Week 9 Football Playoff Listing: Top 40 in 11-Player Divisions & Top 24 in 8-Player Divisions
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
October 20, 2021
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 divided by division and ordered by playoff average. The top 32 teams by playoff average in each 11-player division and top 16 teams by playoff average in each 8-player division will qualify for the MHSAA Football Playoffs beginning Oct. 29. Divisions were determined prior to the start of the season, and the lists below include not only teams currently positioned to potentially qualify, but also the next eight teams in each division.
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 at 5:30 p.m. Oct. 24 on the “Selection Sunday Show” on Bally Sports Detroit. The playoff qualifiers and pairings will be posted to the MHSAA Website following the Selection Sunday Show.
11-PLAYER DIVISION 1
1. Rockford, 8-0, 81.375
2. Grand Blanc, 8-0, 80.875
3. Saline, 8-0, 80.625
4. Rochester Adams, 8-0, 78.500
5. Romeo, 7-1, 76.125
6. West Bloomfield, 7-1, 75.250
7. Troy, 8-0, 71.750
8. Brownstown Woodhaven, 8-0, 71.625
9. Belleville, 7-1, 71.375
9. Hartland, 7-1, 71.375
11. Clarkston, 7-1, 70.750
12. Sterling Heights Stevenson, 6-2, 70.625
13. Howell, 7-1, 70.500
14. Bloomfield Hills, 8-0, 70.375
15. Ann Arbor Huron, 7-1, 69.500
16. Clinton Township Chippewa Valley, 6-2, 69.125
17. Detroit Catholic Central, 6-2, 67.518
18. Dearborn Fordson, 6-2, 66.250
19. Dearborn, 6-2, 66.125
20. New Baltimore Anchor Bay, 7-1, 65.500
21. Grandville, 5-3, 62.375
22. Macomb Dakota, 5-3, 61.125
23. Holt, 6-2, 60.750
24. Canton, 5-3, 59.250
25. Traverse City West, 6-2, 59.125
26. Lapeer, 6-2, 58.875
27. Oxford, 4-4, 58.500
28. Grand Ledge, 6-2, 56.375
29. Troy Athens, 5-3, 54.839
30. Novi, 5-3, 54.750
31. Monroe, 4-4, 52.000
32. Brighton, 4-4, 51.750
33. Hudsonville, 4-4, 51.250
33. Utica, 4-4, 51.250
35. Davison, 5-3, 50.750
35. Rochester, 5-3, 50.750
37. Detroit Cass Tech, 5-3, 50.482
38. Fraser, 5-3, 49.875
39. Livonia Stevenson, 4-4, 49.625
39. Rochester Hills Stoney Creek, 3-5, 49.625
11-PLAYER DIVISION 2
1. Warren De La Salle Collegiate, 7-0, 77.643
2. South Lyon, 8-0, 76.696
3. Caledonia, 7-1, 72.500
4. Traverse City Central, 7-1, 68.500
5. Grand Rapids Forest Hills Central, 7-1, 66.500
6. Milford, 7-1, 66.250
7. Berkley, 6-2, 65.625
8. Temperance Bedford, 6-2, 64.750
9. Livonia Churchill, 6-2, 63.125
10. East Lansing, 5-3, 62.625
10. Harrison Township L'Anse Creuse, 6-2, 62.625
12. Port Huron Northern, 6-2, 61.804
13. Port Huron, 6-2, 61.250
14. Midland Dow, 5-3, 60.500
15. Muskegon Mona Shores, 6-2, 60.196
16. Portage Central, 6-2, 59.750
17. Byron Center, 6-2, 58.208
18. Dexter, 5-3, 57.250
19. Walled Lake Western, 5-3, 55.750
20. White Lake Lakeland, 5-3, 55.000
21. Bay City Western, 6-2, 53.500
22. Battle Creek Lakeview, 5-3, 53.357
23. Roseville, 5-3, 51.804
24. Grosse Pointe South, 4-4, 50.839
25. Dearborn Heights Crestwood, 6-2, 50.375
25. Waterford Mott, 4-4, 50.375
27. Saginaw Heritage, 4-4, 48.500
28. St. Clair Shores Lakeview, 4-4, 47.750
29. Fenton, 4-4, 47.625
30. Livonia Franklin, 3-5, 46.500
31. Wyandotte Roosevelt, 4-4, 46.125
32. Detroit U-D Jesuit, 4-4, 46.054
33. Jackson, 4-4, 45.000
34. Swartz Creek, 4-4, 44.750
35. Farmington, 3-5, 42.125
36. Ypsilanti Lincoln, 3-5, 42.000
37. Oak Park, 3-5, 41.750
38. North Farmington, 3-5, 41.500
39. Warren Mott, 3-5, 39.750
40. Flushing, 4-4, 39.625
11-PLAYER DIVISION 3
1. DeWitt, 7-1, 72.750
2. Detroit Martin Luther King, 7-1, 70.881
3. Mount Pleasant, 8-0, 67.375
4. Muskegon, 7-1, 65.571
5. Gibraltar Carlson, 7-1, 64.125
6. Allen Park, 6-2, 62.500
7. Harper Woods, 6-2, 59.964
8. Bloomfield Hills Brother Rice, 5-3, 57.839
9. Riverview, 8-0, 57.500
10. Stevensville Lakeshore, 6-2, 57.250
11. Zeeland West, 5-2, 55.232
12. Marquette, 6-2, 54.500
13. Cedar Springs, 6-2, 53.500
14. Mason, 6-2, 53.000
15. Warren Fitzgerald, 7-1, 52.375
16. Battle Creek Harper Creek, 6-2, 51.875
17. St Joseph, 5-3, 51.750
18. River Rouge, 5-2, 51.417
19. Haslett, 6-2, 51.125
20. Orchard Lake St. Mary's, 5-3, 50.873
21. Zeeland East, 5-3, 49.732
22. Flint Kearsley, 5-3, 49.125
23. Pinckney, 5-3, 48.375
24. Trenton, 4-4, 48.250
25. Lowell, 4-4, 46.750
26. Coopersville, 5-3, 46.125
27. Parma Western, 5-3, 45.375
28. Melvindale, 5-3, 43.000
29. Grand Rapids Northview, 4-4, 41.125
30. Mattawan, 3-5, 40.464
31. Battle Creek Central, 3-5, 39.375
32. Auburn Hills Avondale, 3-5, 39.250
33. South Lyon East, 3-5, 38.875
34. Ionia, 4-4, 38.000
35. Linden, 3-5, 37.375
36. Richland Gull Lake, 4-4, 36.875
37. Coldwater, 3-5, 36.625
38. East Grand Rapids, 3-5, 36.107
39. Muskegon Reeths-Puffer, 3-5, 35.732
40. Petoskey, 3-5, 35.125
11-PLAYER DIVISION 4
1. Chelsea, 8-0, 65.986
2. Hudsonville Unity Christian, 8-0, 64.875
3. Edwardsburg, 8-0, 63.000
4. Vicksburg, 7-1, 60.625
5. Lake Fenton, 7-1, 58.625
6. Hastings, 7-1, 58.500
7. Redford Union, 7-1, 58.375
8. Cadillac, 6-2, 56.250
9. St. Clair, 6-2, 55.179
10. Grand Rapids Christian, 5-3, 54.875
11. Livonia Clarenceville, 7-1, 54.625
12. Spring Lake, 6-2, 53.625
13. Goodrich, 6-2, 53.500
13. Madison Heights Lamphere, 7-1, 53.500
15. Freeland, 7-1, 52.625
16. Grand Rapids South Christian, 6-2, 51.250
17. Pontiac Notre Dame Prep, 7-1, 50.911
18. Croswell-Lexington, 7-1, 50.875
19. Detroit Country Day, 5-2, 47.750
20. Milan, 6-2, 47.625
21. Sparta, 6-2, 47.315
22. Plainwell, 5-3, 46.875
22. Three Rivers, 5-3, 46.875
24. Whitehall, 7-1, 46.750
25. Paw Paw, 5-3, 46.250
26. Ortonville Brandon, 5-3, 44.679
27. North Branch, 6-2, 44.625
28. Ada Forest Hills Eastern, 4-4, 43.625
29. Charlotte, 5-3, 43.500
30. Niles, 4-4, 42.125
31. Fruitport, 4-4, 41.750
32. Romulus Summit Academy North, 6-2, 41.438
33. Detroit Henry Ford, 4-4, 40.143
34. New Boston Huron, 4-4, 39.750
35. Wyoming Godwin Heights, 4-3, 36.798
36. Alma, 4-4, 36.750
37. Sault Ste. Marie, 5-3, 34.125
38. Battle Creek Pennfield, 3-5, 33.625
39. Allendale, 3-5, 33.125
39. Lansing Sexton, 3-5, 33.125
39. Romulus, 3-5, 33.125
11-PLAYER DIVISION 5
1. Grand Rapids Catholic Central, 8-0, 68.042
2. Frankenmuth, 8-0, 61.000
3. Grand Rapids West Catholic, 7-1, 60.750
4. Marine City, 8-0, 58.000
5. Portland, 6-2, 55.875
6. Comstock Park, 8-0, 54.649
7. Berrien Springs, 8-0, 52.750
8. Williamston, 5-3, 51.000
9. Kingsley, 8-0, 49.250
10. Muskegon Oakridge, 7-1, 48.768
11. Armada, 6-2, 47.125
12. Gladwin, 8-0, 46.250
13. Howard City Tri County, 7-1, 45.250
14. Belding, 5-3, 44.226
15. Kingsford, 5-3, 44.153
16. Essexville Garber, 5-3, 42.125
17. Olivet, 6-2, 41.500
18. Kalamazoo Hackett Catholic Prep, 5-3, 40.607
19. South Haven, 6-2, 40.306
20. Saginaw Swan Valley, 4-4, 39.500
21. Big Rapids, 5-3, 39.125
21. Dundee, 5-3, 39.125
23. Hopkins, 4-4, 38.315
24. Macomb Lutheran North, 5-3, 37.920
25. Clare, 5-3, 37.625
26. Corunna, 4-4, 36.875
27. Flint Powers Catholic, 2-6, 36.750
28. Richmond, 4-4, 35.375
29. St. Clair Shores South Lake, 4-4, 34.000
30. Carrollton, 4-4, 32.125
31. Parchment, 5-3, 31.393
32. Detroit Cody, 4-4, 30.750
33. Grant, 3-5, 30.583
34. Flint Hamady, 5-3, 30.554
35. Birch Run, 3-5, 30.000
36. Cheboygan, 3-5, 29.875
37. Shepherd, 4-4, 29.625
38. Flat Rock, 2-6, 28.750
39. Ogemaw Heights, 2-6, 28.500
40. Midland Bullock Creek, 3-5, 28.375
11-PLAYER DIVISION 6
1. Lansing Catholic, 8-0, 61.750
2. Reed City, 7-1, 49.750
3. Constantine, 8-0, 48.393
4. Millington, 8-0, 45.375
5. Ida, 6-2, 43.875
6. Standish-Sterling, 7-1, 43.750
7. Montague, 6-2, 43.518
8. Warren Michigan Collegiate, 6-2, 42.920
9. Detroit Southeastern, 5-3, 42.893
10. Almont, 5-3, 41.750
11. Negaunee, 7-1, 41.661
12. Dearborn Heights Robichaud, 5-3, 41.250
13. Grayling, 6-2, 40.804
14. Boyne City, 7-1, 40.643
15. Jonesville, 8-0, 40.375
16. Menominee, 5-3, 40.292
17. Clawson, 6-2, 39.875
18. Ecorse, 6-2, 39.625
19. Central Montcalm, 5-3, 38.625
20. Ovid-Elsie, 6-2, 37.589
21. Clinton Township Clintondale, 4-4, 37.250
22. Michigan Center, 7-1, 37.000
23. Clinton, 6-2, 36.607
24. Gladstone, 4-4, 36.125
25. Detroit Pershing, 5-3, 36.063
26. Manistee, 5-3, 36.036
27. Calumet, 6-2, 35.375
28. Watervliet, 5-3, 34.750
29. Durand, 5-3, 32.839
30. Detroit Edison, 5-3, 32.607
31. Detroit Collegiate Prep, 4-4, 31.330
32. Erie Mason, 5-3, 31.000
33. Adrian Madison, 5-3, 30.500
34. Morley Stanwood, 5-3, 30.232
35. Detroit Osborn, 4-4, 29.750
36. Hillsdale, 3-5, 29.250
37. Buchanan, 3-5, 28.750
38. Kent City, 5-2, 28.679
39. Lake City, 5-3, 28.554
40. Maple City Glen Lake, 3-5, 28.125
11-PLAYER DIVISION 7
1. Jackson Lumen Christi, 7-1, 57.875
2. Monroe St. Mary Catholic Central, 7-1, 54.250
3. Traverse City St. Francis, 8-0, 51.500
4. Detroit Central, 8-0, 50.482
5. Pewamo-Westphalia, 8-0, 45.429
6. Muskegon Catholic Central, 7-1, 44.500
7. Madison Heights Bishop Foley, 7-1, 42.857
8. Lawton, 8-0, 42.232
9. Ishpeming Westwood, 7-1, 38.911
10. New Lothrop, 6-2, 38.714
11. Charlevoix, 7-1, 38.518
12. Montrose, 6-2, 38.000
13. Evart, 7-1, 37.804
14. Detroit Community, 6-2, 36.938
15. Hemlock, 5-3, 36.750
16. Delton Kellogg, 5-2, 36.482
17. Lutheran Westland, 7-1, 36.375
18. Ravenna, 5-3, 36.268
19. Detroit Loyola, 3-4, 36.179
20. Bad Axe, 7-1, 35.750
20. Reese, 7-1, 35.750
22. Ithaca, 5-3, 34.375
23. Elkton-Pigeon-Bay Port Laker, 6-2, 33.500
24. McBain, 5-3, 32.554
25. Detroit Leadership Academy, 5-3, 31.875
26. Mancelona, 5-2, 31.732
27. Burton Bendle, 5-3, 30.429
28. Homer, 5-3, 30.125
29. Union City, 4-4, 29.875
30. North Muskegon, 3-5, 29.393
31. Harrison, 5-3, 28.875
32. St. Louis, 5-3, 28.375
33. Niles Brandywine, 3-5, 27.875
34. Laingsburg, 5-3, 27.679
35. Burton Bentley, 4-4, 27.554
36. East Jordan, 6-2, 26.839
37. L'Anse, 4-4, 25.250
38. Madison Heights Madison, 2-6, 23.625
39. Beaverton, 3-5, 23.375
40. Hanover-Horton, 3-5, 23.125
11-PLAYER DIVISION 8
1. Hudson, 8-0, 48.250
2. Ottawa Lake Whiteford, 7-1, 42.958
3. Addison, 8-0, 41.875
4. Carson City-Crystal, 7-1, 39.500
5. Beal City, 7-1, 38.875
6. Ubly, 8-0, 37.804
7. Clarkston Everest Collegiate, 7-1, 36.250
8. Iron Mountain, 5-3, 35.286
9. White Pigeon, 7-1, 34.181
10. Centreville, 6-2, 32.288
11. Flint Beecher, 4-4, 32.179
12. Muskegon Heights Academy, 5-3, 31.679
13. Breckenridge, 6-2, 31.625
13. Reading, 6-2, 31.625
15. Frankfort, 6-2, 31.375
16. Marine City Cardinal Mooney, 6-2, 29.875
17. Sand Creek, 5-3, 29.625
18. Fowler, 5-3, 29.446
19. Marlette, 5-3, 29.179
20. Whitmore Lake, 5-3, 29.000
21. Harbor Beach, 5-3, 28.929
22. Mount Clemens, 5-3, 28.688
23. Saugatuck, 5-3, 27.946
24. Cass City, 4-4, 27.875
24. Petersburg Summerfield, 5-3, 27.875
26. Cassopolis, 5-3, 27.538
27. Holton, 5-3, 27.411
28. White Cloud, 4-4, 25.286
29. Rochester Hills Lutheran Northwest, 4-4, 25.125
30. Bark River-Harris, 5-3, 24.750
31. Decatur, 3-5, 23.625
32. Allen Park Cabrini, 4-4, 23.375
33. Saginaw Nouvel, 3-5, 23.250
34. Dansville, 4-4, 22.679
35. Riverview Gabriel Richard, 2-5, 22.268
36. Vassar, 3-5, 21.750
37. Coleman, 4-4, 20.625
38. Melvindale Academy for Business & Tech, 3-5, 20.563
39. Ishpeming, 3-4, 19.589
40. Unionville-Sebewaing, 2-6, 19.250
8-PLAYER DIVISION 1
1. Adrian Lenawee Christian, 8-0, 38.179
2. Suttons Bay, 8-0, 36.875
3. Martin, 8-0, 35.125
4. Deckerville, 7-0, 33.893
5. Rogers City, 8-0, 33.411
6. Britton Deerfield, 8-0, 33.196
7. Indian River Inland Lakes, 8-0, 32.500
8. Pickford, 7-1, 32.054
9. Munising, 6-2, 31.554
10. Mendon, 6-2, 30.750
11. Lawrence, 6-2, 30.000
12. Newberry, 6-2, 28.179
13. Rudyard, 6-2, 27.804
14. Tekonsha, 6-2, 27.750
15. Mesick, 5-3, 27.357
16. Ontonagon, 5-3, 26.125
17. Genesee, 5-2, 26.054
18. Vestaburg, 5-3, 25.982
19. Merrill, 4-4, 25.625
20. Kingston, 4-4, 24.661
21. Norway, 4-4, 24.500
22. Stephenson, 4-4, 24.125
23. Brethren, 3-5, 23.089
24. Marcellus, 4-4, 23.000
8-PLAYER DIVISION 2
1. Au Gres-Sims, 8-0, 34.750
2. Marion, 7-1, 34.732
3. Portland St. Patrick, 8-0, 34.500
4. Kinde North Huron, 8-0, 34.375
5. Morrice, 8-0, 34.268
6. Powers North Central, 8-0, 34.000
7. Colon, 7-1, 32.482
8. Pellston, 7-1, 31.250
9. Crystal Falls Forest Park, 7-1, 30.500
10. Mount Pleasant Sacred Heart, 6-2, 29.571
11. Mio, 6-2, 29.250
12. Lake Linden-Hubbell, 6-2, 28.500
13. Climax-Scotts, 5-3, 28.107
14. Peck, 5-3, 26.125
15. Bay City All Saints, 6-2, 25.500
16. Hillman, 5-3, 25.375
17. Gaylord St Mary, 5-3, 25.054
18. Bear Lake, 5-3, 23.232
19. Athens, 4-4, 22.732
20. Eben Junction Superior Central, 4-4, 21.875
20. North Adams-Jerome, 4-4, 21.875
22. Fulton, 3-5, 21.750
23. Hale, 3-5, 21.375
24. Waldron, 5-3, 21.250
PHOTO A pair of Plainwell defenders bring down an Otsego ball carrier during Plainwell's 21-6 Week 1 win. (Photo by Gary Shook.)
Portage Northern Coach Nurturing New Roots After Arriving from Crosstown Rival
By
Pam Shebest
Special for MHSAA.com
October 19, 2021
PORTAGE — When Kurt Twichell was hired as Portage Northern’s head football coach last May, he had some serious closet cleaning to do.
As an assistant coach at crosstown rival Portage Central, his wardrobe was filled with blue and gold.
“I had to clean out probably 80 percent of my closet,” Twichell said, laughing. “Being a phys. ed. guy, I had quite a bit of blue and gold PC stuff.
“That all went into a big old bag, and I actually donated it back to them. I had a lot of work to do from a wardrobe perspective, no doubt about that.”
Twichell is nearing the conclusion of his first season as a head coach, with Portage Northern 2-6 this fall heading into its season finale Friday against Kalamazoo Central.
He had spent the previous seven seasons at Portage Central, finishing his tenure with the Mustangs last fall as their defensive coordinator. Across town at that time, Pete Schermerhorn was completing his 27th and final season leading the Huskies’ football program – and after some thought, Twichell applied to be his replacement and was named Northern’s next coach this spring.
Twichell made sure to wear orange when he met with his new team for the first time.
If he had worn any hint of blue, “We wouldn’t have let him in,” said senior and two-way player Xavier Thomas with a big grin.
Twichell said he understood why players were apprehensive.
“I think naturally, with teenagers, it was like what the heck is going on?” he said. “We hired a guy from Portage Central. This is crazy.”
Twichell said he worked very hard to establish a rapport with the players.
“You’re trying to build trust within your program,” he said. “As soon as I accepted this job, I’m diving full on in, orange, brown and white as a Huskie.”
Thomas said players did not know what to expect.
“The initial feeling, we were a little nervous as far as what his path for us was going to be. Having come from that school, would he hold a grudge against us or not?” he recalled.
“After meeting him and sitting down and having a conversation with him, we understood that he was fully on the path of Portage Northern Huskies. He fully supports all of our sports programs, not just football. He’s just a great guy that we need in our community.”
Climbing the ladder
Twichell said his love of football started at Haslett High School in “an up-and-coming program” under head coach Charlie Otlewski and defensive coordinator Rob Porritt, adding “Those are my guys.”
After a football injury at Hope College derailed his playing career, Twichell transferred to Michigan State as a “regular student” and started working with Otlewski and Haslett’s football team.
“I spent a couple years there doing it for fun,” Twichell said. “I ended up loving it so much.”
He scrapped plans for med school and earned a teaching degree.
Taking his first job at White Pigeon, “I was just a young guy looking for any job I could get.”
Two years later he contacted Enders, who happened to have a job available. Twichell spent the next seven years at Central, working his way up to defensive coordinator.
When he heard about the opening at Northern, which included a teaching position, he was not sure about applying.
“I was very, very rooted with Central and really enjoyed the staff and the opportunity they gave me to work my way up to d-coordinator,” he said. “When this job came up, I actually sat down and thought about it for more than three seconds. Being a head coach is a goal of mine.”
Twichell’s wife, Kate, coaches the Portage schools’ co-op girls lacrosse team and he said the family, including 3-year-old twins, are happy living in the community.
Ironically, shortly after accepting the Northern coaching job, his wife left Hackett Catholic Prep to teach Spanish and English at Portage Central.
That makes for some interesting family dynamics, especially during the rivalry game.
“I try to push the (twins) one way; Kate doesn’t necessarily try to push them either way but we still hear the ‘M’ (Mustangs) word after “Go” from the kids,” Kurt said. “They’ll say every now and then, Go Mustangs or Go Huskies. Kate just cheers for ‘no injuries,’ the way she puts it.”
No longer just Xs and Os
“The biggest change is how much of your role has almost nothing to do with football from an Xs and Os perspective or from an actual coaching kids perspective,” Twichell said.
“It’s community relations, youth involvement, financial management, recruiting.”
He said it is like the iceberg analogy.
“People just see Friday nights and results, but below the surface is all these components that go into building a good program,” he said. “Coach Shermerhorn left a pretty good foundation in terms of that iceberg, but I definitely want to put my own spin on things.”
During the day, Twichell is in the weight room, teaching a full day of power lifting.
The academic classes are open to all students, and Twichell hopes to resurrect the school’s power lifting team.
Chris Riker, Northern’s athletic director, said when hiring a coach, it is not where he coached but if he was a good fit for the program.
“We had some outstanding candidates and Kurt had a good plan on developing culture, developing not just the football player but the whole athlete, the whole person,” Riker said. “Academics were important. Getting involved in your community is important, and being a role model for the younger kids is important as well as being a good football player, good person.”
Riker said the team is very involved with the community.
“He’s done some things with our kids and Rocket Football to establish that connection with the youth program,” he said.
He added that Twichell and Enders collaborated on Camp Ability in July.
“It’s a camp for special needs kids who want to be involved with football,” Riker said. “It’s pretty cool to get out there and see kids who aren’t involved in football be that excited and be next to our football players. Kids had big smiles on their faces, just to be able to try on the shoulder pads and football jerseys.”
The children also ran drills, tossed footballs and ran for touchdowns, helped by players from both teams.
Not just another game
The Huskies are still settling into a new system (although a highlight was a Week 4 win over Division 3 No. 10 Stevensville Lakeshore). But Twichell has surrounded himself with solid support, carrying over several assistants from Schermerhorn’s staff.
“Those guys have been phenomenal,” Twichell said. “Just about every coach who wanted to come back did.”
As the defensive coordinator at Portage Central, Twichell was familiar with Tom Laskarides, Schermerhorn’s defensive coordinator.
“People probably wondered what that was going to look like, but I have nothing but admiration and respect for Tom,” Twichell said. “We also brought back Mike McGuire who was on staff here probably 10 years ago. He’s a quarterbacks, offensive guy and a former head coach himself. That’s been huge to have these guys.”
Twichell said the team lost several outstanding players to graduation the last three years.
“When you go through losing groups like that, there’s going to be a transition there, regardless of a new coach,” he said. “We have a very young team, an inexperienced team.”
One game on Twichell’s radar this fall was the battle of the Portages, a game Northern lost, 33-17, two weeks ago.
“I’m not sure there’s a playbook out there that anybody’s ever written,” he said. “Not just competing against players that you had physically coached and had invested so much in their lives, but you know their families, their career aspirations, especially that senior class.”
Twichell said the “coach speak” was that it was just another game.
But the emotions surfaced during the postgame handshakes.
“Lots of hugs and some emotions. It was a good feeling from a human standpoint, but obviously we’re disappointed the game didn’t go the way we wanted it to,” he said.
Thomas said his coach warned the players that the game would generate more than the usual hype.
“He let us know there would be a lot of attention brought on us from the media, being (Central head coach Mick) Enders vs. Twichell,” Thomas said.
“But with his preparation, we were pretty dialed into the game. Hopefully we can take the things we learned from that game and assess them moving forward so the things that happened in that game won’t happen again.”
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) First-year Portage Northern varsity football coach Kurt Twichell talks with his team this season. (2) Portage Northern senior Xavier Thomas, top, and athletic director Chris Riker. (3) Twichell, left, works with his players during a practice this fall. (4) Twichell addresses the Huskies after a game. (Action photos by Jason Altwies; head shots by Pam Shebest.)