Week 5 Football Playoff Listing
September 18, 2012
Here is a list of Michigan High School Athletic Association football playing schools, displaying their win-loss records and playoff averages through the fourth week of the season.
Schools on this list are in enrollment order. An asterisk (*) beside a record indicates that a team has eight or fewer games scheduled. A carrot (^) beside a school’s name indicates that a team is one win away from playoff qualification.
Those schools with 11-player teams with six or more wins playing nine-game schedules, or five or more wins playing eight games or fewer, will qualify for the MHSAA Football Playoffs beginning Oct. 26-27. Schools with 5-4, 4-3 or 4-4 records may qualify if the number of potential qualifiers by win total does not reach the 256 mark. Schools with six or more wins playing nine-game schedules or five or more wins playing eight games or fewer may be subtracted from the field based on playoff average if the number of potential qualifiers exceeds the 256 mark.
Once the 256 qualifying schools are determined, they will be divided by enrollment groups into eight equal divisions of 32 schools, and then drawn into regions of eight teams each and districts of four teams each.
Those schools with 8-player teams will be ranked by playoff average at season’s end, and the top 16 programs will be drawn into regions of eight teams each for the playoff in that division, which also begins Oct. 26-27.
To review a list of all football playoff schools, individual school playoff point details and to report errors, visit the Football page of the MHSAA Website.
The announcement of the qualifiers and first round pairings for both the 11 and 8-player playoffs will take place on Oct. 21 on the Selection Sunday Show on FOX Sports Detroit at 7 p.m. The playoff qualifiers and pairings will be posted to the MHSAA Website following the Selection Sunday Show.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
11-Player Playoff Listing
1. Utica Eisenhower, 2772, 3-1, 72.500
2. Sterling Heights Stevenson, 2766, 3-1, 68.500
3. Clarkston, 2721, 4-0, 90.000
4. Macomb Dakota, 2608, 3-1, 72.500
5. Lake Orion, 2565, 4-0, 90.000
6. Troy, 2502, 3-1, 70.500
7. Clinton Township Chippewa Valley, 2462, 3-1, 74.250
8. Dearborn Fordson, 2442, 3-1, 76.250
9. Holland West Ottawa, 2262, 3-1, 66.500
10. Detroit Cass Tech, 2200, 4-0, 92.000
11. Canton, 2166, 3-1, 62.750
12. Monroe, 2154, 4-0, 82.000
13. Plymouth, 2050, 3-1, 62.750
14. Salem, 2039, 4-0, 88.000
15. Livonia Stevenson, 2005, 4-0, 92.000
16. Hartland, 1932, 4-0, 88.000
17. Warren Mott, 1879, 4-0, 84.000
18. Livonia Churchill, 1877, 4-0, 94.000
19. Walled Lake Central, 1857, 3-1, 64.750
20. Saline, 1849, 3-1, 62.250
21. Grandville, 1846, 3-1, 64.750
22. Flint Carman-Ainsworth, 1772, 4-0, 82.000
23. Grand Ledge, 1743, 3-1, 64.250
24. Rochester, 1725, 3-1, 68.750
25. Traverse City West, 1720, 3-1, 62.250
26. White Lake Lakeland, 1700, 3-1, 64.250
27. Davison, 1664, 3-1, 64.750
28. Grosse Pointe South, 1648, 3-1, 70.500
29. Temperance Bedford, 1581, 3-1, 58.750
30. Brownstown Woodhaven, 1520, 3-1, 64.750
31. Ypsilanti Lincoln, 1520, 3-1, 66.750
32. Midland, 1485, 4-0, 94.000
33. Port Huron, 1473, 3-1, 66.500
34. Traverse City Central, 1429, 3-1, 64.000
35. Oak Park, 1391, 4-0, 94.000
36. Lansing Everett, 1359, 4-0, 96.000
37. Birmingham Seaholm, 1349, 3-1, 62.500
38. Garden City, 1344, 3-1, 64.250
39. Portage Central, 1340, 3-1, 66.750
40. Muskegon Mona Shores, 1337, 3-1, 52.750
41. Birmingham Brother Rice, 1336, 3-1, 70.750
42. Portage Northern, 1328, 3-1, 70.750
43. Caledonia, 1308, 4-0, 90.000
44. Wyandotte Roosevelt, 1304, 4-0, 78.000
45. Farmington Hills Harrison, 1302, 3-1, 68.250
46. Farmington, 1278, 4-0, 90.000
47. Grand Rapids Forest Hills Central, 1278, 3-1, 64.750
48. Taylor Truman, 1253, 4-0, 88.000
49. Swartz Creek, 1223, 4-0, 90.000
50. Fenton, 1202, 3-1, 60.750
51. Grand Rapids Northview, 1180, 3-1, 62.000
52. Lowell, 1177, 3-1, 66.750
53. Bay City Western, 1171, 4-0, 72.000
54. Gibraltar Carlson, 1160, 4-0, 78.000
55. Muskegon, 1144, 4-0, 98.000
56. East Lansing, 1142, 4-0, 76.000
57. Mattawan, 1124, 4-0, 82.000
58. Marquette*, 1112, 3-1, 68.250
59. Redford Thurston, 1088, 3-1, 52.500
60. Auburn Hills Avondale, 1080, 4-0, 82.000
61. St. Johns, 1068, 4-0, 82.000
62. Zeeland East, 1067, 4-0, 88.000
63. Detroit East English, 1030, 3-1, 60.750
64. Lansing Waverly, 1011, 3-1, 54.750
65. St. Joseph, 974, 3-1, 58.500
66. Mason, 969, 4-0, 76.000
67. Milan, 959, 4-0, 78.000
68. Grand Rapids Christian, 954, 3-1, 68.750
69. Cedar Springs, 950, 3-1, 50.250
70. DeWitt, 931, 3-1, 62.750
71. Fruitport, 929, 4-0, 76.000
72. Orchard Lake St. Mary's, 926, 3-1, 66.750
73. Bloomfield Hills Lahser, 925, 4-0, 78.000
74. Linden, 923, 4-0, 92.000
75. Niles, 920, 3-1, 66.750
76. Hazel Park, 909, 3-1, 58.750
77. Stevensville Lakeshore, 906, 4-0, 94.000
78. St. Clair, 901, 4-0, 74.000
79. Tecumseh, 887, 4-0, 82.000
80. Carleton Airport, 868, 3-1, 60.500
81. Detroit Central Collegiate, 868, 3-1, 60.250
82. Hastings, 850, 3-1, 54.750
83. Plainwell, 832, 3-1, 62.750
84. Cadillac, 820, 4-0, 80.000
85. Madison Heights Lamphere, 814, 3-1, 60.750
86. Edwardsburg, 805, 3-1, 52.500
87. North Branch, 803, 3-1, 56.500
88. Hamilton, 801, 4-0, 80.000
89. Marysville, 794, 4-0, 84.000
90. Three Rivers, 760, 3-1, 52.500
91. Goodrich, 748, 3-1, 56.500
92. Dearborn Heights Robichaud, 720, 4-0, 82.000
93. Big Rapids, 706, 3-1, 48.750
94. Croswell-Lexington, 704, 4-0, 82.000
95. St. Clair Shores South Lake, 704, 3-1, 62.500
96. Pontiac Notre Dame Prep, 701, 4-0, 78.000
97. Otsego, 698, 3-1, 54.500
98. Detroit Country Day, 685, 3-1, 66.250
99. Comstock Park, 678, 3-1, 60.000
100. Grand Rapids Catholic Central, 674, 4-0, 76.000
101. Grand Rapids South Christian, 660, 3-1, 56.500
102. Battle Creek Pennfield, 656, 4-0, 56.000
103. Grosse Ile, 649, 3-1, 52.750
104. Saginaw Swan Valley, 642, 4-0, 72.000
105. Paw Paw, 639, 4-0, 68.000
106. Allendale, 636, 3-1, 66.500
107. Williamston, 636, 3-1, 56.750
108. Cheboygan, 631, 3-1, 58.500
109. Marine City, 629, 3-1, 66.250
110. Alma, 614, 3-1, 60.750
111. Saginaw Valley Lutheran, 608, 3-1, 36.750
112. Dowagiac, 605, 4-0, 74.000
113. Livonia Clarenceville, 597, 3-1, 57.417
114. Clawson, 582, 3-1, 46.500
115. Remus Chippewa Hills, 581, 3-1, 50.500
116. Essexville Garber, 572, 3-1, 54.500
117. Clinton Township Clintondale, 570, 4-0, 78.000
118. Lake Fenton, 564, 3-1, 54.500
119. Freeland, 561, 3-1, 54.500
120. Kingsford, 559, 3-1, 50.750
121. Portland, 555, 4-0, 72.000
122. Flint Powers Catholic, 542, 4-0, 78.000
123. Menominee, 539, 4-0, 82.000
124. Macomb Lutheran North, 537, 4-0, 74.000
125. Hopkins, 531, 4-0, 64.000
126. Detroit University Prep, 528, 4-0, 72.667
127. Grayling, 516, 4-0, 66.000
128. Ann Arbor Gabriel Richard, 515, 3-1, 48.750
129. Allen Park Cabrini, 512, 3-1, 42.750
130. Olivet, 509, 3-1, 48.750
131. Frankenmuth, 507, 4-0, 72.000
132. Newaygo, 507, 3-1, 54.750
133. Ida, 503, 4-0, 64.000
134. River Rouge, 495, 4-0, 66.667
135. Carrollton, 492, 4-0, 56.000
136. Lansing Catholic, 487, 3-1, 52.500
137. Reed City, 480, 4-0, 70.000
138. Muskegon Oakridge, 474, 4-0, 68.000
139. Kingsley, 473, 3-1, 40.250
140. Jackson Lumen Christi, 472, 4-0, 74.000
141. Buchanan, 467, 3-1, 50.500
142. Leslie, 467, 4-0, 66.000
143. Roscommon, 461, 3-1, 46.750
144. Kalkaska, 459, 3-1, 38.750
145. Millington*, 459, 3-1, 58.750
146. Warren Michigan Collegiate, 446, 4-0, 66.000
147. Boyne City, 437, 4-0, 66.000
148. Monroe St. Mary Catholic Central, 437, 3-1, 52.500
149. Negaunee, 433, 4-0, 66.000
150. Beaverton, 422, 3-1, 40.250
151. Hemlock, 421, 3-1, 56.750
152. Shelby, 417, 4-0, 78.000
153. Vassar, 416, 4-0, 50.000
154. Clinton, 413, 4-0, 68.000
155. Maple City Glen Lake, 409, 4-0, 54.000
156. Michigan Center, 406, 4-0, 64.000
157. Manchester, 404, 3-1, 44.750
158. Ithaca, 402, 4-0, 76.000
159. Montrose Hill-McCloy, 400, 3-1, 58.750
160. Niles Brandywine, 396, 3-1, 38.917
161. Grass Lake, 395, 3-1, 48.750
162. Hillsdale, 391, 4-0, 70.000
163. Madison Heights Madison, 391, 3-1, 58.000
164. Ecorse, 390, 3-1, 42.500
165. Montague, 390, 3-1, 50.750
166. Sanford Meridian, 388, 3-1, 48.250
167. Saranac, 383, 3-1, 50.250
168. Constantine, 371, 3-1, 44.750
169. Grandville Calvin Christian, 371, 3-1, 46.750
170. Watervliet, 369, 4-0, 48.000
171. Schoolcraft, 366, 4-0, 68.000
172. Byron Area, 364, 3-1, 40.750
173. Reese, 350, 4-0, 54.000
174. Union City, 350, 4-0, 54.000
175. Burton Bendle, 348, 3-1, 40.750
176. Pellston, 347, 4-0, 32.000
177. Saginaw Nouvel, 344, 3-1, 64.750
178. Carson City-Crystal, 337, 3-1, 34.250
179. Hartford, 337, 4-0, 62.667
180. Marlette, 336, 4-0, 56.000
181. Whittemore-Prescott, 328, 3-1, 40.750
182. Lawton, 317, 4-0, 60.000
183. Lake City, 316, 4-0, 48.000
184. Pewamo-Westphalia, 316, 3-1, 46.500
185. Hesperia, 309, 3-1, 38.500
186. Ishpeming, 307, 4-0, 62.000
187. Unionville-Sebewaing, 303, 3-1, 38.500
188. Evart, 302, 3-1, 34.750
189. Homer, 302, 3-1, 36.750
190. Detroit Loyola, 298, 4-0, 76.000
191. Lincoln Alcona, 292, 3-1, 30.500
192. Genesee, 288, 3-1, 34.000
193. Mancelona, 288, 4-0, 50.000
194. Royal Oak Shrine Catholic, 284, 3-1, 56.750
195. Grosse Pointe Woods University Liggett, 283, 3-1, 36.500
196. Reading, 283, 3-1, 38.500
197. Decatur, 277, 4-0, 50.000
198. Gobles, 271, 3-1, 38.750
199. Ottawa Lake Whiteford, 268, 3-1, 40.750
200. Waterford Our Lady, 263, 4-0, 64.000
201. Newberry, 260, 3-1, 26.750
202. Mayville, 258, 3-1, 50.500
203. Melvindale Academy for Business & Tech, 254, 3-1, 52.500
204. Marcellus, 249, 4-0, 44.000
205. Harbor Beach, 245, 3-1, 38.750
206. Vestaburg, 242, 3-1, 36.500
207. Coleman, 239, 3-1, 38.250
208. New Lothrop, 237, 4-0, 64.000
209. Bessemer*, 233, 3-1, 38.750
210. L'Anse, 233, 4-0, 54.000
211. Petersburg-Summerfield, 232, 3-1, 40.750
212. Atlanta, 224, 3-1, 30.917
213. Mendon, 216, 4-0, 50.000
214. Beal City, 213, 4-0, 68.000
215. Pittsford, 213, 3-1, 36.250
216. Morenci, 207, 3-1, 40.000
217. St. Ignace La Salle, 207, 4-0, 46.000
218. Pickford, 197, 4-0, 48.000
219. Onaway, 194, 4-0, 38.000
220. Powers North Central, 194, 3-1, 26.250
221. Fowler, 186, 3-1, 48.750
222. Climax-Scotts, 183, 4-0, 44.000
223. Morrice, 171, 4-0, 48.000
224. St. Joseph Lake Michigan Catholic*, 171, 3-0, 46.667
225. Colon, 164, 3-1, 30.750
226. Crystal Falls Forest Park, 164, 4-0, 48.000
227. Mt. Pleasant Sacred Heart, 121, 3-1, 42.750
228. Iron Mountain North Dickinson*^, 112, 4-0, 54.000
229. Ashley, 99, 3-1, 28.500
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
8-Player Playoff Listing
1. Deckerville, 194, 3-1, 36.750
2. Battle Creek St. Philip, 182, 3-1, 34.750
3. Kingston, 175, 3-1, 30.500
4. Cedarville, 169, 4-0, 45.333
5. Peck, 156, 4-0, 40.000
6. Eben Junction Superior Central, 132, 4-0, 42.000
7. Rapid River, 115, 4-0, 34.000
8. Portland St. Patrick, 104, 4-0, 46.000
9. Owendale-Gagetown, 60, 3-1, 32.250
Northern Powers Building on Tradition
October 28, 2016
By Dennis Chase
Special for Second Half
TRAVERSE CITY – Matt Stapleton jokes when he talks about his 19-year run as the Frankfort football coach.
“If you ask how many games we’ve won while I’ve been here, the answer would be, ‘Not enough,’” he quipped. “And if you ask how many we’ve lost, it would be “Too many.’”
Well, nobody is asking that second question, particularly this season. Frankfort heads into tonight’s MHSAA Division 8 playoffs with a perfect 9-0 record. The Panthers are one of two unbeaten in the northern Lower Peninsula. Traverse City St. Francis is the other.
That should come as no surprise to those who follow football in the north. The two schools are the winningest programs, percentage-wise, in the area. St. Francis ranks seventh in the state with a winning percentage of 76.8 percent since the school started playing football in 1951. Frankfort ranks 24th with a 71.4 winning percentage since 1950.
St. Francis, which has won six MHSAA championships, just put together back-to-back unbeaten regular seasons for the second time in school history. The 1991-92 teams also accomplished the feat. Gladiators head coach Josh Sellers played on the 1991 team as did offensive line coach Aaron Biggar and offensive coordinator Scott Doriot, who was also the quarterback on the 1992 Class C title squad.
“After (last Friday’s win) I told the team, ‘Hey, welcome to the club, guys,” Sellers said.
“They took it in stride, but they should be happy and excited about it,” Doriot added. “It’s super special, a heck of an accomplishment.”
Frankfort, meanwhile, completed its first 9-0 regular season since 2004.
Now the two programs are back in familiar territory – the playoffs. St. Francis, which hosts Harbor Springs on Saturday in a Division 7 contest, is in the postseason for the 30th time since 1983. During one stretch, the Gladiators, who have reached the MHSAA Finals nine times, qualified 22 years in a row. Frankfort, which hosts Evart tonight, is in the playoffs for the 28th time in the last 32 years. The Panthers own two MHSAA crowns, and during one six-year stretch played for the title five times.
Maintaining that tradition is a powerful motivator at the two schools.
“It’s a ‘your turn’ mentality,” Stapleton said. “Each team has its own identity, but the goals remain the same. For this team, it’s our turn, our opportunity.”
The same holds true at St. Francis.
“We want to follow in the footsteps of the guys before us,” senior back Gabe Callery, a water boy on some previous MHSAA championship teams, said. “That’s why we set our goals so high, because we’ve seen what those teams did. Now we want to taste it for our own.”
Like many, Callery had an older brother play in the Gladiators program. So he and his teammates know the bar is set high.
“It’s expectations,” Sellers said. “The coaches don’t have to push (playoffs) as one of our goals. It’s engrained in the kids, especially in the multi-generational families that have been a part of the program here.”
St. Francis and Frankfort made strong playoff runs last season. The Gladiators reached the Division 6 Semifinals before losing to eventual champion Ithaca. Frankfort fell to Division 8 champion Muskegon Catholic Central in the Regional. St. Francis and Frankfort led those games in the second half.
Both teams have had just one tight game this season, and it came at home with Maple City Glen Lake. St. Francis downed the Lakers 21-13 in Week 2, while Frankfort rallied for a 26-21 triumph in Week 6. Those were the only two losses Glen Lake, a Division 6 qualifier, suffered during the regular season.
For the Panthers, that game was a defining moment. Not only did it put Frankfort in position to win the Northern Michigan Football League Leaders division, but it proved the Panthers could play with character and toughness under fire.
“That was an incredible (game), a good test for us to see if we could play at a high level for four quarters,” Stapleton said.
It helped to create an identity, he added.
“In those (pressure) situations, do you crumble or step up?” he said. “We stepped up pretty well.”
The players thought so, too.
“After that game, we thought, ‘Wow, we could make something happen this year,’” Panthers senior quarterback Tige Stockdale said.
“It meant a lot to us,” junior running back/linebacker Griffin Kelly added. “That was one of our goals – to beat Glen Lake. We worked hard and (played) with a lot of heart. We were the underdogs. I don’t think they expected it.”
St. Francis, meanwhile, cruised to the Northern Michigan Football League’s Legends crown, taking the title outright with a 22-0 win over Boyne City last Friday.
The Gladiators are an experienced team with 19 seniors on the roster.
“Experience is our strength,” Sellers said. “A good number of our seniors were on varsity as sophomores, especially up front on the offensive line. We have two juniors on the front seven, and one is a third-year varsity starter.”
St. Francis lost some key cogs to graduation in the backfield, but Callery returned for his third varsity season.
“He didn’t get a lot of touches last year,” Sellers said, “so he’s making up for lost time.”
Callery leads the ground game with 891 yards in eight games (one win was a forfeit), averaging 9.1 yards per carry. Tim Bott’s average is even better at 12.5 yards per carry. He’s picked up 401 yards on just 32 carries. Joey Muzljakovich has 390 rushing yards.
Sophomore quarterback Danny Passinault, who won a three-way battle for the job, oversees the offense, which averages 40 points per game. He’s completed 26 of 44 passes for 509 yards and 12 touchdowns. Chris Kolarevic (seven) and Michael Hegewald (four) have caught 11 of the 12 TD passes.
“We’ve been on an upward trend (offensively) the last four or five games, although I didn’t think we played our best against Boyne,” Doriot said.
Defensively, the Gladiators are limiting opponents to six points and just under 170 yards in total offense per contest. Ryan Lints, Kolarevic, Muzljakovich and Matt Biggar are the team’s leading tacklers. Lints, a lineman, has five sacks, Callery three interceptions.
The Gladiators are relatively healthy entering the postseason.
“We had a hold-your-breath moment against Cheboygan when we lost (back) Connor McGee,” Sellers said. “He dislocated his elbow, and we thought he would be out five to six weeks. But we found out today (Monday) he’s back. He missed two games.”
At Frankfort, Stapleton’s been pleased with his squad’s consistency in improving every week. He said that loss to Muskegon Catholic last November was a “springboard” for his players.
“Our kids were like, ‘We just went toe-to-toe with the team that won the last three (Division 8) state championships,’” Stapleton said. “Our kids felt disappointed because we could have won that game. We just didn’t finish.”
And that’s been the mindset this season.
Unlike St. Francis, the Panthers are not senior heavy. At times, Stapleton’s started four seniors on offense, four on defense.
Kelly is the sparkplug. He’s rushed for 1,250 yards on 132 carries (a 9.5-yard average) in eight games (one win was a forfeit).
“What’s nice about Grif is that he’s not consumed by statistics,” Stapleton said. “There’s only been three games he’s had carries in the fourth quarter.
“He’s a special player. He makes calling plays pretty easy. You want the ball in his hands. If he gets stuffed one play, he’s going to make something happen the next.”
Kelly runs behind a line that features 6-foot-3, 300-pound junior tackle Matt Stefanski, a “legitimate” college prospect, Stapleton said. The Panthers start three seniors and two juniors up front.
“I have a lot of trust in them,’ Kelly said of his line. “They’re outstanding.”
Stockdale is another weapon. He’s rushed for nearly 600 yards and passed for 300. He’s accounted for 15 touchdowns. Junior receiver Matt Loney is averaging 16 yards a reception for an offense that is scoring 43 points a game.
Kelly leads the defense with 85 tackles. Stefanski anchors the middle with seniors Colton Ryder and Wil Darling providing the pressure from their end positions and channeling plays to the interior.
Not unexpectedly, the future continues to look bright at St. Francis and Frankfort, too. The Gladiators junior varsity team finished unbeaten for the third year in a row, while the Frankfort JV team went 8-1, on the heels of two unbeaten campaigns.
For now, though, it’s a one-game-at-a-time mantra in the playoffs.
“We have one week guaranteed,” Frankfort’s Kelly said. “You never know if you’re going to have practice (the following) Monday.”
At St. Francis, Callery, for one, is savoring the final stretch of his high school career.
“Maybe it’s the weather getting cold, but it’s a different feel,” he said. “And if you don’t feel different during the playoffs, something’s wrong with you. It’s a special time.”
Dennis Chase worked 32 years as a sportswriter at the Traverse City Record-Eagle, including as sports editor from 2000-14. 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) Frankfort quarterback Tige Stockdale prepares to pitch during an Aug. 26 win over Manton. (Middle) St. Francis' Chris Kolarevic works upfield during his team's win over Cheboygan on Oct. 7. ( Below) Griffin Kelly (4) hurdles a would-be tackler for a touchdown against Central Lake on Sept. 2. (Photos by Amy Plumstead [Frankfort] and Leslie Julian [St. Francis].)