Week 9 Football Playoff Listing
October 22, 2013
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
Here is a list of Michigan High School Athletic Association football playing schools, displaying their win-loss records and playoff averages through the eighth week of the season. Schools on this list are in enrollment order. An asterisk (*) beside a record indicates that a team has eight or fewer games scheduled. A caret (^) beside a school’s name indicates that a team is one win away from playoff qualification.
Those schools with 11-player teams with six or more wins playing nine-game schedules, or five or more wins playing eight games or fewer, will qualify for the MHSAA Football Playoffs beginning Nov. 1-2. Schools with 5-4, 4-3 or 4-4 records may qualify if the number of potential qualifiers by win total does not reach the 256 mark. Schools with six or more wins playing nine-game schedules or five or more wins playing eight games or fewer may be subtracted from the field based on playoff average if the number of potential qualifiers exceeds the 256 mark.
Once the 256 qualifying schools are determined, they will be divided by enrollment groups into eight equal divisions of 32 schools, and then drawn into regions of eight teams each and districts of four teams each.
Those schools with 8-player teams will be ranked by playoff average at season’s end, and the top 16 programs will be drawn into regions of eight teams each for the playoff in that division, which also begins Nov. 1-2.
To review a list of all football playoff schools, individual school playoff point details and to report errors, visit the Football page of the MHSAA Website.
The announcement of the qualifiers and first-round pairings for both the 11 and 8-player playoffs will take place on Oct. 27 on the Selection Sunday Show at 7 p.m. on FOX Sports Detroit. The playoff qualifiers and pairings will be posted to the MHSAA Website following the Selection Sunday Show.
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11-Player Playoff Listing
1. Sterling Heights Stevenson, 2781, 4-4, 51.500
2. Utica Eisenhower, 2772, 4-4, 53.750
3. Clarkston, 2737, 7-1, 95.500
4. Macomb Dakota, 2693, 8-0, 108.000
5. Howell ^, 2672, 5-3, 64.625
6. Grand Blanc, 2624, 6-2, 81.625
7. East Kentwood ^, 2612, 5-3, 66.750
8. Rockford, 2572, 7-1, 92.750
9. Clinton Township Chippewa Valley, 2506, 7-1, 95.875
10. Lake Orion, 2490, 6-2, 78.375
11. Dearborn Fordson ^, 2309, 5-3, 68.589
12. Holland West Ottawa ^, 2293, 5-3, 66.000
13. Northville, 2275, 7-1, 97.250
14. Detroit Cass Tech, 2262, 8-0, 107.000
15. Brighton ^, 2164, 5-3, 69.000
16. Monroe ^, 2145, 5-3, 62.500
17. Detroit Catholic Central, 2132, 7-1, 94.161
18. Plymouth ^, 2126, 5-3, 61.625
19. Canton, 2078, 7-1, 95.750
20. Novi, 1986, 4-4, 52.375
21. Livonia Stevenson, 1983, 4-4, 49.000
22. Macomb L'Anse Creuse North, 1965, 7-1, 89.500
23. West Bloomfield ^, 1941, 5-3, 63.750
24. New Baltimore Anchor Bay, 1899, 4-4, 48.875
25. Saline, 1897, 7-1, 94.275
26. Westland John Glenn ^, 1880, 5-3, 61.375
27. Holt, 1866, 4-4, 53.250
28. Warren Mott, 1796, 8-0, 99.000
29. Romeo, 1793, 4-4, 54.750
30. Oxford, 1782, 4-4, 51.625
31. Rochester Hills Stoney Creek, 1759, 6-2, 79.250
32. Hudsonville ^, 1736, 5-3, 70.875
33. Ann Arbor Skyline, 1715, 4-4, 49.250
34. Grand Ledge, 1715, 4-4, 51.250
35. Belleville ^, 1714, 5-3, 64.750
36. Davison, 1692, 4-4, 44.250
37. Walled Lake Northern, 1688, 6-2, 80.125
38. Traverse City West ^, 1653, 5-3, 66.500
39. Rochester, 1615, 4-4, 52.125
40. Waterford Kettering ^, 1604, 5-3, 66.125
41. Temperance Bedford, 1600, 8-0, 114.000
42. Grosse Pointe South ^, 1598, 5-3, 62.500
43. Rochester Adams ^, 1582, 5-3, 67.000
44. Saginaw Heritage ^, 1575, 5-3, 60.250
45. Warren DeLaSalle ^, 1564, 5-3, 74.500
46. Walled Lake Western, 1556, 8-0, 108.000
47. Flint Carman-Ainsworth, 1488, 7-1, 86.875
48. Detroit U-D Jesuit, 1476, 4-4, 55.500
49. Midland, 1462, 7-1, 90.750
50. Ypsilanti Lincoln, 1460, 7-1, 85.875
51. Pinckney ^, 1452, 5-3, 65.625
52. Traverse City Central ^, 1448, 5-3, 60.571
53. Oak Park ^, 1438, 5-3, 64.875
54. Detroit Martin Luther King *, 1432, 7-0, 103.571
55. Royal Oak, 1414, 4-4, 47.625
56. Southgate Anderson, 1409, 4-4, 48.500
57. Ypsilanti Community, 1399, 4-4, 45.000
58. Port Huron ^, 1398, 5-3, 63.107
59. Wyandotte Roosevelt, 1373, 8-0, 110.000
60. Portage Central, 1372, 8-0, 108.000
61. Lansing Everett ^, 1369, 5-3, 58.625
62. Portage Northern, 1364, 6-2, 74.625
63. Garden City, 1362, 4-4, 47.125
64. Southfield, 1356, 7-1, 95.875
65. North Farmington *, 1352, 5-3, 56.286
66. Caledonia ^, 1350, 5-3, 60.000
67. Battle Creek Lakeview, 1348, 8-0, 90.000
68. Birmingham Seaholm, 1337, 8-0, 103.000
69. Birmingham Brother Rice, 1326, 8-0, 111.200
70. Grosse Pointe North ^, 1323, 5-3, 65.375
71. Muskegon Mona Shores, 1314, 6-2, 79.500
72. Midland Dow, 1304, 7-1, 85.036
73. Farmington Hills Harrison, 1300, 7-1, 93.750
74. South Lyon, 1277, 6-2, 82.250
75. Swartz Creek, 1277, 4-4, 52.768
76. Birmingham Groves, 1274, 7-1, 85.875
77. Grand Rapids Ottawa Hills ^, 1231, 5-3, 52.500
78. Fenton, 1188, 8-0, 101.000
79. Grand Rapids Northview, 1182, 4-4, 49.750
80. Mattawan, 1176, 4-4, 45.625
81. Warren Woods Tower, 1170, 6-2, 62.750
82. Muskegon Reeths-Puffer, 1151, 7-1, 92.500
83. Lowell, 1146, 8-0, 118.000
84. Taylor Truman, 1131, 6-2, 74.500
85. East Lansing, 1124, 4-4, 52.750
86. Holly, 1124, 4-4, 49.375
87. Muskegon, 1118, 7-1, 97.875
88. Lapeer East, 1113, 4-4, 50.625
89. Marquette *, 1110, 5-2, 73.286
90. Detroit East English ^, 1109, 5-3, 59.750
91. Detroit Cody ^, 1106, 5-3, 57.250
92. Allen Park, 1103, 6-2, 76.625
93. Detroit Renaissance ^, 1097, 5-3, 53.268
94. Detroit Mumford, 1090, 6-2, 72.732
95. Grand Rapids Forest Hills Northern, 1079, 6-2, 71.250
96. St. Johns, 1079, 4-4, 47.625
97. Zeeland East ^, 1071, 5-3, 67.125
98. Lapeer West, 1063, 7-1, 91.375
99. Redford Thurston ^, 1063, 5-3, 65.375
100. Auburn Hills Avondale, 1055, 4-4, 42.375
101. Byron Center, 1039, 6-2, 68.750
102. Mt. Pleasant, 1033, 7-1, 92.875
103. Riverview, 993, 6-2, 66.625
104. St. Joseph, 986, 7-1, 88.875
105. Orchard Lake St. Mary's, 980, 4-4, 54.625
106. Petoskey ^, 965, 5-3, 62.000 &a
'Mighty' Forest Park Rides Overpowering Start to 5th Finals Championship
By
Jason Juno
Special for MHSAA.com
November 23, 2024
MARQUETTE — The Crystal Falls Forest Park tradition continues.
The Trojans won their fifth MHSAA Finals championship in their 15th title game appearance 42-20 over Morrice on Saturday in the 8-player Division 2 contest at the Superior Dome.
Forest Park (12-1) took advantage of two Morrice fumbles to take a 28-0 lead into halftime. The Orioles came alive in the second half, but they couldn’t overcome such a start.
It was the second 8-player title for Forest Park with the first coming in 2017, and the first for coach Brian Fabbri, who started as a lineman in two 11-player championship games (2004 and 2005) for the Trojans.
He was thrilled to help keep the tradition alive.
“I absolutely love it,” Fabbri said. “I’m blessed to be able to have my name up there with the Mettlachs, Santillis, Graffs. It’s unbelievable.”
Dick Mettlach led Forest Park to back-to-back titles in 1975 and 1976. Bill Santilli took Forest Park to seven title games and won the 2007 championship. Dave Graff was the head coach of the 2017 champion.
“We’re the fifth one to win it; it just feels awesome,” said Forest Park senior Kevin Giuliani, who at 6-foot-5 and 270 pounds was named the Upper Peninsula’s top lineman by media vote recently.
Forest Park’s first-half dominance proved to be the difference in this championship clincher.
The Trojans got the ball first and capped an 11-play, 53-yard drive with a four-yard touchdown run by senior Grayson Sundell midway through the first quarter.
Forest Park’s Noah Starr recovered an onside kick on the ensuing kickoff, but Morrice came up with a big stop on fourth down in the red zone.
Any momentum from that evaporated quickly. The Orioles went three-and-out in their first offensive possession of the game, and Forest Park doubled its lead on the first play after getting the ball back. Sophomore running back Dax Huuki went 58 yards for a touchdown and Dietrich Rasner, who made all six extra points he tried in the game, made it 14-0 two minutes into the second quarter.
Morrice started its next possession with good field position at midfield but fumbled on the second play, and Nik Stephens recovered it at the Forest Park 45. It took the Trojans eight plays to score, and it was Stephens with the eight-yard run to paydirt for a 21-0 advantage.
The Orioles coughed it up again, this time on the third play of their next possession, with Vic Giuliani recovering it.
Huuki scored his second touchdown of the day, a four-yard rush with 10 seconds left in the half. It was another methodical drive of eight plays to go 50 yards. Forest Park led 28-0 at the half.
“Getting that quick score before half was huge for us,” Fabbri said.
The Trojans ended the half with 184 rushing yards on 33 carries. Morrice had only 11 offensive plays the whole half, thanks in part to their turnovers.
That changed during the second half – just not enough to put the game in any serious doubt.
Morrice (11-2) picked up its first first down during the first possession of the second half, and got its first big play, a 32-yard run by Joel Fisher that set the Orioles up at the Forest Park 5. Two plays later, he ran in a score and the lead was down to 28-6. Fisher led Morrice with 99 yards rushing on 12 carries.
The Trojans added a third-quarter touchdown of their own as Stephens ran five yards for a score on the ensuing possession to make it 35-6. Morrice’s Wyatt Cartier ran one yard for a touchdown in the early stages of the fourth quarter, and Fisher returned a punt 85 yards for a TD with 5:30 left in the game, making it 35-20.
“I knew they were a good team. We knew it was coming,” Fabbri said. “It was only a matter of time, and it happened. We had enough cushion there. We made enough big plays at the end.”
The last came a minute later, when Forest Park scored on a 49-yard rush by Stephens, his third touchdown of the day — half of his carries went for scores — and the Trojans were celebrating a championship soon after.
Morrice coach Kendall Crockett said he was proud of his team for fighting the entire game. The Orioles obviously competed much better during the second half as they accumulated 155 of their 194 total yards.
“We hung onto the ball, first of all. That was kind of a big deal for us,” he said. “... As physical as they were in that first half, I thought that we really fought back in the second half, didn’t quit and kept playing ball.”
That physical play has been a staple of Forest Park football since their first state title. Forest Park ran for 184 yards in the first half and finished with 291 on 47 carries — Huuki led with 136 yards on 19 carries. Fullback Trent Kannich ran for fewer yards, 68, but he was a factor as well as Crockett pointed out how hard he hit.
“(Huuki’s) a sophomore, but he runs like a senior,” Fabbri said. “He’s battle-tested. He stepped up when he had to and made some plays.”
Huuki said Morrice was a physical team as well, but Forest Park was determined to go home with a win.
“That was just put into our head going into this week — the most physical team with the most grit, and the mightiest team’s going to win,” he said. “So we just came in wanting it all.”
The Trojans did it in front of a huge sea of Forest Park fans, who chanted, “U.P. Power!” when it became certain the Trojans were going to win late in the fourth quarter.
“It doesn’t seem real,” Kevin Giuliani said. “I’m just so happy. Words can’t explain what I feel like right now. I feel like I’m on top of the world right now.”
PHOTOS (Top) Crystal Falls Forest Park players swarm coach Brian Fabbri (holding trophy) in celebration Saturday at the Superior Dome. (Middle) Forest Park’s Kevin Giuliani and Brody Starr (5) bring down an Orioles ball carrier. (Below) Morrice’s Joel Fisher (2) breaks away from the Forest Park defense for a long second-half touchdown run. (Photos by Cara Kamps. Click for more.)