2 weeks Ago
We’ve reached the end point. For most teams. For a small handful of area teams, the prep football season will continue with at least a Week 10 in their plans but for the rest, the helmets, pads, jerseys, pants and dreams get put away until August 2025 after this weekend.
Week 9 of the regular season marks the final two nights everyone gets to play. After this weekend, it’s down to 256 11-player teams and 32 eight-player teams with their goals of a championship still alive. The announcement of the qualifiers and first-round pairings for both the 11- and 8-player playoffs will be held at 4:30 p.
m. Sunday, Oct. 27 on the Selection Sunday Show on FanDuel Sports Network (formerly Bally Sports) and its website — .
The playoff qualifiers and pairings will be posted to the MHSAA website following the Selection Sunday Show with game dates and times to be added Monday, Oct. 28 as schools send in their information. Here’s a look at what the post-season might entail for those local teams who could make it, who they might see and where.
Under the old six-wins-and-you’re-in system, Cadillac wouldn’t have been in the discussion. Now, it’s all about playoffs points and the Vikings (4-4) sit at 42.625 headed into today’s finale against Freeland (7-1) at Veterans Memorial Stadium.
Cadillac sits at No. 27 in the Division 3 playoff points listing with the top 32 teams in each division making the post-season. That means a win over the Falcons guarantees the Vikings a spot but a loss doesn’t eliminate them.
In fact, it looks Cadillac is in regardless of what happens tonight. Freeland had won seven straight to open the season before dropping a thrilling 21-20 decision to Division 5 power Frankenmuth last week. Cadillac, meanwhile, has been up-and-down.
The Vikings lost their first two games, won their next three, lost one, won one and lost 41-32 at Marquette last Saturday. Cadillac is likely headed for a rematch with Big North Conference foe Petoskey to open the post-season. The Big North Conference champion Northmen beat the Vikings 42-18 in Week 6.
The other two teams in the district are likely Cedar Springs and Mount Pleasant. There’s no question the Coyotes are in the Division 6 post-season as they sit at No. 7 in playoff points at 46.
554 headed into today’s game at Beal City. The goal in that one might be to come out alive for the playoffs as both teams play a very physical brand of smash-mouth football dominated by the run game. Reed City is potentially looking at Manistee as a first-round game at home next week while Kingsley and Mason County Central are the other two potential district foes.
The Coyotes beat Kingsley 24-22 to open the season after the two played twice last year, including in the state semifinals. A win over the Aggies also puts Reed City in the top spot points-wise in Region 1, meaning it would host three games as long as it keeps going. That includes a potential regional final matchup against Negaunee.
Just like Reed City, McBain knows it will be a part of the 32-team field in Division 7 beginning next week. What the Ramblers (8-0) are hoping is to avoid one of the toughest districts in the state with Menominee and Traverse City St. Francis looming.
Before that, though, McBain has a huge test to wrap things up when it hosts Fowler (8-0) tonight. The Eagles are the top-ranked team in the Associated Press Division 8 poll and a perennial power. A win over Fowler gives McBain a chance to host a game next week.
Otherwise, the Ramblers are looking at the No. 3 seed in the district as an 8-1 team. Also part of the conversation in Division 7 is Evart, which sits at 5-3 heading into a game at Harrison (7-1) today.
The Wildcats sit at No. 26 in D7 points, meaning they’re likely a lock. Evart would go south and east with Oscoda to start while Harrison and Saginaw Valley Lutheran could be on the other side of the bracket.
The Eagles know they will be in the 8-player Division 2 field, as well. They’re also potentially picking up some needed points today as they face Kingston (6-2), a Division 1 team. Marion’s schedule could work against it in the post-season, as just Onekama, Suttons Bay and Kingston have winning records.
That means the Eagles aren’t getting a lot of points from their opposition. A potential regional for Marion could include AuGres-Sims as the top seed, the Eagles at No. 2, Onekama at No.
3 and Mio at No. 4. Marion beat the Portagers 44-8 in Week 2.
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