MHSAA Press Release: 2026 MHSAA Football Playoff Pairings

FROM MICHIGAN HIGH SCHOOL ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

October 25, 2026
Contact: Geoff Kimmerly
517.332.5046 or media@mhsaa.com

 

2026 MHSAA Football Playoff Pairings

EAST LANSING, Mich. – Oct. 25 –  Here are the pairings for the 2026 MHSAA Football Playoffs, which begin Oct. 30 and 31 with District Semifinals in the 11-Player Playoffs and Regional Semifinals in the 8-Player Playoffs.

Teams were divided into divisions before the start of play this fall. The top 32 teams in each division in 11-player and top 16 per division in 8-player, based on playoff-point average, were selected to the field.

For 11-player, qualifiers were then divided into four regions with eight teams apiece, then placed into four-team Districts based on their seeds within the region. The 8-player qualifiers were divided into four regions with four teams in each.

Pairings for the first three weeks of the tournament are based on regular-season playoff-point averages, with the highest-ranked team hosting, regardless of the distance between the two schools. For 11-Player District Semifinals, the top-seeded team will host the eighth-seeded team, the second-seeded will host the seventh-seeded, the third-seeded with host the sixth-seeded, and the fourth-seeded team will host the fifth-seeded team. For 8-Player Regional Semifinal play, the top-seeded team in each bracket will host the fourth-seeded team, and the second-seeded team will host the third-seeded team.

District Finals for 11-player and Regional Finals for 8-player will follow during the weekend of Nov. 6-7, and the weekend of Nov. 13-14 will have Regional Finals in the 11-Player Playoffs and Semifinals in the 8-Player Playoffs. The 8-Player Semifinals will pair the winners of Region 1 vs. Region 2 and the winners of Region 3 vs. Region 4 at neutral sites assigned by the MHSAA.

Semifinal games in the 11-Player Playoffs will take place Nov. 20-21, pairing the winners of Region 1 vs. Region 2 and the winners of Region 3 vs. Region 4. The MHSAA also will assign 11-Player Semifinals at neutral sites.

All playoff tickets except for Finals (both 11 and 8-player) will be sold online only via GoFan at gofan.co.

For 11-Player, tickets to District Semifinals and District Finals cost $8, tickets to Regional Finals are $10, and tickets to Semifinals cost $12. For 8-player, tickets for Regional Semifinals are $8, tickets for Regional Finals are $10, and tickets for Semifinals cost $12.

The 8-Player Finals will take place Nov. 21 at Northern Michigan University’s Superior Dome in Marquette, and the 11-Player Finals will be played Nov. 27 and 28 at Ford Field in Detroit. An all-day ticket for 8-Player Finals costs $12 and includes admission to both games, and an all-day ticket for the 11-Player Finals costs $20 and includes admission to that day’s four games.

The 11-Player Finals schedule will be as follows:

Friday, Nov. 27

9:30 a.m. - Division 8

12:30 p.m. - Division 4

4 p.m. - Division 6

7 p.m. - Division 2

Sunday, Nov. 28

9:30 a.m. - Division 7

12:30 p.m. - Division 3

4 p.m. - Division 5

7 p.m. - Division 1

Pairings for both the 11 and 8-Player brackets are as follows:

11-Player Pairings

DIVISION 1

REGION 1

DISTRICT 1

Grandville (4-5) 54.778 at Howell (9-0) 87.000

Hudsonville (6-3) 66.778 at Portage Central (8-1) 72.667

DISTRICT 2

Brighton (5-4) 58.000 at East Kentwood (9-0) 83.667

Rockford (5-4) 61.444 at Grand Ledge (9-0) 75.111

REGION 2

DISTRICT 1

Bloomfield Hills (5-4) 52.222 at Clarkston (8-1) 82.889

Hartland (7-2) 71.556 at Grand Blanc (9-0) 78.139

DISTRICT 2

Lake Orion (4-5) 53.889 at Detroit Catholic Central (8-1) 79.681

Davison (7-2) 63.583 at Oxford (7-2) 78.778

REGION 3

DISTRICT 1

Plymouth (4-5) 51.333 at Detroit Cass Tech (9-0) 76.861

Belleville (6-3) 70.667 at Dearborn Fordson (7-2) 71.333

DISTRICT 2

Dearborn (5-4) 55.667 at Saline (9-0) 76.778

Brownstown Woodhaven (7-2) 66.000 at Northville (7-2) 74.000

REGION 4

DISTRICT 1

New Baltimore Anchor Bay (5-4) 54.778 at Romeo (9-0) 83.667

Macomb Dakota (5-4) 64.667 at Rochester (6-3) 67.444

DISTRICT 2

Macomb L'Anse Creuse North (6-3) 54.889 at Rochester Hills Stoney Creek (7-2) 72.111

Utica (6-3) 56.444 at Rochester Adams (6-3) 70.000

DIVISION 2

REGION 1

DISTRICT 1

Muskegon (4-5) 47.444 at Byron Center (7-2) 71.667

Portage Northern (5-4) 59.000 at Traverse City West (6-3) 63.889

DISTRICT 2

East Lansing (4-5) 48.667 at Caledonia (7-2) 70.903

Traverse City Central (4-5) 49.667 at Muskegon Mona Shores (8-1) 69.833

REGION 2

DISTRICT 1

Midland (4-5) 47.222 at Milford (8-1) 73.333

Walled Lake Western (7-2) 65.333 at Midland Dow (7-2) 66.222

DISTRICT 2

Flushing (5-4) 49.778 at South Lyon (7-2) 72.000

Saginaw Heritage (6-3) 60.917 at South Lyon East (7-2) 68.333

REGION 3

DISTRICT 1

Roseville (4-5) 53.778 at Bloomfield Hills Brother Rice (7-2) 66.889

North Farmington (6-3) 59.111 at Ferndale (7-2) 61.000

DISTRICT 2

Birmingham Groves (5-4) 54.556 at Orchard Lake St. Mary's (6-3) 65.667

Birmingham Seaholm (5-4) 56.444 at St. Clair Shores Lakeview (7-2) 62.111

REGION 4

DISTRICT 1

Detroit Mumford (5-4) 47.333 at Gibraltar Carlson (9-0) 77.444

Livonia Franklin (7-2) 63.111 at Allen Park (7-2) 64.111

DISTRICT 2

Dearborn Heights Crestwood (5-4) 53.556 at Grosse Pointe South (8-1) 71.889

Livonia Churchill (5-4) 54.889 at Temperance Bedford (7-2) 64.889

DIVISION 3

REGION 1

DISTRICT 1

Petoskey (6-3) 49.556 at Mount Pleasant (8-1) 69.556

Marquette (6-3) 54.000 at Cadillac (7-2) 58.222

DISTRICT 2

Lowell (6-3) 53.556 at DeWitt (7-2) 67.111

East Grand Rapids (6-3) 53.556 at Coopersville (8-1) 65.556

REGION 2

DISTRICT 1

Zeeland East (5-4) 45.889 at St. Joseph (7-2) 65.889

Coldwater (6-3) 48.333 at Middleville Thornapple Kellogg (6-3) 52.556

DISTRICT 2

Niles (4-5) 46.111 at Zeeland West (7-2) 61.972

Battle Creek Central (5-4) 47.556 at Battle Creek Harper Creek (6-3) 52.889

REGION 3

DISTRICT 1

Waterford Mott (5-4) 47.111 at Chelsea (9-0) 70.556

Linden (6-3) 56.889 at Redford Thurston (8-1) 57.111

DISTRICT 2

Dexter (4-5) 52.444 at Mason (8-1) 67.000

Holly (7-2) 55.444 at Fenton (7-2) 64.333

REGION 4

DISTRICT 1

New Boston Huron (6-3) 48.000 at Port Huron (9-0) 75.222

Warren De La Salle Collegiate (5-4) 55.524 at Trenton (5-4) 57.000

DISTRICT 2

Warren Fitzgerald (6-3) 48.556 at Harper Woods (7-2) 72.333

Grosse Pointe North (6-3) 52.333 at Detroit Martin Luther King (6-3) 66.556

DIVISION 4

REGION 1

DISTRICT 1

Grand Rapids Christian (4-5) 43.667 at Grand Rapids Kenowa Hills (8-1) 66.333

Fruitport (7-2) 47.778 at Ludington (7-2) 48.111

DISTRICT 2

Big Rapids (5-4) 44.111 at Ada Forest Hills Eastern (8-1) 60.556

Spring Lake (5-4) 46.333 at Hudsonville Unity Christian (5-4) 52.778

REGION 2

DISTRICT 1

Vicksburg (7-2) 58.889 at Edwardsburg (9-0) 66.111

Paw Paw (8-1) 62.778 at Portland (9-0) 63.778

DISTRICT 2

Hastings (7-2) 60.556 at Stevensville Lakeshore (8-1) 66.000

Marshall (8-1) 60.889 at Grand Rapids South Christian (8-1) 65.222

REGION 3

DISTRICT 1

Williamston (5-4) 45.444 at Goodrich (9-0) 66.667

Ortonville Brandon (6-3) 49.556 at St. Johns (7-2) 51.222

DISTRICT 2

Lansing Sexton (6-3) 46.333 at Dearborn Divine Child (8-1) 63.556

Tecumseh (6-3) 49.000 at Adrian (8-1) 59.778

REGION 4

DISTRICT 1

Detroit Southeastern (6-3) 45.667 at Marysville (5-4) 52.556

Macomb Lutheran North (8-1) 50.556 at Detroit East English (7-2) 51.333

DISTRICT 2

St. Clair (7-2) 47.444 at Detroit Cody (8-1) 52.556

Detroit Country Day (6-3) 48.000 at Madison Heights Lamphere (5-4) 51.667

DIVISION 5

REGION 1

DISTRICT 1

Howard City Tri County (5-4) 38.222 at Kingsford (9-0) 56.889

Negaunee (5-4) 40.556 at Shepherd (7-2) 46.222

DISTRICT 2

Remus Chippewa Hills (7-2) 39.778 at Muskegon Orchard View (7-2) 49.222

Reed City (6-3) 40.111 at Ogemaw Heights (7-2) 46.778

REGION 2

DISTRICT 1

Comstock Park (4-5) 38.111 at Grand Rapids Catholic Central (7-2) 65.194

Berrien Springs (8-1) 51.333 at Lake Odessa Lakewood (8-1) 54.000

DISTRICT 2

Wyoming Godwin Heights (7-2) 47.667 at Grand Rapids West Catholic (7-2) 59.556

Kalamazoo Hackett Catholic Prep (9-0) 48.613 at Hopkins (8-1) 56.000

REGION 3

DISTRICT 1

Whitmore Lake (6-3) 39.000 at Frankenmuth (8-1) 56.222

Armada (5-4) 45.889 at Flint Powers Catholic (7-2) 48.667

DISTRICT 2

Pontiac Notre Dame Prep (5-4) 40.333 at Saginaw Swan Valley (8-1) 52.889

Corunna (4-5) 41.222 at Imlay City (7-2) 49.222

REGION 4

DISTRICT 1

Flat Rock (3-6) 33.444 at Monroe Jefferson (8-1) 55.556

Ida (7-2) 43.444 at Detroit Voyageur College Prep (6-3) 43.819

DISTRICT 2

Ann Arbor Father Gabriel Richard (5-4) 40.222 at Romulus Summit Academy North (6-3) 49.778

Detroit Denby (6-3) 40.444 at Redford Union (5-4) 46.000

DIVISION 6

REGION 1

DISTRICT 1

Mason County Central (5-4) 31.222 at Kingsley (9-0) 49.806

Calumet (6-3) 39.000 at Traverse City St. Francis (6-3) 41.000

DISTRICT 2

Elk Rapids (6-3) 33.986 at Sanford Meridian (9-0) 49.278

Harbor Springs (8-1) 36.778 at Gladwin (5-4) 43.444

REGION 2

DISTRICT 1

Flint Elite (5-4) 32.444 at Almont (9-0) 61.111

Midland Bullock Creek (5-4) 37.278 at Algonac (6-3) 41.667

DISTRICT 2

New Haven (6-3) 34.111 at Marine City (9-0) 56.667

Durand (6-3) 35.667 at Montrose (7-2) 44.000

REGION 3

DISTRICT 1

Brooklyn Columbia Central (6-3) 36.000 at Jackson Lumen Christi (7-2) 58.222

Napoleon (8-1) 41.444 at Buchanan (7-2) 41.556

DISTRICT 2

Adrian Madison (6-3) 37.444 at Belding (7-2) 49.889

Kent City (7-2) 37.778 at Olivet (6-3) 45.778

REGION 4

DISTRICT 1

Dearborn Heights Robichaud (5-4) 34.333 at Detroit Edison (8-1) 52.778

Clawson (6-3) 43.444 at Clinton (8-1) 49.667

DISTRICT 2

Detroit Communication Media Arts (5-4) 36.333 at Ecorse (8-1) 52.333

Warren Michigan Collegiate (5-4) 39.222 at Detroit Central (8-1) 49.778

DIVISION 7

REGION 1

DISTRICT 1

Lakeview (5-4) 28.222 at Menominee (8-1) 52.778

Manton (7-2) 32.889 at Manistee (4-5) 36.889

DISTRICT 2

Oscoda (6-3) 31.222 at Charlevoix (6-2) 41.361

Harrison (7-2) 32.708 at McBain (7-2) 39.472

REGION 2

DISTRICT 1

Cass City (6-3) 31.778 at Pewamo-Westphalia (8-0) 43.264

Elkton-Pigeon-Bay Port Laker (7-2) 39.556 at Burton Bendle (9-0) 40.111

DISTRICT 2

Clinton Township Clintondale (3-6) 32.444 at Millington (9-0) 42.889

Saginaw Valley Lutheran (6-3) 33.444 at Ithaca (8-1) 40.778

REGION 3

DISTRICT 1

Saranac (7-2) 31.083 at Constantine (8-1) 46.169

Cassopolis (8-1) 37.000 at Ravenna (7-2) 42.222

DISTRICT 2

Galesburg-Augusta (7-2) 33.000 at Schoolcraft (7-2) 44.905

Lawton (5-4) 33.058 at North Muskegon (8-1) 43.625

REGION 4

DISTRICT 1

Leslie (4-5) 30.778 at Monroe St. Mary Catholic Central (8-1) 54.778

Bronson (7-2) 34.778 at Ottawa Lake Whiteford (7-2) 35.292

DISTRICT 2

Jonesville (5-4) 31.444 at Hanover-Horton (7-2) 41.222

Union City (7-2) 32.333 at Detroit Community (8-1) 37.444

DIVISION 8

REGION 1

DISTRICT 1

Beaverton (4-4) 24.458 at Beal City (9-0) 44.778

East Jordan (7-2) 34.764 at Iron Mountain (7-2) 35.778

DISTRICT 2

L'Anse (4-5) 25.222 at Bark River-Harris (7-2) 37.958

Frankfort (5-4) 28.889 at Maple City Glen Lake (7-2) 36.333

REGION 2

DISTRICT 1

Vestaburg (6-3) 26.778 at New Lothrop (8-1) 46.000

Saginaw Michigan Lutheran Seminary (6-3) 31.736 at Mount Pleasant Sacred Heart (6-3) 32.319

DISTRICT 2

Vassar (5-4) 27.222 at Ubly (6-3) 33.444

Saginaw Nouvel Catholic Central (5-4) 29.889 at Unionville-Sebewaing (7-2) 32.889

REGION 3

DISTRICT 1

Sand Creek (5-4) 26.444 at Hudson (8-1) 49.556

Fowler (6-3) 33.750 at Manchester (7-2) 34.333

DISTRICT 2

Vermontville Maple Valley (5-4) 27.333 at Decatur (9-0) 47.000

Saugatuck (6-3) 32.222 at Springport (8-1) 37.444

REGION 4

DISTRICT 1

Sterling Heights Parkway Christian (5-4) 24.333 at Madison Heights Madison (7-2) 45.111

Burton Atherton (6-3) 30.111 at Southfield Bradford Academy (6-3) 33.444

DISTRICT 2

Marine City Cardinal Mooney (6-3) 25.889 at Royal Oak Shrine Catholic (8-1) 39.778

Allen Park Cabrini (5-4) 26.889 at Clarkston Everest Collegiate (8-1) 39.111

8-Player Pairings

DIVISION 1

REGION 1

Mio (6-3) 31.619 at Pickford (7-2) 36.736

Ishpeming (7-2) 32.111 at Rudyard (7-2) 33.569

REGION 2

Kingston (5-4) 30.639 at Dryden (9-0) 38.750

Marlette (7-2) 31.111 at Deckerville (8-1) 33.639

REGION 3

Concord (6-3) 30.125 at Climax-Scotts (7-2) 35.236

Bridgman (8-1) 33.306 at Colon (8-1) 33.681

REGION 4

Fulton (6-3) 31.952 at Merrill (8-1) 36.556

Blanchard Montabella (8-1) 33.889 at Dansville (7-2) 35.111

DIVISION 2

REGION 1

Powers North Central (7-2) 32.444 at Lake Linden-Hubbell (9-0) 38.000

St. Ignace (8-1) 35.556 at Gaylord St. Mary (9-0) 35.833

REGION 2

Onekama (6-3) 29.333 at Portland St. Patrick (9-0) 38.333

Grand Rapids Sacred Heart (8-1) 32.889 at Marion (9-0) 35.333

REGION 3

Adrian Lenawee Christian (4-5) 27.778 at Mendon (9-0) 40.458

Marcellus (6-3) 29.750 at Litchfield (8-1) 31.681

REGION 4

Peck (6-3) 27.845 at Bay City All Saints (8-1) 34.984

Britton Deerfield (7-2) 30.778 at Kinde North Huron (7-2) 31.861

The MHSAA is a private, not-for-profit corporation of voluntary membership by more than 1,500 public and private senior high schools and junior high/middle schools which exists to develop common rules for athletic eligibility and competition. No government funds or tax dollars support the MHSAA, which was the first such association nationally to not accept membership dues or tournament entry fees from schools. Member schools which enforce these rules are permitted to participate in MHSAA tournaments, which attract more than 1.4 million spectators each year.

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