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Inside Selection Sunday: Mapnalysis '15

October 26, 2015

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

Consider that one hour Sunday night was the product of nine weeks of games on top of two more weeks of practice, hours of lifting weights, conditioning and camps and a total of six months of work at the MHSAA office, in addition to hours upon hours put in by athletic directors scheduling years in advance.

The anticipation for the release of another year's MHSAA Football Playoff pairings is matched by a giant exhale only after the results are broadcast on Fox Sports Detroit, streamed online and posted on locker room doors and Facebook walls all over our state.

And then the fun begins again. 

But the Selection Sunday Show is the favorite hour of the season for many fans across our state. And that’s why, for the fifth year, we’ll explain our most difficult decisions in this Mapnalysis 2015 breakdown of how we paired 272 teams that will play next month for championships across nine divisions.

For those familiar with our playoff selection process, or who have read this report in the past and don’t want a refresher on how we do what we do, skip the next section and go directly to the “Observations & Answers: 2015.” For the rest, what follows is an explanation of how we selected the playoff pairings during the morning hours Sunday, followed by how we made some of the toughest decisions and a few thoughts on the breakdown of the field. 

Ground Rules

Our past: The MHSAA 11-player playoff structure – with 256 teams in eight divisions, and six wins equaling an automatic berth (or five wins for teams playing eight or fewer games) – debuted in 1999. An 8-player tournament was added in 2011, resulting in nine champions total each season.

The first playoffs were conducted in 1975 with four champions. Four more football classes were added in 1990 for a total of eight champions each fall. Through 1998, only 128 teams made the postseason, based on their playoff point averages within regions (four for each class) that were drawn before the beginning of the season. The drawing of Districts and Regionals after the end of the regular season did not begin until the most recent playoff expansion.

In early years of the current process, lines were drawn by hand. Dots representing qualifying schools were pasted on maps, one map for each division, and those maps were then covered by plastic sheets. Districts and Regionals literally were drawn with dry-erase markers.

Our present: After a late Saturday night tracking scores, we file in as the sun rises Sunday morning for a final round of gathering results we may still need (which can include making a few early a.m. calls to athletic directors). Re-checking and triple-checking of enrollments, what schools played in co-ops and opted to play as a higher class start a week in advance, and more numbers are crunched Sunday morning as the fields are set.

This season, there were a record-low 216 automatic qualifiers by win total – with the final 40 at-large then selected, by playoff-point average, one from each class in order (A, B, C, D) until the field was filled. There were only four Class D additional qualifiers with 5-4 or 4-4 (playing eight games) records from which we could choose – so after those four we added 12 teams each from Class A, Class B and Class C.

Those 256 11-player teams are then split into eight equal divisions based on enrollment, and their locations are marked on digital maps that are projected on wall-size screens and then discussed by nearly half of the MHSAA staff plus a representative from the Michigan High School Football Coaches Association. Only the locations themselves are marked (by yellow dots) – not records, playoff point averages or names of the schools or towns. In fact, mentions of those are strictly prohibited. Records and playoff points are not part of the criteria. Matchups, rivalries, previous playoff pairings, etc. also DO NOT come into play.

The same process is followed for organizing the 8-player bracket, with the difference that the 16 teams are selected purely on playoff-point average.

Geography rules: This long has been rule number one for drawing MHSAA brackets in any sport. Travel distance and ease DO come into play. Jumping on a major highway clearly is easier than driving across county-wide back roads, and that’s taken into consideration. Also, remember there’s only one Mackinac Bridge and hence only one way to cross between peninsulas – and boats are not considered a possible form of transportation. When opponents from both peninsulas will be in the same District, distance to the bridge is far more important than as the bird flies.

Tradition doesn’t reign: Every group of 32 dots is a new group – these 32 teams have not been placed in a bracket together before. How maps have been drawn in the past isn’t considered – it’s hard to say a division has been drawn in a certain way traditionally when this set of 32 teams is making up a division for the first time.

Observations & Answers: 2015  

Go north with ease: For the most part, most Regional pairings were easier to draw than in past years. For the most part. Divisions 2 and 4 were not easy, specifically when it came to deciding which teams would be paired with an Upper Peninsula qualifier or a team from the Traverse City area. Keep in mind, distance on these maps isn’t based on how the bird flies, but how a bus would drive. In Division 2, that meant putting Muskegon, Muskegon Mona Shores and Grand Rapids Forest Hills Northern – near U.S. 31 and U.S. 131 – with Traverse City Central instead of sending Midland and Midland Dow west, up I-75 and then east-to-west again on more non-highway roads. In Division 4, we considered pairing Alma and Saginaw Swan Valley with Escanaba instead of Big Rapids and Remus Chippewa Hills. That decision came down to Big Rapids being about 14 miles closer to Escanaba than Swan Valley (Whitehall would go with Big Rapids and Chippewa Hills regardless.).

Four counties wide: Yes, on first glance it looks a little odd that Bay City John Glenn and Orchard Lake St. Mary’s would be in the same Division 3 District – but look at the map as a whole. Eight Division 3 teams are located south and mostly east of St. Mary’s, and John Glenn is the only team that could be considered in the northeastern quarter of the Lower Peninsula (Mount Pleasant and Gaylord are right down the middle and naturals to go with Sault Ste. Marie and Petoskey.). With the thumb playoff qualifiers of near-similar size in Division 4, there were no other options than to create this four-county trip between the Eaglets and Bobcats.

Semifinal selection: When all the Regional lines are drawn for a division, we also must figure out which Regionals will meet for Semifinals. This annually provides some challenges. Do we match east vs. west or north vs. south? If something seems iffy in four weeks when those games are played, again, keep in mind the entire map and entire Regionals that are matched up.

Scheduled strong: Because we’re looking only at dots on a map, we don’t see the matchups until everything is drawn – and in that way, we’re like everyone else. It wasn’t lost on us that two 9-0 teams will have road games this week or three 5-4 at-large qualifiers will be at home. For those 9-0 teams, it’s true: there’s nothing more they could’ve done on the field. But here’s why they will travel.

  • Clinton, in Division 6, hasn’t lost a regular-season game since 2011, and in fact plays in a strong Tri-County Conference made up of Class C schools and one Class D. Four of eight from the league made the playoffs, and the competition was so strong that Morenci and Petersburg-Summerfield will host games in Division 8. But Clinton’s opponent, Monroe St. Mary Catholic Central, while it did have one loss, fell to one-loss Class B Lansing Catholic – and the Falcons played eight Class B and one Class A school this season. Beating a Class B team is worth 16 points more than beating a Class C and 32 more than beating a Class D (with those points then divided over the number of games a team plays that season) – and all of that made the difference in St. Mary’s final eight-point playoff average edge over Clinton.
  • Saugatuck in Division 7 is a similar story. The Indians are one of three undefeated teams in their District, and did play a pair of Class B opponents. But by no fault of their own, especially in league play where the schedule is set, Saugatuck didn’t face a team this season that won more than five games. Hesperia played three Class B opponents including one that finished 6-3 – enough for the slim 1.8 points more in playoff average that earned the Panthers homefield advantage. Pewamo-Westphalia has the highest average in the District and didn’t play a Class B – the Pirates actually played three Class D teams. But they also beat four teams that made the playoffs including two that finished 8-1 – giving them a 2.7-point edge on Hesperia and 4.5 edge on Saugatuck.
  • The 5-4 teams that will host – Redford Thurston in Division 3 and Escanaba and Benton Harbor in Division 4, all earned their spots. Escanaba faced six playoff teams and beat three, Class B Benton Harbor played eight Class A teams, and Thurston played five playoff teams and a sixth that just missed an at-large bid.  

At the end of the day ... 

What you see is what our committee decided upon after multiple discussions among multiple groups that broke down every sensible possibility we could muster. There are certainly points open to argument – and we likely made those arguments as well.

Those who would like to see the playoff selection process changed are in favor of a larger strength-of-schedule component, and it’s interesting to see how strength of schedule inadvertently made a larger impact this season than in the recent past – especially given the examples above of undefeated teams going on the road and at-large teams hosting.

Why were there fewer automatic qualifiers than ever before? Here's one theory. There were 11 fewer teams in 11-player football this season than in 2014 (most moved to 8-player). An argument can be made that there were fewer wins to be gained against teams that last season might have struggled to field 11-player teams, shifting the balance to fewer automatic qualifiers and more parity with stronger teams facing each other to fill their schedules.

Meanwhile, the 8-player field grew by nine teams this fall and has its strongest ever, with seven teams that finished 5-4 missing the postseason after a team with a sub-.500 record got in just a year ago.

Given how some matchups shook out this fall, the next argument by those seeking change likely will center on seeding entire Regionals instead of just Districts. But keep this in mind as well: if Regionals were seeded with this year's groupings, it would create possibilities of first-week trips like Battle Creek to Traverse City and Cedar Springs to Sault Ste. Marie. We're fairly sure most coaches and players would dread such journeys for a first-round game. 

It's a lot to digest, and the scrutinizing will surely continue long after these playoffs are done as we all work to conduct the best tournament possible. 

But at the end of the day – and the end of these next five weeks – to be the best, teams will need to beat the best no matter the matchups. And we’ve got plenty to look forward to starting this weekend and all the way through the 11-player Division 3 Final on Nov. 28 at Ford Field.

The MHSAA Football Playoffs are sponsored by the Michigan National Guard.

PHOTO: The Division 4 map was among the most difficult to draw during this year's selection process.

Clarkston players celebrate in the Wayne State end zone during their win over Belleville.

1st & Goal: 2025 Week 1 Review

By Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor

September 2, 2025

The 51st season of MHSAA playoff-era football kicked off over the weekend with multiple matchups of teams that finished last season at Ford Field and nearly 600 teams total bringing championship dreams into this fall.

MI Student AidEvery one of them remains in the hunt after the first week. But below we have 45 first impressions as we begin our search for the next contenders.

Bay & Thumb

HEADLINER Goodrich 17, Frankenmuth 14 The reigning Division 4 champion Martians ran their record to 2-3 against the Eagles during this recent opening-day series, going ahead for good on Jacob Daggett’s 30-yard field goal. Goodrich’s only defeat last season was 22-0 to Frankenmuth, which went on to finish Division 5 runner-up. Click for more from the Flint Journal.

Watch list Grand Blanc 35, Muskegon Mona Shores 20 The Bobcats didn’t let a two-point loss to Mona Shores last year slow them down on the way to league and District titles, so this win could provide significant momentum as they look to build on that success.

On the move Armada 21, Marine City 14 The Tigers ran their season-opener win streak over Marine City to four with a third win by seven points or fewer during that stretch. Saginaw Swan Valley 55, Croswell-Lexington 35 After starting 2024 with three straight losses – including a third in a row to Croswell-Lexington – the Vikings broke through this weekend with their second highest-scoring game over the last four seasons. Midland Dow 38, Fenton 6 The Chargers broke a streak of three straight season-opening losses to the Tigers in another matchup of annual playoff teams.

Greater Detroit

HEADLINER Clarkston 38, Belleville 7 These two met for a second-straight year in an opener at Wayne State, this time as part of the Amazon Prep Kickoff Classic, and this time with Clarkston coming up big after the Tigers won 35-28 in 2024. The loss was only the third regular-season defeat for Belleville over the last nine years. Click for more from the Oakland Press.

Watch list Detroit Cass Tech 28, Toledo Central Catholic (Ohio) 27 The reigning Division 1 champion Technicians held off a 2024 Ohio state runner-up that also should be among favorites again in the Catholic High School League Central this fall.

On the move Warren Michigan Collegiate 32, Clarkston Everest Collegiate 6 Michigan Collegiate avenged its only regular-season loss of the last two years. Northville 14, Lake Orion 13 The Mustangs also rebounded from a 2024 defeat, having opened last year with a 21-13 loss to the Dragons. Walled Lake Western 51, Milford 26 This matchup determined the Lakes Valley Conference championship last season and could end up key again this fall as Western attempts to win a fourth-straight title.

Mid-Michigan

HEADLINER DeWitt 21, Haslett 3 This was a much different game than when the teams combined to score 111 points a year ago. This time, the Panthers held Haslett to its first single-digit output since midway through the 2023 season, while Haslett’s defense also proved tougher than most against the often high-scoring Panthers. Click for more from the Lansing State Journal.

Watch list Williamston 46, Lansing Catholic 14 After reaching the playoffs last year at 3-6, the Hornets got off to a stronger start by avenging last season’s loss to Lansing Catholic, which went on to finish as Division 6 runner-up in 2024.

On the move Pewamo-Westphalia 35, North Muskegon 6 P-W got a solid jump on the season with a second-straight win over North Muskegon, which made the Semifinals for the second-straight season last fall. Mount Pleasant 35, Saginaw Heritage 13 The Oilers broke a two-game losing streak against the Hawks as they look to build on a seven-year playoff streak. Howell 23, Traverse City West 13 The Highlanders made the long drive north but ran their regular-season winning streak to 10 after finishing last year’s without a loss.

A pair of North Muskegon defenders wrap up a Pewamo-Westphalia ball carrier.

Northern Lower Peninsula

HEADLINER Kingsley 24, Reed City 6 The Stags got off to an impressive start, avenging last season’s 24-22 loss to Reed City, which went on to win a District title in 2024. The pair have met in the playoffs three of the last five seasons and will both play in Division 6 again if they qualify in two months. Click for more from the Cadillac News.

Watch list Traverse City St. Francis 30, Maple City Glen Lake 6 These are two more potential playoff teams after both won league titles a year ago, with this their first meeting since 2021.

On the move Cheboygan 19, Sault Ste. Marie 7 After at one point losing nine straight to Sault Ste. Marie, Cheboygan has now won two in a row and is 1-0 for the first time since 2022. Harbor Springs 18, Morley Stanwood 16 Harbor Springs won for the first time since Week 9 of the 2021 season, breaking a 26-game losing streak. Petoskey 21, Greenville 13 Petoskey also ran its regular-season winning streak to 10 to build on last year’s perfect pre-playoff run.

Southeast & Border

HEADLINER Saline 37, Rockford 28 These Division 1 titans hadn’t met since the 2020 playoffs, and Saline took a massive opening step with an impressive comeback to kick off this season. After Rockford took a 28-21 third-quarter lead on a blocked punt return, Saline rallied to re-tie the score, move ahead with a safety on a Rams miscue and then score one more time to pull away. Click for more from the Ann Arbor News.

Watch list Adrian Madison 56, Grass Lake 0 A 4-1 start turned into a 4-5 finish for Madison last fall, but excitement should be renewed after this win over a Grass Lake team coming off two straight six-win seasons.

On the move Dexter 50, Brighton 27 Add the Dreadnaughts to the short list of teams that finished 9-0 during the 2024 regular season and are off to the right start again. Hudson 44, Fowler 8 The Tigers made a loud statement by avenging last season’s opening 20-6 loss to Fowler, which like Hudson is annually one of the top small-school teams in the state. Monroe St. Mary Catholic Central 42, Clinton 6 The reigning Division 7 runner-up Falcons actually have won 13 straight regular-season games going back to 2023 – and three matchups with Clinton since falling to the Redwolves in the District Final that fall.

Southwest Corridor

HEADLINER Niles 28, St. Joseph 18 Niles picked up just about where it left off last season when the Vikings finished Division 4 runners-up. Their only loss before Ford Field was 30-7 to St. Joseph, but this time Niles pulled away to avenge and add a second win over the Bears over the last three seasons. Click for more from the Niles Daily Star.

Watch list Berrien Springs 20, Kalamazoo Hackett Catholic Prep 13 These two combined to win 16 games last season, and Berrien Springs had lost its last two openers to Hackett by a combined five points – and also last season’s Division 5 District Final to the Fighting Irish by 17.

On the move Edwardsburg 28, McBain 21 The Eddies opened with a close win over the reigning Highland Conference champion Ramblers. Portage Central 45, East Lansing 0 These two now have split their last four meetings, but East Lansing had won last year’s 31-7. Union City 16, Parchment 14 The reigning Big 8 Conference champion Chargers won this matchup of 2024 playoff teams.

Negaunee's Marshall Peters carries the ball before getting tackled by Marquette's Ben Rayhorn (7), Bodi Bennett (15), and Alex Brennen (9).

Upper Peninsula

HEADLINER Negaunee 30, Marquette 22 Meeting 142 between these neighbors went to the Miners, who improved to 71-60-11 in the series by winning their first matchup against each other since 2017. Click for more from the Marquette Mining Journal.

Watch list Escanaba 21, Kingsford 18 Escanaba came into this fall off its first winning season since  2019, and the good times are still rolling after this first win over the Flivvers since 2019 as well. Kingsford had won last year’s matchup 21-0.

On the move L’Anse 26, Hancock 6 The Purple Hornets won just once over the last two seasons, but started 1-0 with their first win over Hancock since 2022. Bark River-Harris 52, Ishpeming Westwood 8 The Broncos bounced back big from last year’s 24-point loss to Westwood. Iron Mountain 41, Houghton 22 The Mountaineers will roll into this week’s matchup with Bark River-Harris carrying a 27-game regular-season winning streak.

West Michigan

HEADLINER Hudsonville 27, Byron Center 21 In another matchup of teams that finished at Ford Field last November, reigning Division 1 runner-up Hudsonville held off Division 2 runner-up Byron Center, handing the Bulldogs just their third regular-season loss in three years. Click for more from the Grand Rapids Press.

Watch list Grand Rapids Northview 32, Grand Rapids West Catholic 21 Northview is showing no signs of slowing down coming off arguably its best season in at least recent program history. The Wildcats followed up last year’s perfect regular season by starting a new one downing an annual championship contender.

On the move Grandville 44, Muskegon 40 The Big Reds might be coming off their first sub-.500 season since 1999, but Muskegon is still Muskegon – which means a memorable start for Grandville, with Cass Tech up next. Hudsonville Unity Christian 55, Whitehall 14 The Crusaders’ only loss last season came in their District Final, and an offense that averaged 43 points per game during that run looks ready to roll again. Lowell 40, East Grand Rapids 7 After three straight losses to EGR, including last season by 19 points, the Red Arrows served some early notice.

On Ontonagon's first possession of the game, Jack Nelson (30) catches a pass from Brody Bobula (not shown), while being defended by Ishpeming's Grady Gauthier (3), and runs it in for a touchdown.

8-Player

HEADLINER Newberry 22, Crystal Falls Forest Park 20 Newberry ended last season with two straight wins to come in at 2-7 overall and ran its winning streak to three over the weekend by edging last season’s Division 2 champion. The victory also avenged a 37-6 loss to the Trojans from a year ago and gave Forest Park its first season-opening defeat since 2019. Click for more from the NFHS Network.

Watch list Central Lake 44, Marion 38 The Trojans – also 2-7 in 2024 – provided a strong indication that this could be a turnaround season by avenging last year’s 64-6 loss to Marion, which at a combined 40-6 has been one of the state’s top 8-player programs the last four years.

On the move Britton Deerfield 60, Pittsford 22 The Patriots made it three wins in three tries over the last two years against Pittsford in claiming this rematch of last season’s Division 2 Regional championship matchup. Gobles 54, Climax-Scotts 32 The Tigers are posted a perfect regular season a year ago and started this one with a notable win over a Climax-Scotts team that is coming off an 8-2 overall finish. Ontonagon 21, Ishpeming 14 Ontonagon claimed its fifth-straight opening-night win, this time downing an Ishpeming team that reached the Division 1 Regional Finals last year in its first playing 8-player.

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PHOTOS (Top) Clarkston players celebrate in the Wayne State end zone during their win over Belleville. (2) A pair of North Muskegon defenders wrap up a Pewamo-Westphalia ball carrier. (3) Negaunee's Marshall Peters carries the ball before getting tackled by Marquette's Ben Rayhorn (7), Bodi Bennett (15), and Alex Brennen (9). (4) On Ontonagon's first possession, Jack Nelson (30) catches a pass from Brody Bobula while being defended by Ishpeming's Grady Gauthier (3), and runs it in for a touchdown. (Top photo courtesy of State Champs! Sports Network. P-W/North Muskegon photo by Jim Pivarnik. Negaunee/Marquette and Ontonagon/Ishpeming photos by Cara Kamps.)