The Michigan High School Athletic Association has released its preseason football rankings, dividing the Metro Detroit area into four distinct zones: North, East, West, and Detroit. This geographic breakdown sets the stage for a competitive season, giving each region its own set of leaders and dark‑horse candidates.
In the North zone, traditional powerhouses such as Orchard Lake, St. Mary’s, Birmingham, Brother Rice, Clarkston, Oxford, Rochester, Adams, Stoney Creek and Groves dominate the early conversation, while schools like South Lyon, West Bloomfield, East, Warren, De La Salle, Romeo, Macomb, Sterling Heights, Utica and Eisenhower add depth to the bracket.
The East, West and Detroit zones each showcase their own hierarchy of talent, with Detroit Catholic Central anchoring the North bracket and city programs jockeying for position in the others. The rankings reflect a blend of historic success and emerging potential, setting up intriguing matchups when the season finally kicks off.
Zone Leaders
Detroit Catholic Central sits at the pinnacle of the North bracket, followed closely by Harper Woods, Howell and a host of other contenders. In the Detroit zone, Detroit Cass Tech claims the top spot, with Detroit King positioned second and Detroit Southeastern close behind in third, while a cluster of city schools including Detroit Edison, Detroit Denby, Detroit Cody, Detroit Central, Detroit Mumford, Detroit Henry Ford and Detroit U‑D Jesuit fill the remainder of the top ten.
The preseason lists not only the leading teams but also the depth of competition across all four zones, promising a season filled with rivalry games and surprise upsets. Fans and coaches alike will be watching closely as these early rankings shape expectations and strategies heading into the first weeks of play.