Stoney Creek, Adams and Rochester all hold spots in the MHSAA Division 1 playoff field through five weeks. All three Rochester Community Schools programs are inside the top 32, putting the district in strong position for a three-team postseason run.

MLive's Week 6 playoff point projections, published Monday, Sept. 28, show the Cougars at No. 14 with a 57.600 playoff point average, the Highlanders at No. 20 with 52.800 and the Falcons tied for No. 24 at 49.200. The top 32 teams in each division qualify for the postseason.

All three programs still have four weeks left in the regular season, and three games apiece, to lock down their spots.

Stoney Creek: leading the way

The Cougars (4-1, 3-0 Oakland Activities Association White) have outscored opponents 191-50 this season, according to MaxPreps. Their lone loss came to unbeaten Clarkston, the Division 1 leader at 77.000 playoff points, in a 14-7 Week 2 game on Sept. 3. Stoney Creek has won three straight since then by a combined 150-13.

The Cougars host Rochester on Friday, Oct. 2, travel to Adams on Oct. 9 and close at Huron on Oct. 23.

Adams: tested by the top

The Highlanders (3-2, 2-0 OAA Red) dropped games to Romeo, 17-10, in Week 1 and to Clarkston, 45-0, in Week 4. Both opponents are undefeated. Adams bounced back with a 21-17 win at Lake Orion on Sept. 25, beating a Dragons squad that sits just outside the playoff field as the second team out at 38.400 points, per MaxPreps and MLive's projections.

Adams travels to Oxford on Friday, Oct. 2, hosts Stoney Creek on Oct. 9 and hosts Oak Park on Oct. 23.

Rochester: on the bubble

Head coach Erik Vernon's Falcons (3-2) are tied with Plymouth for the No. 24 spot at 49.200 points. The cutline sits at No. 32, where Kalamazoo Central holds a 39.200 average. That 10-point cushion looks comfortable, but Rochester's two losses tell the story of its schedule: a 21-19 defeat to Adams in Week 2 and a 42-0 loss at Oxford in Week 4, per MaxPreps.

The Falcons travel to Stoney Creek on Friday, Oct. 2, host Athens on Oct. 9 and close at Monroe on Oct. 23.

District matchups loom large

Two of the remaining three games pit RCS teams against each other. Rochester visits Stoney Creek on Oct. 2, and Adams hosts Stoney Creek on Oct. 9. Those district matchups will affect playoff point standings heading into the final weeks.

The Michigan High School Athletic Association (MHSAA) introduced regional seeding for the 2026 postseason, organizing each division's 32-team field into eight-team regionals. Teams are seeded 1-8 by playoff point average, with the top seed protected from facing the No. 2 seed until the regional final, according to the MHSAA.

All three teams kick off their Week 6 games Friday, Oct. 2, at 7 p.m.