HILLSDALE COUNTY — Hillsdale County 11-player football teams officially begin preparations for the 2026 season this week as practices get underway across Michigan.
The season brings major storylines for Hillsdale, Jonesville and Reading. Hillsdale enters its final football season in the Lenawee County Athletic Association before moving to the Cascades Conference in 2027. Jonesville will debut its new stadium, while Reading begins a new era under first-year coach Gavin Wisel.
We begin our preview season with schedules for each team, key notes about the games ahead and our favorite matchup for each team.
Vote in the online polls for which game is the must watch for each team in 2026.
Hillsdale, 2025 record: 1-9
Schedule
*LCAA game
Schedule notes
Coach Joe Williamson enters his third season leading the Hornets, who will play their final campaign as an LCAA member before joining the Cascades Conference in 2027-28. Since joining the league in 2012, Hillsdale has won four conference championships, most recently in 2019. The program enters its final LCAA season with a 56-40 conference record.
The league schedule begins Sept. 3 at Ida, which finished 9-3 and reached a regional championship game last season. Hillsdale concludes conference play Oct. 16 against Blissfield. The Hornets defeated the Royals in last year’s regular-season finale.
Hillsdale plays only three road games and hosts both nonconference matchups, including a season-ending matchup with Manchester, a future Cascades Conference opponent.
Favorite game
Week 1: Jonesville at Hillsdale
The county rivalry opens the season for the 13th consecutive year. Hillsdale dominated the series during its successful run in the 2010s, but Jonesville has won two straight and enters 2026 looking for a third consecutive victory. With Hillsdale preparing to leave the LCAA and likely become a future conference rival of Jonesville again in the Cascades, the season opener carries added significance. Hillsdale leads the all-time series 10-4.
Runner-up: Week 7, Hillsdale vs. Hudson
Jonesville, 2025 record: 6-4 (playoffs)
Schedule
*Cascades South Division game
Schedule Notes
Expectations are high for coach Frank Keller’s Comets after becoming the county’s lone 11-player playoff qualifier last season. Jonesville will compete in the newly structured Cascades South Division alongside Addison, Brooklyn Columbia Central and Napoleon
The Comets play three road games in their first four weeks before opening conference play at home against Napoleon. Week 8 will feature a Cascades crossover matchup against a North Division opponent.
Jonesville closes the regular season against Muskegon Catholic Central in the programs’ first meeting. Muskegon Catholic Central won four consecutive state championships from 2013-16 but have missed the playoffs the past two seasons.
Favorite game
Week 3: Jonesville vs. Napoleon
The matchup will serve as the first game at Jonesville’s new football stadium, LDK Stadium, Dana Lunger and Bill Dunn Fields. The facility replaces the longtime field behind Jonesville Middle School, where the program played since the 1930s.
LDK stadium, Dana Lunger and Bill Dunn Fields – a project made possible by the generosity of Rich and Judy Hale.
Jonesville officially moves on from its old stadium, the historic field behind Jonesville Middle School where games had been played since the 1930s.
The new stadium hosts modern amenities and seating for nearly 900 spectators – as well as a memorial centered just inside the east entrance to the athletic complex.
The game also carries playoff implications. Napoleon defeated Jonesville 22-6 in a crossover game last season and has qualified for the playoffs every year since 2022. The Pirates finished 7-4 in 2025 and return several key contributors, making the opener of division play one of the conference’s most anticipated games.
Reading, 2025 record: 3-6
Schedule
*Big 8 Conference game
Schedule notes
Reading begins a new chapter under Wisel following the retirement of Hall of Fame coach Rick Bailey. The Rangers also face a new-look Big 8 Conference that now includes East Jackson and Homer. Stockbridge will remain in the conference for one final season before departing for the Cascades in 2027.
Because the conference now has nine members, each team will play eight league games. Reading opens with three road matchups in its first four weeks, including a season opener against East Jackson, which joins the conference after spending the past several years in the Cascades — with last year ending abruptly after forfeiting their remaining schedule.
The Rangers’ lone nonconference game is Sept. 18 at Carson City-Crystal. The Eagles recently returned to 11-player football after spending three seasons in the 8-player ranks. Carson-City-Crystal was a two-time regional title game finalist in 2021-22. Reading closes the season with road games at Bronson and Quincy.
Favorite game
Week 3: Reading at Homer
The return of Homer to the Big 8 renews one of the region’s oldest rivalries. The Trojans spent the past three seasons in the Cascades Conference before rejoining the league.
After four-straight playoff appearances, the Homer Trojans took leave from the Big 8 Conference after decades as one of its founding members and played three years in the Cascades West. In that time, the Trojans won just four games, including only three Cascades Conference matchups.
Homer is back in the Big 8, and with its return brings back a rivalry that has seen 72 games so far in program history. Homer leads Reading all-time with 38 wins, 31 losses and three ties.
It will be a big test for both Reading and Homer to see where the teams stand heading into the rest of the 2026 season.
This article originally appeared on Hillsdale Daily News: Our favorite games of Hillsdale County’s 11-player football schedule
Reporting by Joseph Flaherty, Hillsdale Daily News / Hillsdale Daily News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Joseph Flaherty, Hillsdale Daily News | USA TODAY Network
