Troy Athens won its regular-season finale 45-14 over Berkley on Friday, Oct. 23, but the victory was not enough to push the Red Hawks into the MHSAA Division 1 playoff field.
The Michigan High School Athletic Association's playoff pairings, announced Sunday, Oct. 25, did not include Athens among the 32 qualifying Division 1 teams. Lake Orion and Bloomfield Hills, two other local programs that entered the final week near the playoff cutline, made the field.
The Red Hawks finished 4-5 overall, according to the school's official athletics records. Athens scored 228 points and allowed 228 across nine games.
The math was steep heading into Week 9. Athens carried a 44.500 playoff point average at 3-5, ranking fifth among the first 10 teams outside the Division 1 field in MLive's pre-Week 9 standings. Grandville held the No. 32 position at that point with a 48.125 average.
Athens closed the year on a two-game winning streak. The Red Hawks blanked Avondale 35-0 on Oct. 16 before beating Berkley by 31 points.
Earlier in the season, Athens shut out crosstown rival Troy 35-0 on Sept. 18 and beat Bloomfield Hills 53-14 on Oct. 2. Losses came against Waterford Mott (27-19), Oxford (49-17), Clarkston (41-0), Stoney Creek (49-10) and Rochester (34-14).
The MHSAA selects the top 32 teams in each 11-player division using playoff point averages. The official Division 1 pairings show Bloomfield Hills traveling to Clarkston and Lake Orion visiting Detroit Catholic Central.
First-round playoff games begin Oct. 30-31, while Athens' season is complete.
