MLive's playoff brackets make it easy to follow teams

MLive has playoff brackets for all eight divisions of prep football.

Click here to see them.

It's the easiest way to stay on top of who the teams are playing as the playoffs progress.

Here is who regular-season Mountie foes Lansing Sexton, Mason and St. Johns play during the second round of playoffs (according to MLive):

St. Johns vs. Mount Pleasant (Division 3).

Mason vs. DeWitt (Division 3).

Lansing Sexton vs. Battle Creek Pennfield (Division 4).

Mountie opponents go 3-1 in first round of playoffs

If it's any consolation, Lansing Sexton beat Vicksburg tonight in the first round of the playoffs by a score of 48-0. (see the score and playoff bracket here on MLive).

In Week 5, Sexton beat Northwest 45-0.

Before tonight, Vicksburg was 6-3.

Overall, of Northwest's four opponents that made it to the playoffs, three won tonight.

In addition to Sexton, which competes in Division 4, here are the scores:

Mason 28, Fowlerville 3 (Division 3)

St. Johns 27, G.R. Forest Hills Eastern 24 (Division 3)

Williamston 58, Lansing Catholic 24 (Division 4)

Lansing Catholic had been 9-0 before tonight, including its season-opening win over Northwest.

Obviously, the Williamston Hornets were on a mission. The only game they lost this year during the regular season was against Lansing Catholic.

Williamston has a good shot at going all of the way. Last season, they lost to eventual state champs Marshall and they turned out to be the only team in the tournament to give Marshall much of a game.

The Hornets are an old Northwest foe, holding a 4-2 series edge over the Mounties. Given the strength of Williamston's program these days, I wouldn't encourage Northwest to add them back to the schedule any time soon.

Four Northwest opponents are playoff-bound

In the end, the Mounties did indeed play a challenging schedule in 2010.

One opponent, Lansing Catholic, finished the regular season undefeated, and two (Sexton and Mason) had one loss.

St. Johns had two losses but, of course, is still headed to the playoffs.

Here is who those four teams play this week in the first round of the playoffs:

- Lansing Catholic vs. Williamston

- Sexton vs. Vicksburg

- Mason vs. Fowlwerville

- St. Johns vs. Grand Rapids Forest Hills Eastern

And, here is the final regular-season record of Northwest's nine opponents in 2010:

- Lansing Catholic (9-0)
- St. Johns (7-2)
- Owosso (3-6)
- Belleville (5-4)
- Sexton (8-1)
- Mason (8-1)
- Waverly (3-6)
- Jackson High (3-6)
- Western (2-7)

These records are according to michigan-football.com.

Proud of the kids

“We’ve got some good kids, and I’m proud of them,” Northwest coach Eddie Cobb told the Jackson Citizen Patriot tonight after the Mounties' 41-0 win over Western.

Northwest finishes the season 1-8.

Read the Citizen Patriot story here.

MLive box score and game stats here.

Good to see Coach Barrett

I wrote yesterday that I planned to attend my first Northwest game since I last played 21 years ago.

The game was on the road, so I didn't necessarily expect to see anyone I knew.

I walked in with my mother and my daughter and, not 20 paces in, we ran into Coach Barrett.

Joe Barrett played for Northwest in the late 1970s and returned in 1987 to coach my JV team. We went 5-4 that year (although it should have been 6-3 but I muffed a field goal on the last play of the game against Columbia Central -- a not-so-fond memory that coach and I revisited Friday).

Barrett was the assistant varsity coach under Duane Kaiser during my senior year in 1989 and then he took over the program in 1990 and ran it for much of the decade.

His 1993 squad was one of only two since 1980 to go 7-2 (The other being the 1982 team).

Seeing him again made me realize that, while the Northwest football program has its challenges, the game and the memories that live on still mean a lot to those who suit up.

The connections made through hours of practice and the intense focus of the games are deep.

That was obvious to me tonight. It didn't feel like it had been 21 years since I last saw Coach Barrett. In no time, we were each ticking off names, games and even plays (such as the infamous missed field goal) that we both remembered.

Northwest may not have the strongest football tradition, but it's there and it lives on within the individuals who once played the game and with those, such as coaches, parents and fans, who shared a close connection.

Northwest football archive: 2010 season

The 2010 season
1 win
8 losses

L, 20-49 -- Aug. 27: Lansing Catholic Central (H)
L, 7-34 -- Sept. 3: St. Johns (A)
L, 14-30 -- Sept. 10 –- Owosso (A)
L, 6-24 -- Sept. 17 –- Belleville (H)
L, 0-45 -- Sept. 24 -- Lansing Sexton (A)
L, 0-49 -- Oct. 1 – Mason (H)
L, 16-18 -- Oct. 8 -- Lansing Waverly (A)
L, 20-35 -- Oct. 15 -- Jackson High (H)
W, 41-0 -- Oct. 22 -- Western (A)

Head coach: Eddie Cobb

Friday's 41-0 win was Mounties first shutout over Western since 1978

The last time Northwest shut out Western was in 1978.

The score of that game was 14-0.

See the Rivals Archive for details.

Tonight's win was Northwest's eighth straight over Western.

The Mounties' record over the Panthers now improves to 25-17-2.

The last shutout in a Northwest-Western game occurred in 1986 when the Panthers blanked the Mounties 12-0.

Grant Wedgwood rushes for 222 yards in victory over Western

MLive's stats are in and Grant Wedgwood did in fact have a huge night.

Thirty carries for 222 yards.

See MLive stats here.

Northwest beats Western, 41-0

The Jackson Northwest Mounties avoided a winless season by beating rival Western in dominating fashion Friday, 41-0.

The Mounties scored early, led 21-0 at halftime and never looked back.

Stats haven't yet been posted but, from the stands, it was clear that Grant Wedgwood had a big game.

Congrats to the Mounties on the big win.

Watching the Mounties

I haven't been to a Northwest football game since I played my last contest against Williamston in 1989.

But I'm planning to end that streak Friday when I attend the season finale against Western.

I'm looking forward to watching the Mounties play, even if it has been a difficult season.

And, as I posted earlier, I'm pretty confident they'll win this one.

Here's my prediction...

The Massey computer has spoken and I think it's right that Northwest will win Friday.

Although Western has two wins, they are against opponents with a combined record of 0-16.

I do think Massey may be a little overly optimistic about the Panthers' offense.

The Jackson Citizen Patriot reported that they gained just one first down last week.

Meanwhile, we know the Mounties -- Grant Wedgwood specifically -- can run the ball.

My pick:

Northwest 36, Western 6

Massey predicts Northwest victory over Western

Massey Ratings is predicting Northwest will beat Western Friday by a score of 29-15.

See it here.

It's the third time this season the computer has picked the Mounties to win.

Let's hope it's right this time.

Avoiding a winless season

As rough as the Mountie football program has had it over the years, the school has only had three winless seasons: 1984, 1986 and 2002.

That's according to the stats on michigan-football.com, which form the backbone of the scores on this blog.

(See The Archive here).

The Mounties have played some tough football teams this year. Four of them -- Lansing Catholic (8-0), Lansing Sexton (7-1), Mason (7-1) and St. Johns (6-2) -- are headed to the playoffs.

A fifth opponent -- Belleville -- is one win away from making the playoffs.

If the Northwest team shows up ready to play Friday, there's no reason the players can't secure a win -- and their eighth straight against Western.

Western, Northwest's season-finale opponent, is 2-6

Western lost to Ida on Friday night, 54-14, according to the Jackson Citizen Patriot.

Read the story here.

The Cit Pat reported that the Panthers only had 22 yards of total offense and one first down. Western's two scores came on kick off returns.

Western's two wins this season have come against opponents -- Erie Mason and Albion -- that have combined records of 0-16 this season.

The Mounties have one chance to record a win this year. It looks like they've got a good opportunity.

The last time Northwest lost to Western was 2002. That's also the last time the Mounties went 0-9 for a season. Western won that game 13-12.

Friday's game between Northwest and Western will be the 44th meeting between the schools. The Mounties lead the series 24-17-2.

Grant Wedgwood rushes for 169 yards in loss to Jackson

Grant Wedgwood carried the ball 32 times for 169 yards in Friday's 35-20 loss to Jackson High.

See the Jackson Citizen Patriot story and video here.

Cit Pat photo gallery here.

MLive's game stats and box score here.

Jackson High beats Northwest, 35-20

Northwest jumped to a 7-0 lead but then got out-scored badly in the second and third quarters in Friday night's loss at home to Jackson High, according to MLive's High School Sports page.

The final was Jackson 35, Northwest 20.

The Mounties matched their best offensive output of the season with 20 points, including 13 in the fourth quarter.

See MLive's box score here.

Northwest falls to 0-8 on the season while Jackson High improves to 2-6.

Next week, the Mounties wrap up the season at Western, which was 2-5 going into tonight's game against Ida.

Massey: The game is getting closer

Don't ask me, I have no idea how the Massey Ratings computer works.

But now it is predicting a score of Jackson High 22, Northwest 15.

On my earlier post, it had Northwest scoring 14.

Either way, it doesn't matter, the computer is rarely right.

Last week it had Northwest losing by two touchdowns and the Mounties ended up falling by just 2 points.

Here's hoping for a good game Friday at Mountie Stadium.

Massey Ratings predicts close game against Jackson High

The Massey Ratings computer, for what it's worth, is calling for a one-touchdown game between Northwest and Jackson High on Friday at Mountie Stadium.

The computer predicts the score will be Jackson High 22, Northwest 14.

Of course, last week Massey predicted a two-touchdown loss and it turned out to be a 2-point game.

Does that mean we're in for a 1-point game this week?

A Mountie victory would be the team's first win over Jackson High since 1974. The score that year? 7-6.

Jackson High heads to Mountie Stadium in Week 8

The Jackson High Vikings are 1-6, but like Northwest they are playing against very tough competition.

On Friday, Jackson lost to undefeated Grand Ledge, 45-21. (Here's the Cit Pat story).

The Mounties and the Vikings will be meeting for the 14th time.

Northwest won the first two games (1973 and 1974) while the Vikings are taken each one since.

See the Rivals Archive for the scores, which come from michigan-football.com.

The last meeting at Mountie Stadium, in 2008, was a 22-21 thriller with Northwest missing a 2-point conversion with 1:03 left to play. (Here's the Cit Pat story for that game).

Last year, the Vikings handled Northwest at Withington, 38-20. (Here's the Cit Pat story).

Just for fun, I have one other Northwest-Jackson High story archived. It's from the Leslie Local on the 1985 season-opener at Withington. Jackson won but it was a close one. (Here's the link.)

A quick by-the-numbers of the rivalry:

6 -- the number of games decided by one touchdown or fewer.
3 -- the number of shutouts (all won by Jackson High).
2 -- the number of 1-point games.

Northwest's second-half comback falls short in loss to Waverly

The Mounties trailed 12-0 at halftime but made a comeback in the second half, according to the Jackson Citizen Patriot and MLive.

The effort fell short as Northwest lost to Waverly, 18-16.

Here's the Cit Pat story.

Here's the box score.

While it goes down as another loss, there is a silver lining to an effort such as this.

When a team is 0-6 and trailing 12-0 at halftime, the squad could easily fold up its tent and call it a season.

The Mounties didn't do that. They made a push in the second half and nearly won the game, coming closer to victory then they have all season.

Now, there are two games remaining, both against local rivals: next week at home against Jackson High and the season finale Oct. 22 at Western.

More on both of those schools later.

Jackson Northwest narrowly loses to Lansing Waverly, MLive says

Lansing Waverly beat Jackson Northwest tonight by a score of 18-16, according to MLive's High School Sports page.

Here's the link.

Check the Jackson Citizen Patriot's MLive copy in a little bit for a story.

I'll link to it when I see it.

With the loss, the Mounties fall to 0-7. They host Jackson High at home next week.

Massey Ratings predicts Waverly will beat Northwest

Lansing Waverly will beat Northwest by two touchdowns, the Massey Ratings computer predicts.

The Massey website says the score will be Waverly 29, Northwest 16.

The game is Friday at Waverly.

See the Massey prediction here.

For Northwest, the season begins now

What do you say after back-to-back losses by a combined score of 94-0?

About all you can say is that the new season begins today.

The Mounties (0-6) have come through a gauntlet of tough foes (Lansing Catholic is 6-0, St. Johns is 5-1, Lansing Sexton is 6-0 and Mason is 5-1; Belleville and Owosso, the two most beatable teams in the first six games, are both much improved this year and are currently 3-3).

So while, yes, Northwest is winless, the truth is they are playing some teams that they probably shouldn't be playing.

Now, on to those final three games.

Next up is an away game at Lansing Waverly, which is 1-5. Waverly's one win, however, is a 35-18 victory over Owosso.

In Week 8, the Mounties play their final home game against Jackson High. The Vikings are also 1-5.

The season finale is on the road against Western, which fell to 2-4 on Friday night after giving up 26 fourth-quarter points and losing to Leslie, 46-34. (Read the Cit Pat story here.)

It's been a tough season for the Mounties. But if they can keep their spirits up, and know that they've faced some excellent football teams this year, they could still capture some wins.

Mason jumped to early lead in win over Northwest

Mason scored twice Friday before Northwest's defense even took the field, the Jackson Citizen Patriot reports.

Read the Cit Pat story here.

Grant Wedgwood was held to 54 yards on 17 carries.

Read the game stats and box score here.

49-point win is largest ever in 21 meetings between Northwest and Mason

Mason's 49-0 victory tonight over Northwest is the largest win for either school in their 21-game series.

Click here for the series history.

It was only the second shutout ever in the series. In 2000, Mason beat Northwest, 21-0.

The two schools first played each other in 1975. Northwest won that game, 15-14.

The year 2000 was also the last time the Mounties were shutout two weeks in a row. It happened twice that season, in which Northwest finished 1-8.

Last week, Lansing Sexton beat the Mounties, 45-0.

Mason beats Northwest, 49-0

Mason topped Northwest, 49-0, tonight, according to MLive's high school sports page.

According to the box score, the Bulldogs jumped out to a 21-point first-quarter lead and then coasted from there.

Mason improves to 5-1 on the season while the Mounties drop to 0-6.

Next week, Northwest travels to Lansing Waverly, which was 1-4 going into tonight's game against St. Johns.