Bush Legacy: Culture of Opportunity

By Doug Donnelly
Special for MHSAA.com

April 6, 2018

By Doug Donnelly
Special for Second Half

CHELSEA – For the first time as Chelsea High School athletic director, Brad Bush has to hire a football coach.

What’s more, he has the unenviable task of replacing himself.

“I would say that nobody cares more about Chelsea football than I do,” Bush said. “It’s important to me that we find the very best person we can.”

Bush has coached the Bulldogs for 21 seasons. But, his coaching background goes much deeper than that.

He played at Ypsilanti High School for Hall of Fame coach Bill Giarmo, graduating in 1988. After playing quarterback at Cornell University in the Ivy League, he returned to Michigan, graduating from Eastern Michigan University, and started coaching for Bill Kohn, another inductee to the Michigan High School Football Coaches Association Hall of Fame. Bush then went to East Kentwood to coach with Giarmo.

Through his own playing days, coaching with those legends of the game and absorbing everything he could from afar, Bush has developed an impressive culture at Chelsea.

“Friday nights in Chelsea are a big deal,” he said. “We want to keep that tradition.”

Bush became the varsity head coach at Chelsea in 1997. At the time, Chelsea had only two playoff appearances. Bush’s Bulldogs went 3-6 that first season. After that, Chelsea didn’t have a sub-.500 finish for 15 years. The Bulldogs have been kept out of the playoffs only once since 1998.

Chelsea has had only three head coaches since 1965.

“I’m fortunate,” Bush said. “I went for a few more years than the other guys. It’s a great place to coach.”

Temperance Bedford head coach Jeff Wood was an assistant with Bush at Ypsilanti during the 1990s and said he thought then that Bush was going to develop into a great head coach.

“We knew he was going to accomplish greatness, not only as a football coach, but as a father, husband and professional in education,” Wood said. “Brad has always won and lost with great class and dignity. He’s a true Hall of Famer.”

If Bush never coaches at Chelsea again, his lasting legacy might be that culture surrounding the Bulldogs program. It’s known for its large number of football players, from middle school through the varsity, and a system that ensures every student athlete on every team leading to the varsity will play in every game. Teams at the middle school, freshman and junior varsity levels all start 22 players each game – with no two-way starters. For a Class B/Division 3 school, that isn’t the norm.

“We’ve had the same philosophy for 20 years,” he said. “Everybody plays in every middle school, freshman and junior varsity game. That’s how we do it. We start 22 kids on every level. Our kids know they will have the opportunity to play.

“Every kid on every level is going to play in every game. On most nights, we play more kids than the other team has players.”

While every school loses some athletes, or potential athletes, along the way, Bush said this system helps maintain a student’s interest in the sport. Often, he said, a player who may not necessarily be a starter as a freshman will learn the game, develop and turn into a starter by senior year.

“We feel that, over time, with repetition and practice, a kid will become an expert at his position,” he said. “For us, this is a big piece. … That was my thing here. I didn’t invent it. I absorbed it, watched it at other places.”

It’s tough to argue with the results. Chelsea won or shared Southeastern Conference championships in 1999, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2016 and 2017. The Bulldogs won seven District championships during the Bush era and played in the 2015 Division 3 championship game, falling to Orchard Lake St. Mary’s at Ford Field

He said he learned how to build a program from Giarmo and how to coach a football team under Kohn. Bush was quick to credit his assistant coaches who have remained with the program for years and helped build the culture. He said the program has sacrificed win-at-all-cost at the lower levels with the goal of developing varsity football players.

“You have to manage it,” he said. “That’s why you need a great staff. We have been lucky here with a great, dedicated group of guys. They always have the ultimate goal in mind.”

Bush said he won’t hamstring the next coach into running his system, but anticipates whoever is hired will buy into the culture after seeing what it’s about.

“The next coach has to run it the way he wants to run it, but I do believe we have created a culture here and we’d like to maintain that. You want to hire the right person who is going to handle the kids the right way.”

In addition to coaching at Chelsea and leading the entire athletic program, Bush also is heavily involved in the Michigan High School Football Coaches Association as a past president, serves on the Michigan High School Athletic Association football committee and has served on the National Federation football rules committee. He’s coached in all-star games and is a true believer in high school sports.

His record at Chelsea is 169-60.

“I have great energy,” Bush said. “I love coaching. I have a great passion for it, but I also know when you need to do certain things. I felt this was just the right time for the athletic department and the football team. It wasn’t one thing that led me to this.

“I love the game. I’m going to be very much involved.”

Doug Donnelly has served as a sports and news reporter and city editor over 25 years, writing for the Daily Chief-Union in Upper Sandusky, Ohio from 1992-1995, the Monroe Evening News from 1995-2012 and the Adrian Daily Telegram since 2013. He's also written a book on high school basketball in Monroe County and compiles record books for various schools in southeast Michigan. E-mail him at [email protected] with story ideas for Jackson, Washtenaw, Hillsdale, Lenawee and Monroe counties.

PHOTO: Chelsea's Brad Bush coaches his team during the 2015 Division 3 Final at Ford Field.

Muskegon celebrates during its win over Muskegon Mona Shores on Oct. 22.

Football

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

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

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