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#TBT: 600-plus Teams Ready for Kickoff
August 27, 2015
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
Football teams have represented Michigan high schools for more than a century, beginning long before the MHSAA was formed during the winter of 1924-25.
This weekend, nearly all of the 614 varsity teams scheduled to play this fall will kick off their seasons – and for a fortunate 18, start a journey that will last more than three months through the MHSAA Finals.
This will be the 40th season of the MHSAA football playoffs, which were first played with a much smaller field of teams in 1975. The field expanded to its current 256 11-player teams in 1999, and an 8-player tournament was added in 2011.
The above photo was taking during a 23-0 Muskegon victory over Escanaba during the 1989 Class A playoffs (senior Marcus Longmire celebrates scoring his team's second touchdown). The Big Reds advanced from this Pre-Regional game to face Midland, then Lansing Sexton, and finally Detroit Martin Luther King in the Class A Final – which Muskegon won 16-13.
The Big Reds have won five MHSAA titles total, and also made Finals the last three seasons, finishing runner-up in Division 2 in 2012 and 2013 and last season in Division 3 after falling 7-0 to Orchard Lake St. Mary's.
STATE CHAMPS! Michigan: Extra Point Playoffs Week 5
November 24, 2022
3:50 - Division 8 - Ubly vs. Whiteford
5:28 - Division 2 - Forest Hills Central vs. De La Salle
7:11 - Division 6 - West Catholic vs. Negaunee
9:08 - Division 4 - Goodrich vs. South Christian
10:24 - Mr. Football Final Four Announcement
16:44 - DMC Gamechangers
18:52 - DAC Athlete of the Year Promo
20:03 - Anvil Award Final Four Announcement
26:04 - Division 7 - St. Francis vs. Lumen Christi
27:24 - Division 1 - Belleville vs. Caledonia
32:08 - Division 5 - Frankenmuth vs. Gladwin
33:23 - Division 3 - Detroit King vs. Muskegon
38:28 - Final Thoughts on the MHSAA Football Finals