WEST ISHPEMING---Another Upper Peninsula high school football team has forfeited a game because of a lack of healthy boys to field a team. The Westwood Patriots announced on Wednesday that it will not be able to play the Negaunee Miners this Friday night. The game was going to be Negaunee's homecoming game.
Westwood joins Manistique, Hancock, Gwinn, Forest Park, and Carney-Nadeau as teams that have forfeited at least one game this fall. West Iron County also forfeited a game, but that was because of a security threat for its game at Iron Mountain.
NICE Community Schools Superintendent Bryan DeAugustine broke the news of Westwood's situation on Facebook Wednesday afternoon.
“Due to injuries and a small number of varsity football players available this season, we will not be fielding a Varsity Football Team this Friday night. Our sincere apologies to our neighbors over in Negaunee,” DeAugustine wrote. “We know how fleeting and special Friday night football games are in our communities. We take no joy in forfeiting Friday night’s game. I personally apologize to your Negaunee Miners Football Team and your fans. I personally apologize to our fans as well.”
So, what is the solution? Gladstone High School head coach Craig Ness, who has coached in the Upper Peninsula for more than two decades, has an idea.
“The 11-man is getting really tough, I mean, there's only 14, 15 teams in the U.P.,” Ness said. “I think it's something the MHSAA is going to have to address. Maybe we go like Wisconsin, where we play maybe seven or eight games, and then have playoffs where everyone is in. Just to try to keep our travel down. It's just tough up here, and it's something that has to be addressed sooner or later.”
Ness's Braves had to travel downstate to play Durand when Gwinn forfeited in Week One, and Bark River-Harris had to travel downstate to play Pewamo-Westphalia last week after Manistique forfeited.
“Whenever there's a time of points, you know, the nine games, whether you win or lose, comes into effect,” Ness said. “If you have the nine games, you're losing out on the chance of points. It just turns into that if you're actually looking at the playoffs.”
