Six Monroe County Region football teams will play for district championships on Friday, Nov. 6.
But there will only be four games.
That’s because Jefferson is playing Ida and St. Mary Catholic Central is taking on Whiteford.
Also still alive in the state playoffs are Bedford and Gibraltar Carlson.
Here is a look at the matchups.
Bedford (8-2) at Grosse Pointe South (9-1)
Division: 2.
When: 7 p.m. Friday.
All-time series: Grosse Pointe South won the only previous meeting.
Last meeting: Grosse Pointe South beat the Mules 44-42 in a regional championship game on Nov. 12, 2010.
Bedford playoff history: Has qualified in three straight seasons, giving the Mules 16 trips to the playoffs in school history with a record of 11-15.
South playoff history: In the playoffs for the 12th consecutive year and 17th time in the last 18 years. Reached the state semifinals in 2010.
Bedford statistical leaders: Luke Whetstone 93-of-150, 1,132 yards, 13 TDs, 889 rushing yards, 7 TDs; Masyn Moran 139 carries, 722 yards, 12 TDs; Jaxson Lestock 30 catches, 427 yards, 7 TDs, 66 tackles; John Derian 16 catches, 172 yards, 4 TDs; Alex Mapes 54 points, 79 tackles; Eli Koontz 77 tackles; Everett Wingate 112 tackles.
South statistical leaders: Sam Rouleau 121-of-172 passing for 1,744 yards, 21 TDs, 685 rushing yards; Charlie Michelotti 100 carries for 676 yards, 14 TD; Throop Linnell 86 tackles, 8 for loss, 6 sacks; Trey Grabowski, 32 catches for 705 yards, 10 TDs, 31 tackles; lineman Matt Duso.
Game notes: Bedford quarterback Luke Whetstone went over 1,000 passing yards and Everett Wingate topped 100 tackles for the season last week … Former University of Michigan star and current Arizona Cardinal Will Johnson is a product of Grosse Pointe South. … South coach Chad Hepner is the son of former coach Russ Hepner.
Bedford coach Dave Mifsud (first year, 8-2): “Slowing down their offense (is the key). Getting Stops. Containing their QB runs and his dangerous passing game. He is a dual threat and he is great. All that being said… sustaining our drives. Moving the ball when we are on offense, and controlling time of possession.”
South coach Chad Hepner (fifth year, 42-10): “Bedford looks to be a well-coached football team. They play a physical brand of football and run an offense with that mentality. … It will be very interesting to see how we match up with Bedford since don’t play any of the same opponents. Both teams have shown offenses capable of putting up a lot of points. I think the key will be which team’s defense steps up and gets some stops.”
Livonia Franklin (8-2) at Gibraltar Carlson (10-0)
Division: 2.
When: 7 p.m. Friday.
All-time series: Carlson won the only previous meeting between the two schools.
Last meeting: Carlson won 35-7 in a district championship game on Nov. 8, 2024.
Carlson playoff history: Qualified in each of the past 10 seasons and 19 times overall. Playoff record is 11-18.
Franklin playoff history: The Patriots are in the playoffs for the 12th consecutive season and 18th time overall. They lost in the state finals in 2017 and reached the semifinals in 2021 and 2015.
Carlson statistical leaders: Brennan Hudson 190 carries, 1,308 yards, 20 TDs; Austyn Lawrence 74 of 134 for 1,148 yards, 14 TDs, 278 rushing yards; Myles Hampton 42 carries for 310 yards, 6 TD, 41 tackles; Grayson Malec 28 catches 415 yards, 39 tackles; Adrian Blackmon 22 catches, 421 yards; Drew Biro 54 tackles.
Franklin statistical leaders: Brody Gross 957 rushing yards, 756 yds passing yards, 24 TDs; Zyaire Lanier 910 rushing, 7 TDs; Jake Kotrych 537 rushing yards, 283 receiving yards, 8 TDs 55 tackles, 5 for loss.
Game notes: Carlson is facing its second straight Michigan High School Football Coaches Hall of Fame coach (Andre Harlan of Detroit Mumford and Chris Kelbert of Franklin). It will be three in a row if Bedford (Dave Mifsud) and Carlson both win.
Carlson coach Jason Gendron (fifth year, 50-7): “Franklin is well-coached, disciplined and does a good job limiting mistakes. … We need to limit the quarterback run game and keep him contained when he drops back to pass. We can’t allow him to scramble and create explosive plays. Offensively, we need to find our rhythm early, win the line of scrimmage, and finish drives with points. Special teams will also play a big role.”
Franklin coach Chris Kelbert (26th season, 156-130): “Carlson is always a physical team. If you can’t match their physicality, it can be tough night.”
Ida (8-2) at Jefferson (9-1)
Division: 5.
When: 7 p.m. Friday.
All-time series: Ida leads 14-9-1.
Last meeting: Ida won 43-7 on Aug. 24, 2018.
Ida playoff history: Making its seventh straight playoff appearance and 17th overall. Playoff record is 15-16.
Jefferson playoff history: Qualified 13 times and won a state championship in 1994. Playoff record 14-11.
Ida statistical leaders: Grant Pfeiffer 160 carries for 1,310 yards, 21 TDs, 46 tackles; Justin Crozier 128 carries for 1,088 yards, 13 TDs; Carlson Weeman 81 carries for 529 yards, 7 TDs; Nick Miller 40 carries for 373 yards, 7 TD, 10-of-28 passing for 133 yards, 54 tackles; Ben Noland 76 tackles; Kade Uhl 43 tackles.
Jefferson statistical leaders: Drake Jones 210 carries for 1,332 yards, 21 TDs; Grady Brooks 48-of-76 for 1,041 yards, 8 TDs, 57 carries for 338 yards, 5 TDs; Luke Beaudrie 28-of-45 for 613 yards, 7 TDs; Ryan Roberts 34-of-47 for 457 yards; Hunter Barton 44 catches for 817 yards, 11 TDs; Caleb Henry 96 tackles, 15 for loss, 2 sacks; Bret Gennoe 58 tackles, 4 for loss; Noah Hintz 43 tackles, 5 for loss, 2 sacks.
Game notes: Ida’s Justin Crozier topped 1,000 with 206 yards in Week 1 of the playoffs, joining teammate Grant Pfeiffer in the 1,000-yard club. … Ida coach Jeff Potter played at Jefferson when his father, Dave, was an assistant coach. The elder Potter is now an assistant at Ida. … Brayden Birkmier and DeAngelo Johnson have 5 interceptions each for Jefferson. The school record is 8 by Mike Williams. … Ida will be playing its fifth straight road game and seventh in the last eight games.
Ida coach Jeff Potter (ninth year, 58-33): “On offense, Jefferson has a wealth of talent. Their QB play is outstanding. All of the quarterbacks deliver the ball well and on time. The running back is a complete back. He is a powerful, strong runner with great speed. … We have to focus on having great execution on offense and defense. We need to be fundamentally sound and protect the football.”
Jefferson coach Rob Beaudrie (fourth year, 23-18): “Ida is a very good team, tough and they do things very well. We must win the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball.”
Whiteford (8-2) at SMCC (9-1)
Division: 7.
When: 7 p.m. Friday at Monroe High.
All-time series: SMCC won the only previous meeting.
Last meeting: SMCC beat the Bobcats 37-28 in the opening game of this season on Aug. 28.
Whiteford playoff history: The Bobcats are 36-24 all-time in the postseason including state titles in 2017 and 2022. Lost in the finals in 2016 and 2024.
SMCC playoff history: Making its 31st appearance, most in Monroe County Region history. Won MHSAA state titles in 1991, 2014 and 2019. The Falcons are 63-27 all-time in playoff games.
SMCC statistical leaders: Cole Reinhardt 117 carries for 1,203 yards, 18 TDs, 12 catches for 206 yards, 3 TDs, 56 tackles; Brady Reinhardt 26-of-46 for 456 yards, 6 TDs; Vince Harris 10 catches for 208 yards, 2 TDs; Garrett Worden 56 tackles, 14.5 for loss; Landon Barron 49 tackles.
Whiteford statistical leaders: Brek Ruddy 167 carries, 1.743 yards, 28 TDs, 14 catches 366 yards, 4 TDs, 230 total points, 67 tackles; Elijah Vance 65 carries, 595 yards, 8 TDs; Tre Eitniear 38-of-80 passes for 771 yards, 11 TDs; Caden Stewart 83 tackles, 19 for loss, 10 sacks; Andy Trejo 76 tackles, 13 for loss; Ryan Thomas 60 tackles, 16 for loss.
Game notes: Saturday was a big day for Whiteford senior Charlie Bieber. He intercepted a pass and returned it for a touchdown against Bronson, then went bow hunting after the game and bagged a 10-point buck. … Whiteford’s Brek Ruddy is just two away from the Monroe County Region record with 33 touchdowns this season. Shane Smith (Erie Mason 2002) Jesse Kiefer (Whiteford 2016), Nick Levicki (Ida 2016) and Luke Beaudrie (Jefferson 2025) share the record. … SMCC has outscored its opponents 354-150 this season.
SMCC coach Adam Kipf (12th year, 97-37): “I’ve seen tremendous improvement from week 1 to week 11. Coach Teeks has done a great job with this group. They play hard no matter their opponent. As always, the line of scrimmage is key to the game. Which defensive line is going to control up front? Which offensive line is going to open the holes? We’ve challenged our kids up front. They know this game is going to boil down to who owns the line of scrimmage.”
Whiteford coach Todd Thieken, Whiteford (fifth year, 41-7): “SMCC has gotten way better as the season has went on. The QB and their skilled kids are all very dangerous and their defense is playing as good as we have seen all year. … (We need to) limit the mistakes we had last week and limit their big-play offense. … We had to fight and claw to win last week and I love the never-quit attitude of our kids.”
This article originally appeared on The Monroe News: Six Region football teams to play in four district championship games
