The problem is in the junior varsity football program. Two long trips were scheduled in order to complete a nine-game schedule.

The reason for the problem this year is obvious. Hudson no longer wanted to face Morenci in the first game of the season in order to add an important contest to its own schedule. Morenci no longer wanted to compete with the much larger Hillsdale. That left the need to find two new opponents.

The varsity found one with Waterford Mt. Zion Christian, but that school has no junior varsity team, so our JVs were left with the option to travel 162 miles north to Beal City.

Covert will visit for the varsity’s third game, but the JV team must board the bus again and make a 167-mile trip for a 7 p.m. contest.

Morenci has maintained a strong football program over the years and opponents know that. Two trips to the Silverdome a decade ago remains in the memory of some coaches and they refuse to take us on. This makes scheduling a challenge.

Despite the difficulty, school board members have every right to express their dissatisfaction. The drive to Beal City is 325 miles round trip—probably about $90 in diesel fuel, plus 11 or 12 hours pay for a bus driver. That’s an expensive JV game, and only one of two with Covert included.

It’s expensive in other ways, too. How will students perform the next day in class when they get home near midnight? How many parents are unable to attend the game because they can’t get off work early or can’t afford to miss a full paycheck? Most parents want to be there to support their child, but a 334-mile journey to Covert and back isn’t possible for everyone.

We would hate to see a nine-game schedule get knocked down to eight, but these long trips don’t seem to have the students’ best interests in mind. Perhaps now is the time to begin looking for other schools to play next year.