The football state finals are finally here, with 16 teams filling Ford Field Friday and Sunday to determine eight Michigan high school football state champions.
MLive will also descend on Ford Field with complete coverage and photos of every game, with updates Friday and Sunday.
But before reaching Ford Field, the MLive sports reporters have looked into their crystal ball to predict the eight teams they believe will emerge with wins Friday and Sunday.
The MLive reporters include Jared Purcell (Detroit), Lee Thompson (Bay City), Jonathan Szczepaniak (Flint), Greg Wickliffe (Ann Arbor), Matthew Ehler (Kalamazoo), Josh VanDyke (Muskegon), Patrick Nothaft (Grand Rapids), Eric Ingles (Jackson) and Hugh Bernreuter (Saginaw).
MLive predictions, according to the MHSAA schedule Friday and Sunday:
Division 8
Harbor Beach (13-0) vs. Hudson (13-0), 9:30 a.m. Friday
Perhaps the top game of the weekend, the Division 8 state final includes two teams that were tied for the No. 1 ranking in Division 8 for most of the season, each bringing 13-0 records and a long list of impressive wins. The MLive crew gave Hudson the edge with six of the reporters picking the Tigers.
Matthew Ehler: No surprises here – the two juggernauts of Division 8 will duke it out for a state championship on Friday morning. Both teams have flexed dominance this season, including Harbor Beach’s impressive victories over defending Division 7 champ Millington and No. 3-ranked Beal City. But Hudson is enjoying a historical season led by its potent offense, which has scored a school record 683 points this season (52.5 points per game). The three-headed monster of Beckett Campbell, Grayson Bills and Devon Brigman ran rampant in 2025, and they’ll do the same on Friday in powering the Tigers to their third state championship in program history.
Division 4
Hudsonville Unity Christian (12-1) vs. Dearborn Divine Child (12-1), 12:30 p.m. Friday
The second game of the weekend provides another matchup of top teams, with both Unity Christian and Divine Child sporting 12-1 records. Unity Christian’s lone loss came to defending D5 state champion Pontiac Notre Dame Prep, 34-25, in the regular-season finale. Meanwhile, Divine Child has posted back-to-back playoff wins over two of the top teams in D4 with a 10-6 victory over Harper Woods and a 10-7 win over defending Division 4 state champion Goodrich. The two wins impressed the MLive reporters, with eight picking Divine Child to claim a state title.
Jared Purcell: Divine Child is in the state championship for the first time in 40 years, and it’ll make the most of it. Marcello Vitti is one of the best multi-tooled athletes in Michigan, and he always seems to find a way to get into the end zone. In a 10-7 win over defending champion Goodrich, Vitti scored the lone touchdown for the Falcons in the win. Expect him to be the difference maker once again against Unity Christian.
Patrick Nothaft: Unity Christian is back at Ford Field for the first time since 2021, when the Crusaders let a 45-17 third-quarter lead slip away in a 55-52 loss to Chelsea. They’re a bit of a surprise finalist after graduating 18 starters from last year’s 10-1 team, but they have a deep stable of running backs powering the T offense and a defense that’s great against the run. That should make for a good game against a Divine Child team that knocked off Harper Woods in the regional finals. The Falcons are playing outstanding football, and their tough run defense matches up well against Unity Christian.
Division 6
Kingsley (11-2) at Jackson Lumen Christi (10-3), 4 p.m. Friday
Both teams loaded up their schedules during the regular season, suffering some losses but building toward a strong playoff run. Kingsley’s losses came to Gaylord and Traverse City St. Francis, a loss the Stags avenged with a 57-6 win in the playoffs. Lumen Christi lost to Lombard Montini (Illinois), Grand Rapids Catholic Central, 28-14, and Divine Child, 17-13. Lumen Christi advanced to the final with a 25-19, three-OT win over Almont. That pushed the MLive reporters to side with Lumen Christi, 7-2, for the state title.
Eric Ingles: The Titans put up a 6-3 regular-season record facing a brutal schedule which included two other teams playing at Ford Field this week (Divine Child and Pontiac Notre Dame) and a team that plays for a state title in Illinois (Montini). This tested Titans team has honed a strong defense behind players like Antwon Baker, Sean Walicki and Cash Cooper, allowing a total of 14 points in its first three playoff games and 19 points in the three-overtime semifinal win over Almont.
Division 2
Orchard Lake St. Mary’s (10-2) vs. Dexter (12-1), 7 p.m. Friday
Expect plenty of points when the two Division 2 offensive machines clash to cap Friday’s state championship games. Dexter has one loss, a 61-34 defeat to Saline. The 34-point effort was also the season low for the Dreadnaughts, who have scored at least 41 points in each of their playoff wins. St. Mary’s regular-season losses came to Detroit Catholic Central (29-14) and Birmingham Brother Rice (43-31), a loss St. Mary’s avenged with a 35-14 win over Brother Rice in the playoffs. St. Mary’s is coming off back-to-back 42-7 playoff wins over Midland Dow and Portage Central. MLive gave St. Mary’s eight of the nine votes to claim a Division 2 state championship.
Jared Purcell: Dexter enters with an explosive offense and the most productive wide receiver in state history in Cole Novara. Yet, St. Mary’s is the defending champion for a reason, and it is even better this year. Chad Willis has been making a name for himself as the next big thing at the wide receiver, and he had three touchdown catches in a blowout of previously unbeaten Portage Central. This could be a high-scoring affair.
Division 7
Menominee (13-0) vs. Schoolcraft (11-2), 9:30 a.m. Sunday
Menominee has put together an undefeated season, which included an impressive 32-28 win over Pewamo-Westphalia in the semifinals. Schoolcraft suffered a pair of losses during the regular season, losing to Hudsonville Unity Christian (40-19) and Kalamazoo Hackett (25-20). The MLive reporters went with the Maroons, 8-1.
Eric Ingles: The powerful Maroons offense has hit the 40-point mark in nine games this year, including their district final against McBain and the regional final with Shelby. That offense came in clutch in the second half of their semifinal win over Pewamo-Westphalia, helping the Maroons overcome a halftime deficit with a late touchdown pass.
Matthew Ehler: Menominee dug deep and stormed back in the fourth quarter to knock off Pewamo-Westphalia in last week’s state semifinal, 32-28, while Schoolcraft overwhelmed Clinton with 37 unanswered points in its own 43-14 semifinal victory. The Maroons are No. 1 for a reason, but I’m not sure they’ve lined up against a high-powered offense quite like Schoolcraft’s. The Eagles have weapons at every skill position and a quarterback that’s thrown 31 TDs to 5 interceptions this season. Schoolcraft wins it on a walk-off two-point conversion.
Division 3
Mount Pleasant (13-0) vs. DeWitt (13-0), 12:30 p.m. Sunday
During the playoffs, DeWitt’s offense has gone off the charts, with a pair of 70-point wins, beating Owosso (70-13) and Fenton (70-26). Throw in a 45-0 win over Linden, then a 41-20 win over Warren de la Salle. Mount Pleasant has cruised to a perfect record heading into the state final, with a 63-39 win over Midland Dow during the regular season. The Oilers knocked off East Grand Rapids (28-14) and Lowell (41-21) to reach the state final. Still, DeWitt’s offense impressed the MLive reporters, who gave the Panthers a unanimous vote.
Jonathan Szczepaniak: For the eighth time in the program’s history, a DeWitt football season will end at the state finals. Only one has ended with the Panthers hoisting the title (2020), but its explosive offense will look to change that on Sunday when it faces Mount Pleasant in a battle of the unbeatens. DeWitt enters the matchup averaging 51.7 points per game and 56.5 in its four playoff matchups, led by Central Michigan commit and starting quarterback Traverse Moore. Moore has rushed for 2,088 yards and 29 touchdowns to go with 870 passing yards and 12 touchdowns. The Panthers also feature sophomore running back Channing Ridley, who has 82 carries for 1,081 yards and 14 touchdowns. The defensive unit has held up just as well, allowing only 11.3 points per game and holding its playoff opponents to 14.7 per game. Mount Pleasant has faced DeWitt four times and lost all four times, and it’s hard to say it’ll be any different this time around. DeWitt was unanimously selected as the winner from MLive reporters for a reason.
Division 5
Grand Rapids West Catholic (12-1) vs. Pontiac Notre Dame Prep (11-2), 4 p.m. Sunday
Pontiac Notre Dame Prep is the defending state champion, and the Irish toughened themselves in two early losses to Jackson Lumen Christi and Gibraltar Carlson. The Irish have won 10 consecutive games, including a 42-28 win over Frankenmuth in a 2024 state final rematch. West Catholic lost its opener to Grand Rapids Northview, 32-21, before winning its next 12 games, including a playoff showdown with Grand Rapids Catholic Central, 21-20, in overtime. The game is expected to be as close as the MLive prediction, with the writers giving Notre Dame Prep a 5-4 advantage.
Jared Purcell: You can expect a repeat in Division 5 because the Fighting Irish have too much firepower to be stopped. Averaging 50.25 points per game in the playoffs, Notre Dame Prep has a top-end playmaker in Brody Sink and an experienced quarterback in Sam Stowe, who has performed well on the Ford Field stage already.
Patrick Nothaft: West Catholic has won games in a variety of ways all season, leaning on its defense in a district final thriller over top-ranked GR Catholic Central, while relying on its offense and special teams in a 34-24 semifinal win over Ogemaw Heights. The Falcons have few weaknesses, and the ability to make adjustments and exploit matchups will lead them to their eighth state title.
Division 1
Detroit Catholic Central (13-0) vs. Detroit Cass Tech (13-0), 7 p.m. Sunday
The top game with two top teams and two of the top players in the state put an exclamation point on state-finals weekend. Cass Tech features star receiver-returner-defensive back CJ Sadler, who has committed to North Carolina. Cass Tech is coming off a 42-28 win over Saline and a 48-22 victory over Rochester Adams. Catholic Central features star receiver Samson Gash, who has committed to Michigan State. Included in the Catholic Central playoff run is a 46-6 win over East Kentwood, which features MSU-bound quarterback Kayd Coffman. The MLive prediction is as close as the expected score, with the reporters favoring Cass Tech by a 5-4 margin.
Jared Purcell: This might turn out to be the best game of the entire weekend. A year ago, Cass Tech blocked a Catholic Central field goal in the final minute of the semifinals for a 17-14 win. This year, the rematch is for the title. Both teams have incredibly explosive players. Cass Tech’s C.J. Sadler has been incredible in the playoffs while Catholic Central’s Samson Gash has been electric as well. This one could go to overtime.
MLive State Final Voting
Division 1: Detroit Cass Tech 5, Detroit Catholic Central 4
Division 2 : Orchard Lake St. Mary’s 8, Dexter 1
Division 3: DeWitt 9, Mount Pleasant 0
Division 4: Dearborn Divine Child 8, Hudsonville Unity Christian 1
Division 5: Pontiac Notre Dame Prep 5, Grand Rapids West Catholic 4
Division 6: Jackson Lumen Christi 7, Kingsley 2
Division 7: Menominee 8, Schoolcraft 1
Division 8: Hudson 6, Harbor Beach 3
