Northville and Detroit Catholic Central each earned home games to open the Michigan High School Athletic Association (MHSAA) Division 1 football playoffs, with first-round matchups set for Friday, Oct. 30, and Saturday, Oct. 31.

The Mustangs (7-2) host Brownstown Woodhaven (7-2) in a Region 3 district semifinal. The Shamrocks (8-1), defending D1 state champions, host Lake Orion (4-5) in Region 2.

The MHSAA announced the full bracket Sunday, Oct. 25. The top 32 teams in each division qualified based on playoff-point average.

This year's format splits each division into four eight-team regions, then seeds teams one through eight within each region. The highest-seeded team hosts through the first three rounds.

Northville's path

Northville landed the No. 3 seed in Region 3 with a 74.000 playoff-point average. Woodhaven, the No. 6 seed, posted a 66.000 average.

The other District 2 game sends Dearborn (5-4) to unbeaten Saline (9-0). As The Oakland Press reported, the Northville-Woodhaven winner would likely face Saline in the district final unless Dearborn pulls an upset.

Unbeaten Detroit Cass Tech (9-0) holds the top seed in Region 3 and hosts Plymouth (4-5) on the other side of the bracket. A deep run by both Northville and Cass Tech could put them on a collision course in the regional final.

DCC's title defense

DCC earned the No. 2 seed in Region 2 with a 79.681 playoff-point average. Lake Orion, one of three sub-.500 teams in the D1 field, qualified at 4-5 with a 53.889 average.

The Shamrocks won the 2025 D1 state championship, beating Cass Tech 42-19 at Ford Field. It was the program's first title in 16 years, according to DCC's athletics department.

Head coach Justin Cessante called the 2025 title run a milestone after the championship game. "Other than being married and my children, bringing a championship back to my alma mater, Detroit Catholic Central, where this state championship belongs … finishing what we started," Cessante said.

A first-round win would set up a district final against either Oxford (7-2) or Davison (7-2). DCC routed Davison 56-14 in Week 2 of the regular season.

Clarkston (8-1) holds the top seed in Region 2. Grand Blanc (9-0) anchors the other district. If seeds hold, DCC and Clarkston could meet in the regional final.

Tickets and schedule

All playoff tickets except those for the championship finals are sold online only through GoFan. District semifinal tickets cost $8.

District finals follow the weekend of Nov. 6-7, with regional finals Nov. 13-14. The D1 state championship game is scheduled for 7 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 28, at Ford Field in Detroit.