Time for Frank to head up M-85 (Fort Street) to take a look at the reigning Huron League champs. Riverview went from 2-7 in 2016 to 11-2 in 2017 with a trip to the State Semi-Finals. How does the schedule shake out?
Schedule:
Aug 24: @ Romulus
Aug 30: @ Flat Rock
Sept 7: SMCC
Sept 14: @ Milan
Sept 21: Airport
Sept 28: Jefferson
Oct 5: New Boston Huron
Oct 12: @ Grosse Ile
Oct 19: Redford Union
Gut Check Game: SMCC. It’s a safe bet that this will be our Game of the Week in Week 3, as the Falcons come to town for the Pirates’ home opener. Will SMCC be able to avenge a 34-7 thrashing that took place at Navarre Field last year, or will Riverview get their first win over the Falcons at home since 2004? Get your popcorn ready for this one.
Trap Game: at Milan. After hosting SMCC, the Pirates make a trek to Milan. Playing the Big Reds a week after playing SMCC is no picnic. Coach Derek McLaughlin will have his work cut out for him keeping his squad focused. Special mention to Flat Rock, who handed Riverview their lone loss in the regular season.
Snoozer: Redford Union. 3-6 may not look like a snoozer, but the Panthers play in a fairly weak conference. In addition, the Pirates thrashed the Panthers 49-7 in Redford. This will likely be one final tune-up before postseason play.
Non-Con Challenge: at Romulus. For a third straight season, the Pirates will play the Eagles to open the season. Riverview won a high-scoring affair 46-30 last season. Romulus has qualified for the playoffs each of the last four seasons.
Notable: The Pirates will play outside of Wayne County once all season (Week 4 at Milan)…They are also one of five teams to not have a new opponent.
Final Analysis: We won’t have to wait very long to see if Riverview can build off of a run to the State Semi-Finals. If the Pirates get through Weeks 1-4 unscathed, another deep run could be in the cards, as well as a Huron League title. The real test still comes in Week 3 against SMCC. Another playoff trip is attainable, but the first four weeks don’t leave much room for error.
Thoughts from Chris: Typical Huron League schedule for the Pirates, but quite FRANKly (pun intended) the schedule doesn’t matter. Riverview must find a way to replace their offensive and defensive lines that were the backbone of last year’s Championship team if they are going to have a legit shot at the league title again.
Thoughts from Gary: The first 4 games will tell us all we need to know about the Pirates. Road games to Romulus, Flat Rock and Milan with a home game vs SMCC sandwiched in. All 4 of those games offer a compelling story line and will be must see football, out of the gates. Non conference foe Redford Union, will offer little contest in week 9.
Riverview had a great year and congrats to them. However, they will not be a world beater in this league and no one is worried about them I can assure you that. Being the team with most enrollment in the league, along with getting transfers in, I think they should be consistently good. They are just another decent Huron league team with decent talent. Losing the two monster backs and a nice o-line. 6-3 at best playing two teams in the non conference that they should beat. Nothing scary about this team. Just a solid squad.
9:27, ok I'll take your word for it, this year and next. Because you can just replace an oline n dline like last year? Ok … and let me guess you'll win it next year because you had a great jv team last year ? Ok.
Don’t see any comments from Gary on here????
The vision isn’t cloudy it’s bright just like the season and future for Riverview football
We’re just like any other school success brings transfers plus academically it’s one of the best around
Don’t be surprised if the run the table this year and next year
But like someone said only time will tell 20 Days to kick off
#Romulusisontheclock
850x I've been saying the same thing, win the league,win some playoff games and now Riverview is world beaters….I'm telling you success blinds a lot of people, case in point Riverview…you guys have a really good team every 18 years and mediocre at best in between..let's get real. You fans never expected last years team to do what they did last year , none of you did !!! And congratulations on last years team and success.. but listen to me it's clouding your vision of this years team, you guys don't have a stable of lineman that you can just plug in , trust me.. let the kids get a game under there belt before you tell everyone how great all these athletes you have and once they get the nastiness going you better watch out !!! Lol..you guys are killing me ..your setting this team up for failure….watch
All I got to say is read Gary's comment above and you will learn about Riverview football.
Since when did Riverview become Cass Tech. One good playoff run to the semi's and now they will be making yearly visits to ford field. I would slow the Train down a bit.
850X
Wow sounds like View has nothing but All Stars there. I think the rest of us should just hang it up.
10:36 it makes NO SENSE that good replacements are sitting the bench or on JV. All of a sudden Riverview is a program with studs sitting behind studs or playing JV football. Riverview the new Alabama. Who knew. Let me tell you something about HS football, the kids that are studs are studs before they get to HS. You had a special group of kids last year and by saying their replacements are better takes away from what that group of young men achieved. JBR
Riverview gets beat by CC this year like the did 12 out of the last 15.. watch!!
If what you say is true that last year’s line was the best you have seen, it would make complete sense that good replacements would be sitting on the bench or playing JV. According to you, the rest of the league’s starters would all be sitting the bench at View. We weren’t practicing vs trash cans and several of this year’s kids got plenty of playing time. Yeah it makes sense.
Look 8:21pm. You lose your O-line that was probably the best O-line that I have watched play in a long time and your replacing them with better O-linemen that sat the bench or played JV football last year. Makes senses.
Riverview goes 5-4 and crawls into the playoffs. They get beat by Romulus, SMCC, Milan and Grosse Ile.
850X
Love it 717 em you will learn
Loaded skill players makes everything better
This team has possibly the best offensive and defensive players in the conference
Along with a lot and a lot is stresssed with talent that will find and dominate games to win
Your right if they can replace the offensive line they are a legit contender. That's a big IF. That Riverview Oline last year was one of the best I've ever seen in the Huron League. EM
Em they lost a lot of Senior leadership but this team is still loaded with skilled players
This BIG new O line will determine how far we go
#HL Champs # Distrucrict Champs #Regional Champs
#state Champs??????????????????
I expect Riverview to be competitive but it wouldn't surprise me if they lose 3 or 4 games. I mean let's face facts they lost a TON of talent. EM
One great year 9:39pm? Have you only been watching football in this area since 2011? Riverview has had a very good program for a long time. They’ve been to the state finals twice (only other school in the league that can say that is Central). They also own a winning record against everyone in the Huron League except Central… yes they went through a tough stretch and even then they’ve been a playoff team 5 of the last 7 years.View has been a very good program for a long time and no I didn’t go to school there.
Big Time Players make Big Time Plays in Big Games and the View has a lot of those players
Wood,Naif,Rice,Johnson,Gardner,Lezotte,Bryant,Moultrie,Lockhart
That’s 9 right there and there’s more not mentioned
This team is for folks, don’t blink an eye on the season up coming!!!
Come on JBR be realistic, they may win 5 or 6 solely due to Hines and Aeschbacher
The cream of the crop goes through Riverview, so that includes SMCC, that’s we’re they play each other this year
Winner of that game wins league
Black Beard,
I’m not much for all of the smack talking on here but was trying to get a point across.
No cage rattled and no anxiety I can assure you. I did my cage rattling and settled it on the field long ago against the Pirates.
I have no doubts the Falcons will come to play week 3.
Falcon Alum
Actually Riverview does have a very good football tradition. Cradle of Coaches too. The Pirates have a .652 winning pct since 1950 and that includes playoff games. That winning pct. puts them 54th all time among 546 active schools. That’s a top 10% HS program.
Boy, one great year and now the school has a great football tradition.. what a joke !!!
Tired of hearing about cc and the view. Milan will go 8-1 this season and win the Huron Title. JBR.
Certainly you meant it all comes down to Friday Night Victors?
Falcon alum waking up on the defensive side of the bed signals a little anxiety and is great for Huron League football. My point about your club’s system is that the Oline at CC has always been smaller and faster off the line than the rest of the league and maybe not you, but plenty of SMCC supporters can’t wait to explain how their 175lb guard got over on the big guys up front. Let us prey. Maybe you call it pride, I chose to call it bragging. I used SMCC as an example of how the T doesn’t need to have the biggest or highest ranked kids to be successful. Chris made the point that last year’s line was the “backbone” of the team and will be difficult to replace. My point is that the backs were great as well and they don’t have to have the same line to be successful because they played as a TEAM. That was no reference to the Falcons unless the shoe fits. I know nothing of the chemistry at SMCC and expect only well coached, tough kids to show up like they have every year, but it sure is nice every once in a while to see cage in midnight green get rattled. See you in week 3
Last year, Bucs had nothing to prove. Those boys came together as a team, worked their butts off, but stayed humble as they played and won like the champions they ultimately became. Anyone who was a part of last year knows how special of a group they were, coaches, students, alumni, fans and parents alike. They brought together a whole community.
This year, Bucs have everything to prove. Was last year just a fluke? Will they break under the pressure? Or will this years seniors take to heart the lessons from last years seniors and set the example of remaining humble,checking the egos, working hard and playing harder? They have the talent, but do they have the right attitude? Time will only tell.
Riverview did lose some depth due to graduation, but guess what, so does EVERY program. The thing with the Bucs is that they have a great tradition with the sport of football, and their roster's are typically very large. Riverview used to have 3 squads up until about 5 years ago or so: Freshman, JV, and Varsity. The only reason that they no longer do that is because there aren't very many schools around that have the luxury of being able to do so. That being said, depth is always your biggest ally. Every team is going to get banged up a bit, but it's all on "who's up next" that seperates the good teams from the great teams. Every team is working hard now during the summer, but let's be honest, it all comes down to Friday nights!!
I'm gonna say this.
Riverview is going to win the title.
However the View will not be way better than the rest of the league like they were after week 2 last year. This title will be fought for way more. Went to one of the teams camps last week and man oh man they are way bigger on the line this year. Depth may be the teams biggest issue. Hopefully the injury bug doesn't come back
View faithful
Black Beard,
I appreciate your knowledge and passion for the Pirates. And I, for one, think that until someone knocks them out of it, they are the favorites to repeat as HL Champs. You cannot measure how much last year’s experience will help this year’s Pirates. Success breeds success.
All that being said, I think most Falcons would take offense to your claim of “bragging” about their lines. For as long as I can remember, Falcon lines have been consistently called too small by their opponents and that is the only reason why there is talk from our side. From the time of Joe Sanderson roaming the sidelines, and I’m sure prior to that with Jack Castignola, our lines were taught a “fire off the ball and hit them first” mentality. This still applies today.
And as for the capitalization of the word “Team”, not sure if that was a knock on the Falcons or not, but the team has always come first and foremost at SMCC. No one player or position group was ever stressed as more important and if someone started to think they were it was handled by the coaches or captains.
I guess I woke up on the defensive side of the bed today, but just trying to give a point of view from the Falcons side of things.
Falcon Alum
Trap game is AT FR in my opinion. Rams might catch Riverview peaking at next weeks game just like last year and they have to come to soon to be renamed Reaume field.
I don’t have any worries that the o-line or d-line will have any drop off
They have 3 kids returning who played on both in Gardner, Lezotte, and Bryant
Plus you add 2 other kids in Bigna and Vinevski to that
Big, strong and quick and Coach Mac will have them ready
The league champ will come out of the week 3 winner
I agree with you Gary, that the first four games will determine the fate of the Pirates this year. I don’t know if I agree that the Oline and Dline need to be replaced for a Huron League title. If that’s the case, then count them out. The new O and D lines will be good, they will have their own identity and are adapting well into a system that is now 3 years in. SMCC has been bragging about how small and quick and smart their lines have been for as long as I can remember. Their system has treated them very well. View will go as their TEAM goes. Last year’s line does not get the same attention if Rogers is not POY and visa versa. Guthrie was in the top 4 backs in the league. Wood is this year’s early pick by some as OPOY. I hope the line gets the same love and recognition as last year. None of those guys from last year are playing at the next level. They were hard working, passionate kids that worked together as a team in front of some great backs. Naif is a power back that will be as tough to stop as last year’s backs. Wood is comfortable with this system and will cause all kinds of headaches for DCs. Rice, Johnson, and Moultrie are all part of the same system that ended up in the state semis. The guys on the line are not first year football players. They are Riverview Pirates stepping up in a system when it finally becomes their chance. Looking forward to an exciting and injury free season. Love the input Frank. Chris and Gary, you’re contribution to HS football in this area is unmatched.
No mention of a trip to fantasy island always a tough game in a big rivalry.
Riverview and Smcc for league title week 3..