Taking a look at the top 10 D8 teams in the recent MHSFCA Coaches' poll, including No. 5 Reading
The MHSFCA has updated their Coaches Poll heading into week three of the MHSAA prep football season. Several teams known in the county and in neighboring counties found themselves moving up and staying put ahead of their week three matchups. Adrian Lenawee Christian's undefeated streak continued to 26 games last week, and the Cougars No. 1 ranking in 8-player D1 is more than earned. Pittsford will look to give the Cougars their first loss in two years this week, and a win over the Cougars could propel them to an appearance in next week's poll.
Hudson moved up in D7 rankings after their comeback win over Constantine. Hudson matches up with Hillsdale in week three, and the Hornets look to get the home field upset victory over the reigning D8 state champions.
The lone county team to make the list of teams on the coaches poll was Reading, who have been ranked in the top five of Division 8 since the first poll debuted.
Even with their 26-14 win over Grass Lake, the Reading Rangers dropped to No. 5 in the latest poll after being at No. 4 last week. The Rangers are still considered one of the best teams in the state of Michigan, but figuring out the leader of Division 8 football gets tougher each week with new teams solidifying a claim for a spot on the list. Let's take a look at the rest of the top 10 in Division 8 and where each team stands after week two:
Teams that dropped out: 6. Centreville (1-1); 9. Flint Beecher (0-2)
10. Bark River Harris: Senior Corbin LaFave and the rest of the Bark River-Harris football team debut for the first time on the list after a shut out victory over West Iron County 48-0. Located west of Escanaba, Bark River-Harris High School is making a claim to be a U.P. team-to-beat in D8 football. The Broncos are proving to be one of the tougher teams in the Western Upper Peninsula.
The Broncos are now 2-0 but have a tough schedule ahead with Houghton and Iron Mountain on the way, along with a closing season game against another D8 top 10 opponent. Let's see if the Broncos and head coach Joe Derouin can stick around for a couple weeks in the top 10.
9. Ishpeming: The Hematites gained their respect after earning two shutout victories to start their season; defeating their opponents by a combined 86-0. It is the second season under head coach Cody Kugler. The Hematites' rushing attack went for 400 yards in week two and their success is due to senior linemen like Aidan Rajala. Their line has allowed their zone rune scheme to flourish early in the season and those efforts were awarded with a spot in the top 10 rankings.
Ishpeming hosts an out-of-state game against Balsam Lake Unity in week three, a 2-1 team that could prove to be a tough contest for the Hematites. They still remain a team Rangers fans should keep an eye on as things get more clearer after week five.
8. Addison: The Addison Panthers stay put this week after a devastating week two loss to the Manchester Flying Dutchman in week two (29-26). The coaches poll suggests that there's still enough respect in the 2021 Cascades conference champs to keep them put, at least for another week. Addison boasts a number of playmakers that carry the rock in the three-player backfield. Keelan Mullin returns to the Panthers after a stellar 2021 season.
The team still has a cast of seniors that should keep Addison within the hunt for a conference title in 2022, even with the emergence of a new-and-improved Dutchman team. The Panthers head to Hanover-Horton for a conference matchup before taking on Michigan Center. The Cardinals on-paper should not be a threat for Panther head coach Joshua Lindeman, so expect the Panthers to continue to trend as a top 10 team.
7. Saginaw Nouvel (Up 3): With Flint Beecher dropping out of the rankings (Nouvel beat Beecher 47-26 in week one), Saginaw Nouvel Catholic rose up three spots in the D8 rankings. The Panthers have shown drastic improvement from their 3-6 2021 campaign, and two double-digit victories is exactly what coach Drew Weigl was looking for. The Panthers are a storied program, having reached and won Division 7 state titles including the 2011 championship.
Nouvel will be a contender this season for a state championship run, and a host of playmakers including senior receiver Joey LevFerve, quarterbacks Kyler Peters and Preston Otter and senior running back Ayiteh Sowah. The pass-first Panthers will be tough for any team to stop, but there are several teams on their schedule willing to give it a try; including D6 No. 8 Standish-Sterling and D7 No. 10 Ithaca.
6. Harbor Beach (Up 1): The former 2012 D8 state champion Pirates have been looking for a way to get back to Ford Field ever since that title game against Beal City. The Pirates have opened their season with wins against Unionville-Sebewaing (34-0) and Reese (42-0). Head coach Troy Schelke has the Pirates poised for another run at a playoff berth. The team will have to contend with D8 No. 2 Ubly this regular season for a conference title.
The winner of that week 4 contest will be in the driver seat for a GTC-E title. Shea Woodke and Caden Boynton lead the rushing attack for the Pirates. Senior quarterback Tanton Babcock is an experienced hand at the wheel of the Pirate offense.
5. Reading: (Down 1): A stagnant defensive first half from Grass Lake and the Rangers in week two proved to be a tale-of-two-halves. The Rangers trailed 7-0 in the early stages of the game, but strong play from junior DB Tayshawn Bester helped turn things around for the Rangers. The Rangers only find themselves dropping in the rankings due to the strong showing from the No. 5 team in week two and also for the slow start from what should still be a dangerous Ranger offense.
Head coach Rick Bailey and the Rangers have a strong Big 8 schedule that should only bolster their resume later this season if they are able to navigate it unscathed. The Ranger defense may be the most talented out of all of the top 10 D8 teams and their display against the Grass Lake Warriors could look better with each passing week, especially if the Warriors rebound in a tough Cascades conference schedule.
4. Fowler: In retrospect, the Fowler Eagles and the Reading Rangers had similar results in week two. A slow first half against a strong Petersburg Summerfield team opened up for a 21-point swing in the second half in favor of the Eagles. The Eagles headed into the season with several starters returning on offense and defense, with their seniors having been a part of an Eagle program that has put together three consecutive winning seasons. Head coach John Spicer is in his fourth season at the helm and has taken the Eagles to a state semifinal (notably a 62-18 loss to Reading before the Rangers' 2019 state title win) and district championship games in 2020 and 2021. The Eagles' offense runs on a strong RPO game that has been tough to stop in the first two weeks of the season.
With their 29-0 win over City-Crystal and 35-14 win over Summerfield, the Eagles took the fourth spot from Reading. Eagle athletes Jacob Halfman, Ben Kohagen, Nolan Stump and Tristan Smith have a tough schedule ahead that should show just how much the Eagles should be feared in the second half of the season. Games against undefeated Bath, undefeated Dansville and D7 No. 6 Pewamo Westphalia. It is a tough GMAC conference this year and if the Eagles navigate that stretch without any damage, they should retain their fourth spot in the rankings or move up.
3. Ottawa Lake Whiteford (Down 1): Former assistant-turned-head coach Todd Thieken has the Bobcats in sound position heading into week three of the season. Thieken and the Bobcats took care of two LCAA non-conference games to open up their schedule; a 36-20 win over Blissfield and a 32-18 win over Ida. Things don't get easier for the Bobcats, as they host perennial powerhouse Detroit Loyola for a week three slugfest. Detroit Loyola currently ranks No. 5 in the D7 poll. After earning a big to the D8 semifinals in 2021, the Bobcats have returned (minus former head coach Jason Mensing) looking to jump over that final hurdle as a program.
With reigning D8 state champion Hudson no longer in the way (moving up to D7), the Bobcats are in the conversation with Ubly, Beal City, Reading and Fowler as the teams on alert to contend for a title. Jaeden Gianino leads a talented backfield that also includes Luke Levicki. Whiteford should continue to win games as it clears it's non-conference openers and return to TCC play in week four with Adrian Madison.
2. Ubly (Down 1): The shift from No. 1 to No. 2 wasn't exactly a big move for two teams that are considered the top two contenders in Division 8. The Ubly Bearcats and head coach Eric Sweeney started the season about as well as they could have hoped for. Their 41-7 victory over Bad Axe and their 42-6 walloping of Caro proved that the Bearcats could be in another run to an undefeated regular season. The Bearcats have reached the semifinals three years in a row and have also lost a state title match to Centreville in 2020.
The Bearcats are looking to add a title to their trophy case in 2022. Their title hopes will have to rely on playmakers like quarterback Evan Peruski and senior running back Mark Heilig. Their biggest test of the season could come against Harbor Beach in week four, and if the Bearcats are able to take care of business in that matchup, expect Ubly to remain in the top three of the Division 8 rankings.
1. Beal City (Up 1): Beal City met an unfortunate end to their 2021 season, falling short 7-14 to Hudson in the D8 state championship. The Aggies have been to four titles since 2010 (winning a championship in 2009). The Aggies have been unable to overcome that last obstacle on their path to a championship. Beal City opened up their season with a non-conference game against Ravenna, a team the Aggies lost to in 2021. Beal City earned revenge in a 22-21 thriller.
They carried that momentum into week two and beat McBain 31-6 to earn their first conference win of the season. The powerhouse program is led by long-time head coach Brad Gross, who looks to continue their early 2022 success with a young team led by quarterback Jack Fussman and junior running backs Carter Smith and Josh Wilson. With a younger squad, some may expect the Aggies to falter at some point in the regular season, but the team is experienced with many juniors having played on varsity during last season's playoff run. As long as the Aggies keep winning, they will jump back-and-forth with Ubly for the top spot.
Division 8 Season Outlook: Even with the loss of Hudson, D8 football looks to continue it's reign as one of the toughest divisions to play in. Four of the current top 10 teams will face against a top 10 team in their upcoming matchups. An additional three teams in the top 10 face off against a top 10 opponent from a higher division in the coming weeks. Addison and Reading could meet for a Cascades Crossover Championship, should they both win their conferences. Every single top 10 team in this coaches' poll will be tested in some manner and we should have a clear idea of who the frontrunners are come playoff time. You can read the full coaches' poll below:
Division 1
Belleville
Chippewa Valley
West Bloomfield
Rochester Adams
Caledonia
Rockford
Macomb Dakota
Brighton
Detroit Catholic Central
Grandville
Division 2
Warren De LaSalle Collegiate
Livonia Franklin
Dexter
Muskegon Mona Shores
East Lansing
Traverse City Central
Waterford Mott
U of D Jesuit
Birmingham Seaholm
Muskegon Reeths Puffer
Division 3
Detroit Martin Luther King
DeWitt
Muskegon
River Rouge
Mt. Pleasant
Brother Rice
Cedar Springs
Walled Lake Western
Zeeland West
Allen Park
Division 4
Grand Rapids South Christian
Whitehall
Edwardsburg
Chelsea
Orchard Lake St Mary’s
Freeland
Riverview
Charlotte
Detroit East English
Hastings
Division 5
Grand Rapids Catholic Central
Frankenmuth
Detroit Country Day
Armada
Portland
Williamston
Gladwin
Marine City
Belding
Dundee
Division 6
Clinton
Grand Rapids West Catholic
Warren Michigan Collegiate
Lansing Catholic Central
Millington
Constantine
Durand
Standish Sterling
Almont
Montague
Division 7
New Lothrop
Traverse City St. Francis
Hudson
Lawton
Detroit Loyola
Pewamo Westphalia
Jackson Lumen Christi
Monroe St. Mary Catholic
Detroit Central
Ithaca
Division 8
Beal City
Ubly
Ottawa Lake Whiteford
Fowler
Reading
Harbor Beach
Saginaw Nouvel
Addison
Ishpeming
Bark-River Harris
Division 8M1
Adrian Lenawee Christian
Martin
Pickford
Deckerville
Merrill
Munising
Suttons Bay
Brown City
Indian River Inland Lakes
Breckenridge
Division 8M2
Powers North Central
Colon
Crystal Falls Forest Park
Portland St. Patrick
Lake Linden-Hubbell
Marion
Morrice
Mendon
Climax Scotts
Posen
This article originally appeared on Hillsdale Daily News: Dissecting D8 football according to the recent Coaches' Poll
