Longtime Crew Leader Harrelson Begins 32nd Season on Chains, Amid Cancer Fight
By
Tom Spencer
Special for MHSAA.com
September 11, 2026
First down! Move the chains.
As a member of the Suttons Bay chain gang, Jim Harrelson doesn’t know how many more times he’ll follow the referee crew’s direction on the Norsemen sideline. Similarly, he has no idea how many times he’s already moved the chains.
But, in the meantime, every time he does, it will undoubtedly be a school record. An unofficial record of course, but a well-earned and appreciated achievement nonetheless.
Harrelson stepped on the field Wednesday night sporting a down marker for the 32nd straight year. This time, it was for the Norse’s middle school contest with Onekama. Harrelson was joined by Curt Murphy and Dave Faught. Mike Gordon, another regular member of the crew, was also on hand to celebrate Harrelson’s 32nd season.
Wednesday’s chain gang team was organized – no surprise – by Harrelson. It’s something he’s done on a volunteer basis for Suttons Bay the last 16 years.
Harrelson’s crews have staffed middle school, junior varsity and varsity football games, including the home contests during the Norsemen’s three straight seasons from 2019-21 that culminated in three trips to 8-Player Division 1 Finals. Harrelson, Faught, Murphy and Gordon are in their 10th season working together.
“The chain gang was always his baby, and he was always able to go find other people to help him out,” said Doug Periard, a long-time member of the Norse football coaching staff and former school athletic director. “Somehow he managed to get some of those who might not have done much in football, to suddenly come on board and enjoy doing it.”
Harrelson, who last spring retired from a coaching career spanning 35 years, has no intentions of letting anything get in the way of holding the down marker for the Norsemen.
“I've always loved sports, and being a part of the chain gang was always big part of it,” Harrelson said. “The ADs didn’t have to worry about it, knowing it was taken care of.”
Jamie Hawkins, Suttons Bay’s principal and current athletic director, was on hand for Wednesday’s kickoff as well. Hawkins, one of the administrators who has relied on Harrelson, believes the community owes Harrelson a huge thank you, acknowledging he has marked more first downs than anyone could ever comprehend.
“Jim’s years as a coach and chain gang chief are an amazing commitment to our student-athletes, our football program, and the entire Suttons Bay community,” said Hawkins. “His time, energy, and passion have been a part of countless Friday nights and memories for generations of Norsemen.”
Harrelson, now 82, is battling cancer for the second time in his life. He was first diagnosed with colorectal cancer in 2010. Early this year, he was told cancer had returned.
Working with doctors and his wife of 53 years, Brenda, Harrelson picked a six-week treatment plan this summer timing it so he could return to the sidelines for the first football game. He’s awaiting word from his medical team on the outcome of the most recent treatment.
“I haven't let it dominate my life – everybody's going to have trials and tribulations no matter what,” Harrelson said of his cancer return. “Cancer is something that thousands of people find themselves having to deal with, and I'm pretty proud I've been able to function pretty much as normal as could be even though it’s obviously right there in front of me.”
Harrelson’s coaching journey began in 1991 with softball, drawn into the role as his children made their way through the Suttons Bay school system. He went on to serve as an assistant and head volleyball coach from 1996 through 2004.
Eventually he served as an assistant or head coach for Suttons Bay in golf, cross country and track.
Among the highlights of his time on the volleyball bench was helping guide the 2001 squad all the way to the MHSAA Finals, where the team earned a runner-up finish in Class C.
A short while ago, Harrelson was honored with the Don Lukens Legacy Award at the Traverse City Record-Eagle John Lober Honor Roll Meet for his coaching of student-athletes from all four Leelanau County schools – Maple City Glen Lake, Leland, Lake Leelanau St. Mary’s and Northport (with some of that coaching was made possible through the schools becoming a part of a co-op with Suttons Bay).
Much of Harrelson’s coaching was on a purely volunteer basis – even while serving as a head coach responsible for running an entire program.
Now, Harrelson’s favorite thing is watching his grandchildren grow and compete in sports, while admiring his adult children’s great parenting.
Harrelson points to his first grandchild’s birth 15 years ago as a prime motivator during the first cancer round. The Harrelsons have seven grandchildren now, one of whom was playing volleyball Wednesday night for Suttons Bay’s middle school team – with Grandma in the stands.
And while he’s remembered fondly by Leelanau athletes and athletic directors for his coaching commitment and success, Harrelson has only one thought for his family legacy.
“I just hope if I’m remembered for anything by my grandchildren and my kids is that I handled cancer pretty well without letting it affect me in any way, shape, or form in how I behave, how I coach or whatever,” Harrelson said. “I am pretty doggone proud of the fact that I've been able to put that on the table and still be able to function.”
Periard already views Harrelson as a great student-athlete advocate and solution finder.
“It was an incredible amount of time he put in doing the stuff he did and how much he loved it,” recalled Periard. “Cross country, track, whatever he was called upon, he was there to help out. He's a jack of all trades, a great kids guy at heart.”
Harrelson’s first paid coaching job was as an assistant for track in 2006. At the time he was hired by Cody Ingils, then the Suttons Bay athletic director and now a senior assistant director for the MHSAA.
Harrelson asked Inglis a decade ago to delivery his eulogy someday upon the veteran coach’s passing.
“Jim also always wanted the best for kids at every turn, and he wanted to be a positive force in kids’ lives – and I think Jim's ultimate takeaway is he met the kids where they were and tried to make sure that they got better,” Inglis said. “Jim was able to work with elite athletes, and he was able to work with kids that had never done that sport before. And that was the beauty of his coaching, is that it applied to anybody and everybody because of his positive way of dealing with kids.”
Harrelson, who points to track as his favorite sport to coach because of the camaraderie, is ready to keep moving the down marker as he battles the return of cancer.
“What I've been experiencing is part of who I am,” Harrelson said. “It’s just the cards I've been dealt. I just want to do it with class if I can.”
Tom Spencer is a longtime MHSAA-registered basketball and soccer official, and former softball and baseball official, and he also has coached in the northern Lower Peninsula area. He previously has written for the Saginaw News, Bay County Sports Page and Midland Daily News. He can be reached at [email protected] with story ideas for Manistee, Wexford, Missaukee, Roscommon, Ogemaw, Iosco, Alcona, Oscoda, Crawford, Kalkaska, Grand Traverse, Benzie, Leelanau, Antrim, Otsego, Montmorency, Alpena, Presque Isle, Cheboygan, Charlevoix and Emmet counties.
PHOTOS (Top) Suttons Bay football chain gang leader Jim Harrelson plants his down marker on the sideline during Wednesday’s middle school game with Onekama. (2) Harrelson shakes hands with referee Ed Blough. (3) Harrelson stands for a photo with Suttons Bay principal and athletic director Jamie Hawkins, far left, past athletic director and longtime coach Doug Periard, far right, and his chain gang of (from left) Dave Faught, Curt Murphy and Mike Gordon. (4) Harrelson enjoys a break in the shade. (Top and sitting photos by Meredith McNabb Photography. Others by Tom Spencer.)
2024 MHSAA Football Playoff Pairings Announced
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
October 27, 2024
Here are the pairings for the 2024 MHSAA Football Playoffs, which begin Nov. 1-2 with District Semifinals in the 11-Player Playoffs and Regional Semifinals in the 8-Player Playoffs.
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. 8-9, and the weekend of Nov. 15-16 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. 22-23, 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.
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. 23 at Northern Michigan University’s Superior Dome in Marquette, and the 11-Player Finals will be played Nov. 29-30 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 8-Player Finals will kick off at 11 a.m. for Division 1 and 2 p.m. for Division 2 on Nov. 23.
There is one switch of note this season regarding the schedule for the 11-Player Finals weekend. The first games both days will kick off at 9:30 a.m., with the final games both days tentatively scheduled to begin at 7 p.m.
The 11-Player Finals schedule will be as follows:
Friday, Nov. 29
9:30 a.m. - Division 8
12:30 p.m. - Division 4
4 p.m. - Division 6
7 p.m. - Division 2
Saturday, Nov. 30
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
East Kentwood (5-4) 58.111 at Hudsonville (8-1) 80.222
Grandville (5-4) 60.778 at Rockford (7-2) 70.472
DISTRICT 2
Kalamazoo Central (6-3) 51.222 at Howell (9-0) 89.333
Grand Ledge (5-4) 55.222 at Brighton (7-2) 72.111
REGION 2
DISTRICT 1
Lapeer (5-4) 54.444 at Grand Blanc (7-2) 71.889
Oxford (6-3) 69.111 at Davison (7-2) 70.306
DISTRICT 2
Rochester Hills Stoney Creek (5-4) 59.778 at Rochester Adams (7-2) 74.111
Clarkston (6-3) 67.333 at Lake Orion (6-3) 70.778
REGION 3
DISTRICT 1
Ann Arbor Pioneer (5-4) 53.556 at Belleville (8-1) 78.333
Saline (6-3) 64.889 at Northville (6-3) 66.000
DISTRICT 2
Livonia Stevenson (5-4) 54.333 at Detroit Catholic Central (9-0) 83.611
West Bloomfield (4-5) 57.444 at Novi (5-4) 58.667
REGION 4
DISTRICT 1
Sterling Heights Stevenson (5-4) 54.111 at Detroit Cass Tech (7-2) 64.444
Dearborn (5-4) 57.667 at Dearborn Fordson (5-4) 58.222
DISTRICT 2
Utica (4-5) 51.333 at Macomb Dakota (8-1) 77.333
Romeo (4-5) 60.667 at Utica Eisenhower (7-2) 73.444
DIVISION 2
REGION 1
DISTRICT 1
Traverse City West (6-3) 57.556 at Muskegon Mona Shores (8-1) 74.361
Grand Rapids Northview (9-0) 68.444 at Byron Center (8-1) 71.361
DISTRICT 2
Portage Northern (5-4) 56.222 at Portage Central (6-3) 62.222
Lansing Everett (6-3) 60.333 at Mattawan (6-3) 61.222
REGION 2
DISTRICT 1
Flushing (7-2) 54.444 at Midland (8-1) 71.111
Midland Dow (5-4) 55.667 at Saginaw Heritage (6-3) 60.778
DISTRICT 2
South Lyon East (6-3) 56.472 at Dexter (9-0) 81.222
Milford (7-2) 65.361 at East Lansing (6-3) 67.333
REGION 3
DISTRICT 1
Orchard Lake St. Mary's (6-3) 57.639 at North Farmington (6-3) 63.667
Farmington (6-3) 59.000 at White Lake Lakeland (6-3) 59.139
DISTRICT 2
Temperance Bedford (5-4) 55.444 at Gibraltar Carlson (8-1) 70.778
Livonia Franklin (5-4) 59.556 at Allen Park (6-3) 62.000
REGION 4
DISTRICT 1
Ferndale (6-3) 57.556 at Birmingham Groves (9-0) 78.778
Warren Mott (7-2) 60.111 at Birmingham Seaholm (6-3) 63.111
DISTRICT 2
Roseville (7-2) 66.889 at Grosse Pointe South (9-0) 81.444
Warren De La Salle Collegiate (6-2) 67.875 at Port Huron Northern (7-2) 70.333
DIVISION 3
REGION 1
DISTRICT 1
Bay City John Glenn (5-4) 41.889 at Petoskey (9-0) 66.000
Cadillac (4-5) 44.111 at Mount Pleasant (5-4) 51.889
DISTRICT 2
St. Johns (6-3) 49.333 at DeWitt (9-0) 82.611
Cedar Springs (7-2) 56.111 at Lowell (7-2) 62.444
REGION 2
DISTRICT 1
Stevensville Lakeshore (3-6) 40.889 at St. Joseph (8-1) 70.222
Zeeland East (5-4) 50.889 at Zeeland West (8-1) 67.917
DISTRICT 2
East Grand Rapids (5-4) 49.889 at Grand Rapids Forest Hills Central (7-2) 65.889
Grand Rapids Kenowa Hills (6-3) 53.111 at Coopersville (6-3) 53.333
REGION 3
DISTRICT 1
Jackson (4-5) 40.667 at Mason (7-2) 64.000
Linden (4-5) 45.556 at Fenton (7-2) 63.556
DISTRICT 2
Garden City (7-2) 53.778 at Walled Lake Western (9-0) 78.361
Redford Thurston (7-2) 56.111 at Auburn Hills Avondale (6-3) 57.222
REGION 4
DISTRICT 1
River Rouge (4-4) 48.542 at Southgate Anderson (7-2) 63.444
Riverview (8-1) 57.000 at Trenton (6-3) 62.028
DISTRICT 2
Warren Fitzgerald (4-5) 42.222 at Detroit Martin Luther King (6-3) 65.417
Grosse Pointe North (4-5) 45.111 at Port Huron (4-5) 49.222
DIVISION 4
REGION 1
DISTRICT 1
Ludington (7-2) 47.556 at Big Rapids (8-1) 55.111
Whitehall (6-3) 51.111 at Ada Forest Hills Eastern (7-2) 54.778
DISTRICT 2
Hamilton (5-4) 44.556 at Hudsonville Unity Christian (9-0) 72.278
Holland Christian (6-3) 48.778 at Grand Rapids South Christian (5-4) 48.889
REGION 2
DISTRICT 1
Edwardsburg (6-3) 50.556 at Battle Creek Harper Creek (8-1) 62.000
Paw Paw (8-1) 61.556 at Niles (8-1) 61.667
DISTRICT 2
Lansing Sexton (5-4) 42.889 at Portland (9-0) 60.778
Ionia (6-3) 51.000 at Hastings (8-1) 60.222
REGION 3
DISTRICT 1
Pinckney (5-4) 45.444 at Chelsea (7-2) 63.444
Parma Western (6-3) 54.889 at Haslett (6-3) 55.222
DISTRICT 2
Ortonville Brandon (6-3) 49.778 at Goodrich (8-1) 63.556
Lake Fenton (6-3) 50.278 at Freeland (8-1) 56.444
REGION 4
DISTRICT 1
Dearborn Divine Child (6-3) 54.254 at Madison Heights Lamphere (8-1) 65.000
Harper Woods (6-3) 63.556 at Redford Union (8-1) 64.778
DISTRICT 2
Croswell-Lexington (6-3) 46.889 at Marysville (8-1) 55.778
St. Clair (6-3) 47.111 at Macomb Lutheran North (8-1) 48.069
DIVISION 5
REGION 1
DISTRICT 1
Gladwin (6-3) 43.222 at Kingsford (9-0) 58.111
Clare (7-2) 49.333 at Ogemaw Heights (8-1) 53.889
DISTRICT 2
Howard City Tri County (5-4) 38.444 at Frankenmuth (9-0) 63.667
Saginaw Swan Valley (6-3) 47.000 at Belding (8-1) 54.431
REGION 2
DISTRICT 1
Muskegon Oakridge (4-5) 35.111 at Grand Rapids West Catholic (6-3) 54.889
Hopkins (6-3) 43.208 at Grand Rapids Catholic Central (5-4) 54.730
DISTRICT 2
South Haven (5-4) 37.222 at Kalamazoo Hackett Catholic Prep (7-2) 49.222
Dowagiac (6-3) 39.486 at Berrien Springs (6-3) 43.111
REGION 3
DISTRICT 1
Williamston (3-6) 38.000 at Pontiac Notre Dame Prep (7-1) 61.500
Flint Hamady (5-3) 42.028 at Corunna (7-2) 59.222
DISTRICT 2
Richmond (4-5) 37.111 at Armada (8-1) 56.444
Hazel Park (6-3) 37.889 at St. Clair Shores South Lake (5-4) 38.556
REGION 4
DISTRICT 1
Romulus (4-5) 36.611 at Detroit Lincoln-King (9-0) 42.444
Whitmore Lake (7-2) 37.111 at Ann Arbor Father Gabriel Richard (5-4) 37.472
DISTRICT 2
Detroit Denby (6-3) 36.667 at Flat Rock (7-2) 47.222
Detroit Voyageur College Prep (7-2) 44.611 at Romulus Summit Academy North (6-2) 46.639
DIVISION 6
REGION 1
DISTRICT 1
Calumet (6-3) 36.111 at Kingsley (7-2) 44.444
Negaunee (6-3) 41.556 at Boyne City (7-2) 42.111
DISTRICT 2
Manistee (5-4) 37.222 at Reed City (7-2) 48.222
Standish-Sterling (6-3) 45.111 at Mason County Central (8-1) 46.431
REGION 2
DISTRICT 1
Montague (4-5) 35.889 at Newaygo (7-2) 48.778
Kent City (6-3) 37.986 at Central Montcalm (8-1) 43.444
DISTRICT 2
Ovid-Elsie (7-2) 42.889 at Almont (9-0) 62.333
Lansing Catholic (6-3) 46.111 at Chesaning (9-0) 46.778
REGION 3
DISTRICT 1
Buchanan (6-3) 38.222 at Olivet (7-2) 47.778
Constantine (6-3) 38.556 at Parchment (7-2) 40.222
DISTRICT 2
Dearborn Heights Robichaud (4-5) 36.778 at Jackson Lumen Christi (8-1) 60.302
Dearborn Advanced Tech Academy (6-3) 37.222 at Ida (8-1) 43.222
REGION 4
DISTRICT 1
Royal Oak Shrine Catholic (7-2) 35.000 at Warren Michigan Collegiate (8-1) 54.278
Clinton Township Clintondale (6-3) 38.000 at Marine City (7-2) 51.778
DISTRICT 2
Detroit Central (6-3) 37.778 at Detroit Edison (6-3) 47.667
Detroit Old Redford (8-1) 38.111 at Detroit Pershing (7-2) 43.444
DIVISION 7
REGION 1
DISTRICT 1
Houghton Lake (5-4) 30.444 at Menominee (8-1) 48.333
Charlevoix (6-3) 34.444 at Traverse City St. Francis (6-3) 41.333
DISTRICT 2
Evart (6-3) 32.000 at North Muskegon (8-1) 42.222
Harrison (7-2) 36.444 at McBain (8-1) 39.778
REGION 2
DISTRICT 1
Saranac (6-3) 31.778 at Ithaca (9-0) 46.000
Pewamo-Westphalia (7-2) 35.778 at Montrose (6-3) 40.694
DISTRICT 2
Elkton-Pigeon-Bay Port Laker (5-4) 29.069 at Millington (8-0) 45.264
Saginaw Valley Lutheran (5-4) 32.111 at Cass City (6-3) 33.625
REGION 3
DISTRICT 1
Coloma (4-5) 28.889 at Lawton (7-2) 40.333
Bronson (6-3) 32.222 at Schoolcraft (8-1) 37.931
DISTRICT 2
Napoleon (6-3) 36.556 at Hudson (8-1) 48.222
Union City (8-1) 37.889 at Hanover-Horton (8-1) 40.889
REGION 4
DISTRICT 1
Bath (5-4) 29.889 at Grosse Pointe Woods University Liggett (6-3) 41.583
Burton Atherton (7-2) 30.972 at Leslie (8-1) 39.444
DISTRICT 2
Blissfield (4-5) 31.778 at Monroe St. Mary Catholic Central (9-0) 58.667
Ottawa Lake Whiteford (5-4) 35.222 at Clinton (6-3) 40.333
DIVISION 8
REGION 1
DISTRICT 1
Manistique (4-5) 25.444 at Iron Mountain (9-0) 40.556
Bark River-Harris (5-4) 27.556 at East Jordan (7-2) 34.264
DISTRICT 2
Mancelona (4-5) 24.708 at Maple City Glen Lake (8-1) 38.042
Frankfort (7-2) 31.083 at Beal City (7-2) 37.333
REGION 2
DISTRICT 1
Reese (5-4) 27.403 at Fowler (9-0) 42.556
Saginaw Michigan Lutheran Seminary (6-3) 30.556 at Saginaw Nouvel Catholic Central (8-1) 38.667
DISTRICT 2
Burton Bentley (5-4) 24.750 at Clarkston Everest Collegiate (8-1) 44.111
Ubly (6-3) 32.889 at Harbor Beach (9-0) 37.778
REGION 3
DISTRICT 1
Centreville (4-5) 27.861 at Decatur (8-1) 39.819
Saugatuck (6-3) 33.000 at White Pigeon (8-1) 38.931
DISTRICT 2
Addison (4-5) 25.222 at Springport (7-2) 31.333
Sand Creek (4-5) 25.667 at Reading (5-4) 28.444
REGION 4
DISTRICT 1
Allen Park Cabrini (5-4) 24.667 at Riverview Gabriel Richard (7-1) 42.861
Manchester (7-2) 34.889 at Petersburg Summerfield (8-1) 36.444
DISTRICT 2
Marine City Cardinal Mooney (4-5) 24.111 at Rochester Hills Lutheran Northwest (6-3) 34.333
Mount Clemens (6-3) 28.000 at Detroit Loyola (3-6) 29.583
8-Player Pairings
DIVISION 1
REGION 1
Munising (6-3) 28.667 at Pickford (9-0) 38.250
Norway (7-2) 32.111 at Ishpeming (6-2) 33.583
REGION 2
Atlanta (6-3) 27.708 at Alcona (8-1) 37.556
Blanchard Montabella (6-3) 28.667 at Indian River Inland Lakes (9-0) 36.250
REGION 3
Bay City All Saints (7-2) 31.778 at Deckerville (9-0) 41.000
Fulton (8-1) 33.556 at Kingston (7-2) 34.111
REGION 4
Martin (7-1) 34.083 at Gobles (9-0) 37.500
Mendon (8-1) 34.889 at Climax-Scotts (8-1) 35.556
DIVISION 2
REGION 1
Bellaire (7-2) 28.486 at Crystal Falls Forest Park (8-1) 35.556
Gaylord St. Mary (7-2) 30.653 at Powers North Central (8-1) 34.889
REGION 2
Mio (7-2) 32.486 at Au Gres-Sims (8-1) 35.931
Marion (8-1) 32.556 at Onekama (8-1) 33.889
REGION 3
Mount Pleasant Sacred Heart (6-3) 29.333 at Grand Rapids Sacred Heart (9-0) 36.208
Portland St. Patrick (8-1) 34.556 at Morrice (8-1) 35.222
REGION 4
Adrian Lenawee Christian (4-5) 28.403 at Britton Deerfield (8-1) 35.556
Burr Oak (7-2) 29.778 at Pittsford (7-2) 31.444
PHOTO Ada Forest Hills Eastern takes the field this season for its game against Hudsonville Unity Christian. (Photo by Michigan Sports Photo.)