A lot was on the line when Jefferson’s football team visited Airport Friday night.
It’s still early in the season, but the loser would have two losses in the Huron League and would virtually be out of the race. The winner would keep its league hopes alive at 2-1 and move to 3-1 overall, solidifying position in the race to clinch a state playoff berth with six wins.
The level of play showed that both teams knew what was at stake. On top of that, this is always one of the most intense rivalries in the Monroe County Region. The hitting was fierce and every yard hotly contested. The game wasn’t always pretty, but it was always entertaining.
In the end, Airport’s defense ruled the day. The Jets, stinging from their loss to Milan a week earlier, won the battle of field position most of the night. The Airport offense helped a lot in that area. The Jets didn’t move the ball a lot, but did enough to keep Jefferson pinned in its own territory most of the game.
Airport has an interesting defense. There are no big stars, but everyone knows their assignments and flows to the ball well.
Jefferson has a nice team, too. The Bears have more offensive versatility than past years. Quarterback Mike Oley can really throw the ball and Blaise DuBois is a nice target.
But the Bears face a tough road to the playoffs, needing to win four of their last five games. And they still have two of the top teams in the Huron League – Milan this week and SMCC on Oct. 17 – still to go.
Other thoughts on Week 4:
1. What a nice win by Bedford over Ann Arbor Huron. The Mules dominated the game. Jeff Wood has done a wonderful job with that team.
2. Gibraltar Carlson had the oddest schedule in the Region, opening the season with four straight road games. The Marauders did a good job to survive that stretch at 2-2. Now, they get to finish with four home games in the final five.
3. It was nice to see Flat Rock get its first win of the season. The Rams had to open the season against three of its toughest opponents — Hillsdale, Milan and SMCC.
4. Ida faces a key game against Blissfield on the road this week. The Blue Streaks suffered a tough loss last week against Onsted, but they have to forget about that quickly. If they don’t, the season could unravel quickly with games against Dundee and Hudson coming up.
5. Monroe is back to 2-2 and quarterback Willie Johnson is getting better and better each game.