Suttons Bay Succeeding at Football Numbers Game
By
Tom Spencer
Special for MHSAA.com
December 3, 2021
Suttons Bay is, well, playing the numbers game.
Not by choice. It’s been by necessity — since a painful football decision was made in September 2016. Many of Michigan’s smaller schools have made a similar decision.
Most of the numbers, the Norsemen can use just one hand to count. Some take two hands. Others you can’t use your hands. We’re not talking illegal use of the hands either.
The first number is 11, the healthy and available Norsemen for their third game of 2016, their last season of 11-man football.
Hand counting starts now with 1. The 2016 quarterback and only football player to join the soccer team, Jack Pasche, actually kicked off to start of the Norsemen’s homecoming game win that season against Glen Lake. Suttons Bay, known as NorthBay through a co-op with Northport and Leelanau St. Mary’s, beat Glen Lake 4-0 as the soccer match took center stage for homecoming due to the tough decision to forfeit the remaining seven games on the 2016 football schedule.
Move on to the number 8. The Norseman started competing in 8-player football in 2017 and went the playoffs, losing to eventual champion Central Lake. Fast forward to 4. Garrick Opie took over the head coaching duties and just completed his fourth season.
Now to 5. Suttons Bay, which also co-ops with Leelanau St. Mary’s for football, has lost only five games total over Opie’s four seasons. Back to one … just one loss in regular season. The other four came during the MHSAA Playoffs.
Before getting to 3 – perhaps the most notable number – count to 14. That’s the number of players on the 2021 Suttons Bay football roster – and six of them were seniors.
“We’re going to have to fill some shoes on defense especially,” said assistant coach Stan Pasch. ‘We’ve got some good offensive lineman coming back. We’ve got to fill some shoes on our offensive ends too.”
Hand counting becomes more challenging now, starting with 47.
Pasch has coached football for 47 years. He has a long history with Suttons Bay and Leelanau St. Mary, including providing guidance in basketball, volleyball and track. He’s also been on the sidelines for Beal City and Traverse City St. Francis.
He’s had long stints as an assistant for legendary coaches Larry Sellers of St. Francis and Joe Trudeau of Suttons Bay. He was with St. Francis when they won the Class C championship in 1992.
Among those coached by Pasch on that ‘92 Gladiators team was Mark Bramer, a four-year letterman with St. Francis and the father of Shawn Bramer. The younger Bramer scored the game-tying touchdown in Suttons Bay’s 42-36 overtime win against Rudyard in the Division 1 Semifinal three weeks ago.
The junior running back Bramer, who attends St. Mary, was one of three Norsemen named first-team all-state. The other two were wide receiver Brayden Opie and defensive lineman Cam Alberts.
Mark Bramer has been thrilled to have his son play under his former coach and enjoy the playoff runs the past three seasons.
“Coach Pasch still has the passion and the spark and everything,” Mark Bramer said. “He hasn’t really changed, and it’s a good thing.
“I know the excitement as an athlete and now watch it as a parent – it is a great community thing,” he continued. “As a player back then, you never really knew that side of it, and now on the flip side you get to see the excitement of the community.”
Pasch came back to the Suttons Bay coaching staff in 2000 and has been there since. He credits Opie’s leadership for the Norsemen reaching championship games each of the last three seasons.
“Garrick does a great job of leading the team,” Pasch said. “He has really worked hard to solidly the passing game with the kids and getting the kids to believe in themselves.
“He has done a lot of good things and really opened up the offense,” Pasch continued. “When you need a big play – which the kids have done quite a bit – the kids pull it off because they had fun with it in practice.”
Opie, who previously coached all his players in Pop Warner football, has compiled a 43-5 record at Suttons Bay. He too is thrilled to have Pasch and his experience on the sidelines with him.
“I can’t do it without Stan,” he said. “Not only is he my right-hand man … he brings so much experience from his St. Francis days and his 260-plus games with Suttons Bay.
“His experience and way he deals with young men … Stan is invaluable.”
Now back to the number 3. The head coach’s sons Bryce, Braden and Grayson, have all played for Suttons Bay during playoff runs. Grayson will be back next year as the Norsemen strive to make another.
Football fans know the history of John Elway losing his first three Super Bowls, and the Buffalo Bills losing their four straight from 1991-94. But the Norsemen players aren’t really aware of it.
“They’d be lucky if they remember Brett Favre,” joked the Mark Bramer. “I have to tell them about Barry Sanders!”
Opie can laugh about it too as he knows the Norseman can rebuild again. Mike Lodish, a personal friend of Opie and former all-state player with Birmingham Brother Rice, held the record for most Super Bowl appearances with six until Tom Brady broke it. Lodish played his first four with the Bills and then won two with Elway. He played five years with the Bills under coach Marv Levy, and six with the Broncos.
“You can call me Marv Levy,” Opie said with a laugh. “You can call me whatever you want as far as that’s concerned.
“Every year it is our intentions to get to the state finals and win one,” he continued. “Is it a prediction? No. I never do that.”
Opie and Pasch will work in the offseason that number 1. They’ll use a familiar formula.
“I never make any assumptions about any season no matter what players we have,” Opie said. “We’ve had a lot of talent, but we’ve also been able to place kids in the spots (where) they will best succeed.
“We never want to put them in a spot where they will fail,” he went on. “Our goal is to find where each young man can succeed, and we’ve been very fortunate we’ve been right many of the times the last four years.”
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 coach Garrick Opie hugs his son Brayden at midfield after Brayden caught the game-winning touchdown pass in the Semifinal. (Middle) Shawn Bramer outruns his stunned teammates on his way to the game-tying score during the final seconds of regulation against Rudyard. (Photos by Mike Spencer.)
2025 MHSAA Football Playoff Pairings Announced
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
October 26, 2025
Here are the pairings for the 2025 MHSAA Football Playoffs, which begin Oct. 31 and Nov. 1 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. 7-8, and the weekend of Nov. 14-15 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 neutral sites assigned by the MHSAA.
Semifinal games in the 11-Player Playoffs will take place Nov. 21-22, pairing the winners of Region 1 vs. Region 2 and the winners of Region 3 vs. Region 4. The MHSAA also 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. 22 at Northern Michigan University’s Superior Dome in Marquette, and the 11-Player Finals will be played Nov. 28 and 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 11-Player Finals schedule will be as follows:
Friday, Nov. 28
9:30 a.m. - Division 8
12:30 p.m. - Division 4
4 p.m. - Division 6
7 p.m. - Division 2
Sunday, 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
Jenison (4-5) 52.778 at Hudsonville (9-0) 85.556
Grandville (4-5) 56.111 at Rockford (7-2) 75.444
DISTRICT 2
Kalamazoo Central (6-3) 53.778 at Howell (8-1) 80.111
Grand Ledge (7-2) 65.667 at East Kentwood (7-2) 70.222
REGION 2
DISTRICT 1
Hartland (5-4) 60.000 at Detroit Catholic Central (9-0) 81.056
Brighton (6-3) 69.333 at West Bloomfield (7-2) 72.333
DISTRICT 2
Davison (8-1) 70.000 at Clarkston (8-1) 87.111
Oxford (7-2) 77.556 at Grand Blanc (9-0) 81.444
REGION 3
DISTRICT 1
Salem (5-4) 57.333 at Saline (8-1) 77.500
Brownstown Woodhaven (7-2) 66.111 at Belleville (7-2) 72.889
DISTRICT 2
Northville (7-2) 70.111 at Detroit Cass Tech (9-0) 74.556
Dearborn Fordson (7-2) 70.889 at Farmington (7-2) 71.222
REGION 4
DISTRICT 1
Rochester (5-4) 53.333 at Rochester Adams (7-2) 76.111
Utica Eisenhower (5-4) 57.000 at Rochester Hills Stoney Creek (6-3) 64.111
DISTRICT 2
Sterling Heights Stevenson (5-4) 54.778 at Romeo (6-3) 69.444
Macomb Dakota (6-3) 63.444 at Utica (7-2) 67.778
DIVISION 2
REGION 1
DISTRICT 1
Muskegon Mona Shores (5-4) 52.111 at Muskegon (6-3) 64.556
Traverse City Central (5-4) 53.889 at Traverse City West (5-4) 59.222
DISTRICT 2
Lansing Everett (5-4) 55.778 at Portage Central (9-0) 76.111
Portage Northern (7-2) 62.528 at Byron Center (6-3) 66.333
REGION 2
DISTRICT 1
Waterford Mott (5-4) 53.889 at Midland Dow (8-1) 71.111
East Lansing (4-5) 56.111 at White Lake Lakeland (7-2) 68.000
DISTRICT 2
Bloomfield Hills Brother Rice (5-4) 54.611 at Walled Lake Western (7-2) 68.667
Orchard Lake St. Mary's (6-2) 63.083 at North Farmington (6-3) 64.889
REGION 3
DISTRICT 1
South Lyon East (4-5) 49.222 at South Lyon (9-0) 78.889
Livonia Franklin (6-3) 62.889 at Dexter (8-1) 76.500
DISTRICT 2
Lincoln Park (5-4) 52.444 at Gibraltar Carlson (9-0) 77.667
Temperance Bedford (4-5) 54.357 at Allen Park (5-4) 55.889
REGION 4
DISTRICT 1
Warren Mott (5-4) 50.222 at Birmingham Groves (6-3) 61.556
Birmingham Seaholm (5-4) 55.556 at Warren Cousino (6-3) 59.778
DISTRICT 2
Roseville (4-5) 52.889 at Grosse Pointe South (8-1) 70.333
St. Clair Shores Lakeview (7-2) 62.444 at Port Huron Northern (7-2) 69.111
DIVISION 3
REGION 1
DISTRICT 1
Bay City Western (4-5) 46.556 at Mount Pleasant (9-0) 76.444
Marquette (6-3) 51.889 at Gaylord (9-0) 66.000
DISTRICT 2
Coopersville (4-5) 47.000 at Grand Rapids Kenowa Hills (8-1) 67.111
Cedar Springs (8-1) 60.556 at East Grand Rapids (7-2) 60.778
REGION 2
DISTRICT 1
Zeeland West (6-3) 50.889 at Niles (9-0) 67.778
Zeeland East (6-3) 51.444 at St. Joseph (5-4) 54.889
DISTRICT 2
Coldwater (6-3) 47.111 at Lowell (7-2) 58.778
Middleville Thornapple Kellogg (6-3) 53.222 at Hastings (7-2) 58.556
REGION 3
DISTRICT 1
Owosso (6-3) 49.444 at DeWitt (9-0) 79.667
Linden (6-3) 50.222 at Mason (5-4) 55.444
DISTRICT 2
Ypsilanti Lincoln (6-3) 55.111 at Adrian (8-1) 60.333
Holly (6-3) 58.222 at Fenton (6-3) 58.444
REGION 4
DISTRICT 1
Riverview (6-3) 45.667 at Detroit Martin Luther King (5-4) 59.667
Redford Thurston (6-3) 52.222 at Trenton (5-4) 55.000
DISTRICT 2
Warren De La Salle Collegiate (3-6) 49.306 at Warren Fitzgerald (8-1) 65.889
Marysville (7-2) 54.444 at Port Huron (6-3) 59.889
DIVISION 4
REGION 1
DISTRICT 1
Freeland (7-2) 49.667 at Escanaba (8-1) 58.222
Big Rapids (8-1) 52.667 at Ludington (9-0) 56.778
DISTRICT 2
Holland Christian (5-4) 43.778 at Hudsonville Unity Christian (8-1) 61.333
Spring Lake (6-3) 45.444 at Wyoming Godwin Heights (7-2) 51.444
REGION 2
DISTRICT 1
Grand Rapids Christian (5-4) 45.333 at Battle Creek Harper Creek (8-1) 65.333
Grand Rapids South Christian (4-5) 47.444 at Portland (9-0) 58.444
DISTRICT 2
Three Rivers (5-4) 46.389 at Paw Paw (6-3) 56.111
Vicksburg (5-4) 48.556 at Edwardsburg (6-3) 51.222
REGION 3
DISTRICT 1
Lansing Sexton (6-3) 45.667 at Williamston (9-0) 69.500
St. Johns (5-4) 48.889 at Haslett (7-2) 61.111
DISTRICT 2
Lake Fenton (4-5) 43.000 at Goodrich (9-0) 68.000
Fowlerville (5-4) 44.444 at Chelsea (8-1) 67.778
REGION 4
DISTRICT 1
Tecumseh (6-3) 50.222 at Dearborn Divine Child (8-1) 59.667
Redford Union (7-2) 55.111 at Madison Heights Lamphere (6-3) 57.889
DISTRICT 2
Macomb Lutheran North (7-2) 44.111 at Harper Woods (9-0) 88.222
Center Line (7-2) 48.222 at Harper Woods Chandler Park (7-2) 49.222
DIVISION 5
REGION 1
DISTRICT 1
Negaunee (6-3) 40.875 at Ogemaw Heights (8-1) 54.389
Gladwin (5-4) 43.111 at Kingsford (6-3) 43.222
DISTRICT 2
Clare (6-3) 43.111 at Saginaw Swan Valley (8-1) 54.778
Howard City Tri County (5-4) 43.556 at Whitehall (5-4) 46.333
REGION 2
DISTRICT 1
Wyoming Kelloggsville (6-3) 40.778 at Grand Rapids Catholic Central (9-0) 74.206
Muskegon Oakridge (6-3) 43.000 at Grand Rapids West Catholic (8-1) 62.111
DISTRICT 2
Hopkins (5-4) 41.222 at Kalamazoo United (7-2) 43.286
Dowagiac (5-3) 41.827 at Berrien Springs (5-2) 42.802
REGION 3
DISTRICT 1
Detroit Cody (5-4) 37.222 at Ann Arbor Father Gabriel Richard (9-0) 52.667
Romulus (4-5) 41.111 at Michigan Center (8-1) 43.000
DISTRICT 2
Detroit Voyageur College Prep (4-5) 36.889 at Romulus Summit Academy North (7-1) 54.125
Flat Rock (6-3) 47.889 at Monroe Jefferson (8-1) 52.111
REGION 4
DISTRICT 1
Hazel Park (6-3) 39.333 at Pontiac Notre Dame Prep (7-2) 62.444
Detroit Denby (7-2) 46.556 at Detroit Southeastern (6-3) 49.000
DISTRICT 2
Yale (5-4) 39.000 at Frankenmuth (8-1) 57.778
Armada (6-3) 46.444 at Richmond (8-1) 55.222
DIVISION 6
REGION 1
DISTRICT 1
Calumet (7-2) 40.500 at Kingsley (7-2) 48.167
Boyne City (6-3) 41.944 at Traverse City St. Francis (6-2) 44.472
DISTRICT 2
Sanford Meridian (6-3) 36.111 at Reed City (7-2) 47.667
Montague (5-4) 36.444 at Central Montcalm (7-2) 37.444
REGION 2
DISTRICT 1
Ovid-Elsie (7-2) 42.000 at Belding (8-1) 57.222
Kent City (9-0) 49.667 at Olivet (8-1) 51.333
DISTRICT 2
Flint New Standard Academy (8-1) 34.264 at Montrose (9-0) 45.889
Durand (7-2) 40.222 at Flint Hamady (6-3) 40.444
REGION 3
DISTRICT 1
Onsted (4-5) 32.778 at Jackson Lumen Christi (6-3) 61.889
Buchanan (6-3) 34.357 at Napoleon (6-3) 38.556
DISTRICT 2
Adrian Madison (5-4) 33.889 at Ecorse (7-2) 48.000
Dearborn Heights Robichaud (6-3) 40.984 at Ida (7-2) 41.778
REGION 4
DISTRICT 1
Detroit Central (6-3) 34.889 at Detroit Edison (7-2) 53.056
Warren Michigan Collegiate (5-4) 37.556 at Detroit Pershing (6-3) 40.111
DISTRICT 2
Clinton Township Clintondale (5-4) 33.889 at Almont (9-0) 61.667
Clawson (6-3) 41.000 at Marine City (6-3) 47.222
DIVISION 7
REGION 1
DISTRICT 1
Manton (6-3) 28.000 at Menominee (9-0) 52.486
McBain (7-2) 36.667 at Charlevoix (8-1) 41.556
DISTRICT 2
Morley Stanwood (3-6) 25.556 at Harrison (7-2) 33.333
Shelby (5-4) 26.667 at LeRoy Pine River (6-3) 32.111
REGION 2
DISTRICT 1
Ravenna (4-5) 28.889 at Pewamo-Westphalia (8-0) 41.889
Saranac (7-2) 30.778 at North Muskegon (6-3) 35.514
DISTRICT 2
Ithaca (6-3) 34.222 at Saginaw Valley Lutheran (9-0) 40.333
Cass City (6-3) 35.667 at Elkton-Pigeon-Bay Port Laker (7-2) 37.778
REGION 3
DISTRICT 1
Galesburg-Augusta (4-5) 26.000 at Schoolcraft (7-2) 39.333
Constantine (6-3) 38.667 at Lawton (7-2) 39.000
DISTRICT 2
Union City (5-4) 28.222 at Hanover-Horton (7-2) 42.889
Jonesville (6-3) 30.222 at Bronson (7-2) 35.222
REGION 4
DISTRICT 1
Leslie (5-4) 28.778 at Monroe St. Mary Catholic Central (7-2) 49.667
Ottawa Lake Whiteford (8-1) 36.667 at Clinton (7-2) 40.556
DISTRICT 2
Burton Bendle (6-3) 29.333 at Millington (7-2) 41.000
Rochester Hills Lutheran Northwest (5-4) 29.873 at Detroit Community (6-3) 30.762
DIVISION 8
REGION 1
DISTRICT 1
West Iron County (4-4) 25.361 at Bark River-Harris (7-1) 37.375
L'Anse (5-4) 25.417 at Iron Mountain (5-3) 27.528
DISTRICT 2
Mancelona (5-4) 29.361 at Maple City Glen Lake (7-1) 40.528
Frankfort (6-3) 29.917 at East Jordan (6-3) 32.625
REGION 2
DISTRICT 1
Mount Pleasant Sacred Heart (5-4) 26.206 at Beal City (9-0) 42.111
Saginaw Michigan Lutheran Seminary (6-3) 33.000 at Saginaw Nouvel Catholic Central (7-2) 33.556
DISTRICT 2
Reese (5-4) 27.111 at Harbor Beach (9-0) 42.556
Genesee (4-5) 27.556 at Unionville-Sebewaing (6-3) 32.889
REGION 3
DISTRICT 1
Centreville (5-4) 29.778 at Hudson (9-0) 49.857
White Pigeon (7-2) 35.222 at Decatur (7-2) 38.222
DISTRICT 2
Manchester (5-4) 28.444 at Springport (9-0) 38.931
Fowler (6-3) 34.111 at New Lothrop (6-3) 37.778
REGION 4
DISTRICT 1
Auburn Hills Oakland Christian (5-4) 25.611 at Madison Heights Madison (8-1) 44.556
Clarkston Everest Collegiate (5-4) 28.667 at Waterford Our Lady of the Lakes (5-4) 30.444
DISTRICT 2
Riverview Gabriel Richard (4-5) 29.111 at Melvindale Academy for Business & Tech (9-0) 45.667
Southfield Bradford Academy (6-3) 31.889 at Allen Park Cabrini (8-1) 38.889
8-Player Pairings
DIVISION 1
REGION 1
Gogebic (8-1) 32.264 at Norway (9-0) 37.625
Pickford (7-1) 32.542 at Indian River Inland Lakes (9-0) 36.667
REGION 2
Breckenridge (6-3) 30.250 at Blanchard Montabella (8-1) 35.222
Central Lake (6-3) 30.333 at Merrill (7-2) 31.778
REGION 3
Marcellus (6-3) 28.417 at Martin (9-0) 38.667
Climax-Scotts (7-2) 32.486 at Gobles (7-2) 33.194
REGION 4
Bay City All Saints (7-2) 31.319 at Kingston (8-1) 36.222
Capac (7-2) 33.111 at Brown City (7-2) 33.444
DIVISION 2
REGION 1
St. Ignace (6-3) 29.250 at Felch North Dickinson (9-0) 34.708
Powers North Central (7-2) 31.444 at Lake Linden-Hubbell (7-2) 31.444
REGION 2
Hillman (6-3) 29.208 at Onekama (9-0) 36.667
Gaylord St. Mary (7-2) 29.778 at Mio (8-1) 32.472
REGION 3
Marion (6-3) 29.333 at Portland St Patrick (9-0) 37.750
Grand Rapids Sacred Heart (8-1) 34.972 at Mendon (9-0) 37.375
REGION 4
Pittsford (7-2) 32.111 at Britton Deerfield (8-1) 36.889
Morrice (8-1) 32.222 at Deckerville (8-1) 36.556
The MHSAA is a private, not-for-profit corporation of voluntary membership by more than 1,500 public and private senior high schools and junior high/middle schools which exists to develop common rules for athletic eligibility and competition. No government funds or tax dollars support the MHSAA, which was the first such association nationally to not accept membership dues or tournament entry fees from schools. Member schools which enforce these rules are permitted to participate in MHSAA tournaments, which attract more than 1.4 million spectators each year.
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