# Northern Michigan Football League

The Northern Michigan Football League is an interscholastic athletic conference affiliated with the Michigan High School Athletic Association. It is located in Northern Michigan and contains seveenteen teams that encompasses fourteen counties: Antrim, Benzie, Charlevoix, Cheboygan, Chippewa, Crawford, Emmet, Grand Traverse, Iosco, Kalkaska, Leelanau, Mackinac, Ogemaw and Otsego.

## History

The League formed from the merger of the Lake Michigan Conference and the Northwest Conference, for football only. The schools were then split up based on enrollment and competitiveness, with the larger schools forming the Legends Division, and the smaller ones forming the Legacy Division. Mesick, who was a member of the Northwest Conference, declined to join the league, leaving the Legacy Division with one school less than the Legend Division. Before the 2015 season, it was announced that the six members of the Ski Valley Conference not dropping to Eight-man Football as well as Cheboygan, Onekema and Traverse City Christian High Schools would join the league during the 2016 season, causing the league to expand to three divisions; the Leaders, Legends, and Legacy divisions. The league is also considering the applications of several other schools, and the possibility of further divisions to help with travel costs. On October 6, 2015, Traverse City Christian announced that it would not be joining the NMFL and that Mesick would be replacing them in the conference on a two-year trial basis.
For the 2017 season, more changes will be happening, as four schools will be making the move to eight-man football. In the last few months of 2016, Central Lake, Mesick, Onekama, and Suttons Bay all announced moves to the eight-man game. However, for the 2018 season, Newberry, from the former Mid Eastern Football Conference, was brought into the league. This did not last long, however, as for the 2019 season, Newberry, along with Gaylord St. Mary announced their own move to the 8 man game as well. Starting in 2020, the league will welcome Sault Ste. Marie and West Branch-Ogemaw Heights, who both previously were independent. In corresponding moved Kalkaska and Boyne city will move from the Legends Division to the Leaders Division, and Frankfort will move from the Leaders Division to the Legacy Division. This aligns the league, with the exception of Traverse City St. Francis, to divisions based on enrollment sizes, with the Legends being the largest, Leaders being the middle, and Legacy being the smallest schools.
Effective 2021, the NMFL added 2 new schools, Tawas & Oscoda. Tawas was added to the largest division, Legends, while Oscoda was added to the smallest division, Legacy. Former North Star League foes Rogers City & Lincoln-Alcona were both originally set the join the Legacy Division, but opted instead to drop to 8-Man Football.
In September 2021, following the departure of the two Traverse City high schools to the Saginaw Valley League, the four remaining Big North Conference high schools: Alpena, Gaylord, Cadillac, and Petoskey, were denied entry into the league, despite approval of the conferences athletic directors. The eight superintendents of the then Legends Division declined the addition of the four schools, Citing how the league has grown fast and changed so much in the last six years it might be best to slow down before overhauling the league. The addition of the four schools would have seen the creation of a new 4th division, the Liberty Division and would have included the 6 biggest schools, Alpena, Petoskey, Gaylord, Cadillac, Sault Ste. Marie, and Cheboygan. The following 18 teams would have been divided into 3 equal divisions of 6 teams based on size and success. Instead, the conference kept its 3 division format, but saw Tawas moved to the middle Leaders division and Glen Lake moved to the smaller Legacy Division.
In September 2022 it was announced that effective Fall 2023, the Big North Conference would add Marquette, Escanaba and NMFL member, Sault Ste. Marie, as football members only. Also in 2023, St. Ignace left the conference and moved to 8-man football, while Kalkaska left as well to become an 11-man football independent. With these changes, Benzie Central and Oscoda moved to the middle Leaders division from the larger Legends and smaller Legacy divisions respectively, while Mancelona moved from the Leaders division to the Legacy division

## Member schools
### Current members

| Team | School | Location | County | Joined | Type | Enrollment | All-Sports Conference |
| Legends Division ||||||||
| Boyne City Ramblers | Boyne City | Boyne City | Charlevoix | 2014 | Public | 373 | Northern Shores Conference |
| Cheboygan Chiefs | Cheboygan | Cheboygan | Cheboygan | 2016 | Public | 441 | Northern Shores Conference |
| Grayling Vikings | Grayling | Frederic Township | Crawford | 2014 | Public | 448 | Northern Shores Conference |
| Kingsley Stags | Kingsley | Kingsley | Grand Traverse | 2014 | Public | 385 | Northern Shores Conference |
| St. Francis Gladiators | Traverse City–St. Francis | Traverse City | Grand Traverse | 2014 | Private | 345 | Independent |
| Leaders Division ||||||||
| Benzie Central Huskies | Benzie Central | Benzonia Township | Benzie | 2014 | Public | 295 | Northwest Conference |
| Charlevoix Rayders | Charlevoix | Marion Township | Charlevoix | 2014 | Public | 258 | Northern Shores Conference |
| Elk Rapids Elks | Elk Rapids | Elk Rapids | Antrim | 2014 | Public | 351 | Northern Shores Conference |
| Oscoda Owls | Oscoda | Au Sable Township | Iosco | 2021 | Public | 282 | North Star League |
| Tawas Braves | Tawas Area | Tawas Township | Iosco | 2021 | Public | 338 | Independent |
| Legacy Division ||||||||
| East Jordan Red Devils | East Jordan | East Jordan | Charlevoix | 2014 | Public | 208 | Ski-Valley Conference |
| Frankfort Panthers | Frankfort | Frankfort | Benzie | 2014 | Public | 131 | Northwest Conference |
| Maple City Glen Lake Lakers | Maple City–Glen Lake | Kasson Township | Leelanau | 2014 | Public | 200 | Northwest Conference |
| Harbor Springs Rams | Harbor Springs | Harbor Springs | Emmet | 2014 | Public | 365 | Northern Shores Conference |
| Johannesburg-Lewiston Cardinals | Johannesburg-Lewiston | Charlton Township | Otsego | 2016 | Public | 200 | Ski Valley Conference |
| Mancelona Ironmen | Mancelona | Mancelona Township | Antrim | 2016 | Public | 233 | Ski Valley Conference |
* ↑ Co-Op with Harbor Light Christian (58 Students) & St. Michael Academy (48 Students)

### Former members

| Team | School | Location | County | Joined | Departed | Enrollment | Type | Current Conference |
| Central Lake Trojans | Central Lake | Central Lake | Antrim | 2016 | 2017 | 84 | Public | Ski Valley Conference (8-Man) |
| Gaylord St. Mary Snowbirds | Gaylord St. Mary | Gaylord | Otsego | 2016 | 2019 | 69 | Private | Ski Valley Conference (8-Man) |
| Indian River Inland Lakes Bulldogs | Inland Lakes | Tuscarora Township | Cheboygan | 2016 | 2020 | 177 | Public | Ski Valley Conference (8-Man) |
| Kalkaska Blazers | Kalkaska | Kalkaska | Kalkaska | 2014 | 2023 | 441 | Public | Independent (11-Man) |
| Mesick Bulldogs | Mesick | Mesick | Wexford | 2016 | 2017 | 197 | Public | West Michigan 8-Man Football League |
| Newberry Indians | Newberry | Newberry | Luce | 2018 | 2019 | 171 | Public | Great Lakes 8-Man Conference - East |
| Ogemaw Heights Falcons | West Branch–Ogemaw Heights | West Branch Township | Ogemaw | 2020 | 2024 | 556 | Public | Jack Pine Conference |
| Onekama Portagers | Onekama | Onekama | Manistee | 2016 | 2017 | 99 | Public | West Michigan 8-Man Football League |
| Sault Ste. Marie Blue Devils | Sault Area | Sault Ste. Marie | Chippewa | 2020 | 2023 | 884 | Public | Big North Conference |
| St. Ignace Saints | Saint Ignace | St. Ignace Township | Mackinac | 2016 | 2023 | 201 | Public | Great Lakes 8-Man Conference - East |
| Suttons Bay Norsemen | Suttons Bay | Suttons Bay | Leelanau | 2014 | 2017 | 132 | Public | West Michigan 8-Man Football League |

## Football Champions

| Year | NMFL I | NMFL II |
| 2014 | Boyne City 12-1 (6-0) | Suttons Bay 9-2 (5-0) |
| Year | Legends | Leaders |
| 2015 | St. Francis 12-1 (6-0) | Frankfort 9-3 (5-0) |
| Year | Legends | Leaders | Legacy |
| 2016 | St. Francis 11-1 (6-0) | Frankfort 11-1 (5-0) | St. Ignace 11-2 (6-0) |
| 2017 | Boyne City 9-1 (7-0) | Maple City Glen Lake 7-3 (5-0) | Gaylord St. Mary 10-1 (5-0) |
| 2018 | St. Francis 12-1 (6-0) | Maple City Glen Lake 5-5 (4-0) | Johannesburg-Lewiston 9-2 (6-0) |
| 2019 | Kingsley 12-1 (6-0) | Maple City Glen Lake 12-2 (4-0) | Johannesburg-Lewiston 10-1 (4-0) |
| 2020 | Kingsley 8-1 (6-0) | Charlevoix 8-1 (5-0) | Johannesburg-Lewiston 10-1 (4-0) |
| 2021 | St. Francis 12-1 (7-0) | Boyne City 9-2 (5-0) | East Jordan 6-3 (5-0) |
| 2022 | St. Francis 13-1 (6-0) | Boyne City 9-1 (5-0) | St. Ignace 7-3 (6-0) |
| 2023 | Ogemaw Heights 9-2 (4-0) | Charlevoix 8-2 (5-0) | East Jordan 8-2 (5-0) |
| 2024 | Boyne City 7-2 (3-1), Kingsley 7-2 (3-1), St. Francis 6-3 (3-1) | Charlevoix 6-3 (4-0) | Glen Lake 8-1 (5-0) |

## State Championship Appearances

| Season | NMFL | NMFL | Non-NMFL | Non-NMFL | Site | Division |
| 2016 | Maple City Glen Lake (12-2) | 14 | Jackson Lumen Christi (11-3) | 26 | Ford Field • Detroit, MI | 6 |
| 2019 | Maple City Glen Lake (12-2) | 0 | Monroe Saint Mary Catholic (12-1) | 7 | Ford Field • Detroit, MI | 6 |
| 2020 | St. Francis (9-3) | 35 | New Lothrop (11-0) | 42 | Ford Field • Detroit, MI | 7 |
| 2022 | St. Francis (13-1) | 12 | Jackson Lumen Christi (11-3) | 15 | Ford Field • Detroit, MI | 7 |
| 2023 | Kingsley (12-2) | 38 | Almont (12-2) | 24 | Ford Field • Detroit, MI | 6 |

## NMFL Records

| School | Seasons | Legend | Leader | Legacy | Overall | % | Playoffs | Playoff Record | Districts | Regionals | Championships |
| Benzie Central Huskies | 11 | 10-39 | 5-4 | | 15-43 | .259 | 4 | 1-4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Boyne City Ramblers | 11 | 31-10 | 16-4 | | 47-14 | .771 | 9 | 11-9 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| Central Lake Trojans | 1 | | | 1-5 | 1-5 | .168 | 0 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Charlevoix Rayders | 11 | | 36-14 | | 36-14 | .720 | 8 | 5-8 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Cheboygan Chiefs | 9 | 13-39 | | | 13-39 | .250 | 1 | 0-1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| East Jordan Red Devils | 11 | | 0-10 | 24-22 | 24-32 | .429 | 5 | 2-5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Elk Rapids Elks | 11 | 9-16 | 12-20 | | 21-36 | .368 | 5 | 0-5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Frankfort Panthers | 11 | | 18-8 | 18-7 | 36-15 | .701 | 10 | 7-10 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Gaylord St. Mary Snowbirds | 3 | | | 10-7 | 10-7 | .588 | 2 | 1-2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Grayling Vikings | 11 | 27-36 | | | 27-36 | .429 | 6 | 5-6 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Harbor Springs Rams | 11 | | 4-6 | 21-25 | 25-31 | .446 | 5 | 1-5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Indian River Inland Lakes Bulldogs | 4 | | | 2-19 | 2-19 | .095 | 0 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Johannesburg-Lewiston Cardinals | 9 | | | 24-22 | 24-22 | .522 | 4 | 6-4 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Kalkaska Blazers | 9 | 5-20 | 7-17 | | 12-37 | .245 | 2 | 0-2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Kingsley Stags | 11 | 43-21 | | | 43-21 | .672 | 7 | 15-6 | 5 | 2 | 1 |
| Mancelona Ironmen | 9 | | 8-23 | 4-6 | 12-28 | .293 | 3 | 1-3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Maple City Glen Lake Lakers | 11 | 4-8 | 21-4 | 11-5 | 36-17 | .679 | 9 | 11-9 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| Mesick Bulldogs | 1 | | 0-5 | | 0-5 | .000 | 1 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Newberry Indians | 1 | | | 3-3 | 3-3 | .500 | 1 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Ogemaw Heights Falcons | 4 | 12-9 | | | 12-9 | .571 | 3 | 1-3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Onekama Portagers | 1 | | 2-3 | | 2-3 | .400 | 1 | 0-1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Oscoda Owls | 4 | | 4-5 | 5-6 | 9-11 | .450 | 0 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Sault Ste. Marie Blue Devils | 3 | 10-7 | | | 10-7 | .588 | 1 | 2-1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| St. Francis Gladiators | 11 | 55-8 | | | 55-8 | .873 | 11 | 28-11 | 9 | 6 | 0 |
| St. Ignace Saints | 7 | | | 20-16 | 20-16 | .557 | 4 | 3-4 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Suttons Bay Norsemen | 3 | | 6-4 | | 6-4 | .600 | 1 | 1-1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Tawas Braves | 4 | | 1-13 | 0-6 | 1-19 | .050 | 0 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |

## Membership Timeline

Legends Leaders Legacy