2022 MHSAA Football Playoff Pairings Announced
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
October 23, 2022
Here are the pairings for the 2022 MHSAA Football Playoffs, which begin Oct. 28-29 with District Semifinals in the 11-Player Playoffs and Regional Semifinals in the 8-Player Playoffs.
For 11- and 8-player, teams were divided into divisions before the start of play this fall. The top 32 teams in each division in 11-player and top 16 per division in 8-player, based on playoff-point average, were selected to the field. For 11-player, qualifiers were then divided into four regions with eight teams apiece, and for 8-player qualifiers were divided into four regions with four teams in each.
Pairings for the first three weeks of the tournament are based on regular-season playoff point averages, with the highest-ranked team hosting, regardless of the distance between the two schools. For 11-Player District Semifinal and 8-Player Regional Semifinal play, the top-seeded team in each bracket will host the fourth-seeded team, and the second-seeded team will host the third-seeded team.
District Finals for 11-player and Regional Finals for 8-player will follow during the weekend of Nov. 4-5, and the weekend of Nov. 11-12 will have Regional Finals in the 11-Player Playoffs and Semifinals in the 8-Player Playoffs. The 8-Player Semifinals will pair the winners of Region 1 vs. Region 2 and the winners of Region 3 vs. Region 4, at the sites of the highest-ranked team.
Semifinal games in the 11-Player Playoffs will take place Nov. 18-19, pairing the winners of Region 1 vs. Region 2 and the winners of Region 3 vs. Region 4. The MHSAA will assign 11-Player Semifinals at neutral sites.
All playoff tickets except for Finals (both 11 and 8-player) will be sold online only via GoFan at https://gofan.co/ to provide for a cashless and contactless purchasing process.
For 11-Player, tickets to District Semifinals and District Finals cost $7, tickets to Regional Finals are $9, and tickets to Semifinals cost $10. For 8-player, tickets for Regional Semifinals are $7, tickets for Regional Finals are $9, and tickets for Semifinals cost $10.
The 8-Player Finals will take place Nov. 19 at Northern Michigan University’s Superior Dome in Marquette, and the 11-Player Finals will be played Nov. 25-26 at Ford Field in Detroit. An all-day ticket for 8-Player Finals costs $10 and includes admission to both games, and an all-day ticket for the 11-Player Finals costs $20 and includes admission to that day’s four games.
2022 Printable Playoff Brackets
Division 1 | Division 2 | Division 3 | Division 4 | Division 5
Division 6 | Division 7 | Division 8 | 8P Division 1 | 8 P Division 2
Go here for game times and results throughout the tournament: 2022 Football Playoffs Home
Pairings for both the 11 and 8-Player brackets are as follows:
11-Player Pairings
DIVISION 1
REGION 1
DISTRICT 1
East Kentwood (5-4) 58.097 at Rockford (9-0) 85.222
Grandville (7-2) 73.444 at Caledonia (8-1) 78.111
DISTRICT 2
Grand Ledge (7-2) 62.278 at Brighton (8-1) 79.333
Hartland (6-3) 62.667 at Holt (6-3) 64.833
REGION 2
DISTRICT 1
Grand Blanc (4-5) 52.333 at Davison (8-1) 79.528
Lapeer (7-2) 73.111 at Clarkston (7-2) 76.778
DISTRICT 2
Lake Orion (4-5) 51.556 at Rochester Adams (8-1) 75.653
Rochester (5-4) 52.778 at Rochester Hills Stoney Creek (5-4) 56.111
REGION 3
DISTRICT 1
Brownstown Woodhaven (6-3) 55.917 at Belleville (9-0) 85.000
Ann Arbor Huron (5-4) 58.889 at Saline (7-2) 68.778
DISTRICT 2
Novi (5-4) 62.000 at Northville (7-2) 69.444
Detroit Catholic Central (6-2) 63.611 at Dearborn (7-2) 67.556
REGION 4
DISTRICT 1
Detroit Cass Tech (6-3) 54.389 at West Bloomfield (8-1) 80.778
Troy (7-2) 62.556 at Southfield Arts & Technology (7-2) 71.014
DISTRICT 2
Utica Eisenhower (6-3) 66.667 at Macomb Dakota (9-0) 78.875
Clinton Township Chippewa Valley (7-2) 74.056 at Romeo (7-2) 74.222
DIVISION 2
REGION 1
DISTRICT 1
Muskegon Reeths-Puffer (6-3) 56.056 at Grand Rapids Forest Hills Central (9-0) 73.000
Traverse City Central (5-4) 60.222 at Muskegon Mona Shores (7-2) 65.667
DISTRICT 2
Portage Northern (6-3) 56.056 at Byron Center (7-2) 65.556
East Lansing (6-3) 57.944 at Battle Creek Central (7-2) 63.611
REGION 2
DISTRICT 1
Swartz Creek (7-2) 57.556 at Midland (8-1) 69.333
Saginaw Heritage (7-2) 60.333 at Waterford Mott (7-2) 64.556
DISTRICT 2
Milford (5-4) 53.778 at Dexter (9-0) 81.444
South Lyon (6-3) 57.944 at South Lyon East (7-2) 64.333
REGION 3
DISTRICT 1
Dearborn Heights Crestwood (6-3) 50.889 at Livonia Franklin (8-1) 76.889
Farmington (6-3) 56.667 at Temperance Bedford (7-2) 65.444
DISTRICT 2
Ferndale (5-4) 49.556 at Birmingham Seaholm (7-2) 69.222
Warren Mott (5-4) 51.556 at Birmingham Groves (6-3) 55.222
REGION 4
DISTRICT 1
Warren Cousino (6-3) 50.889 at Roseville (7-2) 69.111
Grosse Pointe South (6-3) 66.333 at Warren De La Salle Collegiate (8-1) 68.528
DISTRICT 2
St Clair Shores Lakeview (6-3) 54.667 at Port Huron Northern (8-1) 61.778
Harrison Township L'Anse Creuse (5-4) 58.222 at Port Huron (7-2) 58.889
DIVISION 3
REGION 1
DISTRICT 1
Gaylord (6-3) 45.778 at Mount Pleasant (8-1) 70.444
Cadillac (5-4) 51.111 at DeWitt (6-3) 56.194
DISTRICT 2
Holly (4-5) 46.778 at Fenton (7-2) 60.889
Haslett (6-3) 49.778 at Linden (5-4) 57.889
REGION 2
DISTRICT 1
Sparta (6-3) 45.222 at Muskegon (7-2) 67.667
Cedar Springs (5-4) 48.944 at Coopersville (6-3) 53.111
DISTRICT 2
East Grand Rapids (4-5) 50.000 at St Joseph (8-1) 69.722
Lowell (6-3) 54.556 at Zeeland West (8-1) 67.333
REGION 3
DISTRICT 1
Sturgis (5-4) 43.222 at Mason (9-0) 64.889
Parma Western (6-3) 48.667 at Jackson (5-4) 53.222
DISTRICT 2
New Boston Huron (6-3) 51.222 at Gibraltar Carlson (8-1) 70.222
Southgate Anderson (5-4) 53.000 at Trenton (8-1) 69.222
REGION 4
DISTRICT 1
Detroit Renaissance (4-5) 43.833 at Walled Lake Western (8-1) 75.444
Bloomfield Hills Brother Rice (3-5) 47.542 at Auburn Hills Avondale (6-3) 52.333
DISTRICT 2
Allen Park (5-4) 52.167 at Grosse Pointe North (8-1) 61.000
River Rouge (5-3) 52.278 at Detroit Martin Luther King (5-3) 54.639
DIVISION 4
REGION 1
DISTRICT 1
Big Rapids (7-2) 43.667 at Whitehall (9-0) 63.667
Ludington (7-2) 48.222 at Fruitport (7-2) 53.000
DISTRICT 2
Grand Rapids Christian (3-6) 43.111 at Grand Rapids South Christian (9-0) 65.778
Ada Forest Hills Eastern (6-3) 49.556 at Hudsonville Unity Christian (5-4) 50.333
REGION 2
DISTRICT 1
Paw Paw (4-5) 40.889 at Edwardsburg (8-1) 62.556
Niles (5-4) 43.333 at Three Rivers (5-4) 46.667
DISTRICT 2
Vicksburg (5-4) 47.222 at Hastings (8-1) 59.222
Chelsea (5-4) 54.778 at Charlotte (8-1) 56.000
REGION 3
DISTRICT 1
Ortonville Brandon (6-3) 49.556 at Goodrich (8-1) 61.556
Freeland (7-2) 49.778 at North Branch (8-1) 56.111
DISTRICT 2
Marysville (5-4) 43.000 at Madison Heights Lamphere (7-2) 51.889
Orchard Lake St. Mary's (3-5) 44.083 at Croswell-Lexington (7-2) 51.556
REGION 4
DISTRICT 1
Adrian (5-4) 43.222 at Riverview (9-0) 65.333
Carleton Airport (7-2) 48.111 at Tecumseh (9-0) 63.444
DISTRICT 2
Livonia Clarenceville (5-4) 43.889 at Redford Union (9-0) 60.889
Garden City (6-3) 46.889 at Dearborn Divine Child (7-2) 52.778
DIVISION 5
REGION 1
DISTRICT 1
Ogemaw Heights (7-2) 42.444 at Gladwin (9-0) 52.167
Kingsley (7-2) 48.444 at Kingsford (6-3) 48.778
DISTRICT 2
Shepherd (6-3) 39.000 at Muskegon Oakridge (8-1) 58.000
Howard City Tri County (7-2) 42.667 at Belding (8-1) 56.667
REGION 2
DISTRICT 1
Kalamazoo Hackett Catholic Prep (5-4) 41.056 at Grand Rapids Catholic Central (8-1) 62.222
Hopkins (5-4) 41.556 at Berrien Springs (6-2) 44.639
DISTRICT 2
Olivet (7-2) 45.778 at Portland (8-1) 59.556
Williamston (7-2) 53.778 at Corunna (7-2) 57.889
REGION 3
DISTRICT 1
Birch Run (5-4) 38.667 at Frankenmuth (9-0) 60.889
Essexville Garber (6-3) 41.333 at Saginaw Swan Valley (6-3) 46.111
DISTRICT 2
Yale (5-4) 39.222 at Marine City (7-2) 56.333
Flint Hamady (8-1) 41.833 at Armada (7-2) 52.111
REGION 4
DISTRICT 1
Dundee (6-3) 41.111 at Flat Rock (6-3) 50.889
Grosse Ile (5-4) 42.111 at Romulus Summit Academy North (7-2) 48.000
DISTRICT 2
Detroit Southeastern (6-3) 38.500 at Detroit Country Day (5-3) 44.722
St. Clair Shores South Lake (6-3) 40.444 at Pontiac Notre Dame Prep (6-3) 42.667
DIVISION 6
REGION 1
DISTRICT 1
Houghton (6-3) 34.778 at Negaunee (9-0) 49.333
Calumet (6-3) 36.667 at Menominee (5-4) 39.764
DISTRICT 2
Elk Rapids (6-3) 34.222 at Gladstone (7-2) 54.222
Manistee (6-3) 40.556 at Boyne City (9-0) 44.889
REGION 2
DISTRICT 1
Montague (3-6) 35.444 at Reed City (8-1) 52.889
Kent City (7-2) 39.667 at Muskegon Catholic Central (7-2) 40.444
DISTRICT 2
Sanford Meridian (6-3) 34.333 at Millington (8-1) 45.389
Clare (5-4) 36.778 at Standish-Sterling (7-1) 44.153
REGION 3
DISTRICT 1
Watervliet (6-3) 40.125 at Grand Rapids West Catholic (8-1) 65.556
Buchanan (8-1) 46.083 at Constantine (8-1) 50.889
DISTRICT 2
Lansing Catholic (4-5) 36.333 at Durand (9-0) 52.778
Ovid-Elsie (7-2) 45.556 at Almont (6-3) 51.222
REGION 4
DISTRICT 1
Ida (4-5) 34.667 at Clinton (9-0) 50.667
Detroit Voyageur College Prep (7-2) 44.667 at Ecorse (8-1) 47.444
DISTRICT 2
Clawson (5-4) 33.556 at Madison Heights Bishop Foley (9-0) 49.667
Detroit Northwestern (6-3) 33.667 at Warren Michigan Collegiate (8-1) 47.889
DIVISION 7
REGION 1
DISTRICT 1
L'Anse (4-5) 26.889 at Traverse City St. Francis (9-0) 56.833
Benzie Central (3-6) 30.333 at Charlevoix (8-1) 38.778
DISTRICT 2
Lake City (5-4) 28.444 at Ithaca (8-1) 44.222
Ravenna (6-3) 36.667 at North Muskegon (8-1) 41.000
REGION 2
DISTRICT 1
Burton Bendle (4-5) 26.236 at New Lothrop (7-2) 42.000
Bath (6-3) 30.222 at Pewamo-Westphalia (5-4) 33.000
DISTRICT 2
Cass City (5-4) 31.000 at Montrose (6-3) 37.667
Bad Axe (6-3) 33.111 at Elkton-Pigeon-Bay Port Laker (8-1) 36.667
REGION 3
DISTRICT 1
Niles Brandywine (4-5) 27.139 at Lawton (7-2) 40.236
Delton Kellogg (4-5) 31.944 at Schoolcraft (6-3) 36.192
DISTRICT 2
Homer (7-2) 35.000 at Jackson Lumen Christi (6-3) 51.333
Union City (7-2) 36.333 at Hudson (8-1) 48.111
REGION 4
DISTRICT 1
Erie Mason (6-3) 30.000 at Napoleon (9-0) 41.556
Grass Lake (5-4) 31.444 at Manchester (5-4) 31.778
DISTRICT 2
Southfield Bradford Academy (3-6) 26.889 at Detroit Central (9-0) 52.167
Grosse Pointe Woods University Liggett (7-2) 35.444 at Monroe St. Mary Catholic Central (4-5) 41.556
DIVISION 8
REGION 1
DISTRICT 1
Ishpeming (4-5) 28.889 at Iron Mountain (8-1) 45.556
Bark River-Harris (7-2) 32.556 at St. Ignace (7-2) 34.444
DISTRICT 2
East Jordan (5-4) 26.889 at Frankfort (8-1) 36.222
McBain (5-4) 27.222 at Evart (8-1) 35.889
REGION 2
DISTRICT 1
White Cloud (6-3) 28.000 at Beal City (9-0) 40.667
Carson City-Crystal (8-1) 30.667 at Fowler (8-1) 36.778
DISTRICT 2
Saginaw Nouvel (6-3) 34.056 at Ubly (9-0) 40.222
Harbor Beach (8-1) 37.222 at Saginaw Michigan Lutheran Seminary (8-1) 38.556
REGION 3
DISTRICT 1
Decatur (6-3) 30.331 at Reading (7-2) 35.556
White Pigeon (6-3) 32.109 at Centreville (6-3) 33.206
DISTRICT 2
Addison (5-4) 29.111 at Ottawa Lake Whiteford (9-0) 46.778
Melvindale Academy for Business & Tech (7-2) 31.000 at Riverview Gabriel Richard (6-3) 40.444
REGION 4
DISTRICT 1
Marlette (5-4) 27.333 at Marine City Cardinal Mooney (7-2) 39.667
Flint Beecher (4-4) 29.875 at Clarkston Everest Collegiate (6-3) 31.500
DISTRICT 2
Sterling Heights Parkway Christian (4-5) 26.889 at Detroit Leadership Academy (4-5) 31.333
Detroit Community (5-4) 27.722 at Mount Clemens (7-2) 31.056
8-Player Pairings
DIVISION 1
REGION 1
Norway (6-3) 30.583 at Munising (9-0) 37.833
Newberry (8-1) 33.681 at Rogers City (9-0) 37.333
REGION 2
Indian River Inland Lakes (6-3) 31.000 at Merrill (9-0) 37.000
Fulton (7-2) 31.444 at Breckenridge (7-2) 31.444
REGION 3
Tekonsha (7-2) 30.361 at Martin (7-2) 37.736
Gobles (7-2) 32.444 at Adrian Lenawee Christian (7-2) 33.444
REGION 4
Deckerville (6-3) 31.000 at Kingston (9-0) 35.667
Auburn Hills Oakland Christian (8-1) 33.556 at Brown City (8-1) 34.014
DIVISION 2
REGION 1
Stephenson (6-3) 28.000 at Powers North Central (9-0) 36.333
Lake Linden-Hubbell (6-3) 28.000 at Crystal Falls Forest Park (7-2) 30.778
REGION 2
Posen (7-2) 29.873 at Marion (9-0) 37.315
Central Lake (7-2) 29.944 at Gaylord St Mary (7-2) 30.486
REGION 3
Kinde North Huron (6-3) 26.000 at Au Gres-Sims (8-1) 34.556
Morrice (7-2) 31.444 at Peck (7-2) 31.778
REGION 4
Camden-Frontier (5-4) 26.889 at Colon (9-0) 39.333
Mendon (7-2) 31.778 at Climax-Scotts (8-1) 35.972
Suttons Bay Succeeding at Football Numbers Game
By
Tom Spencer
Special for MHSAA.com
December 3, 2021
Suttons Bay is, well, playing the numbers game.
Not by choice. It’s been by necessity — since a painful football decision was made in September 2016. Many of Michigan’s smaller schools have made a similar decision.
Most of the numbers, the Norsemen can use just one hand to count. Some take two hands. Others you can’t use your hands. We’re not talking illegal use of the hands either.
The first number is 11, the healthy and available Norsemen for their third game of 2016, their last season of 11-man football.
Hand counting starts now with 1. The 2016 quarterback and only football player to join the soccer team, Jack Pasche, actually kicked off to start of the Norsemen’s homecoming game win that season against Glen Lake. Suttons Bay, known as NorthBay through a co-op with Northport and Leelanau St. Mary’s, beat Glen Lake 4-0 as the soccer match took center stage for homecoming due to the tough decision to forfeit the remaining seven games on the 2016 football schedule.
Move on to the number 8. The Norseman started competing in 8-player football in 2017 and went the playoffs, losing to eventual champion Central Lake. Fast forward to 4. Garrick Opie took over the head coaching duties and just completed his fourth season.
Now to 5. Suttons Bay, which also co-ops with Leelanau St. Mary’s for football, has lost only five games total over Opie’s four seasons. Back to one … just one loss in regular season. The other four came during the MHSAA Playoffs.
Before getting to 3 – perhaps the most notable number – count to 14. That’s the number of players on the 2021 Suttons Bay football roster – and six of them were seniors.
“We’re going to have to fill some shoes on defense especially,” said assistant coach Stan Pasch. ‘We’ve got some good offensive lineman coming back. We’ve got to fill some shoes on our offensive ends too.”
Hand counting becomes more challenging now, starting with 47.
Pasch has coached football for 47 years. He has a long history with Suttons Bay and Leelanau St. Mary, including providing guidance in basketball, volleyball and track. He’s also been on the sidelines for Beal City and Traverse City St. Francis.
He’s had long stints as an assistant for legendary coaches Larry Sellers of St. Francis and Joe Trudeau of Suttons Bay. He was with St. Francis when they won the Class C championship in 1992.
Among those coached by Pasch on that ‘92 Gladiators team was Mark Bramer, a four-year letterman with St. Francis and the father of Shawn Bramer. The younger Bramer scored the game-tying touchdown in Suttons Bay’s 42-36 overtime win against Rudyard in the Division 1 Semifinal three weeks ago.
The junior running back Bramer, who attends St. Mary, was one of three Norsemen named first-team all-state. The other two were wide receiver Brayden Opie and defensive lineman Cam Alberts.
Mark Bramer has been thrilled to have his son play under his former coach and enjoy the playoff runs the past three seasons.
“Coach Pasch still has the passion and the spark and everything,” Mark Bramer said. “He hasn’t really changed, and it’s a good thing.
“I know the excitement as an athlete and now watch it as a parent – it is a great community thing,” he continued. “As a player back then, you never really knew that side of it, and now on the flip side you get to see the excitement of the community.”
Pasch came back to the Suttons Bay coaching staff in 2000 and has been there since. He credits Opie’s leadership for the Norsemen reaching championship games each of the last three seasons.
“Garrick does a great job of leading the team,” Pasch said. “He has really worked hard to solidly the passing game with the kids and getting the kids to believe in themselves.
“He has done a lot of good things and really opened up the offense,” Pasch continued. “When you need a big play – which the kids have done quite a bit – the kids pull it off because they had fun with it in practice.”
Opie, who previously coached all his players in Pop Warner football, has compiled a 43-5 record at Suttons Bay. He too is thrilled to have Pasch and his experience on the sidelines with him.
“I can’t do it without Stan,” he said. “Not only is he my right-hand man … he brings so much experience from his St. Francis days and his 260-plus games with Suttons Bay.
“His experience and way he deals with young men … Stan is invaluable.”
Now back to the number 3. The head coach’s sons Bryce, Braden and Grayson, have all played for Suttons Bay during playoff runs. Grayson will be back next year as the Norsemen strive to make another.
Football fans know the history of John Elway losing his first three Super Bowls, and the Buffalo Bills losing their four straight from 1991-94. But the Norsemen players aren’t really aware of it.
“They’d be lucky if they remember Brett Favre,” joked the Mark Bramer. “I have to tell them about Barry Sanders!”
Opie can laugh about it too as he knows the Norseman can rebuild again. Mike Lodish, a personal friend of Opie and former all-state player with Birmingham Brother Rice, held the record for most Super Bowl appearances with six until Tom Brady broke it. Lodish played his first four with the Bills and then won two with Elway. He played five years with the Bills under coach Marv Levy, and six with the Broncos.
“You can call me Marv Levy,” Opie said with a laugh. “You can call me whatever you want as far as that’s concerned.
“Every year it is our intentions to get to the state finals and win one,” he continued. “Is it a prediction? No. I never do that.”
Opie and Pasch will work in the offseason that number 1. They’ll use a familiar formula.
“I never make any assumptions about any season no matter what players we have,” Opie said. “We’ve had a lot of talent, but we’ve also been able to place kids in the spots (where) they will best succeed.
“We never want to put them in a spot where they will fail,” he went on. “Our goal is to find where each young man can succeed, and we’ve been very fortunate we’ve been right many of the times the last four years.”
Tom Spencer is a longtime MHSAA-registered basketball and soccer official, and former softball and baseball official, and he also has coached in the northern Lower Peninsula area. He previously has written for the Saginaw News, Bay County Sports Page and Midland Daily News. 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) Suttons Bay coach Garrick Opie hugs his son Brayden at midfield after Brayden caught the game-winning touchdown pass in the Semifinal. (Middle) Shawn Bramer outruns his stunned teammates on his way to the game-tying score during the final seconds of regulation against Rudyard. (Photos by Mike Spencer.)