Creek Lakeview after storms prevented the game Friday night. Lakeshore’s start is anything but a typical 2-0 , as last week’s 35-7 win over Kalamazoo Loy Norrix was preceded by a 2-0 victory by a safety over Battle Creek Central on opening night.
Others that caught my eye: Portage Northern (2-0) at St. Joseph (2-0), Kalamazoo Central (0-2) at Kalamazoo Loy Norrix (0-2), Mendon (2-0) at Watervliet (1-1), Battle Creek Central (1-1) at Battle Creek Lakeview (0-1).
Lower Up North
Traverse City West (1-1) at Traverse City Central (2-0)
These rivals emerged from the former Traverse City High in 1997, and West owns a 12-5 advantage in the series although they have split the last two match-ups. West's 17-14 win in Week 3 last season helped get the Titans into the playoffs and helped keep Central out with the same record. They play to open the Big North Conference season at neutral Thirlby Field, and it should be packed again.
Others that caught my eye: Cadillac (2-0) at Petoskey (2-0), Traverse City St. Francis (1-1) at Elk Rapids (1-1), Rogers City (2-0) at Lincoln Alcona (2-0), Manton (2-0) at Evart (1-1).
Bay and Thumb
Montrose (2-0) at Lake Fenton (1-1)
Montrose hasn't lost a Genesee Area Conference Red game since Week 3 of 2010. But last week's one-score victory over Corunna made the Rams look at least a little less invincible, and Lake Fenton is sure to try to pounce. The Blue Devils finished second to Montrose the last two seasons and bounced back from a bad opening-night loss to Freeland with a similarly big win over Durand.
Others that caught my eye: Davison (1-1) at Flint Carman-Ainsworth (1-1), Reese (1-1) at Marlette (1-1), Elkton-Pigeon-Bay Port (2-0) at Ubly (1-1), Croswell-Lexington (1-1) at Richmond (2-0).
8-player
Carsonville-Port Sanilac (0-2) at Deckerville (2-0)
Carsonville-Port Sanilac has never found itself in this position during the short history of 8-player football, or at all since 2008. But a win over rival Deckerville – 4-0 against the Tigers since moving to 8-player in 2012 – would certainly be a jumpstart to CPS's season. Carsonville-Port Sanilac was the inaugural MHSAA 8-player champion in 2011, and Deckerville kept the title in the Thumb by winning in 2012.
Others that caught my eye: Akron-Fairgrove (1-1) at Owendale-Gagetown (2-0), Waldron (2-0) at Portland St. Patrick (2-0).
PHOTO: Midland (blue helmet) is 1-1 after a 31-15 victory last week over Bay City Central. (Click to see more from HighSchoolSportsScene.com.)
MHSAA Announces 2023 Football Playoff Brackets, 11-Player Finals Schedule
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
October 22, 2023
Here are the pairings for the 2023 MHSAA Football Playoffs, which begin Oct. 27-28 with District Semifinals in the 11-Player Playoffs and Regional Semifinals in the 8-Player Playoffs, and also an announcement of the schedule for the 11-Player Finals on Nov. 25-26 at Ford Field.
Teams were divided into divisions before the start of play this fall. The top 32 teams in each division in 11-player and top 16 per division in 8-player, based on playoff-point average, were selected to the field. For 11-player, qualifiers were then divided into four regions with eight teams apiece, and for 8-player qualifiers were divided into four regions with four teams in each.
Pairings for the first three weeks of the tournament are based on regular-season playoff point averages, with the highest-ranked team hosting, regardless of the distance between the two schools. For 11-Player District Semifinal and 8-Player Regional Semifinal play, the top-seeded team in each bracket will host the fourth-seeded team, and the second-seeded team will host the third-seeded team.
District Finals for 11-player and Regional Finals for 8-player will follow during the weekend of Nov. 3-4, and the weekend of Nov. 10-11 will have Regional Finals in the 11-Player Playoffs and Semifinals in the 8-Player Playoffs. The 8-Player Semifinals will pair the winners of Region 1 vs. Region 2 and the winners of Region 3 vs. Region 4, at the sites of the highest-ranked team.
Semifinal games in the 11-Player Playoffs will take place Nov. 17-18, pairing the winners of Region 1 vs. Region 2 and the winners of Region 3 vs. Region 4. The MHSAA will assign 11-Player Semifinals at neutral sites.
All playoff tickets except for Finals (both 11 and 8-player) will be sold online only via GoFan at gofan.co/ to provide for a cashless and contactless purchasing process.
For 11-Player, tickets to District Semifinals and District Finals cost $7, tickets to Regional Finals are $9, and tickets to Semifinals cost $10. For 8-player, tickets for Regional Semifinals are $7, tickets for Regional Finals are $9, and tickets for Semifinals cost $10.
The 8-Player Finals will take place Nov. 18 at Northern Michigan University’s Superior Dome in Marquette, and the 11-Player Finals will be played Nov. 25-26 at Ford Field in Detroit. An all-day ticket for 8-Player Finals costs $10 and includes admission to both games, and an all-day ticket for the 11-Player Finals costs $20 and includes admission to that day’s four games.
The MHSAA also has announced its schedule for the 11-Player Finals weekend, which will be played on Saturday and Sunday this season to accommodate the Michigan State/Penn State football game on Friday, Nov. 24, at Ford Field. The Finals schedule will be as follows:
Saturday, Nov. 25
10 a.m. - Division 8
1 p.m. - Division 4
4:30 p.m. - Division 6
7:30 p.m. - Division 2
Sunday, Nov. 26
9:30 a.m. - Division 7
12:30 p.m. - Division 3
4 p.m. - Division 5
7 p.m. - Division 1
Pairings for both the 11 and 8-Player brackets are as follows:
11-Player Pairings
DIVISION 1
REGION 1
DISTRICT 1
Holland West Ottawa (4-5) 54.667 at Rockford (9-0) 85.667
Hudsonville (5-4) 58.111 at Grandville (7-2) 74.111
DISTRICT 2
Lapeer (5-4) 57.444 at Davison (9-0) 82.444
Grand Ledge (6-3) 57.458 at Grand Blanc (5-4) 58.222
REGION 2
DISTRICT 1
Brighton (5-4) 58.667 at Northville (8-1) 78.667
Detroit Catholic Central (7-2) 60.444 at Novi (7-2) 70.667
DISTRICT 2
Ann Arbor Huron (5-4) 54.222 at Belleville (9-0) 84.000
Ann Arbor Pioneer (6-3) 58.000 at Saline (8-1) 78.333
REGION 3
DISTRICT 1
Oxford (4-5) 55.500 at Lake Orion (9-0) 85.778
Romeo (4-5) 59.333 at Clarkston (4-5) 62.111
DISTRICT 2
Utica (4-5) 53.556 at Utica Eisenhower (8-1) 78.000
Rochester Adams (6-3) 62.778 at West Bloomfield (7-2) 77.556
REGION 4
DISTRICT 1
Sterling Heights Stevenson (4-5) 58.000 at Clinton Township Chippewa Valley (7-2) 77.022
St. Clair Shores Lakeview (7-2) 62.889 at Macomb Dakota (7-2) 70.778
DISTRICT 2
Dearborn Fordson (5-4) 58.333 at Southfield Arts & Technology (8-1) 74.667
Detroit Cass Tech (6-3) 58.681 at Westland John Glenn (7-2) 70.556
DIVISION 2
REGION 1
DISTRICT 1
Traverse City Central (4-5) 49.778 at Saginaw Heritage (7-2) 66.667
Midland (5-4) 50.667 at Midland Dow (5-4) 51.444
DISTRICT 2
Grand Rapids Forest Hills Northern (6-3) 54.889 at Muskegon (7-2) 69.000
Muskegon Reeths-Puffer (7-2) 60.889 at Muskegon Mona Shores (6-3) 61.444
REGION 2
DISTRICT 1
Byron Center (8-1) 67.111 at Portage Central (8-1) 73.833
Portage Northern (8-1) 68.944 at Caledonia (7-2) 70.111
DISTRICT 2
Lansing Everett (5-4) 48.097 at East Lansing (7-2) 67.528
Milford (6-3) 59.111 at White Lake Lakeland (6-3) 60.889
REGION 3
DISTRICT 1
Birmingham Groves (6-3) 62.667 at Birmingham Seaholm (8-1) 72.861
Livonia Franklin (6-3) 63.000 at Waterford Mott (7-2) 65.556
DISTRICT 2
Livonia Churchill (4-5) 48.556 at Gibraltar Carlson (8-1) 73.333
Dexter (6-3) 64.778 at Allen Park (8-1) 71.556
REGION 4
DISTRICT 1
Warren Cousino (6-3) 50.000 at Warren De La Salle Collegiate (7-2) 69.333
Detroit U-D Jesuit (6-2) 58.078 at Warren Mott (6-3) 58.111
DISTRICT 2
Harrison Township L'Anse Creuse (4-5) 52.889 at Grosse Pointe South (8-1) 77.222
Roseville (6-3) 60.444 at Port Huron Northern (7-2) 61.000
DIVISION 3
REGION 1
DISTRICT 1
Bay City Western (5-4) 47.222 at Gaylord (9-0) 66.569
Petoskey (5-4) 47.389 at Marquette (5-3) 49.667
DISTRICT 2
Grand Rapids Northview (4-5) 46.444 at Mount Pleasant (8-1) 73.333
Lowell (6-3) 56.222 at Grand Rapids Forest Hills Central (8-1) 71.889
REGION 2
DISTRICT 1
Coopersville (7-2) 55.778 at East Grand Rapids (7-2) 63.667
Zeeland East (6-3) 57.111 at Zeeland West (6-3) 57.333
DISTRICT 2
Battle Creek Harper Creek (6-3) 51.000 at Parma Western (8-1) 62.986
Stevensville Lakeshore (5-4) 54.833 at St. Joseph (6-3) 58.722
REGION 3
DISTRICT 1
Linden (4-5) 49.000 at Mason (9-0) 72.750
Fenton (6-3) 60.889 at DeWitt (6-2) 62.181
DISTRICT 2
Redford Thurston (6-3) 46.556 at Walled Lake Western (8-1) 74.333
Holly (6-3) 52.444 at Auburn Hills Avondale (8-1) 68.667
REGION 4
DISTRICT 1
Detroit Martin Luther King (4-5) 45.667 at Port Huron (7-2) 61.667
Warren Fitzgerald (4-5) 46.222 at Grosse Pointe North (6-3) 51.000
DISTRICT 2
River Rouge (5-4) 50.333 at Southgate Anderson (7-2) 65.389
Trenton (5-4) 56.778 at Riverview (8-1) 57.667
DIVISION 4
REGION 1
DISTRICT 1
Allendale (6-3) 48.333 at Whitehall (9-0) 62.778
Big Rapids (8-1) 49.444 at Spring Lake (7-2) 55.556
DISTRICT 2
Ionia (5-4) 42.889 at Ada Forest Hills Eastern (7-2) 55.778
Wayland (6-3) 48.444 at Grand Rapids South Christian (6-3) 50.889
REGION 2
DISTRICT 1
Vicksburg (4-5) 42.444 at Niles (8-1) 60.556
Edwardsburg (5-4) 47.444 at Paw Paw (8-1) 60.278
DISTRICT 2
Charlotte (6-3) 44.222 at Hastings (7-2) 60.167
Lansing Sexton (8-1) 56.444 at Portland (9-0) 59.500
REGION 3
DISTRICT 1
Tecumseh (5-4) 46.639 at Chelsea (8-1) 64.444
Adrian (6-3) 51.667 at Haslett (6-3) 55.236
DISTRICT 2
Ortonville Brandon (5-4) 47.444 at Goodrich (8-1) 64.222
Lake Fenton (6-3) 49.778 at Freeland (8-1) 55.333
REGION 4
DISTRICT 1
Croswell-Lexington (7-2) 51.000 at Harper Woods (6-3) 64.889
Madison Heights Lamphere (7-2) 51.889 at Marysville (7-2) 55.000
DISTRICT 2
Detroit East English (5-4) 43.667 at Carleton Airport (8-1) 62.333
Dearborn Divine Child (5-4) 48.250 at Redford Union (7-2) 59.667
DIVISION 5
REGION 1
DISTRICT 1
Gladwin (7-2) 45.833 at Ogemaw Heights (8-1) 51.500
Howard City Tri County (7-2) 46.333 at Kingsford (8-1) 49.792
DISTRICT 2
Essexville Garber (5-4) 35.889 at Frankenmuth (8-1) 57.222
Birch Run (5-4) 38.889 at Saginaw Swan Valley (5-4) 42.222
REGION 2
DISTRICT 1
Comstock Park (5-4) 37.889 at Grand Rapids West Catholic (9-0) 69.222
Muskegon Oakridge (6-3) 45.667 at Belding (8-1) 58.333
DISTRICT 2
Benton Harbor (4-5) 33.889 at Grand Rapids Catholic Central (8-1) 66.444
Berrien Springs (5-3) 41.611 at South Haven (6-3) 43.444
REGION 3
DISTRICT 1
Flint Hamady (8-0) 47.528 at Corunna (9-0) 67.778
Williamston (6-3) 55.556 at Pontiac Notre Dame Prep (8-0) 61.431
DISTRICT 2
Richmond (5-4) 38.444 at Marine City (8-1) 56.000
Armada (5-4) 43.778 at Macomb Lutheran North (7-2) 45.667
REGION 4
DISTRICT 1
Ann Arbor Father Gabriel Richard (7-2) 38.333 at Dearborn Heights Robichaud (6-3) 49.778
Detroit Denby (8-1) 41.984 at Detroit Southeastern (6-3) 48.500
DISTRICT 2
Milan (4-5) 38.556 at Flat Rock (6-3) 47.500
Romulus (5-4) 40.667 at Romulus Summit Academy North (7-2) 46.194
DIVISION 6
REGION 1
DISTRICT 1
Boyne City (5-4) 34.222 at Gladstone (7-2) 46.569
Grayling (6-3) 38.903 at Negaunee (7-2) 43.444
DISTRICT 2
Mason County Central (5-4) 32.111 at Kingsley (7-2) 50.944
Lake City (6-3) 32.222 at Manistee (7-2) 49.111
REGION 2
DISTRICT 1
Montague (4-5) 38.111 at Reed City (6-3) 46.444
Kent City (7-2) 39.000 at Hart (8-1) 40.000
DISTRICT 2
Midland Bullock Creek (6-3) 34.222 at Clare (7-2) 45.222
Central Montcalm (5-4) 35.778 at Chesaning (8-1) 42.000
REGION 3
DISTRICT 1
Olivet (3-6) 33.111 at Constantine (8-1) 50.889
Buchanan (6-3) 37.333 at Kalamazoo Hackett Catholic Prep (5-4) 39.833
DISTRICT 2
Lansing Catholic (3-6) 33.667 at Michigan Center (7-2) 38.111
Ida (5-4) 34.222 at Ovid-Elsie (5-4) 37.889
REGION 4
DISTRICT 1
Clinton Township Clintondale (4-5) 32.667 at Almont (8-1) 58.222
Clawson (7-2) 43.556 at Warren Michigan Collegiate (9-0) 54.181
DISTRICT 2
Detroit Pershing (5-4) 35.000 at Ecorse (7-1) 44.264
Detroit Old Redford (8-1) 38.333 at Detroit Edison (6-3) 44.250
DIVISION 7
REGION 1
DISTRICT 1
Benzie Central (5-4) 30.556 at Menominee (7-2) 43.556
Traverse City St. Francis (4-4) 34.139 at Charlevoix (8-1) 40.347
DISTRICT 2
Hemlock (3-6) 26.111 at Beaverton (6-3) 33.556
Houghton Lake (5-4) 26.667 at McBain (5-4) 29.000
REGION 2
DISTRICT 1
Union City (6-3) 32.667 at North Muskegon (9-0) 45.000
Schoolcraft (7-2) 37.222 at Lawton (8-1) 43.722
DISTRICT 2
Perry (5-4) 28.778 at Pewamo-Westphalia (8-1) 39.778
Laingsburg (4-5) 29.222 at Bath (6-3) 34.889
REGION 3
DISTRICT 1
Burton Bendle (4-5) 26.250 at Montrose (6-3) 37.111
Detroit Central (4-5) 31.667 at Grosse Pointe Woods University Liggett (7-2) 36.778
DISTRICT 2
Elkton-Pigeon-Bay Port Laker (5-4) 30.222 at Millington (9-0) 46.347
Sandusky (6-3) 30.667 at Cass City (7-2) 35.333
REGION 4
DISTRICT 1
Grass Lake (6-3) 31.778 at Jackson Lumen Christi (8-1) 61.222
Manchester (7-2) 37.889 at Napoleon (8-1) 43.222
DISTRICT 2
Blissfield (5-4) 34.222 at Clinton (8-1) 45.389
Detroit Loyola (4-5) 34.986 at Monroe St Mary Catholic Central (5-4) 44.653
DIVISION 8
REGION 1
DISTRICT 1
Maple City Glen Lake (5-4) 27.861 at Iron Mountain (9-0) 38.931
Ishpeming (6-3) 30.819 at East Jordan (8-1) 38.528
DISTRICT 2
Frankfort (7-2) 32.750 at Beal City (8-1) 39.111
Muskegon Catholic Central (5-4) 33.458 at Evart (7-2) 35.333
REGION 2
DISTRICT 1
Saginaw Michigan Lutheran Seminary (6-3) 33.556 at New Lothrop (8-1) 46.778
Fowler (8-1) 40.333 at Ithaca (9-0) 42.778
DISTRICT 2
Burton Bentley (7-2) 29.292 at Ubly (9-0) 44.444
Marlette (7-2) 34.000 at Harbor Beach (8-1) 41.111
REGION 3
DISTRICT 1
Saranac (5-4) 27.556 at Saugatuck (7-2) 37.556
Centreville (5-4) 27.556 at White Pigeon (9-0) 35.556
DISTRICT 2
Sand Creek (5-4) 30.444 at Ottawa Lake Whiteford (9-0) 44.778
Hudson (7-2) 38.556 at Addison (9-0) 41.333
REGION 4
DISTRICT 1
Rochester Hills Lutheran Northwest (5-4) 27.333 at Clarkston Everest Collegiate (7-2) 38.667
Arts & Technology Academy of Pontiac (6-3) 27.667 at Marine City Cardinal Mooney (5-4) 31.444
DISTRICT 2
Allen Park Cabrini (4-5) 28.778 at Sterling Heights Parkway Christian (7-2) 34.778
Mount Clemens (5-4) 29.222 at Riverview Gabriel Richard (5-4) 34.444
8-Player Pairings
DIVISION 1
REGION 1
Rudyard (6-3) 31.292 at Pickford (8-1) 36.222
Newberry (7-2) 31.444 at Norway (7-2) 33.778
REGION 2
Central Lake (7-2) 31.903 at St. Ignace (8-1) 38.347
Alcona (8-1) 34.222 at Indian River Inland Lakes (8-1) 34.972
REGION 3
Carson City-Crystal (8-1) 31.556 at Brown City (9-0) 39.167
Merrill (8-1) 32.556 at Kingston (7-2) 35.611
REGION 4
Marcellus (7-2) 31.111 at Martin (7-2) 33.111
Mendon (7-2) 31.111 at Gobles (7-2) 32.111
DIVISION 2
REGION 1
Powers North Central (7-2) 29.540 at Posen (8-0) 32.333
Crystal Falls Forest Park (7-2) 30.444 at Lake Linden-Hubbell (6-3) 31.333
REGION 2
Bay City All Saints (7-2) 30.319 at Marion (8-0) 34.458
Au Gres-Sims (7-2) 31.069 at Mount Pleasant Sacred Heart (8-1) 33.556
REGION 3
Fulton (6-3) 28.667 at Portland St. Patrick (8-1) 32.889
Morrice (7-2) 32.111 at Deckerville (7-2) 32.611
REGION 4
Camden-Frontier (6-3) 28.750 at Adrian Lenawee Christian (9-0) 38.333
Pittsford (7-2) 32.444 at Climax-Scotts (9-0) 37.000
(Photo by Douglas Bargerstock.)