TRAVERSE CITY — Both play clocks and the west end zone scoreboard weren’t working in the TC Patriot game, and the playoffs are turning back the clock.
Traverse City Central wanted another shot at West after Friday’s TC Patriot Game loss.
The Trojans got it.
TC Central and TC West face off for only the third time in football playoffs history, next Friday at Thirlby Field. The Titans are technically the home team, moving ahead of Central in playoff points by virtue of the 21-20 overtime win over Central.
“We’re ready,” said TC West quarterback Henry Olson, who stepped in for injured starter Brayden Tillman in the win. “We’re ready to do it again. They’re going to come at us with some new stuff, but we can adjust.”
Seventeen area teams made the Michigan High School Athletic Association’s postseason field across 10 divisions.
Glen Lake (7-1) and Mancelona (5-4) are in the same predicament as TC Central (5-4) and TC West (5-4), facing off in the playoffs’ opening round a week after playing each other to conclude the regular season.
West head coach James Wagner said playing each other again is something he’s never encountered in his coaching career.
“It’s really hard to do,” Wagner said. “If you win, that’s the best case, obviously. If you lose, it feels like this game kind of means nothing and the sense that they end up remembering is that you got beat in the playoffs. On the other side of it, Central is going to be up to play us again because they didn’t win tonight. It’s just a really hard challenge from the standpoint of emotion and coming back and dialing up different things. It’s just going to be weird.”
Frankfort’s matchup with East Jordan is a rematch of their Week Eight game.
Area teams hosting first-round playoff games include Gaylord in Division 3, Kingsley and Traverse City St. Francis in Division 6, Charlevoix in Division 7, Glen Lake and East Jordan in Division 8, plus Inland Lakes in Division 1 of eight-player football and Onekama in Division 2.
Playoff matchups DIVISION 2 TC Central (5-4) at TC West (5-4) DIVISION 3 Marquette (6-3) at Gaylord (9-0) DIVISION 6 Calumet (7-2) at Kingsley (7-2) Boyne City (6-3) at TC St. Francis (6-2) DIVISION 7 Manton (6-3) at Menominee (9-0) McBain (7-2) at Charlevoix (8-1) DIVISION 8 Mancelona (5-4) at Glen Lake (7-1) Frankfort (6-3) at East Jordan (6-3) EIGHT-PLAYER DIVISION 1 Pickford (7-1) at Inland Lakes (9-0) Central Lake (6-3) at Merrill (7-2) DIVISION 2 Hillman (6-3) at Onekama (9-0) Gaylord St. Mary (7-2) at Mio (8-1)