Week 8 of the 2026 Michigan high school football season starts Ford Field's double duty as the Detroit Lions' home and the stage for some of the state's top prep games.
This week, Ford Field will host the Detroit Public School League Championship games between Central and Denby and Cass Tech and King on Friday. In Week 9, the Catholic High School League will celebrate its 100th anniversary during the Prep Bowl, featuring three top-flight games. Of course, we all know which games will be played at Ford Field at the end of November.
Though the first two weeks of October have been wonderful weather-wise, the indoor settings are still appreciated as the calendar turns.
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Week 8 is another big week. There are key intra-division matchups, while the top-25 contests pit ranked teams from different divisions against each other. This is also a loaded week in particular for top teams in the southern band of the Lower Peninsula.
The Free Press will be at Detroit Edison vs. Ecorse, Harper Woods vs. Clarkston, and the Detroit Public School League title games between Central and Denby and Cass Tech and King. Stay tuned this weekend for game coverage and rankings updates.
Michigan high school football Week 8 game predictions
All games kick off at 7 p.m. Friday unless listed otherwise.
No. 2 Detroit Cass Tech (7-0) vs. No. 6 Detroit King (6-1), Ford Field
Both defenses dominated the first game. King shut out Cass in the first half for an early edge, but the Technicians turned it around in the final 24 minutes, led by a stifling defense. King star quarterback Darryl Flemister played through an injury in that second half, which impacted the Crusaders. I think the indoor edition will have a few more points, but not by much. Cass Tech has won four straight PSL championships over King and has a four-game winning streak in the series overall.
The pick: Cass Tech 21, King 16.
Grand Ledge (7-0) vs. No. 15 DeWitt (6-1), Grand Ledge High School
Grand Ledge has more than handled business through the first seven games. The Comets have won every game by at least two scores, averaging 49 points per game overall. DeWitt will be a different challenge than the rest of Grand Ledge's schedule, however. The Panthers have rebounded from their loss to Mason with five straight wins by an average margin of 41.6 points and an offense averaging 305 rushing yards per game.
The pick: DeWitt 42, Grand Ledge 21.
Temperance Bedford (7-0) vs. No. 4 Saline (7-0), Bedford High School
This battle of unbeaten ranked teams in Divisions 1 and 2 will decide the SEC Red title. Under new coach Dave Mifsud, Bedford has stacked wins with a stifling defense and a consistent offense led by junior quarterback Luke Whetstone, who has taken a step forward in his second year starting. Saline has comfortably sat as a top-five team all season with convincing win after convincing win. Their closest result came last week in a 21-point win over River Rouge. Sophomore quarterback Case Campbell has grown into a vocal leader, while the defense has held teams to 7.4 points per game.
The pick: Saline 35, Bedford 14.
Monroe Jefferson (7-0) vs. Monroe St. Mary Catholic Central (7-0), Riverview Gabriel Richard High School
This edition of the rivalry carries a bit more weight because it will be the last meeting for the foreseeable future. St. Mary Catholic Central is set to join the Catholic High School League, and there is no set plan to continue playing in future years. Jefferson (No. 2 in Division 5) has weathered knee injuries to two 2025 All-State players (QB Luke Beaudrie, LB Bret Gennoe) to pick up where they left off from last year's state semifinal run. Beaudrie and Gennoe are both back and expected to play Friday. In their absence, junior running back Drake Jones led the offense. SMCC (No. 3 in Division 7) has won six of its seven games by double digits, with most coming against schools in bigger divisions. Senior Cole Reinhardt has been dynamic with 19 touchdowns this season, including four against Riverview last week.
The pick: Jefferson 35, SMCC 27.
Edwardsburg (7-0) vs. Vicksburg (7-0), Edwardsburg High School
Southwest Michigan's Wolverine Conference has been one of the state's best in 2026, and this matchup will determine who sits in first in the final week of the regular season. Vicksburg (No. 4 in Division 4) lost quarterback Easton Moughton, an All-State player as a junior, with a season-ending injury. But it has not skipped a beat coming off last year's surprising run to the program's first state semifinals. Edwardsburg (No. 6 in D-4) returned an experienced group, translating into convincing results. The Eddies have won six of seven games by double digits, with the lone one-score win coming over another ranked team, Paw Paw.
The pick: Edwardsburg 35, Vicksburg 21.
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Jared Ramsey covers high school sports for theDetroit Free Press. Contact him at jramsey@freepress.com.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan high school football Week 8 game, score predictions
