MHSAA Announces 2023 Football Playoff Brackets, 11-Player Finals Schedule
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
October 22, 2023
Here are the pairings for the 2023 MHSAA Football Playoffs, which begin Oct. 27-28 with District Semifinals in the 11-Player Playoffs and Regional Semifinals in the 8-Player Playoffs, and also an announcement of the schedule for the 11-Player Finals on Nov. 25-26 at Ford Field.
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. 3-4, and the weekend of Nov. 10-11 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. 17-18, 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 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. 18 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.
The MHSAA also has announced its schedule for the 11-Player Finals weekend, which will be played on Saturday and Sunday this season to accommodate the Michigan State/Penn State football game on Friday, Nov. 24, at Ford Field. The Finals schedule will be as follows:
Saturday, Nov. 25
10 a.m. - Division 8
1 p.m. - Division 4
4:30 p.m. - Division 6
7:30 p.m. - Division 2
Sunday, Nov. 26
9:30 a.m. - Division 7
12:30 p.m. - Division 3
4 p.m. - Division 5
7 p.m. - Division 1
Pairings for both the 11 and 8-Player brackets are as follows:
11-Player Pairings
DIVISION 1
REGION 1
DISTRICT 1
Holland West Ottawa (4-5) 54.667 at Rockford (9-0) 85.667
Hudsonville (5-4) 58.111 at Grandville (7-2) 74.111
DISTRICT 2
Lapeer (5-4) 57.444 at Davison (9-0) 82.444
Grand Ledge (6-3) 57.458 at Grand Blanc (5-4) 58.222
REGION 2
DISTRICT 1
Brighton (5-4) 58.667 at Northville (8-1) 78.667
Detroit Catholic Central (7-2) 60.444 at Novi (7-2) 70.667
DISTRICT 2
Ann Arbor Huron (5-4) 54.222 at Belleville (9-0) 84.000
Ann Arbor Pioneer (6-3) 58.000 at Saline (8-1) 78.333
REGION 3
DISTRICT 1
Oxford (4-5) 55.500 at Lake Orion (9-0) 85.778
Romeo (4-5) 59.333 at Clarkston (4-5) 62.111
DISTRICT 2
Utica (4-5) 53.556 at Utica Eisenhower (8-1) 78.000
Rochester Adams (6-3) 62.778 at West Bloomfield (7-2) 77.556
REGION 4
DISTRICT 1
Sterling Heights Stevenson (4-5) 58.000 at Clinton Township Chippewa Valley (7-2) 77.022
St. Clair Shores Lakeview (7-2) 62.889 at Macomb Dakota (7-2) 70.778
DISTRICT 2
Dearborn Fordson (5-4) 58.333 at Southfield Arts & Technology (8-1) 74.667
Detroit Cass Tech (6-3) 58.681 at Westland John Glenn (7-2) 70.556
DIVISION 2
REGION 1
DISTRICT 1
Traverse City Central (4-5) 49.778 at Saginaw Heritage (7-2) 66.667
Midland (5-4) 50.667 at Midland Dow (5-4) 51.444
DISTRICT 2
Grand Rapids Forest Hills Northern (6-3) 54.889 at Muskegon (7-2) 69.000
Muskegon Reeths-Puffer (7-2) 60.889 at Muskegon Mona Shores (6-3) 61.444
REGION 2
DISTRICT 1
Byron Center (8-1) 67.111 at Portage Central (8-1) 73.833
Portage Northern (8-1) 68.944 at Caledonia (7-2) 70.111
DISTRICT 2
Lansing Everett (5-4) 48.097 at East Lansing (7-2) 67.528
Milford (6-3) 59.111 at White Lake Lakeland (6-3) 60.889
REGION 3
DISTRICT 1
Birmingham Groves (6-3) 62.667 at Birmingham Seaholm (8-1) 72.861
Livonia Franklin (6-3) 63.000 at Waterford Mott (7-2) 65.556
DISTRICT 2
Livonia Churchill (4-5) 48.556 at Gibraltar Carlson (8-1) 73.333
Dexter (6-3) 64.778 at Allen Park (8-1) 71.556
REGION 4
DISTRICT 1
Warren Cousino (6-3) 50.000 at Warren De La Salle Collegiate (7-2) 69.333
Detroit U-D Jesuit (6-2) 58.078 at Warren Mott (6-3) 58.111
DISTRICT 2
Harrison Township L'Anse Creuse (4-5) 52.889 at Grosse Pointe South (8-1) 77.222
Roseville (6-3) 60.444 at Port Huron Northern (7-2) 61.000
DIVISION 3
REGION 1
DISTRICT 1
Bay City Western (5-4) 47.222 at Gaylord (9-0) 66.569
Petoskey (5-4) 47.389 at Marquette (5-3) 49.667
DISTRICT 2
Grand Rapids Northview (4-5) 46.444 at Mount Pleasant (8-1) 73.333
Lowell (6-3) 56.222 at Grand Rapids Forest Hills Central (8-1) 71.889
REGION 2
DISTRICT 1
Coopersville (7-2) 55.778 at East Grand Rapids (7-2) 63.667
Zeeland East (6-3) 57.111 at Zeeland West (6-3) 57.333
DISTRICT 2
Battle Creek Harper Creek (6-3) 51.000 at Parma Western (8-1) 62.986
Stevensville Lakeshore (5-4) 54.833 at St. Joseph (6-3) 58.722
REGION 3
DISTRICT 1
Linden (4-5) 49.000 at Mason (9-0) 72.750
Fenton (6-3) 60.889 at DeWitt (6-2) 62.181
DISTRICT 2
Redford Thurston (6-3) 46.556 at Walled Lake Western (8-1) 74.333
Holly (6-3) 52.444 at Auburn Hills Avondale (8-1) 68.667
REGION 4
DISTRICT 1
Detroit Martin Luther King (4-5) 45.667 at Port Huron (7-2) 61.667
Warren Fitzgerald (4-5) 46.222 at Grosse Pointe North (6-3) 51.000
DISTRICT 2
River Rouge (5-4) 50.333 at Southgate Anderson (7-2) 65.389
Trenton (5-4) 56.778 at Riverview (8-1) 57.667
DIVISION 4
REGION 1
DISTRICT 1
Allendale (6-3) 48.333 at Whitehall (9-0) 62.778
Big Rapids (8-1) 49.444 at Spring Lake (7-2) 55.556
DISTRICT 2
Ionia (5-4) 42.889 at Ada Forest Hills Eastern (7-2) 55.778
Wayland (6-3) 48.444 at Grand Rapids South Christian (6-3) 50.889
REGION 2
DISTRICT 1
Vicksburg (4-5) 42.444 at Niles (8-1) 60.556
Edwardsburg (5-4) 47.444 at Paw Paw (8-1) 60.278
DISTRICT 2
Charlotte (6-3) 44.222 at Hastings (7-2) 60.167
Lansing Sexton (8-1) 56.444 at Portland (9-0) 59.500
REGION 3
DISTRICT 1
Tecumseh (5-4) 46.639 at Chelsea (8-1) 64.444
Adrian (6-3) 51.667 at Haslett (6-3) 55.236
DISTRICT 2
Ortonville Brandon (5-4) 47.444 at Goodrich (8-1) 64.222
Lake Fenton (6-3) 49.778 at Freeland (8-1) 55.333
REGION 4
DISTRICT 1
Croswell-Lexington (7-2) 51.000 at Harper Woods (6-3) 64.889
Madison Heights Lamphere (7-2) 51.889 at Marysville (7-2) 55.000
DISTRICT 2
Detroit East English (5-4) 43.667 at Carleton Airport (8-1) 62.333
Dearborn Divine Child (5-4) 48.250 at Redford Union (7-2) 59.667
DIVISION 5
REGION 1
DISTRICT 1
Gladwin (7-2) 45.833 at Ogemaw Heights (8-1) 51.500
Howard City Tri County (7-2) 46.333 at Kingsford (8-1) 49.792
DISTRICT 2
Essexville Garber (5-4) 35.889 at Frankenmuth (8-1) 57.222
Birch Run (5-4) 38.889 at Saginaw Swan Valley (5-4) 42.222
REGION 2
DISTRICT 1
Comstock Park (5-4) 37.889 at Grand Rapids West Catholic (9-0) 69.222
Muskegon Oakridge (6-3) 45.667 at Belding (8-1) 58.333
DISTRICT 2
Benton Harbor (4-5) 33.889 at Grand Rapids Catholic Central (8-1) 66.444
Berrien Springs (5-3) 41.611 at South Haven (6-3) 43.444
REGION 3
DISTRICT 1
Flint Hamady (8-0) 47.528 at Corunna (9-0) 67.778
Williamston (6-3) 55.556 at Pontiac Notre Dame Prep (8-0) 61.431
DISTRICT 2
Richmond (5-4) 38.444 at Marine City (8-1) 56.000
Armada (5-4) 43.778 at Macomb Lutheran North (7-2) 45.667
REGION 4
DISTRICT 1
Ann Arbor Father Gabriel Richard (7-2) 38.333 at Dearborn Heights Robichaud (6-3) 49.778
Detroit Denby (8-1) 41.984 at Detroit Southeastern (6-3) 48.500
DISTRICT 2
Milan (4-5) 38.556 at Flat Rock (6-3) 47.500
Romulus (5-4) 40.667 at Romulus Summit Academy North (7-2) 46.194
DIVISION 6
REGION 1
DISTRICT 1
Boyne City (5-4) 34.222 at Gladstone (7-2) 46.569
Grayling (6-3) 38.903 at Negaunee (7-2) 43.444
DISTRICT 2
Mason County Central (5-4) 32.111 at Kingsley (7-2) 50.944
Lake City (6-3) 32.222 at Manistee (7-2) 49.111
REGION 2
DISTRICT 1
Montague (4-5) 38.111 at Reed City (6-3) 46.444
Kent City (7-2) 39.000 at Hart (8-1) 40.000
DISTRICT 2
Midland Bullock Creek (6-3) 34.222 at Clare (7-2) 45.222
Central Montcalm (5-4) 35.778 at Chesaning (8-1) 42.000
REGION 3
DISTRICT 1
Olivet (3-6) 33.111 at Constantine (8-1) 50.889
Buchanan (6-3) 37.333 at Kalamazoo Hackett Catholic Prep (5-4) 39.833
DISTRICT 2
Lansing Catholic (3-6) 33.667 at Michigan Center (7-2) 38.111
Ida (5-4) 34.222 at Ovid-Elsie (5-4) 37.889
REGION 4
DISTRICT 1
Clinton Township Clintondale (4-5) 32.667 at Almont (8-1) 58.222
Clawson (7-2) 43.556 at Warren Michigan Collegiate (9-0) 54.181
DISTRICT 2
Detroit Pershing (5-4) 35.000 at Ecorse (7-1) 44.264
Detroit Old Redford (8-1) 38.333 at Detroit Edison (6-3) 44.250
DIVISION 7
REGION 1
DISTRICT 1
Benzie Central (5-4) 30.556 at Menominee (7-2) 43.556
Traverse City St. Francis (4-4) 34.139 at Charlevoix (8-1) 40.347
DISTRICT 2
Hemlock (3-6) 26.111 at Beaverton (6-3) 33.556
Houghton Lake (5-4) 26.667 at McBain (5-4) 29.000
REGION 2
DISTRICT 1
Union City (6-3) 32.667 at North Muskegon (9-0) 45.000
Schoolcraft (7-2) 37.222 at Lawton (8-1) 43.722
DISTRICT 2
Perry (5-4) 28.778 at Pewamo-Westphalia (8-1) 39.778
Laingsburg (4-5) 29.222 at Bath (6-3) 34.889
REGION 3
DISTRICT 1
Burton Bendle (4-5) 26.250 at Montrose (6-3) 37.111
Detroit Central (4-5) 31.667 at Grosse Pointe Woods University Liggett (7-2) 36.778
DISTRICT 2
Elkton-Pigeon-Bay Port Laker (5-4) 30.222 at Millington (9-0) 46.347
Sandusky (6-3) 30.667 at Cass City (7-2) 35.333
REGION 4
DISTRICT 1
Grass Lake (6-3) 31.778 at Jackson Lumen Christi (8-1) 61.222
Manchester (7-2) 37.889 at Napoleon (8-1) 43.222
DISTRICT 2
Blissfield (5-4) 34.222 at Clinton (8-1) 45.389
Detroit Loyola (4-5) 34.986 at Monroe St Mary Catholic Central (5-4) 44.653
DIVISION 8
REGION 1
DISTRICT 1
Maple City Glen Lake (5-4) 27.861 at Iron Mountain (9-0) 38.931
Ishpeming (6-3) 30.819 at East Jordan (8-1) 38.528
DISTRICT 2
Frankfort (7-2) 32.750 at Beal City (8-1) 39.111
Muskegon Catholic Central (5-4) 33.458 at Evart (7-2) 35.333
REGION 2
DISTRICT 1
Saginaw Michigan Lutheran Seminary (6-3) 33.556 at New Lothrop (8-1) 46.778
Fowler (8-1) 40.333 at Ithaca (9-0) 42.778
DISTRICT 2
Burton Bentley (7-2) 29.292 at Ubly (9-0) 44.444
Marlette (7-2) 34.000 at Harbor Beach (8-1) 41.111
REGION 3
DISTRICT 1
Saranac (5-4) 27.556 at Saugatuck (7-2) 37.556
Centreville (5-4) 27.556 at White Pigeon (9-0) 35.556
DISTRICT 2
Sand Creek (5-4) 30.444 at Ottawa Lake Whiteford (9-0) 44.778
Hudson (7-2) 38.556 at Addison (9-0) 41.333
REGION 4
DISTRICT 1
Rochester Hills Lutheran Northwest (5-4) 27.333 at Clarkston Everest Collegiate (7-2) 38.667
Arts & Technology Academy of Pontiac (6-3) 27.667 at Marine City Cardinal Mooney (5-4) 31.444
DISTRICT 2
Allen Park Cabrini (4-5) 28.778 at Sterling Heights Parkway Christian (7-2) 34.778
Mount Clemens (5-4) 29.222 at Riverview Gabriel Richard (5-4) 34.444
8-Player Pairings
DIVISION 1
REGION 1
Rudyard (6-3) 31.292 at Pickford (8-1) 36.222
Newberry (7-2) 31.444 at Norway (7-2) 33.778
REGION 2
Central Lake (7-2) 31.903 at St. Ignace (8-1) 38.347
Alcona (8-1) 34.222 at Indian River Inland Lakes (8-1) 34.972
REGION 3
Carson City-Crystal (8-1) 31.556 at Brown City (9-0) 39.167
Merrill (8-1) 32.556 at Kingston (7-2) 35.611
REGION 4
Marcellus (7-2) 31.111 at Martin (7-2) 33.111
Mendon (7-2) 31.111 at Gobles (7-2) 32.111
DIVISION 2
REGION 1
Powers North Central (7-2) 29.540 at Posen (8-0) 32.333
Crystal Falls Forest Park (7-2) 30.444 at Lake Linden-Hubbell (6-3) 31.333
REGION 2
Bay City All Saints (7-2) 30.319 at Marion (8-0) 34.458
Au Gres-Sims (7-2) 31.069 at Mount Pleasant Sacred Heart (8-1) 33.556
REGION 3
Fulton (6-3) 28.667 at Portland St. Patrick (8-1) 32.889
Morrice (7-2) 32.111 at Deckerville (7-2) 32.611
REGION 4
Camden-Frontier (6-3) 28.750 at Adrian Lenawee Christian (9-0) 38.333
Pittsford (7-2) 32.444 at Climax-Scotts (9-0) 37.000
(Photo by Douglas Bargerstock.)
Chesaning Turnaround Ahead of Schedule with League Title, Playoff Return
By
Paul Costanzo
Special for MHSAA.com
October 25, 2023
Brayden Florian knew this was coming eventually.
The Chesaning junior running back and middle linebacker was sure the coaching staff and players were in place for a program turnaround.
But this fast?
“No,” Florian said matter-of-factly. “I definitely saw the progress, and we had gotten better and better since my freshman year. We just kept getting better. I didn’t expect it to happen this fast.”
Chesaning is 8-1 in its second year under head coach Matthew Walter, won the Mid-Michigan Activities Conference for the first time, and – not counting the 2020 COVID season when every team was added to the playoffs – qualified for the postseason for the first time since 2007, playing host to Central Montcalm on Friday.
It’s the best regular season for the program since 2001, the year Chesaning won its second MHSAA Finals title in four years.
You can forgive Florian for not expecting this to happen this quickly. Even his coach had a more long-term plan in place.
“When I took over, my plan was more to build the program than just wins and losses,” Walter said. “Numbers were dwindling. I felt like the community was not happy. I know that winning solves a lot of problems, but when I came in I wanted to make sure I built a program from the bottom up. We brought back (youth) tackle football. We have (youth) flag in the fall and spring. That’s kind of where you have to start. Once you do that, you have people buy in up higher and higher into middle school, then high school. I didn’t expect it to be this quick. I kind of had like a five or six-year plan, just trying to generate some excitement.”
It didn’t take long, however, to realize that maybe his timeline wasn’t accelerated enough.
In Year 1, Chesaning went 5-4, its first winning record since 2014. And while some of the losses were lopsided, Walter said people both in and out of the program noticed that things were looking up.
So, heading into this season, there was complete buy-in all around. And while Walter had been laying a foundation for future success, his 5-6 year plan was becoming a 2-year one.
“We have a great group of kids right now,” he said. “They work really hard, and they bought in right away.”
Chesaning players were so bought in, that not even a Week 1 loss to Bath could deter them. In fact, when Walter was cleaning up in the locker room following the game, he found that his team had left him – and themselves – a note on the whiteboard.
“It said, ‘The 1998 team started 0-1,’” Walter said. “I was like, ‘Wow, they know that?’”
The 1998 team won Chesaning’s first Finals title, rattling off 12 straight wins after dropping its opener against then arch-rival Millington.
Like this year’s version of Chesaning, the 1998 team had much of its production come from a stellar junior class. Walter said he’s also been told of the extreme competitiveness of that team, something he sees while watching his current players not only on the field, but when they’re in practice, or even coaching youth flag football against one another.
While Walter wants his team to create its own identity, the comparisons certainly aren’t a bad thing.
“We talk about it – about our history and how much history we’ve made and our team has made,” senior receiver and defensive end Keighan Stoddard said. “It’s a really big inspiration, honestly.”
Wherever the inspiration came from, it worked. After the loss against Bath, Chesaning rattled off eight straight wins with an average margin of victory of 24.8 points per game.
Chesaning knocked off rivals New Lothrop and Montrose – both on the road – for the first time since 2005.
Those wins came behind a dynamic run game, led by Florian. He finished the regular season with 1,689 yards and 17 touchdowns on the ground. He did so behind linemen Seth Schlicht, Braden Burtch, Ben Fowler, Braydn Wendling, and John Talbot. Only Fowler is a senior.
Junior quarterback Max Volk threw just 100 passes on the year, but he accumulated 801 yards and 14 TDs. Florian caught five of those touchdowns, as did 6-foot-6 senior wideout Mason Struck. Stoddard, an all-state selection at receiver a year ago, is also an option and has a pair of touchdown grabs. But his focus has been shifted more toward defensive end, a new position in which he’s flourished with 58 tackles, 12 for loss, and six sacks.
“Anything to help my teammates,” he said. “Anything to help the team out, I’ll do anything. As long as we get that win, it doesn’t matter.”
With 2023 giving off feelings of 1998 and 2001, the Friday night atmosphere from those days has also come back to Chesaning.
It’s been evident on game nights, and even during the playoff selection show, when a team trip to the Riverfront Bar and Grill turned into a community event.
“I told the families that we were going to (be there) at 5, and at 6 they were more than welcome to come down and join us,” Walter said. “By 5:30, that place was packed. There were no spots; it was standing room only.”
So when Chesaning hosts a playoff game Friday night for the first time since 2001, the anticipation is an atmosphere not seen since.
“It’s the first playoff game in a long time, and one we actually earned,” Florian said. “I think it’s going to be a big-time atmosphere.”
Paul Costanzo served as a sportswriter at The Port Huron Times Herald from 2006-15, including three years as lead sportswriter, and prior to that as sports editor at the Hillsdale Daily News from 2005-06. He can be reached at [email protected] with story ideas for Genesee, Lapeer, St. Clair, Sanilac, Huron, Tuscola, Saginaw, Bay, Arenac, Midland and Gladwin counties.
PHOTOS (Top) Chesaning’s Mason Struck (27) goes high to get his hands on the ball in the end zone during his team’s win over Durand. (Middle) Ben Fowler (63) prepares to lead his team onto the field. (Below) Brayden Florian (11) gets to the edge against Ovid-Elsie. (Photos courtesy of the Chesaning football program.)