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1978 The eighth-ranked Traverse City Trojans surprised many of the state's prognosticators with a 20-14 upset of the No. 2 North Farmington Raiders in the MHSAA Class A Final. Traverse City grabbed a 14-0 lead with two second-quarter touchdowns before the Raiders knotted things up with a pair of Mike Miller TDs in the third quarter. Miller finished the day with 126 yards on 18 attempts. A fumble recovery by Traverse City's Dennis Provins on the North Farmington 16-yard line set up fullback Bill Rossetti's tie-breaking touchdown with 2:46 remaining in the game. Provins then sealed the game for Trojans with an interception on the TC 4-yard line to halt the Raiders' final drive with 1:45 left.

Mike Jarema's 10-yard touchdown reception from Mike Landru tied the game, and his extra-point gave the Warren Woods Warriors a 13-12 victory over Grand Rapids Catholic Central in Class B, the first overtime game in MHSAA Finals history. Catholic Central sophomore Ted Hollern scampered 10-yards around the right end to open the scoring in the extra frame.

Grand Rapids Forest Hills Northern standout Kerry Smith established a Finals record with 278 rushing yards as the Huskies topped Bad Axe, 18-16, in Class C. Smith's total smashed Midland Dow's Scott Alexander's record of 230 yards set in 1976. The Huskies jumped out to an 18-0 lead before Bad Axe junior Jim Howard crossed the goal line to break the shutout. Bad Axe scored once more late in the game, but the Huskies held on for the win. Tracy Hall scored three times on runs of 20, 26, and 57 yards to lead Detroit St. Martin dePorres to its first gridiron title, a 38-14 upset win over Crystal Falls Forest Park in Class D. The contest marked Crystal Falls' fourth consecutive appearance in the Class D Final. Tailback Vernon Lynch opened the scoring for dePorres with a 59-yard run three minutes into the game. The Upper Peninsula squad countered with a 68-yard scoring pass from quarterback Mark Morkin to John Casanova. Crystal Falls took the lead early in the second quarter, but from there it was all dePorres.

1983MHSAA champions in 1977 and 1980, Birmingham Brother Rice continued its trend of winning a title every three years with a 15-12 come-from-behind win over the Trojans of East Lansing in Class A. Brother Rice quarterback Allen Szydlowski completed 15 of 20 passes for 154 yards and one touchdown. Facing a fourth-and-nine situation at the East Lansing 28-yard line, Szydlowski hit junior Mike Farr for a 14-yard gain and the first down. Farr's reception set up a 3-yard touchdown run by his brother, Mel Farr Jr., with a minute to play, giving Brother Rice the win. The score capped a 67-yard, 15-play drive by the Warriors.

Quarterback Dan Clark passed for one touchdown and ran for another to lead East Grand Rapids to a 35-0 win over Battle Creek Lakeview in Class B. Teammate Derek Smith added a pair of third quarter touchdowns, as the Pioneers finished the year 11-1. The game marked Lakeview's first appearance in the MHSAA playoffs.

In Class C, senior Keith Harris' spectacular diving catch in the left corner of the end zone with 1:07 remaining gave Detroit St. Martin dePorres a 28-26 victory over Traverse City St. Francis. Two plays before, the Gladiators had forced a dePorres fumble, but they were unable to recover the ball. Sparked by back Matt Dell'Acqua, the Gladiators jumped out to a 12-0 lead early in the first quarter. Dell'Acqua scored on a 66-yard run, then dashed 71 yards on St. Francis' next possession to set up a 3-yard TD by fullback Joe Connolly. Dell'Acqua finished with 179 yards on 13 carries. Ernie Holloway led the Eagles with 23 carries for 186 yards and two touchdowns.

Trailing Mendon, 12-9, with 7:47 remaining, St. Ignace stonewalled the Hornet offensive attack, then marched 90 yards in 12 plays to defeat the defending Class D champions, 15-12. Facing a first-and-goal situation, the Saints held strong on three attempts by the Hornets. A failed fake field goal attempt ended the drive at the 10. With 3:16 to play, St. Ignace senior quarterback Rich Frazier found Chris Yshinski at the 1-yard line, and the senior end fell into the end zone for the score. The victory ended a 25-game winning streak by Mendon.

1988 In Class A, Traverse City notched a 24-14 win over Detroit Catholic Central. The Trojans took the opening kick and drove 80 yards on 20 plays en route to their first touchdown of the day. A 46-yard field goal by Josh Wuerfel, breaking the championship record of 42 yards by Jeff Fisher of Ann Arbor Pioneer in 1984, gave the TC a 10-0 lead at halftime. The Shamrocks cut the lead to 10-7 late in the third, but a pair of fourth-quarter interceptions by Trojan linebacker Andy Baillie set up Traverse City TDs.

Quarterback Mill Coleman threw for four touchdowns, including a 71-yard scoring strike to Brian Wauldron on Farmington Hills Harrison's first play from scrimmage, to lead the Hawks to a 44-9 win over the Bears of St. Joseph in Class B. Coleman tallied 238 yards on 12-of-16 passing to establish a new MHSAA Finals mark. Wauldron also set a Finals record with five receptions for 177 yards, including touchdowns of 71, 72, and 15 yards.

In Class C, veteran coach Ron Thompson and his Detroit St. Martin dePorres squad celebrated their sixth championship with a 22-14 win over the Ravenna Bulldogs. Cameron Moss notched the game winner on an 8-yard touchdown run with 2:01 to play in the contest. Dante Watson added the two-point conversion to give dePorres its final margin of victory.

Brad Johnson scored twice, including a record-breaking 87-yard punt return, to lead the Schoolcraft Eagles (13-0) to a 42-7 victory over Frankfort in the Class D title game. Eagles quarterback Larry Hoskins completed 9 of 13 passes for 180 yards including one touchdown toss.

1993 After three failed attempts at an MHSAA title, Dearborn Fordson emerged from the Pontiac Silverdome victorious. Trailing Westland John Glenn, 7-6, late in the fourth quarter, the Tractors rallied for a 12-7 win on freshman Kamal Jaafar's 1-yard plunge with 3:08 remaining in the Class AA game. The touchdown capped a 12-play, 72-yard drive. Trailing 7-0, Fordson pulled within a point on Michael Saad's 5-yard TD in the third quarter, but the extra point attempt to tie the game was blocked by Westland's Dave Irwin.

Farmington Hills Harrison battled to a 12-9 victory over Midland in the Class A game, as Hawks' running back Nick Williams finished the day with 168 yards including a touchdown. Aided by a pair of roughing the punter calls, Midland scored on its opening possession of the second half when Brent Wallace hit Dave Twomley for a 15-yard scoring pass. The 9-3 lead would not hold up, however.

Dylan Karczewski's rolled up 153 yards on 18 carries, including a 10-yard TD romp in overtime, as East Grand Rapids slipped past defending Class BB champion Oxford, 28-25. Karczewski gave the Pioneers a 22-14 lead late in the fourth quarter as he busted free for an 80-yard touchdown run. But the Wildcats responded with a 2-yard touchdown run by Jim Walker with 25 seconds remaining in regulation. Oxford quarterback Mike Gardner slipped in for the two-point conversion to force the extra frame.

Imlay City's Rick Granata ran for 155 yards, a touchdown and a two-point conversion, but it was not enough as Kingsford stormed to a 35-14 victory over the Spartans in Class B. Running the wing-T the Flivvers broke the game open in the second half, scoring 21 unanswered points. Mike Olson's 109 yards and Mike Raketich's 54 yards and three touchdowns led Kingsford. Granata ended the year as the MHSAA's all-time single-season rushing leader with 2,783 yards.

Hartford's Dewey Sweat scored four touchdowns to established a new all-class MHSAA Finals record as the Indians downed Onsted, 43-14, for the Class CC title. Onsted QB John Hutchinson also set championship game marks, passing for 257 yards and 15 completions in the contest.

Iron Mountain locked up the Class C crown with a 28-8 victory over Manchester. The Mountaineers opened up a 14-0 lead in the first half, then consumed much of the third quarter with an 86-yard drive, capped by a 7-yard run touchdown by Jeff Angeli.

Mendon notched its fourth MHSAA title with a 7-0 win over previously unbeaten McBain in Class DD. Quarterback Ben Jones delivered an 8-yard TD pass to his brother Jason, then added the extra point to give the Hornets a 7-0 lead with 2:38 to play in the first half. McBain threatened to score late in the contest, reaching the Mendon 25-yard line. Facing a fourth-and-six situation, Rambler quarterback Ryan Napp's pass downfield was deflected by Ben Jones (now playing free safety) to preserve the victory. With the win, Mendon became only the fourth team in MHSAA playoff history to hold its opponents scoreless throughout the playoffs.

Fowler defeated Frankfort for the second time during the year en route to the Class D crown. The 17-0 victory in the final capped an undefeated season for the Eagles. Frankfort, 11-2 on the year, had fallen 20-7 to Fowler in the season opener. The Eagles capitalized on a Frankfort fumble with a minute remaining in the first half, opening up a 3-0 lead on Craig Koenigsknecht's first field goal of the year. Senior Ryan Koenigsknecht replaced injured all-state QB Greg Hungerford and guided the Fowler offense to a pair of second half touchdowns and a two-point conversion.