While the thought is there throughout the football season, the possibility of being that team that hoists a Michigan high school football state championship trophy is becoming very real for those still playing around the state.
Welcome to the regional championship round in 11-player football and the state semifinals for 8-player.
We’re less than three weeks out from having 10 Michigan high school football state champions crowned in the sport.
District championships took place a week ago, knocking out some heavy hitters, though, all eight 11-player state champions from a year ago remain within the field, along with three runner-up finishers.
In Division 1, defending state champion Detroit Cass Tech (11-0) seems destined for a return to Detroit’s Ford Field just down the road, with a 40-point win last week over Dearborn Fordson. North Carolina commit CJ Sadler shined again for Tech, turning all three receptions into three touchdowns and 157 yards.
We could have a title game rematch in the division, with last year’s runner-up Hudsonville (11-0) remaining impressive, though they’ve got a rematch with East Kentwood (9-2) this week, a game that was only a one-point 43-42 Hudsonville win earlier this season. Kentwood receiver Ahman Edmonds had the game of his life a week ago, catching 11 passes for 271 yards and three scores from Michigan State QB commit Kayd Coffman against Howell.
Detroit Catholic Central (11-0) traveling to Clarkston (10-1) in a battle of Division 1 powers is another intriguing matchup in a loaded division. Both teams are playing as well as anyone in the state this season.
In Division 2, Traverse City Central (7-4) pulled off one of the surprises of the week with an upset over Muskegon, though they’ll take on a Portage Central (11-0) team this week that’s allowed more than one score in just one game this season. They own six shutouts overall. It’s hard to even wrap your head around a 515-44 point-differential at the D2 level.
Gibraltar Carlson (11-0), with Purdue running back commit Izaiah Wright, is playing like the other team to beat. Few have answers for slowing Wright, who went for 308 yards and five touchdowns last week against Bedford.
While East Grand Rapids (9-2) at Mount Pleasant (11-0) might be the best game of the week in Division 3, the most intriguing is Warren De La Salle (5-6) heading to Detroit King (7-4).
Two teams with a combined 10 losses on the season, its evidence that the newer playoff point system just might work. In the old system, both teams – who failed to reach six regular season wins – might not even have made the postseason.
Both teams played challenging schedules this season and for De La Salle to even finish with a winning record, they’ll need to win a state title.
A battle of unbeatens comes in Division 4 between defending state champion Goodrich (11-0) and fellow unbeaten Williamston (11-0), then in Division 5, a rematch of the 2024 state championship game between Pontiac Notre Dame Prep (9-2) and Frankenmuth (10-1) will take place Friday.
ND Prep rolled in a 42-7 final last season, so it’ll be interesting to see the kind of fight Little Bavaria puts up against the Fighting Irish this time.
The last two Division 6 state champions remain in the field in reigning Jackson Lumen Christi (8-3) and 2023 champ Kingsley (9-2), with both playing like they want another.
Lumen Christi will welcome Ida (9-2) after a 44-0 win over Napoleon, while the Stags bring in Reed City (9-2) for a rematch of the season-opener, a 24-6 Stags win. Kingsley demolished Traverse City St. Francis a week ago in a 57-6 final that sat at 50-6 at halftime thanks to over 400 first half rushing yards.
In Division 7, Menominee (11-0) may as well begin checking Thanksgiving week hotel rates in Detroit, with another dismantling a week ago in a 49-6 victory over McBain. The Maroons, who visited Ford Field in 2023, also made Division 5 trips in 2006, 2007, 2013 and 2016, wining the first two.
They’ll bring in Shelby (7-4) this week for 860 miles of roundtrip football. Defending state champ Millington (9-2) also remains in a matchup with Clinton (9-2)
Four undefeated teams remain within Division 8, including defending champion Beal City (11-0), who heads to Harbor Beach (11-0). Springport (11-0) will also meet Hudson (11-0) in another unbeatens battle.
Within the 8-player ranks, a new state champion will be crowned at both the Division 1 and 2 levels…kind of.
Deckerville (10-1) earned a Division 1 state title last season and now finds themselves one game away from returning to Marquette’s Superior Dome for the Division 2 state finals, as they take on Portland St. Patrick (11-0) this week.
Norway (11-0) is playing perhaps the best football of anyone in Division 1, though their opponent, Blanchard Montabella (10-1), has only fallen to D2 unbeaten St. Patrick.
Check out the complete list of MHSAA football regionals and semifinals below.
Michigan high school football playoff matchups:
Regionals
Division 1
Region 1
East Kentwood (9-2) at Hudsonville (11-0), 1 p.m., Saturday
Region 2
Novi Detroit Catholic Central (11-0) at Clarkston (10-1), 7 p.m., Friday
Region 3
Detroit Cass Tech (11-0) at Saline (10-1), 7 p.m., Friday
Region 4
Romeo (8-3) at Rochester Adams (9-2), 7 p.m., Friday
Division 2
Region 1
Traverse City Central (7-4) at Portage Central (11-0), 7 p.m., Friday
Region 2
Orchard Lake St. Mary’s (8-2) at Midland Dow (10-1), 7 p.m., Friday
Region 3
Dexter (10-1) at Gibraltar Carlson (11-0), 7 p.m., Friday
Region 4
Birmingham Groves (8-3) at St. Clair Shores Lakeview (9-2), 7 p.m., Friday
Division 3
Region 1
East Grand Rapids (9-2) at Mount Pleasant (11-0), 7 p.m., Friday
Region 2
Zeeland West (8-3) at Lowell (9-2), 7 p.m., Friday
Region 3
Fenton (8-3) at DeWitt (11-0), 7 p.m., Friday
Region 4
Warren De La Salle (5-6) at Detroit King (7-4), 6 p.m., Friday
Division 4
Region 1
Big Rapids (10-1) at Hudsonville Unity Christian (10-1), 7 p.m., Friday
Region 2
Vicksburg (7-4) at Portland (11-0), 3p.m., Saturday
Region 3
Goodrich (11-0) at Williamston (11-0), 7 p.m., Friday
Region 4
Dearborn Divine Child (10-1) at Harper Woods (11-0), 1 p.m., Saturday
Division 5
Region 1
Ogemaw Heights (10-1) at Saginaw Swan Valley (10-1), 1 p.m., Saturda
Region 2
Kalamazoo Hackett (9-2) at Grand Rapids West Catholic (10-1), 7 p.m., Friday
Region 3
Michigan Center (10-1) at Monroe Jefferson (10-1), 7 p.m., Friday
Region 4
Frankenmuth (10-1) at Pontiac Notre Dame Prep (9-2), 7 p.m., Friday
Division 6
Region 1
Reed City (9-2) at Kingsley (9-2), 7 p.m., Friday
Region 2
Montrose (11-0) at Kent City (11-0), 1 p.m. Saturday
Region 3
Ida (9-2) at Jackson Lumen Christi (8-3), 7 p.m., Friday
Region 4
Detroit Edison (9-2) at Almont (11-0), 7 p.m., Friday
Division 7
Region 1
Shelby (7-4) at Menominee (11-0), Noon, Saturday
Region 2
Ithaca (8-3) at Pewamo-Westphalia (10-0), 7 p.m., Friday
Region 3
Schoolcraft (9-2) at Hanover-Horton (9-2), 1 p.m. Saturday
Region 4
Clinton (9-2) at Millington (9-2), Saturday at 1 p.m.
Division 8
Region 1
Bark River-Harris (9-1) at Maple City Glen Lake (9-1), 7 p.m., Friday
Region 2
Beal City (11-0) at Harbor Beach (11-0), 1 p.m. Saturday
Region 3
Springport (11-0) at Hudson (11-0), 7 p.m., Friday
Region 4
Allen Park Cabrini (10-1) at Madison Heights Madison (10-1), 7 p.m., Friday
8-PLAYER Semifinals
Division 1
Blanchard Montabella (10-1) vs. Norway (11-0), 1 p.m., Saturday at Thirlby Field in Traverse City.
Kingston (10-1) vs. Martin (11-0), 1 p.m., Saturday at Chelsea High School.
Division 2
Felch North Dickinson (11-0) vs. Onekama (11-0), 1 p.m., Saturday at Marquette High School.
Portland St. Patrick (11-0) vs. Deckerville (10-1), 1 p.m., Saturday at Mount Pleasant High School.
Contact or send game stats/info to Sports Editor Drew Kochanny at dkochanny@petoskeynews.com. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @DrewKochanny, and Instagram, @drewkochanny
This article originally appeared on The Petoskey News-Review: All 8 defending 11-player state champs remain in Michigan high school football playoffs
Reporting by Drew Kochanny, The Petoskey News-Review / The Petoskey News-Review
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