Football

The knowledge gap covering 466 miles between Ishpeming and Detroit Loyola certainly was bridged when the two met in last season’s Division 7 Final.  Ishpeming – winner that day 20-14 – knew what Loyola had coming back this fall, and heard about ...

When Jarrett Mathison was told he wouldn't be Marine City's quarterback this season, he could've taken the news the wrong way. Instead, Mathison handled the change with a team-first attitude, even though he had no clue what his role would be with the Mariners.

As the final seconds ticked down in Friday’s Division 6 Final, Ithaca’s players predictably began throwing four fingers into the air – signifying their fourth straight MHSAA title. But the Yellowjackets could’ve chosen instead to press a thumb ...

What do you get the football coach who has everything?  How about a perfect 14-0 season? Better yet, how about a third straight MHSAA championship as a nice going-away present? 

Muskegon Catholic Central’s players emerged from the Ford Field tunnel Friday morning for the first time, in shirts and ties and with awe over their faces. The Crusaders as a community are used to making this trip, with 11 MHSAA Finals appearances and eight titl...

I very much doubt that the absence of football would have improved my life or the schools and communities I’ve been a part of. It’s a sport that needs our attention, not its extinction.

The MHSAA fall sports season will close this weekend with our most popular Finals as 16 teams play for eight 11-player football championships Friday and Saturday at Ford Field.  Here's a little something we cooked up to help you recall last season's games and prep...

If you're looking for a few good stories to finish off this high school football season, make sure you're glued to this weekend's MHSAA 11-Player Finals at Ford Field. Read on for previews of all eight games including the best wins this season and players to watch from...

The public is getting mixed messages about school-sponsored football. The problem of college and professional football is not the problem of school-sponsored football.

We finally have answers to some of the questions that have been asked all season.  Four 2012 MHSAA champions earned the opportunity Saturday to play for titles again this weekend. Five teams that finished runners-up at Ford Field last season will get another chanc...

To provide for the convenience and safety of spectators attending the Michigan High School Athletic Association Football Finals at Ford Field in Detroit, Nov. 29 and 30, attendees are being advised of a variety of items related to transportation and security – inc...

Peck’s players had started snapping at each other during their Week 6 Homecoming game against Kingston, getting on each other’s cases about missed tackles and other mistakes of the first two quarters. The bickering became enough that coach Rob McDaniel deci...

There are probably only a few surprises left as MHSAA 11-player football teams head into the second-to-last weekend of the season.  But there is plenty for us to tell about the 32 teams that have made it to Saturday's Semifinals. 

Legacy Field in Greenville will welcome Friday two teams that have steamrolled the competition on the way to this season’s MHSAA 8-Player Final – and two of the most prolific offensive stars in the young history of the sport in this state. Rapid River quart...

We often celebrate teams making deep playoff runs for the first time as they and their communities reach heights never experienced before. That experience as the toughest levels of the tournament is invaluable. Just ask the 10 teams that repeated as Regional champions ...

It’s both notable, yet logical, that 25 undefeated teams remain among the 68 still alive in the MHSAA football playoffs heading into this weekend. At this point in the season, the best teams rise to the top. But maintaining perfection over 11 weeks is something w...

There will be at least four new MHSAA football champions when this season ends later this month in Greenville and then Detroit. Reigning Division 3 winner Grand Rapids Christian lost this weekend in a District Final, joining a handful of others whose drives to defend h...

If last week's first round of the MHSAA football playoffs was one of the most unpredictable we've seen in years, why bother setting expectations for the encore? But this weekend should be just as entertaining with rematches the theme, including some second versions ...

Upsets seemed to fall with the raindrops that unexpectedly cropped up in spurts during the first weekend of the 2013 MHSAA football playoffs.  From Romeo to Dowagiac, Britton-Deerfield to Wayland with Parchment and Bath in between, teams celebrated wins that proba...

A handful of MHSAA football teams always are safe to expect at Ford Field when we finish the annual five-week Finals run into Thanksgiving weekend.  But if the record number of at-large qualifiers – 31 – or the difficulty in picking the best first-...