Football playoffs: Oakland County's first-round matchups, from Clarkston to Madison
Nearly 30 Oakland County teams open the MHSAA playoffs Oct. 30-31. Clarkston, Oxford, Milford, South Lyon and Brother Rice are among the hosts, and five first-round games match two county teams.
By OCJ Staff
The high school football playoffs start this weekend, and 29 Oakland County teams are in the field, by the Journal's count.
The MHSAA announced its pairings Sunday, Oct. 25. District semifinals are Friday and Saturday, Oct. 30-31. The association did not list game times with the pairings; check each school's athletic website before heading out.
Under MHSAA rules, the second team listed is the higher seed and hosts. Records are regular-season final records.
Division 1
- Bloomfield Hills (5-4) at Clarkston (8-1)
- Lake Orion (4-5) at Novi Detroit Catholic Central (8-1)
- Davison (7-2) at Oxford (7-2)
- Macomb Dakota (5-4) at Rochester (6-3)
- Macomb L'Anse Creuse North (6-3) at Rochester Hills Stoney Creek (7-2)
- Utica (6-3) at Rochester Adams (6-3)
Division 2
- Midland (4-5) at Milford (8-1)
- Walled Lake Western (7-2) at Midland Dow (7-2)
- Flushing (5-4) at South Lyon (7-2)
- Saginaw Heritage (6-3) at South Lyon East (7-2)
- Roseville (4-5) at Birmingham Brother Rice (7-2)
- North Farmington (6-3) at Ferndale (7-2)
- Birmingham Groves (5-4) at Orchard Lake St. Mary's (6-3)
- Birmingham Seaholm (5-4) at St. Clair Shores Lakeview (7-2)
Five first-round games match two Oakland County teams: Bloomfield Hills at Clarkston, Lake Orion at Catholic Central, North Farmington at Ferndale, Groves at Orchard Lake St. Mary's and Country Day at Lamphere. Brother Rice comes in off its overtime upset of Catholic Central at Ford Field.
Division 3
- Waterford Mott (5-4) at Chelsea (9-0)
- Holly (7-2) at Fenton (7-2)
Division 4
- Ortonville Brandon (6-3) at St. Johns (7-2)
- Detroit Country Day (6-3) at Madison Heights Lamphere (5-4)
Division 5
- Pontiac Notre Dame Prep (5-4) at Saginaw Swan Valley (8-1)
Division 6
- Clawson (6-3) at Clinton (8-1)
Division 8
- Sterling Heights Parkway Christian (5-4) at Madison Heights Madison (7-2)
- Burton Atherton (6-3) at Southfield Bradford Academy (6-3)
- Marine City Cardinal Mooney (6-3) at Royal Oak Shrine (8-1)
- Allen Park Cabrini (5-4) at Clarkston Everest Collegiate (8-1)
No Oakland County teams are in the Division 7 bracket or the 8-player playoffs, according to the MHSAA's list.
Who didn't get in
Several county teams are not on the MHSAA's list, including Novi, Troy, Troy Athens, Oak Park, West Bloomfield, White Lake Lakeland, Madison Heights Bishop Foley, Southfield Christian, Auburn Hills Oakland Christian and Rochester Hills Lutheran Northwest.
The road to Ford Field
- District finals: Nov. 6-7
- Regional finals: Nov. 13-14
- Semifinals: Nov. 20-21
- Finals at Ford Field: Nov. 27-28. Division 1 plays at 7 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 28, and Division 2 at 7 p.m. Friday, Nov. 27. Division 8 opens the weekend at 9:30 a.m. Nov. 27.
See the Week 9 scoreboard for how county teams finished the regular season.
Sources: MHSAA, "2026 MHSAA Football Playoff Pairings Announced" (Oct. 25, 2026); Detroit Sports Nation, "2026 MHSAA Football Playoff Brackets and First-Round Matchups" (Oct. 25, 2026); earlier Journal coverage.