After handling the preseason high school football chores, SOS went underground, assigned to the espionage unit.
You see, the Free Press' sensational Tigers beat writer, Evan Petzold, was married in September 2023 to Savannah Dynkowski. (Had he consulted SOS, the All-Knowing One would have given him a lesson in "S-K-I" Situations, but alas, he didn't.)
They postponed the honeymoon until either this October or May 2025. Assured that the Tigers would not make the playoffs this season -- they had a 0.02% chance on Aug. 10 -- Our Man Petzold made the reservations for an overseas October.
As we all now know, the Tigers did make the playoffs and Evan was stuck in Greece and that is when the Freep's espionage unit took over.
The following may or may not be entirely (or remotely) accurate.
The Freep sent SOS to Greece to rescue Petzold and send him back to cover the playoffs, with SOS heroically and selflessly volunteering to replace him on the honeymoon.
(Yes, Mrs. SOS was consulted -- she said after 49 years of wedding bliss, she didn't care if she ever saw SOS again and gave her blessing.)
SOS took off for Greece and spent time in Santorini, Milos and Crete searching for the couple to no avail -- if their honeymoon was anything like SOS's they probably weren't even speaking to each other by then.
Eventually SOS caught up to the pair and Savannah seemed open to the switch, but Our Man Petzold insisted on sticking it out, no matter how much he missed covering the Tigers.
SOS enjoyed his time in Greece, but he's happy to be back picking every single 11-player playoff game.
In each district, the No. 1 seed is listed first and hosts the No. 4 seed. The No. 2 seed hosts the No. 3 seed; next week the higher seed hosts the district final.
Picking every MHSAA football playoff game in Round 1
Rochester Hills Stoney Creek (5-4) at Rochester Adams (7-2). Addams Family 28, Stoney's Creek 19.
Livonia Stevenson (5-4) at Novi Detroit Catholic Central (9-0). The Vatican 32, Steve's Son 20.
Sterling Heights Stevenson (5-4) at Detroit Cass Tech (7-2). Momma Cass 32, Steve's Other Son 24.
Orchard Lake St. Mary's (6-3) at North Farmington (6-3). St. Mary's by the Lake 23, Harrison North 20.
Warren De La Salle Collegiate (6-2) at Port Huron Northern (7-2). De La Slappy 32, Northern Exposure 18.
East Grand Rapids (5-4) at Grand Rapids Forest Hills Central (7-2). Central Forest 26, Just East 24.
Grand Rapids Kenowa Hills (6-3) at Coopersville (6-3). Mary Lilliesville 21, Keno Hills 14.
Grosse Pointe North (4-5) at Port Huron (4-5). Ken Semelsberger High 28, North by Northwest 14.
Holland Christian (6-3) at Grand Rapids South Christian (5-4). Onward Christian Soldiers 32, Kirk Cousins High 17.
Edwardsburg (6-3) at Battle Creek Harper Creek (8-1). Harper Valley PTA 22, Eddie and the Cruisers 20.
Dearborn Divine Child (6-3) at Madison Heights Lamphere (8-1). Divine Intervention 21, Little Lamplighter 20.
Muskegon Oakridge (4-5) at Grand Rapids West Catholic (6-3). Catholic West of Grand Rapids 28, Oak Ridge Boys 17.
Hopkins (6-3) at Grand Rapids Catholic Central (5-4). Catholics in Grand Rapids? 37, Johns Hopkins 14.
Whitmore Lake (7-2) at Ann Arbor Father Gabriel Richard (5-4). Richard Simmons 35, One More Lake 16.
Detroit Voyageur College Prep (7-2) at Romulus Summit Academy North (6-2). At the Summit 27, Bon Voyage 18.
Standish-Sterling (6-3) at Mason County Central (8-1). Mason Graham 28, Standish Stewart 17.
Dearborn Heights Robichaud (4-5) at Jackson Lumen Christi (8-1). Aluminum Foil 37, Tyrone Wheatley High 22.Dearborn Advanced Tech Academy (6-3) at Ida (8-1). Ida Rather Be In Philadelphia 25, Advanced Placement 14.
Royal Oak Shrine (7-2) at Warren Michigan Collegiate (8-1). Collegiality 37, Shrine of the Little Wanglers 17.
Detroit Old Redford (8-1) at Detroit Pershing (7-2). General Pershing 22, Old Benedictine 20.
Charlevoix (6-3) at Traverse City St. Francis (6-3). Majerle City St. Esper 33, Charley's View 17.
Elkton-Pigeon-Bay Port Laker (5-4) at Millington (8-0). Corky's School 32, Pigeon Droppings 22.
Blissfield (4-5) at Monroe St. Mary Catholic Central (9-0). Ray Lauwers High 30, Hathaway House 21.
Saginaw Michigan Lutheran Seminary (6-3) at Saginaw Nouvel (8-1). Noel 33, Lutheran Cemetery 24.
DISTRICT 2
Burton Bentley (5-4) at Clarkston Everest Collegiate (8-1). Mt. Everest 33, Livonia Bentley 22.
Allen Park Cabrini (5-4) at Riverview Gabriel Richard (7-1). Cardinal Dearden South 38, SOS Alma Mater 24.
Manchester (7-2) at Petersburg Summerfield (8-1). St. Petersburg Beach 23, Manchester United 21.
DISTRICT 2
Marine City Cardinal Mooney (4-5) at Rochester Hills Lutheran Northwest (6-3). Northwest Airlines 31, Cardinal McAndrews 25.
Mount Clemens (6-3) at Detroit Loyola (3-6). Loyal Fan 22, The Clem 21.
Mick McCabe (err, SOS) is a former longtime columnist for the Detroit Free Press. Contact him at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @mickmccabe1. Order his book, "Mick McCabe's Golden Yearbook: 50 Great Years of Michigan's Best High School Players, Teams & Memories," now at McCabe.PictorialBook.com