Video: Airport at SMCC Football
St. Mary Catholic Central throws a touchdown pass during a 41-23 loss to Airport on Friday night.
The Monroe News
Derek Anderson is the only new college football coach in the Monroe County area this season.
He can’t wait to get started.
So he won’t wait.
Airport will begin its first practice under its new coach in the first minute allowed under Michigan High School Athletic Association rules, beginning at midnight Monday.
“You have to bring it to the kids,” Anderson said. “We want to give them the best experience possible. Football practice is hot and hard. It’s a long time. This is an exciting way to start the season.”
Anderson began holding midnight opener games as head coach at Melvindale, finding it a good way to keep the players and the school from getting too tense.
“This way we can involve the community and offer more to players,” he said.
Fans who show up at the airport for the first official training of the season will not see much different than the rest of the training camp.
“It will be a defensive training,” he said.
There might be a few things to spice things up, like music playing on the stadium’s speakers and a chance for linemen to intercept punts.
If the big men are successful at catching punts, Anderson can skip some running drills on opening day.
The other reason for the early start is that there is still a lot of work to be done at the airport before the season opens on August 29th.
More: Derek Anderson replaces his former teammate as Airport coach
The Jets suffered tough departures after going 10-2 and reaching the regional finals last fall, and their schedule is packed with tests against teams that made the playoffs last season.
“It’s a brutal and tough start to our year,” Anderson said. “We’re playing three of the best teams in our league right from the start.”
“I can barely wait for it.”
The Jets will face teams they played last season for the first eight weeks, ending the regular season on Oct. 25 at Auburn Hills Avondale in the first-ever meeting between the two schools. The Yellow Jackets were 9-2 last season.
This is one of many new games that will be added to the schedule for Monroe County area teams this fall.
Many of the new pairings were forced by departures from the Tri-County Conference, which reduced the league to just three football schools.
Whiteford, Summerfield and Erie Mason had to drastically restructure their schedules.
Whiteford fans will only have three chances to see their team on home soil. The reigning Division 8 runner-up will make a short trip to Ida, but its other away games will involve long bus rides to Buchanan, Edon (Ohio), Clarkston Everest, White Pigeon and Lucas (Ohio).
The Bobcats have to travel about 1,900 kilometers by bus for their six games outside of Ottawa Lake, with three opponents well over 160 kilometers away.
“The intimidating thing is the travel, but we’re still playing against schools that are essentially the same size as us for the most part,” Whiteford coach Todd Thieken said. “And we’re playing against competitive schools.”
Thieken has to find out how competitive his team will be.
The Bobcats have made it to the Division 8 state finals each of the last two seasons, won the title in 2022 and were runners-up last season.
This success hampered Whiteford in drawing up his schedule.
“Many schools didn’t want to play against us,” said Thieken.
The Bobcats had to take advantage of the games they could get.
Thieken gave the players the bad news regarding the travel schedule before school ends in June.
“I was very open with our children,” he said. “I told them, ‘We have a lot of long drives ahead of us. You can complain about it today, but after today I don’t want to hear another word about it.'”
Traveling will be easier next year when Whiteford and Mason will participate in a Lenawee County Athletic Association schedule without being part of that league.
Summerfield, which is not part of this deal, faces an uncertain football future.
The Bulldogs won’t be traveling as much as Whiteford this season, but they’ll still be putting in a lot of miles. They’ll play away games at Decatur, West Unity Hilltop (Ohio), Pioneer North Central (Ohio) and Vanlue (Ohio).
Mason was able to find opponents in Michigan with just one trip to Ohio.
St. Mary Catholic Central’s season ended last season with a 22-14 loss to Clinton in the Division 7 district finals. These two teams will face off in Clinton on August 30 to begin the 2024 season.
The two schools have met in many memorable playoff duels over the years, but have not met in the regular season since 2000. This year, they played in back-to-back weeks – both SMCC wins (50-20 in the final week of the regular season and 16-6 in the first round of the Division 6 playoffs).
Jefferson also has a new opening game as Hanover-Horton visits Marc Cisco Field on Aug. 30. The Comets finished 2-7 in 2023.
Milan has postponed its final regular season game with Eaton Rapids hosting the Big Reds on Oct. 25. The Greyhounds were 1-8 last season and have won just seven games in the last seven years.
Below are the schedules for all 14 football teams in Monroe County.
AIRPORT
29.August: GIBRALTAR CARLSON, 7pm
6 September: at Riverview, 7pm
13 September: FLAT ROCK, 7pm
20 September: SMCC, 7pm
27 September: on the Grosse Ile, 7 p.m.
October 4: NEW BOSTON HURON, 7 p.m.
11 October: JEFFERSON, 7 p.m.
18 October: in Milan, 7 p.m.
25 October: in Auburn Hills Avondale, 7 p.m.
BEDFORD
30.August: CANTON, 7 p.m.
6 September: at Ann Arbor Skyline, 7 p.m.
13 September: DEXTER, 7pm
20 September: ANN ARBOR PIONEER, 7 p.m.
27 September: in Ypsilanti Lincoln, 7 p.m.
October 4: in the Saline, 7 p.m.
11 October: in Ann Arbor Huron, 7 p.m.
18 October: MONROE, 7pm
25 October: in Toledo St. Francis, 7 p.m.
DUNDEE
29.August: in Flat Rock, 7 p.m.
6 September: ERIE MASON, 7 p.m.
13 September: ONSTED, 7pm
20 September: at Adrian Madison, 7pm
27 September: CLINTON, 7pm
October 4: in Hillsdale, 7 p.m.
11 October: HUDSON, 7pm
18 October: at Ida’s, 7 p.m.
25 October: in Blissfield, 7 p.m.
ERIE MASON
29.August: FLINT NEW STANDARD, 6 p.m.
6 September: in Dundee, 7pm
13 September: NORTHWOOD, 7pm
20 September: in Ottawa Hills, 7 p.m.
27 September: DEARBORN ADVANCED TECH, 7 p.m
October 4: in Whiteford, 7pm
11 October: in Summerfield, 7 p.m.
18 October: at Lutheran Westland, 7 p.m.
25 October: FLINT INTERNATIONAL, 6pm
FLAT ROCK
29.August: DUNDEE, 7pm
6 September: GROSSE ILE, 7 p.m.
13 September: at the airport, 7 p.m.
20 September: at Jefferson, 7pm
27 September: RIVERVIEW, 7pm
October 4: MILAN, 7pm
11 October: at SMCC, 7pm
18 October: in New Boston Huron, 7 p.m.
25 October: in Livonia Clarenceville, 7 p.m.
GIBRALTAR CARLSON
29.August: at the airport, 7 p.m.
6 September: DEARBORN EDSEL FORD, 7 p.m.
13 September: TAYLOR, 7pm
20 September: at Wyandotte Roosevelt, 7 p.m.
27 September: at Southgate Anderson, 7pm
October 4: TRENTON, 7 p.m.
11 October: WOODHAVEN, 7pm
18 October: in Allen Park, 7 p.m.
25 October: in Lincoln Park, 7 p.m.
IDA
29.August: GROSSE ILE, 7 p.m.
6 September: WHITEFORD, 7pm
13 September: in Hudson, 7 p.m.
20 September: HILLSDALE, 7 p.m.
27 September: ONSTED, 7pm
October 4: in Blissfield, 7 p.m.
11 October: at Adrian Madison, 7pm
18 October: DUNDEE, 7pm
25 October: in Clinton, 7 p.m.
JEFFERSON
30.August: HANNOVER-HORTON, 7 p.m.
6 September: MILAN, 7pm
13 September: at Riverview, 7pm
20 September: FLAT ROCK, 7pm
27 September: in New Boston Huron, 7 p.m.
October 4: GROSSE ILE, 7 p.m.
11 October: at the airport, 7 p.m.
18 October: at SMCC, 7pm
25 October: MELVINDALE, 7 p.m.
MILAN
30.August: YPSILANTI LINCOLN, 7pm
6 September: at Jefferson, 7pm
13 September: in New Boston Huron, 7 p.m.
20 September: GROSSE ILE, 7 p.m.
27 September: at SMCC, 7pm
October 4: in Flat Rock, 7 p.m.
11 October: RIVERVIEW, 7pm
18 October: AIRPORT, 7pm
25 October: EATON RAPIDS, 7pm
MONROE
30.August: JACKSON, 7pm
6 September: ANN ARBOR HURON, 7 p.m.
13 September: in Ypsilanti Lincoln, 7 p.m.
20 September: SALINE SOLUTION, 7pm
27 September: at the Ann Arbor Pioneer, 7 p.m.
October 4: at Ann Arbor Skyline, 7 p.m.
11 October: DEXTER, 7pm
18 October: in Bedford, 7pm
25 October: at Riverview, 7pm
NEW BOSTON HURON
29.August: at Livonia Churchill, 7 p.m.
6 September: at SMCC, 7pm
13 September: MILAN, 7pm
20 September: at Riverview, 7pm
27 September: JEFFERSON, 7 p.m.
October 4: at the airport, 7 p.m.
11 October: GROSSE ILE, 7 p.m.
18 October: FLAT ROCK, 7pm
25 October: DETROIT HENRY FORD, 7 p.m.
SMCC
29.August: in Clinton, 7 p.m.
6 September: NEW BOSTON HURON, 7 p.m.
13 September: on the Grosse Ile, 7 p.m.
20 September: at the airport, 7 p.m.
27 September: MILAN, 7pm
October 4: at Riverview, 7pm
11 October: FLAT ROCK, 7pm
18 October: JEFFERSON, 7 p.m.
25 October: COUNTRY DAY, 7pm
Summerfield
29.August: WATERFORD OUR LADY, 7pm
6 September: in Decatur, 7 p.m.
13 September: WHITMORE LAKE, 7pm
20 September: in West Unity Hilltop, Ohio), 7 p.m.
27 September: in Whiteford, 7pm
October 4: at Pioneer N. Central (Ohio), 7 p.m.
11 October: ERIE MASON, 7 p.m.
18 October: in Vanlue (Ohio), 7 p.m.
25 October: SAND CREEK, 7pm
WHITEFORD
30.August: BLISSFIELD, 7pm
6 September: at Ida’s, 7 p.m.
13 September: in Buchanan, 7 p.m.
20 September: in Edon (Ohio), 7 p.m.
27 September: SUMMERFIELD, 7pm
October 4: ERIE MASON, 7 p.m.
11 October: at Clarkston Everest, 7pm
18 October: at White Pidgeon, 7pm
25 October: in Lucas (Ohio), 7 p.m.
