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.)
Inspired by Dad's Memory, Lawrence's Vasquez Emerges After Family Losses
By
Pam Shebest
Special for MHSAA.com
January 16, 2024
LAWRENCE — While COVID-19 affected many students in different ways, it definitely made an impact on Austin Vasquez.
As a freshman at Lawrence High School during the pandemic, Vasquez lost his grandmother Theresa Phillips to cancer on March 25, 2021.
Two days later, on March 27, his father Tom Vasquez, died of complications from COVID. And on April 19 that spring, his grandfather Darrell “Gene” Phillips also lost his fight against the coronavirus.
“There is no way (to cope). You just have to keep on moving,” Austin said. “It’s what (my dad) would want me to do.
“He was my biggest (influence) in sports. He talked to me about never giving up – leave everything you’ve got.”
That is just what Vasquez is doing in the midst of his three-sport senior year.
He is the top wrestler at the school, competing at 175 pounds with a goal of making the MHSAA Tournament. He was a versatile contributor on the football field this past fall, and he’s planning to join the baseball team this spring.
He’s 8-3 with six pins on the mat this winter after a busy summer of camps and tournaments. Those experiences helped lessen the nerves he’d felt during matches previously, and now he’s wrestling with an outlook of “everything to gain and nothing to lose.”
And Vasquez said he feels his dad’s presence as he prepares for competition.
“Before every match, before every game, I just think about what my dad would be telling me,” he said. “Everything he’s always told me has taught me to get better.
“In life, I still remember everything he taught me. He was definitely a great man, and I want to be like him someday.”
Wrestling also has made Vasquez more in tune with his health.
His sophomore season he went from 230 pounds to 215, and by his junior year was down to his current 175.
“I just wanted to be healthier, not just for wrestling,” he said. “I started going to the gym every night, watched my calories, and from there grew (taller).
“Now I’m at 6-(foot-)2, and I don’t know how that happened,” he laughed.
Lawrence coach Henry Payne said Vasquez always has a positive attitude and helps the other wrestlers in the program.
“When he notices a kid next to him doing a move wrong, he’ll go over and show him the right way,” Payne said. “We have a lot of young kids that this is their first year, and he’s been a good coach’s helper.”
The coach’s helper gig will continue after graduation.
"Next year we’re hoping to open up a youth program here, and I got him and an alumni that graduated last year and is helping the varsity team this year (Conner Tangeman) to take over the youth program for us,” Payne said.
On the football team, Vasquez was a jack of all trades.
“He started at guard, went to tight end, went to our wingback, went to our running back. He was trying to get the quarterback spot,” football coach Derek Gribler laughed.
Vasquez said there is no other feeling like being on the field, especially during home games.
“Wrestling is my main sport, but I’d do anything to go back and play football again,” he said. “I just love it.”
Although the football team struggled through a 1-8 season, “It was still a really fun season,” Vasquez said. “Everybody was super close. Most of us never really talked before, but we instantly became like a family.”
Vasquez had the support of his mother, Heather, and four older sisters: Makaylah, Briahna, Ahlexis and Maryah. He also found his school family helped him get through the end of his freshman year.
“(My friends) were always there for me when everything was going on,” he said. “I took that last month off school because it was too hard to be around people at that time.
"Every single one of them reached out and said, ‘Hey, I know you’re going through a rough time.’ It really helped to hear that and get out of the house.”
The family connection between Vasquez and Lawrence athletic director John Guillean goes back to the senior’s youth.
“I was girls basketball coach, so I coached his sisters,” Guillean said. “I remember him when he was pretty young. I knew the family pretty well. I knew his dad. He was pretty supportive and was there for everything.”
Vasquez said that freshman year experience has made him appreciate every day, and he gives the following advice: “Every time you’re wrestling, it could be your last time on the mat or last time on the field. Treat every game and every match as if it’s going to be your last. If you’re committed to the sport, take every chance you have to help your team be successful.”
Gribler has known Vasquez since he was in seventh grade and, as also the school’s varsity baseball coach, will work with Vasquez one more time with the senior planning to add baseball as his spring sport.
“When we talk about Tiger Pride, Austin’s a kid that you can put his face right on the logo. His work ethic is just unbelievable,” Gribler said. “Everything he does is with a smile. He could be having the worst day of his life, and he’d still have a smile on his face. He pushes through. It’s tough to do and amazing to see.”
The coach – who also starred at Lawrence as an athlete – noted the small community’s ability to rally around Vasquez and his family. Lawrence has about 150 students in the high school.
“It goes beyond sports,” Gribler said. “Austin knows when he needs something he can always reach out and we’ll have his back, we’ll have his family’s back. It’s not so much about winning as it is about the kids.”
Vasquez is already looking ahead to life after high school. He attends morning courses at Van Buren Tech, studying welding, and returns to the high school for afternoon classes.
“I’d like to either work on the pipeline as a pipeline welder or be a lineman,” he said, adding, “possibly college. I would like to wrestle in college, but let’s see how this year goes.
“I’m ready to get out, but it’s going to be hard to leave this all behind.”
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) Lawrence senior Andrew Vasquez, right, wrestles against Hartford this season. (2) Vasquez works on gaining the advantage in a match against Mendon. (3) From left: Lawrence wrestling coach Henry Payne, athletic director John Guillean and football and baseball coach Derek Gribler. (4) Vasquez also was a standout on the football field. (Wrestling and football photos courtesy of the Lawrence athletic department. Headshots by Pam Shebest.)