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High 5s: 11/28/12

November 28, 2012

The final MHSAA championships of the Fall 2012 season give us our final High 5s before heading into winter. This week, we recognize both an individual and a team that achieved new heights. 

Drake Harris
Grand Rapids Christian junior
Football

A 6-foot-4, 180-pound receiver who has committed to play both football and basketball at Michigan State beginning in 2014, Harris posted one of the finest receiving season in MHSAA history capped by playing a huge role in his team's first MHSAA championship. The Eagles beat Orchard Lake St. Mary's 40-37 in overtime Saturday for the Division 3 title. His eight catches for a Finals-record 243 yards and a touchdown put his unofficial season totals at 91 catches for 2,015 yards and 25 scores. Once confirmed, the season yardage will rank as the most in MHSAA history and 12th nationally for one season (his yards per game rank fourth and yards per catch sixth on the NFHS lists). Harris also ranked fourth for catches and second for touchdown catches on the MHSAA single-season lists.

Just ducky: "I'm probably more energized now after he hit that kick," Harris said after teammate Joel Schipper's winning field goal Saturday. "I was probably more tired a little bit during the game. But we condition all practice. We play fast. We play like Oregon, move the ball, (at) a high tempo. We're all in condition, so we really weren't that tired." 

Bring on the new guy: Harris has caught more than 3,000 yards worth of passes from senior Alex VanDeVusse over the last two seasons, but will play with a new quarterback in 2013. "I've been with Alex since sophomore year. I guess I have to start over and work hard all next season and hope to get back here."  

Be like Calvin: "Calvin Johnson, I want to be just like him when I get older. I know I'm a little skinny right now, but when I get to college, I know they'll put weight on me. I watch film on him all the time, watch him running routes. So I take my game after him. He's the best wide receiver in the NFL right now, probably one of the best wide receivers to play the game, in my opinion." 

Click to read more. 

Portland football

The Raiders, unranked despite entering the postseason 8-1, finished with their first MHSAA title won in their first trip to the Finals. Portland defeated Grand Rapids West Catholic 12-9 in the Division 5 championship game after knocking out 2011 champion Flint Powers Catholic in the Regional Final. For the playoffs, Portland outscored its five opponents 169-66 while holding three to nine or fewer points. In finishing 13-1 and setting a school record for wins, the Raiders beat nine playoff teams total including eventual Division 3 Semifinalist DeWitt. 

Click to read more. 

Previous 2012-13 honorees:

News 2023

Football Playoff Regional Seeding Highlights Changes as MHSAA Fall Sports Begin

By Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor

August 7, 2026

A new format for early-round playoff seeding in 11-player football is among the most notable changes as more than 100,000 high school athletes from Michigan High School Athletic Association member high schools prepare for the first day of practices Monday, Aug. 10.

All fall sports teams may begin practicing Monday. Girls golf and boys tennis teams in the Lower Peninsula and girls tennis teams in the Upper Peninsula may begin competition Aug. 14. Cross country, field hockey, boys soccer, girls volleyball and Lower Peninsula girls swimming & diving teams may begin competing Aug. 19, and the first varsity football games may be played Aug. 27.

The 11-Player Football Playoffs will begin Oct. 30 and 31 with a new seeding system. Beginning this season, the playoff field in each of eight 11-player divisions will first be organized into eight-team Regionals. The eight teams in each Regional will then be seeded based on playoff-point average, with seeds 1, 4, 5 and 8 comprising one District and seeds 2, 3, 6 and 7 comprising the other. The winners of those Districts will play in the Regional Final.

A golf change also relates to postseason play, as golfers must now play in at least eight dates of a school team’s competition schedule to be eligible for the MHSAA Tournament. If a school’s varsity team plays fewer than 16 regular-season dates of competition, a student must instead participate in at least 50 percent of the varsity’s regular-season dates to be eligible for the postseason.

Field hockey will begin its second season of MHSAA sponsorship with the addition of a 10-minute reduced-player overtime for all regular-season varsity games. Unless part of a regular-season bracketed tournament, a game still tied at the end of the 10-minute overtime will be declared a tie.

A few game-action rules changes also will be quickly noticeable to participants and spectators.  

  • High school volleyball teams now are permitted to designate up to two liberos prior to each set, although only one libero can be in the game at a time.
  • Also in volleyball, players on the serving team are forbidden to raise their hands above their heads during service until the ball has passed beyond the net.
  • In football, a rule formerly applied to defensive players prohibiting them from using their hands to slap an opponent’s head has been expanded to penalize players on both sides of the ball for slapping an opponent’s head.
  • In soccer, goalkeepers will be allowed eight seconds instead of the previously-permitted six before releasing the ball. A corner kick will be awarded if the goalkeeper holds the ball past eight seconds.
  • Also in soccer, a change on penalty kicks states encroachment will be penalized only if the offense has a clear impact on the penalty kick.

The 2026 Fall campaign culminates with postseason tournaments beginning with the Upper Peninsula Girls Tennis Finals during the week of Sept. 28 and wrapping up with the 11-Player Football Finals on Nov. 27 and 28. Here is a complete list of fall tournament dates: 

Cross Country 
U.P. Finals – Oct. 24 
L.P. Regionals – Oct. 30-31 
L.P. Finals – Nov. 7 

Field Hockey
Regionals – Oct. 14-26
Semifinals – Oct. 28
Final – Oct. 31

11-Player Football 
Selection Sunday – Oct. 25 
District Semifinals – Oct. 30-31 
District Finals – Nov. 6-7
Regional Finals – Nov. 13-14 
Semifinals – Nov. 21
Finals – Nov. 27-28

8-Player Football 
Selection Sunday – Oct. 25 
Regional Semifinals – Oct. 30-31 
Regional Finals – Nov. 6-7 
Semifinals – Nov. 14 
Finals – Nov. 21

L.P. Girls Golf 
Regionals – Oct. 5-10 
Finals – Oct. 16-17 

Boys Soccer 
Districts – Oct. 14-24 
Regionals – Oct. 27-31 
Semifinals – Nov. 4 
Finals – Nov. 7 

L.P. Girls Swimming & Diving 
Diving Regionals – Nov. 12
Swimming/Diving Finals – Nov. 20-21 

Tennis 
U.P. Girls Finals – Sept. 30-Oct. 3 
L.P. Boys Regionals – Oct. 7-10 
L.P. Boys Finals – Oct. 14-15 (Division 1), Oct. 16-17 (Division 3), Oct 21-22 (Division 4), and Oct. 23-24 (Division 2) 

Girls Volleyball 
Districts – Nov. 2-7 
Regionals – Nov. 10 & 12 
Quarterfinals – Nov. 17 
Semifinals – Nov. 19-20 
Finals – Nov. 21 

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.