Huron League Thoughts and Questions

Brilliant win by Adam Kipf and SMCC.

Is anyone on the Milan bandwagon yet?

Riverview flexed their offensive muscle.

Grosse Ile will find out where they stand real soon.

Huron better get busy or they will be sitting home in week 10.

What’s up with Jefferson?

Same with Airport.

Keep your head up Rams!

Should SMCC be complaining to anyone about facilities?

Is the league down overall from last season? I know this answer.

Don’t look now, but Marshall is 3-1.

Should I even go to a game this week?

Huron and Riverview will both need to win a tough game to qualify for the playoffs.

Thank you Double D for the buffer this week. Not sure I can do it again though.

Favorite place to watch a high school football game in the Huron League?

78 thoughts on “Huron League Thoughts and Questions”

  1. I will go "all in" on that one. Your crazy. Coach Giarmo is a great coach, I agree. Most of those teams are already playoff teams, but I get your point. He would NOT have the success that he did with SMCC, Sorry.

  2. Airport somehow doesnt have good players now? Im pretty sure they are down is because Red left. Coaching is everything in HS football

  3. You let Coach Giarmo coach Airport, Jefferson, Riverview, Huron and Milan and they are all playoff teams. Huron, might win a state title

  4. You get the point. You guys act like you have a bunch of mediocre to terrible kids all the time and that is not the case. I watch many kids coming up in football.

    You have the best ones in the county. That's why you win. No more downplaying.
    You should win the league and go far in playoffs every year.

    3 kids out of 30 played CYO. We should automatically win now.

  5. OOOhhh! Sorry. Associates degree is a start. To make some real money you need to get a bachelors.

    There are lots of smart people out there, didn't say there wasn't. Just defending my decisions.

    By the way, I went to SMCC. The clicks and arrogance were not for me. Not all are that way, but quite a few are. Which are you ?

  6. Airports and Jeffersons CYO players assist the other good players on their teams.

    Many good players on both.

    Humphrey, Sovey, Kull and Wilkins didn't play any CYO ball.

  7. I will not reply to this anymore. You guys will argue like little kids until you get your way. These are our opinions. I DO NOT argee with Mr Lowe. So be it. Give me all the ammo you want. I DO NOT AGREE. Sorry.

    As for 5:53, if you don't want to admit what you have and want to continue to downplay, fine. Its easier to brag about the good things that happen when you downplay. If you admit you have some great athletes and the expectations are high, there is pressure. We don't want any pressure on your boys.

    The downplaying is old. You have the best all star team in the county, everybody has paid a lot of money to be on your team, the pressure is on you. If you don't win the league or go far in the playoffs, your season is a failure.

    Huron has Hartwick and Fryer as main players. You have many more.

    My kids will be going to 4 year colleges to amount to more than an associates degree. I'm sure that is what you have. We will talk again 5:53.

    1. I'm not 5:53. I have a degree from a Big 10 school. Why are you making fun of people with an associates degree? Many smart people don't even have an associates. You write like a 10th grade C student at best.

    1. One of those guys plays baseball, 2 are D1 walk-ons, and 1 is not playing at the next level at all. It's not like they're bringing in 5 star D1 recruits.

  8. I wonder if the Huron fans who watched their team lose to OLSM last year would argue that SMCC has the same type of player as OLSM. These "recruited" kids for the Falcons would not even see the field at OLSM or schools of that ilk.

    People whine on here so much and really have no idea as to what they are talking about. Huron has more talent than SMCC but lost by 20. Ask Chris if this is true… and why.

  9. Hey Paul Lowe, I agree with most of what you are saying, but smcc is not a team of hardworking, untalented kids. Theres a whole lot of talent at smcc, hence the 3 D1 guys they had on the team last year…

  10. JB,

    Our starting line-up when we went 23-1: 6-1, 6-0, 6-0, 5-11, 5-9. This is 5A (1600+ students) basketball. Put them on any other team and they would have been role players. 0 got any college interest. They were slow, short, average white guys. But because of their commitment to each other and the team, they had a lot of success.

    From what I hear every year about SMCC football (I don't know from first hand experience because I can't find video online to watch, unless someone can give me a link) they are the same kind of teams. That is what they were like when I played in the 90's. Except for Dan Jeer, he was a beast.

    Look at who gets recruited to D1 football, kids from DPL. How many of those teams win in the playoffs? There's plenty of talent in Detroit Public schools but not much commitment outside of Cass Tech. However, they have a lot of talent at Cass Tech too.

    On the teams that I have coached, I have either had talent or no talent. I can coach up a committed, talentless team to .500 or better. A talented but uncommitted team will always underachieve.

  11. To 7:44, The "studs" that join your school each year are what carries you over the top. You would have good reasonably average teams without them, but with them, you achieve much more. I have been around CYO for many years and I know the kids that move on from the parochial level and join high school sports. In fact I look forward to watching them. But, to my dismay, I grab a roster at a football, baseball, or basketball game at SMCC and very few of the CYO kids I grew to know, are even on the team, or not playing.

    As for Jefferson and the "BONUS" you have paid a great deal(at least to me), $8,000 to $10000 a year to get on a good sports team. So that's $ 32,000 to $40,000 to get that state championship. That is your choice. I saved that money for college.

    I have much more pride sticking with my community school, playing for free, and my kids doing the best they can with what god gave them. Win or Lose.

    NO REGRETS!
    GO BEARS!

    1. Those so called "studs" are all in your twisted imagination. I think you must have spent at least $75 of your college fund on one of those "Wacky Tobaccy" licenses they advertise on the off ramps of I-75.The rest I really don't care. You may want to check your own roster, and maybe Monroe High's because we lost 3 or 4 that went there. We still won. The other kids step up and fill in where needed. Summerfield has 2 more. We don't have 30 kids on our roster. So good luck with your family, and your kids college choices. I'm sure that you'll find something else to complain about. And, whatever you do, don't send them out of Monroe County. It wouldn't be fair to MCCC.

  12. Well, I won't argue with you all day Mr. Lowe. Commitment has its place, but talent overshadows commitment. Happens everyday. I feel more bonds are deeper playing with kids you have known your whole life. To play sports with people that aren't exactly like you, makes you more well rounded. We will have to deal with people not exactly like us the rest of our lives. Cutting kids that flat out aren't good is one thing, cutting a good player because another one nobody has heard joined the school for sports is terrible. You have your opinion and I have mine. You had a successful 23-1 team because of the talent. Have a great day.

    JB

  13. Chris is right, Huron doesn't have room to add kids so they don't waist money on advertising. Milan does have room, so they do. Huron has become one of the better teams in the league because of their commitment to the program. That commitment is demonstrated by the addition of their junior football program. If Flat Rock did something similar, I believe they would be a much tougher opponent. Using the Yellow-jackets system is just not cutting it.

    Johnny, I hate having to cut seniors but it happens every year all over the country in private and public schools. A few years ago (at a public school) we had to cut a very hard working kid from our basketball team. He would never have seen the floor if we kept him. He was a great kid, so we kept him on as a manager. Because of HIS commitment to the team, he stayed on and actually got a chance to play late in the season when we had a couple injuries. That team went 23-1 and he was an integral part of the team even though he played 2 minutes the whole season.

    We've also cut Seniors because they just never got it. We kept them on because of their talent and thought they would eventually learn how to play on a team. But they don't and we let them go so other kids will have a chance to learn. Kids are cut for all sorts of reasons and I have never known a coach to cut a player because he or she didn't "like" him or her.

    Also, I have won plenty of games with teammates I grew up with and with teammates I haven't. I have hated some of the teammates I grew up with and I have loved some of them. I have also hated some teammates I didn't grow up with and I have also loved some of them. Winning is sweet if you have a team that is committed and sacrifices for each other. Bonds can be created pretty quickly on a team if you put the team first and having grown up with someone isn't necessary or sufficient for success or enjoying success but commitment is.

    For those who are so inclined, read "The Tipping Point" by Malcolm Gladwell. It identifies the types of personalities involved in successful businesses. I bet the top teams in the league have those types of people.

    Go Rams!

  14. Wow I thought this blog was to talk about football in the Huron league. This week's main topics have been about anything from bleachers to marketing of one's schools. I for one love football can we get back on topic now.

  15. If we SMCC fans are self centered, then the rest of you are all smoking dope. I've never heard such ridiculous crap in my life. The league goes up and down for all of the teams. Every team goes through a down period, some more than others. It's just too convenient to blame someone else for all your particular teams problems. Get over it already. It seems to me, that today's kids are pulled every which way by academics, sports, social lives, which is not new, but add to that travel teams, video games, and all of the other modern-day distractions, and it's a lot on their plates. Our generation had some of these things, but certainly not all of them. There's a lot of these kids who would rather score a touchdown on Madden, than put in the practice time to actually do it themselves. Plus, there are a lot of parents who won't let their kids play football, and that's where soccer has been increasing in popularity. I know of kids who won't play for their own high school, because they'd rather play for travel teams, thinking that they're getting more exposure. I blame these things more than some other school if the talent pool seems to be getting smaller.

  16. It is much more gratifying any day of the week to pull out some victories with little Johnny from down the street that you have known your whole life, than some studs, from some towns and get you a state championship.

    Obviously, something is in the water here. A school wins 3 state titles, has the best year in its sports history and has the lowest enrollment it has ever had the following year. I am not the only one bothered by this.

    Is it better to get cut from a sport your senior year and watch a great team win a championship or make a not so great team and play the whole season. Ask some senior volleyball parents about that.

    No need to respond Mr. Lowe. My point has been made. Lets move on.

    JOHNNY BAKER (JB)

    I am perfectly happy with my children going to Jefferson school, getting a great education and going on to college. Sports is a bonus.

    1. Oh yes, because football, softball, and volleyball teams only have 2 or 3 players on the field at one time. The other kids who aren't "studs" are on the bench, just watching them do everything. Get real.Most of SMCC's kids have gone to parochial schools their entire lives. Do you really think that their families would jump ship so easily? I know many families who left parochial schools after the elementary grades in order to go to Jefferson and Airport. The majority of the kids my son played CYO football with, went to, and played football at Jefferson. So if Jefferson is not living up to your "high standards", I wouldn't have sour grapes for the Catholics across town. The education that your kids receive at JHS is undoubtedly top notch. Much better than many of the other schools. I'm just having a hard time believing that sports are just a bonus to you, or you wouldn't have posted your negative comments. You made your choice, and supposedly you are satisfied. I made my choice with SMCC because it is a tradition of my family. And I've gotta say, last season was a real bonus.

  17. @ 8:41 and @ 10:12, I will respond to you in full when you put your names to your words. In the mean time I will say that "marketing" is an indication of commitment. Milan & SMCC are committed to having the best students and believe they have the best product, so they get the word out. If the other schools really believed in what they had instead of playing the victim of circumstance then they would step it up and do what they can to attract the best students and athletes. As far as I know, school of choice, reputation and "marketing" are not against the MHSAA by-laws.

  18. Speaking of Marshall, it looks like I owe their running backs an apology. Forrest Jackson went nuts against Western High School (Parma), a team that beat Grosse Ile in Week 1. Jackson ran 19 times for 261 yards and 4 touchdowns. I don't care who you're playing against, that's a heck of a game.

    With Marshall's only loss coming in a 9-7 game against undefeated Coldwater, it lends some perspective to how quickly those new coaches have the Marshall program turned in the right direction.

  19. Mr Lowe, you are sadly mistaken. Milan and SMCC are the forerunners in attracting kids. Marketing and reputation is what its about.

    Through these things you can attract great talent. Davis and Perkins were from out of district. Many, many kids are from out of district at SMCC.

    Take a look at Milan's homepage. It is the only public school homepage with a revolving advertisement on it, pushing school of choice. It even says all surrounding counties. Every other school you have to dig to find school of choice info. Huron has it, but advertises only Wayne county. No other school in our league has a thing on their website about coming to their school. SMCC has a video even. Being private, SMCC has to do this, but still it is an advantage.

    By the way, one of Milans perks on their revolving ad, come to our newly remodeled and renovated school, all done since 2010. Take a look. Its there

    This all is changing the look of sports. Why do you think Milan has been a contender in recent years in baseball, football and basketball. I'm sure its commitment.

    1. I'm being bias but I think Riverview has the best jv squad. In the past 2 years they have went 17-1. This year they lost to Airport in part because they split most of the freshman players that day to play huron freshman which Riverviews freshman won. Jv was missing some good skill players at key positions. But JV is still tough…

  20. Nice stuff 6:53. You have summed up what most of this blog thinks about you.

    Most everyones facilities have been the same for years. Why the big deal this year.

    SMCC, you just make yourselves look bad by whining. Get over it.

    Lets talk some football. Bring a damn fold out chair next time.

  21. Guys, Its about the talent. No matter how much discipline you get, if your not talented, its not going to happen for you. Just because SMCC has strict grooming rules and dressing rules, punishment after games for losses and penalties, doesn't mean they are any better. I heard a young man had to sit last week in the first half because he did not shave properly. I am positive this is probably why they beat Huron.

    Kids that are going to SMCC are more well off financially than many, obviously, because that's how they afford to go there. With that being said, they are playing AAU basketball and travel baseball, plus football camps at U of M every summer, just to name a few. Some kids at Airport and Jefferson can barely afford the player fee, ride their bike to practices, etc. last thing on their mind is any additional sports. Its reality folks. Lets focus on the Big 6, let the other 2 move on.

  22. Folks, I work over near Milan. Its all about Marketing. SMCC reputation and marketing, Milan Marketing. Have you ever roamed around this area. Briarwood mall has signs hanging in their all the time. Please come to Milan, school of choice. Come visit our state of the art facilities.

    Its become a marketing game. Did you see all the billboards for SMCC. I don't see any other advertising like that for any schools other than those. Airport advertises it internet schooling (virtual academics) but nothing else.

    Commitment my ass. whatever.

  23. All of the fields are great places to watch Huron League Football. It's only 5 bucks to see "your" kids play their hearts out… if you want a nice field, enjoy a $500 family Sunday at Ford Field where the players don't really have their heart in the game, they play for a check.

  24. If SMCC wins Friday, they will pretty much be in the playoffs. They have the toughest schedule in D6. All they need is 5 wins to make it.

  25. Just curious who else would like to have the Huron league schedule a few saturday afternoon and or night football games. We could possibly get to see two games on those certain weeks.

  26. Milan is legit. If they beat SMCC they will finish 8-1. Airport played a good game, Riverview just had too much talent plain and simple. I don't know what's up with Huron, I thought they were a legit league contender. The Riverview game in week 6 could decide their playoff fate. EM

  27. Everyone says cc wins because they have more talent but they should loose because they are small and slow look at the predictions before the Huron game make up your minds most people on this blog are clueless like bn

  28. Sheeesh…I didn't realize people had such strong opinions about people's facilities. I've always thought that GI and Jefferson had pretty good ones. Nothing wrong with Riverview, FR, Airport, though. Huron's are less than great, but hey, it's a high school football field. And I'm biased about Navarre, but it isn't good quality at all haha.

    Did anyone else notice that the JV games last week went completely opposite how the Varsity games went? I wonder when the last time that happened was.

  29. Huron's visiting stands stink. Everyone knows that, but why would they sink 20 k into bleachers that meet your approval when they only get used a handful of times each year.

    I have been doing the blog since 2009, this is the first time I can recall people complaining about the visiting bleachers.

    1. I don't want them to spend 20k. It'd be nice if they could at least raise them up so can see the game when you're seated in the first 4 rows. They've begun to sink quite a bit, ya know?

  30. Paul's Lowe – you my man hit it spot on. I know the commitment level is for the majority of the teams in the league. We know a couple kids from just about every team. What is required of them is far from what is required at SMCC and Milan. Huron might be close but not there yet. The kids at SMCC are not better athletes. That is a line of crap. Most of the kids parents went there. They have a system and tradition that demands the ultimate effort and sacrifices. These kids just out hustle and prepare than most all year long. Instead of knocking those young men you should be applauding them out of respect. If you knew what these kids do in the offseason you wouldn't believe it. You can say your kids work hard and that probably is true but SMCC kids give more. Like it or not that's the truth.

    1. I wasn't talking about the kids . They are winners . It's the parents that post on here I'm referring to. For them the word I'm looking for isn't winner!

    2. Smcc doesn't have more talent, yet they had 3 D1 players last year? I didn't see one other guy in the league from all other 7 teams going D1…

  31. Milan's enrollment is at 720. Smaller than Riverview, AP, and Huron. Continues to fall every year. So not sure that is a great argument.They should be D-4 this year. They just are not getting the school of choice kids and the one's they are getting aren't playing football that's for sure. If that was the case, we would have more than 28 football players on the team. Haven't had more than 30 on the team since 2011.

  32. Milan is good because they built a new building in 2003? How long does it take for the "newness" to have an impact or the "newness" to wear off? They had losing records in 3 of the first 4 years in the building. Their best records since being in the building happened 9 and 10 years after moving in.

    Also, consider Flat Rock had a new building in 1998. In the 10 years following, they had 1 winning season and 0 playoff appearances. Yep, new buildings definitely make a difference.

    The way you win is with commitment. I always thought we were committed at Flat Rock when I was growing up. But having spent time as a coach in different parts of the country I realized that Flat Rock at the time had no idea what commitment is. I have been reading this blog for years and people are always saying Flat Rock is on the rise. Well, it hasn't happened yet. I really hope it does.

    I believe SMCC and Milan are the teams winning right now because they have a full commitment from players, parents, teachers, staff, administration, alumni and the community. New buildings or "recruiting" have nothing on commitment.

  33. The league has been on a slow decrease since 2013, with a few exceptions (2014 SMCC-Huron) but Milan they lose every year in the playoffs first or 2nd round. The league is garbage this year, you could have the riverview team of last year and they would beat everyone. And they only lose 5 starters total

  34. The league is the same old crap. 1 private school, 1 school that maximizes school of choice because of a new school, then the rest of us.

    SSDY. Same Sh*t different year.

    I like High school football Fridays and the Huron league, but this is getting old.
    Its all down to talent at this level. That's the bottom line. SMCC attracts kids because of reputation, Milan because of new school.

    When you see these teams and the talent they have. Its hands down, no contest.

    A typical public school can not compete with this and its getting worse. SMCC may eventually crumble with dropping numbers and Milan will when new school polish wears off.

    Now for the other 6. It will be fun to the finish. Not a real basement banger other than maybe Flat Rock. But they are on the rise, so you never know. Should be fun to see how it pans out for the rest of us. G.I and Huron, you never know. Jefferson plays good at times, so does Airport. RV has great D, and Flat Rock is shopping for an upset somewhere.

    I like parity, have said it before on here. Anytime schools are constantly above the parity, they are doing things to attract kids. No school constantly has great talent each and every year. It goes for all sports out there, college, NFL, etc. They have spent the time and/or money to attract the best.

    I saw a post on here recently about GI's coaches. Those guys have been recognized for their efforts and have spoken at high school coaching events. They do their best, but not enough kids, not enough talent. If they went to a large school, they would be world beaters.

    Best place to watch a game, Jefferson High School. Great announcer(especially for 9/11 this year) Plenty of room both sides, plenty of lighting, great concession with mini pizzas from Papa Bruno's in Rockwood.

    1. Those typical public schools are capable of competing with good coaching. We saw it for years with Cisco, Lessner, Redmond, etc. Jefferson, Riverview and Airport could all be competitive year in and year out with the right guys on the sidelines. Unfortunately, those types of coaches don't grow on trees.

    1. Please forgive me for complaining about the Almighty Huron's facilities. I truly appreciate all of the luxurious amenities that I was privileged to use and enjoy. I really enjoyed the numerous and spacious seating options so that I and all my inferior undeserving SMCC fans could rest our unwashed carcasses. I really would have liked to see the complete field, but I understand that our eyes don't deserve even the ability to see. So what if we could only see the backsides of our own players and coaches, it doesn't really matter anyway. The end result was good enough. Oh, I'm sorry. Huron didn't not (I won't speak of the "L" word on this blog) the game, time just ran out on them. Please, two years from now, make sure that you remove all visitors facilities from your field. We don't deserve a single seat. Our only wish is that you would dig a 4ft deep trench, so that the Huron fans can kick us into it. The only refeshment we require is the spit raining from their mouths. The uphill climb is too good for us. Tear them down too. I completely submit to the Almighty Chiefs and their superior facilities. They truly are the best in the Huron League. Heck, they're the best in the world!
      And that's all I have to say about that.
      Gump out!

    2. It was a bit of an exaggeration, but he does have a point…a big school like Huron should have better seating. It's atrocitious.

  35. When you do not have enough seating for your visitors, yeah, I'll complain. Riverview's visitor's seating may be old, but there are plenty of seats, and you don't have to wear your mountain climbing boots to get to them. Also, your sight lines are above the player's rear ends. Every team's fans in the HL should be complaining about Huron's visitor's seating. CC's fans know that their own facilities are garbage. We just expect that the big money public schools would have enough seating for the majority of visitors, and a way to get to them. If it had rained, that whole side would have been pretty dangerous. This is not a "high horse" situation. There are parents and grandparents who don't get around too well anymore who would appreciate at least a safe walkway. Is that too much to ask?
    If you want to complain about Navarre Field, fine. We SMCC fans will be right there with you. But don't you think that we've been doing it for years to no avail. You all know that our "Home" bleachers were once the visitor's bleachers, don't you? When the city deemed our original "Home" side bleachers to be unsafe, Instead of rebuilding new bleachers the same size as before, they cheaped out and made us move to the other side and bought crappy replacement bleachers. But at least we have enough of them and a safe way to get to them.

  36. I look forward to playing in flat rock this week . Good consessions good parking and bathrooms. Not to mention the annual bet I have with my good friend.

  37. Yeah, CC fans should NOT be complaining about other teams facilities. And that's coming from another CC fan. Our field sucks lol.

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