Detroit UPSM @ Jefferson

Jefferson (1-7) is coming off of a 47-7 loss to SMCC while University Prep Science and Math (2-6) lost to Lutheran Northwest 37-18. This is the first ever meeting between the two teams.

Jefferson will get the opportunity to end the season on a positive note. Look for the pass happy Bears to run the ball nearly every play against the Cobra defense.

UPSM is in just their third year as a football program. The Cobras started the season 2-1, but have lost five straight games.

Sometimes you have to find a winnable game in the non-league schedule. Everyone should get playing time in this game. Prediction: Jefferson 42 UPSM 6 

20 thoughts on “Detroit UPSM @ Jefferson”

  1. I'm sure they will, but a 4-5, 5-4 season is bearable. Even a 3-6 season is acceptable for 1 year. But 3 1 win seasons in a row is enough. People are upset.

    This is acceptable nowhere these days.

  2. As a player on the football team last year (which was 1-8) I completely stand behind coach pickens and this coaching staff. I had the opportunity to play for both cisco and pickens and it's a completely different atmosphere! Cisco didn't even make an attempt to ask my name and coach pickens have me a chance and i ended up starting and making honorable mention for the league. For everybody saying the team is not motivated because of him, you have never been at a practice with him as head coach or in a film session or in the locker room before a game. All he does is motivate kids!! The reason is people have excepted losing and like people feeling bad for them. I remember countless times coach gennoe telling me he barely got any sleep last night because he was up all night studying film trying to fix the defense. These coaches care and have already started turning the program around. It takes time it won't happen over night! And lastly to say the sophomores on the team shouldn't be there is the dumbest thing I've heard.. they are in on almost every single tackle that the bears do make! They're getting experience which is going to make an impact in a couple years!!

    Go Bears

  3. Get rid of Pickens and his entire staff and you're looking at rebuilding all over again. Success will not come immediately. It'll take time. Are you ready to start all over again? Give them time to turn the program around. If I remember correctly, JHS fb wasn't very good when Cisco left and everyone was complaining about him. Support the players….they need it now more then ever!

  4. Higher expectations need to be demanded at Jefferson. Top to bottom. Academics, sports, etc. We are not keeping up with the competition. If the faculty and coaches currently there can't get it done, bring in folks who will.
    The best grading system is the aptitude testing and the enrollment. If it doesn't go up, heads roll. That's how real life is, make it the same . School of choice, people might then actually choose Jefferson, rather than leave.

    Ms. Kreps is the best thing to happen to the school in years. We need more like her.

  5. Wow! right to the bone there ehhh! They do have some work to do, it is a tough sport to come in and be successful quickly.

    With that being said, there are many teacher/coaches at Jefferson and many of them are not very experienced and are coaching to make extra money. To me there is no passion for the sport if you decided to do it just for the overtime. Plus, many of them never go over and above what is expected, because there is no pay for that. Not the way it should be. All the successful programs around here, the coaches go way over and above.

    We need to get a few non teachers on our sports staffs to assist the few good teacher/coaches we do have. Coaches also need to be graded, if your not succeeding you will be replaced. We have had a few coaches there who haven't had a winning season in anything for years!!! Why are they around still.

    Our best program over the years has been Boys Varsity baseball.
    Theres not 1 Jefferson teacher on that staff. Hmmm? Tell you something??

  6. For the kids to be great, the coaches need to be great… but most importantly, for the kids to be great, they need to trust their coaches. A huge issue in helping or hindering that will be how parents either model respect for the coaches (verbally and in actions) or not (and how the coaches respect parents too). Every single person in that community should share the blame for the Jefferson issues (things like declining enrollment in the last 10 years, lack luster facilities, and a general sense of discontent).

    It’s going to take a collective reestablishment of pride. New coaching will not give JHS Football a total 180 next year. It’ll just prolong the inevitable. A total community effort needs to happen. Football has always been the centerpiece of Jefferson. Rally around that (it’ll extend beyond just football).

    You’ll hate to hear this… and I can’t believe I’m saying anything good about them, but the biggest reason SMCC has success is not the athletic ability of the kids (some of the most “legendary” Falcons grew up inside the Jefferson borders). It is because they have a sense of community amongst everyone connected to their school that pulls out greatness in the kids. Jefferson needs that again. You are all the problem, but you are also the solution.

  7. I graduated from Jefferson and Bear Football was a big part of my life. I’ve never commented on this blog since I found it, but I want to today. (Thanks to the Moderator for building this site.) I came up during the "glory years" of JHS… and what I want to say was as much a challenge then as it is now. I am proud to come from the Jefferson.

    I take exception with anyone who says the coaches are the problem. That’s a VERY limited view of what it’ll take to make a turn-around.

    1. True, the coaches are working out the kinks, but that'll come if they stick together and the families work with them and reinforce the lessons being taught (which are identical principles to what was taught by the Cisco group in its heydey… almost all of the current coaches came up as players in that time.)They are trying to put in a very advanced system that they need to get better at facilitating. The coaches could probably do a better job of connecting with parents too. However, I applaud any person who gives up precious family and personal time to help kids (the ratio of pay-to-hours worked is obscene and laughable – so don’t pull the “they do it for the money” card, please).

    2. The players, their abilities, and their attitudes are a part of the issue too. Jefferson kids are great, but extremely average (and even below average) athletes when you put them in the context of kids in Metro Detroit and Michigan’s Westside. But for small-ball (but great-ball) Huron League sports, they have potential to develop and things can start to click eventually. The youth program starting up will pay big dividends in the future (just look at Huron). The kids need to be patient (and dedicated) to learn this brand new (complex) system. Way back when, Jefferson kids weren’t taught to call audibles or read defenses, etc. These kids didn’t come up in a system (yet) that teaches them that even today. They will have a tough time being able to execute, but it'll come. Jefferson will never be a college-prospect hot bed, but athletics can give them great lessons for life and professional success. They need guidance and care from Families, Staff, and Coaches.

    The biggest issue Jefferson faces (and the same issue Jefferson has faced forever) is the culture of the school. People can get defensive all they want, but step outside and look in at Jefferson. There is OFTEN a very strong culture of "quit". Or at least a culture that unconsciously accepts mediocrity (and then of course – the blame game starts when things blow up). Again, that isn’t everybody, but it exists whether you like to admit it or not. Also – a teacher duct-taping kids to chairs? Arresting kids for a food fight? Obscene team-hazing issues? That’s all anyone searching Jefferson on Google can see in the past few years. You can be better.

    1. Extremely average really were comparing are kids with the greatest athletic kids in state we have kids who r very capable to compete in Huron league.

  8. I think Pickens will be gone after this season and most of the coaching staff. The team looks flat and just unmotivated. I've seen that on here before and I agree 100%. Clean house and get some good positive coaches who are also good role models as well.

  9. The Bears have a lot of talent that isn't being used how it should be. They would be an outstanding team if they didn't move up sophomores when they don't need to be, and didn't play people where they have never played. Jefferson is all politics and thats the reason why we aren't successful. Pickens better step it up next year or he is going to lose some valuable players.

  10. I think you hit it on the head with work hard in the off season. Hopefully these kids can keep there heads up and push to make themselves better. Not fall into the trap of a struggling program and no work there Butts off to turn things around!! Lets hope for a exciting game Friday get some new kids some game experience and a taste at Victory and start the trend upward!! Which I Truly believe will happen

  11. Play hard bears their was improvement offensively the juniors coming back have upside. thanks seniors for effort you put in.juniors step up work hard .in off season

  12. Should be a deservable ending to an underachieving season. There were fairly high expectations this year and they didn't happen. It is what it is. Hopefully this years seniors will be able to go out on a winning, memorable note.

    UPSM is a new program, trying to get things going. Might be a few more years for them. If the Bears play like they should, it won't be a close game.

    GO BEARS!!

    JB

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