11/11/2023
Heritage Vs Muskegon | High School Football
Hawks vs. Big Reds
Wacth Live: https://onictv.ngbuburit.com/hs-football.php?live=Heritage%20Vs%20Muskegon
The Muskegon (MI) varsity football team has a home playoff game vs. Heritage (Saginaw, MI) on Saturday, November 11 @ 1p.
This game is a part of the "2023 Michigan High School Football Playoff Brackets: MHSAA - Division 2" tournament.
There are just 8 teams remaining in each of 8 Divisions in the 11-man MHSAA football playoffs. Here are capsules on the quarterfinalists for D2:
Division 2 Regional Championships
Region 1
Saginaw Heritage Hawks (9-2) 66.667 at Muskegon Big Reds (9-2) 69.000
Saturday at 1:00
Heritage is making their 11th playoff appearance and 4th straight. The Hawks (ranked 7th in the final AP poll and 8th in the final Coaches poll) beat Midland Dow last weekend for the school’s second-ever District Title. Heritage last won a District in 2001, and had not won a single playoff game (spanning 21 years and losing their last 8 post season games in a row) prior to this year’s run. The Hawks are the highest scoring team remaining in D2, averaging 44.2 points per game, while allowing 18.0 ppg. Heritage suffered losses to D1 schools Grand Blanc and unbeaten Davison, who is playing Rockford on Saturday.
Muskegon is in the MHSAA playoffs for the 32nd time and have participated in 24 straight football tournaments. The Big Reds have 6 playoff-era State Titles (’86, ’89, ’04, ’06, ’08, ’17) and 7 Runners-Up finishes (’12, ’13, ’14, ’16, ’18, ’19, ’22). MHS is averaging 40.3 ppg and allowing 15.0 ppg defensively against a very tough schedule. The Big Reds’ two losses came to undefeated Rockford in D1 and two-time defending D2 champion De La Salle. Muskegon has played in more post season games in the last 5 years (19) than Heritage has in their 36-year history (16). This will be the first-ever meeting on the gridiron between the two schools.
Region 2
Byron Center Bulldogs (10-1) 67.111 at East Lansing Trojans (9-2) 67.528
Tonight at 7:00
Byron Center is making their 21st playoff appearance and 5th straight. The Bulldogs, ranked #4 in both final regular season polls, have now won four District Titles (’00, ’13, ’16, ’23), but have failed to ever make it past the Regional round of the post season, losing 62-7 to Muskegon in their last trip in 2016. Byron Center is averaging 35.8 ppg and allowing 15.0 this season. The Bulldogs lone loss came in Week 6 to Lowell.
East Lansing ( #11 AP) is a post season regular, making their 30th appearance and 8th straight. The Trojans have one State Title in ‘91(Class A), along with a pair of Runners-Up in ‘83(A) and ‘00(D3). This is the third trip to Regionals in the last four years for East Lansing, who is averaging 34.8 on offense while allowing 14.3 on defense. The Trojans lost their first two games (Portage Central, Hudsonville) and have reeled off 9 straight victories heading into tonight’s first-ever encounter with Byron Center.
Region 3
Waterford Mott Corsairs (9-2) 65.556 at Gibraltar Carlson Marauders (10-1) 73.333
Tonight at 7:00
Mott is appearing in the MHSAA second season for the 12th time, including the last four straight. The Corsairs won just their second District Title (’21 & ’23) last weekend. Mott lost to Walled Lake Western and Milford during the regular season, and are hoping for their first-ever win at the Regional level. The Corsairs are scoring at a 38.3 ppg pace while giving up 21.8 ppg, the most allowed among remaining D2 combatants. Mott made their first playoff appearance in 1999 and got their first playoff win in 2016.
Gibraltar Carlson is in the hunt for the16th time, including the last seven in a row. The Marauders celebrated their first-ever District Title by beating Dexter last weekend. Carlson had the third-most computer playoff points in D2, but failed to win over the voters in either regular season poll. Similar to Mott, the Marauders first mad the playoff field in 1996 and earned their first playoff win eleven years later in 2006. Carlson is averaging 36.8 ppg while allowing 17.1 ppg. The Marauders only loss was to Carleton Airport (10-1 and still alive in D4) in Week 1, and they are scoring at a 39.5 ppg clip during their 10-game winning streak. This will be the first-ever meeting between the teams.
Region 4
Roseville Panthers (8-3) 60.444 at Warren De La Salle Pilots (9-2) 69.333 @ Wayne State University
Tonight at 7:00
Roseville is making their 10th appearance and 4th straight. Last weekend’s District Title was the second in school victory (’21 & ’23) as they pulled off a bit of a stunner over Gross Pointe South ( #5 AP, #6 Coaches), the top computer point-getters in all of D2. The Panthers are a relatively new program that started in 1989. Roseville averages 31.7 ppg for and 13.5 ppg against. Historically, the Panthers have not fared well against De La Salle, going 0-4 all-time versus the Pilots, all coming in playoffs, where they are meeting for the fourth straight year.
De La Salle is certainly no stranger to the MHSAA playoffs in recent decades, making their 20th appearance and 7th straight. They own five State Titles (’22, ’21, ’18, ’17, ’14 all D2) and three Runners-Up (’20, ’08, ’06) including a pair of losses to Tony Annese-coached Muskegon teams. The Pilots are churning out 39.0 ppg while giving up 14.1 ppg on defense. De La Salle lost to the aforementioned Davison and Toledo Central Catholic (undefeated winners of the rugged Catholic High School League Central Division).
Stay tuned for our Game Day Post on Saturday morning!
