A Game for Every Fan: Week 7
October 10, 2013
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
Something's gonna give in many football leagues all over Michigan this weekend.
In the southeastern corner alone at least seven matchups feature first and second-place teams aiming at claiming league titles. And titanic face-offs can be found continuing north to the coast of Lake Superior.
Here's a look at some that stuck out most from this week's schedule. Be sure to check MHSAA Score Center all weekend for up-to-date scores and standings, and then again each morning for updated playoff points averages.
West Michigan
Caledonia (5-1) at Lowell (6-0)
There's never much of a break in the O-K White, and Lowell gets to follow up last week’s four-overtime win at East Grand Rapids with a home game against second-place Caledonia. The Fighting Scots’ only loss was to much-improved Muskegon Mona Shores, and they’ve scored a combined 136 points in three wins since that Week 3 defeat. The Red Arrows are used to top competition with wins also against River Rouge (4-1) and Muskegon (5-1) this fall, and they get to follow this one with Grand Rapids Christian next week.
Others that caught my eye: Holland West Ottawa (4-2) at East Kentwood (4-2), Belding (4-2) at Hopkins (4-2), Spring Lake (5-1) at Ludington (4-2), Zeeland East (5-1) at Muskegon Mona Shores (5-1).
Greater Detroit and Southeast
Canton (6-0) at Plymouth (5-1)
A set of baseball and softball fields separate these neighbors, and they’ve also seen each other twice each of the last five seasons – once during league play and again during the playoffs. A three-point loss by Plymouth to Livonia Franklin is all that kept this from being a matchup of undefeated teams – and if Plymouth wins, it will force Canton to share the Kensington Lakes Activities Association South title.
Others that caught my eye: Belleville (4-2) at Dearborn Fordson (4-2), Detroit Denby (5-1) at Detroit Martin Luther King (5-0), Oak Park (5-1) at Farmington Hills Harrison (5-1), Detroit Mumford (6-0) at Detroit Cass Tech (6-0)
Thumb and Bay
Montrose (6-0) at Flint Beecher (5-1)
Beecher’s only loss this season was two weeks ago against Lake Fenton – which is tied with Montrose for first place in the Genesee Area Conference Red. If the Buccaneers can beat the Rams, a three-team shared title will remain a possibility – Montrose ends the regular season against Lake Fenton and has beaten the Blue Devils in three straight.
Others that caught my eye: Reese (5-1) at Elkton-Pigeon-Bay Port (5-1), Flint Powers (3-3) at Flint Carman-Ainsworth (5-1), Traverse City St. Francis (4-2) at Saginaw Nouvel (5-1), Gladwin (4-2) at Sanford Meridian (6-0).
Southwest and Border
Paw Paw (6-0) at Plainwell (6-0)
How little have these Wolverine Conference East leaders been tested this fall? Combined, they’ve given up 68 points. It’s fair to say the Trojans have been the tiniest bit more impressive – they have three shutouts including one over Wolverine Conference West leader Dowagiac. But Paw Paw does have history on its side – the Redskins have won all eight meetings (including one in the playoffs) since the two became league foes in 2006.
Others that caught my eye: Climax-Scotts (6-0) at Bellevue (4-2), St. Joseph Lake Michigan Catholic (5-0) at Niles Brandywine (6-0), Coldwater (3-3) at Battle Creek Lakeview (6-0), Three Rivers (4-2) at Dowagiac (5-1).
Lower Up North
Beal City (6-0) at Lake City (6-0)
Talk about two teams that have simply dominated so far; these two have outscored their opponents by a combined 678-33. The winner claims a share of the Highland Conference title, which Beal City has won nine of the last 10 seasons. It’s anyone’s guess how this matchup might go; Lake City has given up six points this season and Beal City has scored at least 60 four times.
Others that caught my eye: Traverse City West (4-2) at Cadillac (6-0), Kalkaska (5-1) at Grayling (5-1), Evart (5-1) at McBain (4-2), Maple City Glen Lake (6-0) at Suttons Bay (3-3).
Upper Peninsula
Negaunee (6-0) at Ishpeming (6-0)
Ishpeming finished an incredible playoff run as the Division 7 champion last fall, but Negaunee can boast that it claimed the Mid-Peninsula Conference championship during the regular season thanks to a 20-8 win over the Hematites. Both have been similarly dominating again this season, making this arguably the best game in the Upper Peninsula for all of 2013.
Others that caught my eye: Powers North Central (5-1) at Felch North Dickinson (5-1), Cheboygan (5-1) at Sault Ste. Marie (3-3), Pickford (4-2) at St. Ignace (5-1), Marinette, Wis. (2-5) at Menominee (6-0).
Mid-Michigan
Fowler (5-1) at Pewamo-Westphalia (6-0)
That this Central Michigan Athletic Conference clash is considered one of the best rivalries throughout mid-Michigan despite including two of its smallest schools speaks volumes both to how much these programs are respected by others big and small and how good this matchup has been over the last 40-plus seasons. During the last decade alone both have played in MHSAA Finals at Ford Field and faced each other in four games decided by eight or fewer points.
Others that caught my eye: Lansing Everett (5-1) at Grand Ledge (3-3), Carson City-Crystal (6-0) at Mount Pleasant Sacred Heart (5-1), Battle Creek Pennfield (5-1) at Olivet (6-0), Homer (6-0) at Springport (5-1).
PHOTO: Detroit Martin Luther King (white jerseys), here against Detroit East English, has claimed a share of the Detroit Public School League East title, but can win it outright by defeating second place Detroit Denby tonight. (Photo courtesy of the Detroit Public School League).
1st & Goal: 2023 Week 2 Preview
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
August 31, 2023
While opening weekend is always going to be among the most highly-anticipated every football season, Week 2 this fall could provide quite an encore.
This weekend’s schedule statewide leads off with a trio of massive matchups that include teams from the Grand Rapids and/or Muskegon areas, with perhaps the top two teams in both the Lansing area and entire Upper Peninsula also set to face off and a possible Flint-area league championship also potentially being previewed for the second-straight season.
Four games were scheduled to be played Wednesday, with 241 today, 53 on Friday and two Saturday. Broadcasts of several will be available on MHSAA.tv with subscription, and come back all weekend to the MHSAA Scores page for results as they come in.
Here’s a look at some of those matchups that jump off the page most:
Bay & Thumb
Linden (1-0) at Goodrich (1-0), Thursday
Three of four meetings between these two over the last four seasons has been decided by six points or fewer. They met twice last season, first in a Flint Metro League non-divisional tune-up – won by Goodrich 6-0 – and then in the league championship game after both won their divisions, with the Martians prevailing again 21-0. After going separate ways a second time, Goodrich ended up in the Division 4 Final and finished runner-up, and Linden reached a Regional Final in Division 3.
Keep an eye on these THURSDAY Richmond (1-0) at Croswell-Lexington (1-0), Ithaca (1-0) at Standish-Sterling (0-1), Cass City (1-0) at Harbor Beach (1-0). FRIDAY Traverse City Central (1-0) at Lapeer (1-0).
Greater Detroit
Rochester (1-0) at Rochester Adams (1-0), Thursday
Look past that Adams has won this matchup 26 times in a row, and the rivalry has had a different vibe of late as Rochester has continued to improve. The Highlanders won both meetings last year, 34-18 in Week 2 but also 28-14 in a Division 1 District Final while facing the Falcons in the playoffs for the second time in three seasons. Rochester High has strung together three straight winning seasons and lost last week by just a point, 22-21, to Utica while Adams opened with a 22-8 win over Orchard Lake St. Mary’s.
Keep an eye on these THURSDAY West Bloomfield (1-0) at Birmingham Groves (1-0), Detroit Loyola (1-0) at Warren Michigan Collegiate (1-0). FRIDAY Hastings (1-0) at Pontiac Notre Dame Prep (1-0), Clarkston (0-1) at Southfield Arts & Technology (1-0).
Mid-Michigan
Mason (1-0) at DeWitt (1-0), Thursday
These two both were one more win away from giving Ford Field an all-Capital Area Activities Conference Division 3 Final last season, as they both finished with losses in Semifinals on the opposite sides of the bracket. They may be mid-Michigan’s top two teams this season. DeWitt again is a favorite in the CAAC Blue and showed plenty of mettle in coming back to defeat Haslett in their opener 27-17. Mason returns nearly its entire starting lineup from last year’s 12-1 run and opened last week with a 52-14 win over Holt, a Division 1 playoff team last fall.
Keep an eye on these THURSDAY Hudsonville (1-0) at East Lansing (0-1), Portland (1-0) at Olivet (0-1), Lansing Sexton (1-0) at Lansing Catholic (1-0), Fenton (1-0) at Haslett (0-1).
Northern Lower Peninsula
Frankfort (1-0) at Maple City Glen Lake (1-0), Thursday
These two frequent league title contenders didn’t determine any championships last year, but Frankfort did win their matchup 22-6 to finish runner-up in the Northern Michigan Football League Legacy. Both teams opened with wins last week, Frankfort in the Legacy 38-8 over Mancelona, and the Lakers 34-18 nonleague over Manton. After a mostly-dominating 20-teens, Glen Lake has had a few tough seasons of late – but winning this matchup would be a nice boost as first-year coach Jesse Smith establishes his program.
Keep an eye on these THURSDAY Hudson (1-0) at Benzie Central (1-0), Johannesburg-Lewiston (1-0) at East Jordan (1-0), Gaylord (1-0) at Kingsley (1-0). FRIDAY Elk Rapids (0-1) at Boyne City (1-0).
Southeast & Border
Riverview (1-0) at Carleton Airport (1-0), Thursday
Riverview was able to clinch the outright Huron League title last season in part because of an 18-13 win over Airport in Week 7, with the Jets going on to tie for second. This matchup could be part of the equation again, especially after Airport claimed an impressive 31-10 win last week over Gibraltar Carlson – winner of nine games both of the last two seasons – and Pirates more than doubled up Detroit Renaissance to run their regular-season winning streak to 29.
Keep an eye on these THURSDAY Whitehall (1-0) at Tecumseh (1-0), Detroit Country Day (1-0) at Parma Western (1-0). FRIDAY Edwardsburg (0-1) at Chelsea (0-1), Dexter (0-1) at Saline (1-0).
Southwest Corridor
Traverse City St. Francis (1-0) at Lawton (1-0), Friday
This season’s Gladiators picked up some key experience on the fly last week with a 41-40 overtime win over Charlevoix as they work to replace many of last year’s leaders who took the team to a Division 7 runner-up finish and along the way defeated Lawton 42-7 in Week 8. The Blue Devils were in a similar spot a year ago as the 2021 Division 7 runner-up and rebounded from the St. Francis defeat to win a District title before falling by just a point to eventual champion Jackson Lumen Christi in the Regional. St. All four teams mentioned here are in Division 7 this fall, and Lawton opened with a 51-20 win last week over Benton Harbor.
Keep an eye on these THURSDAY Schoolcraft (1-0) at Centreville (0-1), Delton Kellogg (1-0) at Parchment (1-0), Niles (1-0) at Stevensville Lakeshore (0-1). FRIDAY Battle Creek Harper Creek (1-0) at Battle Creek Central (0-1)
Upper Peninsula
Negaunee (1-0) at Gladstone (1-0), Thursday
The conversation went back and forth last season about which of these two was the Upper Peninsula’s best team until Negaunee won their first meeting 24-6 in Week 7, and the Miners wrapped that up again with an 18-12 Regional win on the way to finishing Division 6 runner-up. It’s too early to have that conversation yet this year, but judging by last week’s results – Gladstone won 36-7 over Marquette and Negaunee doubled up Ishpeming 32-16 – both may be in the conversation again.
Keep an eye on these THURSDAY Bark River-Harris (1-0) at Iron Mountain (1-0), Cadillac (0-1) at Escanaba (1-0), Menominee (1-0) at Hancock (1-0), Kingsford (1-0) at Houghton (0-1).
West Michigan
Warren De La Salle Collegiate (0-1) at Muskegon (0-1), Friday
As noted, there are some monster matchups on the west side of the state this weekend – see below for others – but it’s hard not to dive into this one even though both fell in season openers last week. Both also finished last season at Ford Field – De La Salle as repeat Division 2 champion and Muskegon as Division 3 runner-up. The Pilots were leading Davison last week before storms forced their game to finish up the next day and the Cardinals prevailed 31-26. The Big Reds, meanwhile, took on another Division 1 contender in Rockford and lost 27-7 in a game that also no doubt will pay off in experience and playoff points.
Keep an eye on these THURSDAY Portage Central (1-0) at Grand Rapids Forest Hills Central (1-0). FRIDAY River Rouge (0-1) at Grand Rapids Catholic Central (0-1), East Grand Rapids (1-0) at Grand Rapids South Christian (1-0), Rockford (1-0) at Muskegon Mona Shores (1-0).
8-Player
Posen (1-0) at Rogers City (1-0), Friday
Rogers City was the North Star League Big Dipper champion last season, and Posen was the Little Dipper runner-up, and the Hurons claimed their Week 3 meeting 12-6. Both are coming off big season-opening wins last week, with Posen nearly doubling up a Pellston program that’s had a nice run of success most of the last half-decade. But this matchup likely will tell us much more about both teams, especially relative to the 18-1 regular-season run Rogers City has put together since the start of 2021.
Keep an eye on these THURSDAY Merrill (1-0) at Morrice (1-0), Lake Linden-Hubbell (1-0) at Indian River Inland Lakes (1-0), Colon (0-1) at Mendon (1-0), Munising (0-1) at Newberry (1-0).
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PHOTO A St. Clair Shores Lakeview ball carrier works to break a tackle during last week’s 28-0 win over Warren Woods Tower. (Photo by Chris Mudd/National Photo Scout.)