2015 Week 9 Football Playoff Listing
October 20, 2015
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
Here is a list of Michigan High School Athletic Association football playing schools, displaying their win-loss records and playoff averages through the eighth week of the season.
Schools on this list are in enrollment order for 11-player teams, with 8-player teams ordered by playoff average.
An asterisk (*) beside a record indicates a team has eight or fewer games scheduled. A caret (^) beside a school’s name indicates 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. 30. 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. 30.
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 at 7 p.m. Oct. 25 on the Selection Sunday Show on FOX Sports Detroit. The playoff qualifiers and pairings will be posted to the MHSAA Website following the Selection Sunday Show.
11-Player Playoff Listing
1. Macomb Dakota, 2921, 6-2, 88.375
2. Grand Blanc, 2727, 4-4, 51.750
3. Clarkston, 2707, 6-2, 76.500
4. Utica Eisenhower ^, 2669, 5-3, 75.875
5. Sterling Heights Stevenson, 2634, 6-2, 82.250
6. Clinton Township Chippewa Valley, 2611, 6-2, 87.125
7. East Kentwood, 2581, 6-2, 81.875
8. Howell ^, 2567, 5-3, 65.625
9. Rockford ^, 2561, 5-3, 70.375
10. Dearborn Fordson ^, 2477, 5-3, 65.875
11. Detroit Cass Tech, 2285, 7-1, 91.875
12. Northville, 2281, 8-0, 108.000
13. Brighton, 2211, 7-1, 96.500
14. Troy Athens ^, 2153, 5-3, 61.750
15. Detroit Catholic Central, 2138, 6-2, 77.625
16. Utica Ford ^, 2080, 5-3, 71.125
17. Canton, 2076, 6-2, 83.000
18. Monroe, 2066, 4-4, 50.375
19. Lapeer, 2059, 8-0, 100.000
20. Plymouth, 2057, 6-2, 80.375
21. Ann Arbor Pioneer, 2025, 6-2, 81.625
22. Hartland ^, 2017, 5-3, 71.000
23. Novi, 2017, 4-4, 54.500
24. West Bloomfield, 1932, 8-0, 105.000
25. Dearborn, 1921, 4-4, 47.625
26. Saline *, 1879, 8-0, 107.000
27. Livonia Stevenson, 1831, 6-2, 83.500
28. Grandville ^, 1825, 5-3, 63.625
29. Warren Mott ^, 1810, 5-3, 66.750
30. Holt ^, 1788, 5-3, 58.750
31. Utica, 1788, 4-4, 55.625
32. Davison ^, 1765, 5-3, 62.750
33. Hudsonville, 1763, 6-2, 85.000
34. Belleville, 1735, 7-1, 94.250
35. Ann Arbor Skyline, 1703, 4-4, 44.250
36. Romeo, 1673, 8-0, 110.000
37. Grand Ledge, 1663, 8-0, 97.000
38. Waterford Mott ^, 1651, 5-3, 63.750
39. Grosse Pointe South, 1629, 6-2, 82.125
40. Traverse City West, 1623, 4-4, 48.875
41. Livonia Churchill, 1620, 4-4, 50.250
42. Livonia Franklin ^, 1615, 5-3, 60.875
43. Walled Lake Northern ^, 1611, 5-3, 65.250
44. Warren DeLaSalle, 1572, 6-2, 87.157
45. Sterling Heights, 1561, 6-2, 74.125
46. Temperance Bedford, 1561, 4-4, 51.250
47. Detroit Martin Luther King, 1537, 8-0, 108.000
48. Flint Carman-Ainsworth, 1533, 4-4, 48.625
49. Oak Park ^, 1530, 5-3, 66.125
50. Warren Cousino ^, 1514, 5-3, 62.250
51. Detroit U-D Jesuit ^, 1486, 5-3, 62.250
52. Caledonia, 1476, 4-4, 50.625
53. Traverse City Central, 1474, 8-0, 105.429
54. Walled Lake Western, 1462, 8-0, 112.000
55. Midland, 1419, 7-1, 88.875
56. Ypsilanti Lincoln, 1403, 4-4, 43.250
57. Dearborn Edsel Ford, 1380, 4-4, 48.250
58. Portage Northern, 1375, 4-4, 51.625
59. Lincoln Park ^, 1363, 5-3, 62.750
60. Portage Central, 1351, 8-0, 103.000
61. Wyandotte Roosevelt, 1346, 6-2, 78.250
62. Battle Creek Lakeview ^, 1344, 5-3, 66.875
63. Grosse Pointe North, 1341, 4-4, 51.125
64. Detroit East English, 1338, 6-2, 70.625
65. Swartz Creek, 1322, 4-4, 52.875
66. Southfield-Lathrup ^, 1320, 5-3, 57.875
67. Dearborn Heights Crestwood, 1308, 4-4, 42.750
68. Grand Rapids Ottawa Hills, 1280, 4-4, 49.000
69. Southfield ^, 1269, 5-3, 66.000
70. North Farmington, 1267, 4-4, 49.875
71. Port Huron Northern, 1260, 4-4, 46.875
72. Midland Dow, 1256, 7-1, 85.625
73. Berkley, 1248, 6-2, 73.375
74. Birmingham Groves, 1248, 8-0, 100.000
75. Royal Oak, 1248, 4-4, 46.375
76. Jackson, 1244, 6-2, 69.250
77. Muskegon Mona Shores, 1239, 8-0, 108.000
78. South Lyon, 1224, 4-4, 52.125
79. Farmington Hills Harrison, 1218, 7-1, 94.625
80. Grand Rapids Northview, 1183, 4-4, 51.500
81. Farmington ^, 1176, 5-3, 65.625
82. Mattawan, 1175, 4-4, 50.250
83. Lowell, 1168, 7-1, 94.875
84. Detroit Renaissance, 1140, 4-4, 40.875
85. Gibraltar Carlson ^, 1140, 5-3, 60.125
86. Grand Rapids Forest Hills Northern, 1124, 6-2, 79.625
87. East Lansing, 1123, 4-4, 50.625
88. Muskegon, 1113, 6-2, 88.500
89. Fenton, 1108, 7-1, 94.500
90. Ypsilanti Community, 1088, 4-4, 51.125
91. Byron Center, 1070, 6-2, 72.500
92. Holly ^, 1068, 5-3, 67.875
93. Redford Thurston ^, 1064, 5-3, 68.125
94. Mt. Pleasant, 1061, 6-2, 73.625
95. Ortonville-Brandon ^, 1060, 5-3, 61.875
96. Allen Park, 1058, 7-1, 95.625
97. St. Johns, 1053, 6-2, 81.500
98. Zeeland East ^, 1040, 5-3, 73.400
99. Mason, 1033, 6-2, 71.375
100. Orchard Lake St. Mary's *, 1032, 6-1, 93.450
101. Grand Rapids Kenowa Hills, 1030, 4-4, 49.875
102. Auburn Hills Avondale, 1010, 4-4, 45.375
103. Hamtramck, 984, 4-4, 39.625
104. St. Joseph, 980, 7-1, 91.500
105. East Grand Rapids ^, 975, 5-3, 72.875
106. Petoskey, 970, 6-2, 75.393
107. DeWitt, 960, 7-1, 101.875
108. Romulus ^, 956, 5-3, 58.625
109. Trenton, 953, 7-1, 93.750
110. Linden, 947, 7-1, 92.750
111. Cedar Springs ^, 943, 5-3, 60.250
112. Gaylord ^, 940, 5-3, 55.018
113. Sturgis, 926, 6-2, 67.625
114. Riverview, 912, 6-2, 60.500
115. Grand Rapids Christian ^, 905, 5-3, 66.625
116. Parma Western ^, 876, 5-3, 55.250
117. Haslett ^, 875, 5-3, 64.000
118. Stevensville Lakeshore ^, 874, 5-3, 70.750
119. New Boston Huron, 871, 4-4, 45.375
120. Warren Fitzgerald ^, 871, 5-3, 55.125
121. Fruitport, 865, 4-4, 43.196
122. Coldwater, 863, 8-0, 97.000
123. Marshall, 863, 7-1, 85.875
124. Vicksburg, 858, 6-2, 66.500
125. Edwardsburg, 851, 8-0, 90.000
126. Sault Ste. Marie ^, 850, 5-3, 63.804
127. Bay City John Glenn ^, 847, 5-3, 50.554
128. Chelsea, 845, 7-1, 82.375
129. Zeeland West, 840, 8-0, 100.000
130. Ada Forest Hills Eastern, 828, 8-0, 97.000
131. Dearborn Divine Child, 827, 4-4, 49.700
132. Milan, 820, 6-2, 69.625
133. Plainwell, 807, 4-4, 44.500
134. Fowlerville, 800, 4-4, 50.500
135. Coopersville, 797, 4-4, 40.000
136. Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood, 794, 7-1, 69.875
137. Detroit Denby, 790, 4-4, 50.500
138. Marysville, 783, 6-2, 76.250
139. North Branch, 758, 4-4, 40.500
140. Center Line, 754, 4-4, 42.000
141. Goodrich, 754, 6-2, 68.071
142. Pontiac Notre Dame Prep, 728, 7-1, 88.625
143. Allendale, 720, 4-4, 42.500
144. Escanaba, 719, 4-4, 54.411
145. Warren Lincoln ^, 697, 5-3, 49.250
146. Harper Woods Chandler Park Academy, 692, 6-2, 65.786
147. Detroit Country Day, 685, 7-1, 80.214
148. Comstock Park, 682, 6-2, 73.500
149. Detroit Cesar Chavez Academy, 681, 6-2, 56.625
150. Croswell-Lexington, 668, 6-2, 63.500
151. St. Clair Shores South Lake, 668, 7-1, 78.750
152. Hudsonville Unity Christian, 665, 6-2, 64.250
153. Grand Rapids Catholic Central, 658, 7-1, 89.500
154. Williamston, 657, 4-4, 48.500
155. Corunna, 656, 7-1, 76.339
156. Whitehall ^, 656, 5-3, 50.375
157. Paw Paw, 653, 4-4, 42.375
158. Alma ^, 642, 5-3, 54.000
159. Detroit Collegiate Prep, 632, 8-0, 83.286
160. Benton Harbor, 631, 4-4, 54.000
161. Lake Fenton, 625, 4-4, 44.821
162. Lake Odessa Lakewood, 624, 7-1, 69.375
163. Saginaw Swan Valley ^, 613, 5-3, 52.875
164. Dowagiac ^, 611, 5-3, 56.875
165. Flint Powers Catholic, 610, 6-2, 69.000
166. Big Rapids ^, 609, 5-3, 53.000
167. Richmond, 605, 7-1, 80.625
168. Wyoming Godwin Heights ^, 602, 5-3, 45.000
169. Remus Chippewa Hills, 600, 6-2, 68.375
170. River Rouge, 593, 7-1, 77.750
171. Clawson ^, 592, 5-3, 48.000
172. Birch Run ^, 583, 5-3, 54.125
173. Dearborn Heights Robichaud, 573, 6-2, 67.250
174. Gladwin, 571, 4-4, 36.625
175. Freeland, 563, 8-0, 91.000
176. Macomb Lutheran North, 563, 4-4, 37.625
177. Portland, 563, 8-0, 100.000
178. Essexville Garber, 557, 4-4, 42.750
179. Ann Arbor Gabriel Richard, 556, 4-4, 43.500
180. Detroit University Prep ^, 555, 5-3, 50.196
181. Southfield Bradford Academy, 550, 4-4, 36.768
182. Ida, 548, 8-0, 92.000
183. Kingsford, 547, 6-2, 69.196
184. Marine City ^, 540, 5-3, 58.125
185. Muskegon Oakridge, 538, 6-2, 61.214
186. Algonac, 532, 7-1, 78.750
187. Frankenmuth, 529, 8-0, 86.000
188. Olivet ^, 524, 5-3, 54.875
189. Chesaning, 523, 4-4, 44.125
190. Detroit Henry Ford ^, 523, 5-3, 47.625
191. Lansing Catholic, 517, 7-1, 77.875
192. Almont, 513, 6-2, 61.375
193. Onsted, 509, 4-4, 34.125
194. Detroit Central Collegiate, 508, 6-2, 60.000
195. Berrien Springs, 495, 7-1, 77.431
196. Parchment ^, 493, 5-3, 42.875
197. Stockbridge, 493, 6-2, 56.250
198. Ovid-Elsie, 491, 6-2, 66.750
199. Reed City, 491, 8-0, 89.778
200. Dundee, 489, 4-4, 37.500
201. Grayling, 489, 6-2, 60.375
202. Standish-Sterling, 489, 4-4, 39.750
203. Clinton Township Clintondale, 486, 4-4, 50.250
204. Menominee, 480, 8-0, 100.444
205. Harper Woods ^, 476, 5-3, 49.339
206. Manistee, 469, 6-2, 54.911
207. Brooklyn Columbia Central, 463, 7-1, 67.875
208. Buchanan, 459, 8-0, 89.000
209. Grand Rapids West Catholic, 442, 6-2, 70.500
210. Clare ^, 437, 5-3, 47.500
211. Kalkaska, 437, 4-4, 37.500
212. Kingsley ^, 431, 5-3, 47.000
213. Harrison, 430, 6-2, 55.250
214. Hillsdale ^, 430, 5-3, 50.500
215. Jackson Lumen Christi, 426, 6-2, 72.625
216. Warren Michigan Collegiate ^, 421, 5-3, 58.536
217. Calumet, 419, 6-2, 55.260
218. Lakeview, 417, 4-4, 34.875
219. Sanford Meridian Early College, 408, 8-0, 79.000
220. Detroit Pershing, 405, 4-4, 34.250
221. Ithaca, 402, 8-0, 84.000
222. Byron ^, 399, 5-3, 44.250
223. Delton Kellogg ^, 398, 5-3, 54.000
224. Millington, 398, 7-1, 78.875
225. Montague, 396, 8-0, 85.000
226. Burton Bendle, 393, 7-1, 66.875
227. Oscoda ^, 391, 5-3, 38.625
228. Detroit Edison Public School Academy ^, 390, 5-3, 44.750
229. Monroe St. Mary Catholic Central, 389, 8-0, 93.000
230. Roscommon, 388, 4-4, 36.625
231. Montrose ^, 386, 5-3, 49.464
232. Morley Stanwood, 386, 6-2, 54.375
233. Constantine, 385, 4-4, 45.000
234. Negaunee, 385, 6-2, 57.143
235. Maple City Glen Lake, 384, 4-4, 40.750
236. Boyne City, 383, 7-1, 66.875
237. Hanover-Horton, 382, 4-4, 35.375
238. Grass Lake, 380, 4-4, 37.125
239. Niles Brandywine ^, 380, 5-3, 40.875
240. Adrian Madison, 379, 4-4, 33.625
241. Vassar, 377, 7-1, 64.750
242. Mason County Central ^, 376, 5-3, 51.000
243. Laingsburg ^, 373, 5-3, 39.250
244. Watervliet, 372, 7-1, 74.875
245. Madison Heights Madison, 367, 7-1, 83.875
246. Manchester, 365, 7-1, 65.875
247. Schoolcraft, 357, 8-0, 84.000
248. Bangor, 356, 4-4, 31.375
249. Charlevoix ^, 350, 5-3, 43.125
250. Leroy Pine River, 349, 4-4, 41.500
251. Grand Rapids NorthPointe Christian, 345, 8-0, 84.000
252. St. Charles, 345, 4-4, 39.500
253. Lawton, 342, 6-2, 54.375
254. Vandercook Lake, 341, 7-1, 63.750
255. Clinton, 335, 8-0, 73.000
256. Lake City, 331, 4-4, 45.625
257. Traverse City St. Francis, 320, 8-0, 89.429
258. Ishpeming Westwood ^, 315, 5-3, 46.802
259. Hesperia, 310, 8-0, 71.000
260. Sandusky, 310, 8-0, 72.000
261. Iron Mountain ^, 309, 5-3, 47.329
262. McBain, 307, 6-2, 64.625
263. Hartford ^, 305, 5-3, 48.125
264. Cass City, 304, 6-2, 51.125
265. Bridgman, 303, 7-1, 58.750
266. Gobles, 301, 4-4, 41.125
267. Marlette, 298, 4-4, 34.875
268. Union City, 298, 4-4, 35.875
269. Burton Atherton, 296, 4-4, 28.893
270. Elkton-Pigeon-Bay Port Laker, 296, 4-4, 36.125
271. Homer, 294, 7-1, 66.500
272. Pewamo-Westphalia, 292, 8-0, 74.000
273. Rochester Hills Lutheran Northwest ^, 292, 5-3, 43.500
274. Flint Hamady, 291, 6-2, 52.911
275. Dansville, 289, 7-1, 58.875
276. Springport ^, 287, 5-3, 46.875
277. Saginaw Nouvel, 285, 7-1, 68.561
278. Riverview Gabriel Richard, 284, 6-2, 57.625
279. Grosse Pointe Woods University Liggett, 282, 6-2, 55.000
280. Harbor Springs ^, 281, 5-3, 38.750
281. Flint Beecher *, 278, 5-2, 59.964
282. Ishpeming *, 278, 7-0, 79.000
283. Carson City-Crystal ^, 277, 5-3, 38.875
284. Detroit Loyola, 276, 6-2, 70.339
285. New Lothrop, 276, 8-0, 83.000
286. Saugatuck, 271, 8-0, 69.000
287. Ubly, 271, 6-2, 53.375
288. Cassopolis, 270, 6-2, 55.625
289. Concord, 267, 6-2, 54.250
290. Whittemore-Prescott ^, 267, 5-3, 47.875
291. Decatur ^, 266, 5-3, 39.000
292. Hudson, 265, 4-4, 35.625
293. Lincoln Alcona ^, 265, 5-3, 36.768
294. Unionville-Sebewaing ^, 262, 5-3, 47.250
295. Detroit Allen Academy *, 258, 5-3, 41.250
296. Ottawa Lake Whiteford, 255, 7-1, 55.625
297. Indian River Inland Lakes ^, 251, 5-3, 34.875
298. Onekama, 250, 7-1, 51.946
299. Petersburg-Summerfield, 240, 6-2, 53.500
300. White Pigeon, 231, 4-4, 29.250
301. Beal City, 228, 7-1, 73.250
302. Johannesburg-Lewiston, 226, 7-1, 59.750
303. Merrill ^, 225, 5-3, 49.000
304. St. Ignace, 225, 7-1, 59.857
305. Saginaw Michigan Lutheran Seminary, 223, 7-1, 65.875
306. Melvindale Academy for Business & Tech ^, 219, 5-3, 44.250
307. Mayville, 217, 4-4, 32.375
308. L'Anse ^, 215, 5-3, 44.778
309. Newberry, 211, 6-2, 46.196
310. Pittsford ^, 211, 5-3, 37.536
311. Vestaburg ^, 205, 5-3, 34.500
312. Mendon ^, 200, 5-3, 44.250
313. Bark River-Harris, 194, 6-2, 50.006
314. Morenci, 191, 6-2, 54.625
315. Munising, 191, 6-2, 49.196
316. Central Lake, 189, 6-2, 42.500
317. Fowler, 183, 6-2, 45.625
318. Sterling Heights Parkway Christian ^, 178, 5-3, 47.875
319. Muskegon Catholic Central *, 177, 5-2, 60.089
320. Adrian Lenawee Christian, 170, 7-1, 48.161
321. Climax-Scotts, 163, 8-0, 61.286
322. Crystal Falls Forest Park *, 163, 5-2, 46.720
323. Frankfort, 160, 7-1, 67.375
324. Waterford Our Lady, 157, 8-0, 87.000
325. Lake Linden-Hubbell, 155, 8-0, 68.683
326. Colon ^, 153, 5-3, 35.411
327. Hillman, 146, 6-2, 40.768
328. Baldwin *^, 144, 4-3, 34.643
329. Mt. Pleasant Sacred Heart ^, 142, 5-3, 42.375
330. Bay City All Saints ^, 118, 5-3, 29.429
331. Clarkston Everest Collegiate ^, 113, 5-3, 46.250
8-Player Playoff Listing
1. Battle Creek St. Philip, 144, 8-0, 63.000
2. Owendale-Gagetown, 49, 8-0, 60.143
3. Posen, 84, 8-0, 60.000
4. Powers North Central, 198, 8-0, 58.000
5. Morrice, 169, 7-1, 55.875
6. Deckerville, 178, 7-1, 54.750
7. Waldron, 88, 7-1, 45.875
8. Cedarville, 144, 6-2, 44.375
9. Lawrence, 189, 7-1, 43.127
10. Engadine, 85, 6-2, 42.375
11. Peck, 152, 6-2, 42.071
12. New Haven Merritt Academy, 148, 6-2, 40.464
13. Rapid River, 111, 5-3, 40.000
14. Portland St. Patrick, 87, 6-2, 36.625
15. Stephenson, 186, 5-3, 36.000
16. Onaway, 196, 5-3, 34.000
17. Pickford, 164, 5-3, 32.875
18. Marion *, 145, 4-3, 27.744
19. Bellaire, 134, 4-4, 26.875
20. Kingston, 187, 4-4, 26.875
21. Webberville, 184, 4-4, 26.000
22. Baraga, 164, 4-4, 25.500
23. Kinde-North Huron, 147, 4-4, 24.500
24. Tekonsha, 148, 4-4, 23.625
25. Caseville, 91, 4-4, 23.411
26. Akron-Fairgrove, 99, 3-5, 20.589
27. Ewen-Trout Creek, 126, 2-6, 14.750
28. Hale *, 132, 2-5, 14.554
29. Big Rapids Crossroads Academy, 190, 2-6, 13.637
30. Burr Oak, 75, 2-6, 12.750
31. St. Helen Charlton Heston Academy, 108, 2-6, 12.250
32. Ontonagon, 129, 2-6, 12.000
33. Eben Junction Superior Central, 123, 1-7, 8.125
34. St. Joseph Michigan Lutheran, 103, 1-7, 7.875
35. Pellston, 170, 1-7, 7.000
36. Litchfield, 92, 0-8, 3.875
37. Carsonville-Port Sanilac, 120, 0-8, 3.750
38. Brimley, 142, 0-8, 3.125
39. Flint Michigan School For The Deaf *, 47, 0-7, 2.982
40. Covert *, 91, 0-6, 2.220
Pennfield Football 'Family' Ready for Kickoff with New Coach, New Home
By
Pam Shebest
Special for MHSAA.com
August 22, 2023
BATTLE CREEK – New coach, new stadium, new attitude.
The Pennfield football players cannot wait to start restoring Panther Pride.
After suffering through an 0-9 season last year, “All the varsity players who have been here through the bad were skeptical – including myself – of new coaches, new everything, basically,” senior outside linebacker/wide receiver Thomas Kurtz said.
“But once we got familiar with the coaches and got to know them more, it felt like they were always here. It felt like their impact was so profound that it felt right. Me, personally, I’m loving every second of it.”
Architect of the new-look Panthers is head coach Robbie Hattan, who is also loving every second of his new position.
If enthusiasm can inspire players, Hattan’s the guy.
He led Colon to the MHSAA 8-player Division 1 title in 2019 and was named Coach of the Year for the division by the Michigan High School Football Coaches Association. Over his seven years at Colon, Hattan’s Magi also were 2021 Division 2 runners-up and made Regional Finals or Semifinals three more seasons.
He hopes that success translates to Pennfield, which has hovered around .500 most of the last decade after several previous impressive finishes.
A key, Hattan said, is leading with love.
“I’ve always led with love,” he said. “It’s gotten hard to get these kids used to another man telling them, ‘Hey, I love you.’
“We define family in our program as ‘Forget about me, I love you.’ Love is sacrifice. If we can get our kids to be able to sacrifice themselves for the team, for the family, we’ll be very successful.”
Players were a bit skeptical at first, said Hattan, who started work as the district’s facilities and maintenance director Jan. 27.
“I went the first two weeks before (players) would talk to me,” he said. “They kind of gave me the cold shoulder. Then they got to know me a little bit.”
Kurtz said he was “a little scared because this is the new head coach. The more I got to know him, the more approachable he seemed and the more friendly he seemed.”
Interactions with players were important to Hattan when choosing his assistants.
“I need to know, do you love kids, do you love athletes and building a positive culture,” he said. “You can be the best Xs and Os guys, but if you’re not great for kids, I don’t want you.”
Two assistants are Pennfield legends Chris Lok and Jason Livengood, both members of the last Panthers football team to win a state championship. That was in 1991.
“Pennfield has a rich tradition of being successful,” Hattan said. “From 1973 to 2013, they didn’t have losing seasons.
“The history is here; the fans want to support. It’s getting the kids to feel like somebody loves them.”
Talking about Lok and Livengood, “They bleed Pennfield,” said Hattan, who also kept Matt Merlington and Chris Minor from last year’s staff.
The coach has one other legend connection on the team.
Senior Daniel Wells is the grandson of “legendary Pennfield coach Dave Hudson, who coached all those winning seasons,” Hattan said.
Wells said his grandfather is “excited to see that someone with a lot of knowledge is coming in and really trying to educate us on the game of football like if we haven’t seen it before.”
Hattan named Jason Porter, who coached at Kalamazoo College and Kalamazoo Loy Norrix, as his defensive coordinator. Hattan also brought two assistants with him from Colon: Joe Sweeter and Zach Doerr.
“Any school I’ve been at, I’ve asked (Sweeter) to come with me,” Hattan said. “He was with me at Litchfield, he was with me when I coached semi-pro football (Battle Creek Coyotes), he helped me at Gull Lake for a year, he was with me at Colon.”
Doerr lives in Battle Creek, and when the commute to Colon became a bit much, he stepped away. Now he is back with a much shorter drive.
Talking about that makes Hattan laugh since he currently lives in Colon and makes the drive to Battle Creek each day.
“My kids still go to school (at Colon) while we look for houses in Battle Creek,” Hattan said.
“We want to be in this community, because for me building a family and a culture that kids want to be a part of requires around-the-clock availability as a football coach.”
And experience abounds among the leadership.
“I look at my offensive staff and we have guys who have 25, 30 years coaching experience,” Hattan said. “When you add all of the years our staff has coaching, I don’t think there’s a staff in the state that has as much credentials as this staff has.”
Community & Communication
The first year Hattan was at Colon, the team played 11-player football. The Magi then switched to 8-player for the last six.
Going back to 11-player is much easier, Hattan said.
“The biggest difference is the speed,” he said. “In 8-man, if you are fast, you can be good, where 11-man, there are more guys. Yes, it’s good to be fast, but you also have to have some size to make some holes.
“Eight-man’s tough because you’re always like, ‘I wish I had one more player. If I have one more player, I could fill that hole better or I could do this.’”
One highlight this season is a brand-new football stadium and Hattan said he was amazed watching every step of the artificial turf installation.
“It was an incredible process,” he said. “Once the different shades of green were rolled out, all the white was cut in. The numbers, the lines, the hash marks, the logo, the letters were cut in and sewn in by this crew.
“There’s also new bleachers, track, lights, concessions. It’s going to be a wonderful complex for our community.”
Hattan added that everything but the field itself was a small part of a $30-million bond passed in 2020. The turf will be paid for through fundraising efforts.
Hattan noted the field also has lines for lacrosse and soccer sewn in, and an eight-lane track will be installed.
“Our band is going to be able to be out here. We’re putting in a video board, so maybe we can do some movie nights out here. There are a lot of different things we can do for our community.”
The football team is also a community, Wells said.
The biggest difference this year is “community and communication,” the senior linebacker/guard said. “A lot more conversation with coaches.
“This year I’ve already talked to Coach more than I talked to my last coach in three years. The communication is on a whole new level.”
As for learning a new system, “It’s pretty tough having to relearn everything including the basics, but it’s not hard as long as you are willing to constantly learn more and better yourself as a team,” Wells added.
Communication and love were on display early.
When an upperclassman wanted to join the team late, Hattan allowed the players to decide.
When some of the players balked, Kurtz spoke up.
“I believe that everybody deserves a chance to do something they love,” he said. “I wouldn’t want to deny somebody the chance of making memories and maybe even creating new bonds with people they never would have imagined they would.”
The player is on the team and fitting in well.
“That really moved me,” Hattan said. “That’s how you build culture. As you get kids to understand that, at the end of the day, if you can say, ‘Forget about me, I love you.’"
Players had their first taste of competition during a non-scored scrimmage at Sturgis.
“I think we competed very well,” Hattan said. “Our kids were flying around the field and very enthusiastic about football. Our defense was a very strong point of our team.
“Kids were rallying to the football and trusting their teammates to do their job. Offensively, we looked like we were new to the system we are just putting in. We had some hiccups but had a lot of positive things.”
Pennfield begins the season Thursday at Lake Odessa Lakewood. Home opener is Sept. 8 against Parma Western.
“We might be tightening down a couple screws (at the new stadium) Sept. 7,” Hattan said. “But we’ll be ready to play.”
Pam Shebest served as a sportswriter at the Kalamazoo Gazette from 1985-2009 after 11 years part-time with the Gazette while teaching French and English at White Pigeon High School. She can be reached at [email protected] with story ideas for Calhoun, Kalamazoo and Van Buren counties.
PHOTOS (Top) Jabrael Powell cuts into an opening during Pennfield’s intrasquad scrimmage this month. (Middle) From left: Thomas Kurtz, coach Robbie Hattan and senior Daniel Wells stand together in the team’s new stadium. (Below) Isaiah Adams, carrying the ball, works to get to the edge with a defender in pursuit. (Action photos courtesy of Pennfield Sports Nation; stadium photo by Pam Shebest.)