By Frank Vajcner
It’s time to go island hopping over to Grosse Ile. They say that weird things happen on “The Island,” and one of those has been the struggles in odd-numbered years for the Red Devils on the gridiron. What will the schedule lead to?
2023 Schedule:
Aug 24: Ida
Aug 31: Flat Rock
Sept 8: @ SMCC
Sept 15: Milan
Sept 22: @ Airport
Sept 29: Jefferson
Oct 6: New Boston Huron
Oct 13: @ Riverview
Oct 20: @ Romulus
Gut-Check Game: Saying Riverview would be the equivalent of hitting the easy button, so I’ll go with Flat Rock (and no, this has nothing to do with me eating crow last season). The Rams are coming off of their best season in over 40 years, and handed the Devils a 28-0 defeat last season. If John Bodner’s squad wants to start putting an end to the “odd-numbered year jinx,” knocking off the Rams would be a nice place to start.
Trap Game: Milan is the obvious choice here. Despite the Big Reds being down last season, the Devils escaped with a 50-42 win last season. Throw in that this game comes sandwiched between road trips to SMCC and Airport, and this one looks more and more like a stumbling block.
Snoozer: A road trip to Romulus in Week 9 fits the bill here. The Eagles went 3-6 last season, and have gone a combined 12-30 since their last winning season in 2017.
Non-Conference Challenge: Ida makes a trip to “The Island” in Week 1. Despite a 4-6 record last season, the Blue Streaks played a tough schedule and qualified for the playoffs for the tenth time in the last 12 years.
Notable: This will be the first meeting between Romulus and Grosse Ile…It will be the 14th all-time meeting with Ida. The two teams last met in 2010. The Devils lead the series 9-4, and have won the last two meetings.
Final Thoughts from Frank: I’ve never been able to figure out why Grosse Ile struggles in odd-numbered years. But, for what it’s worth, the Devils petered out after a 3-0 start last year. Maybe that means a stronger finish this year? If it ends the jinx, I would say that Devils’ fans would take that. That said, stealing a win over Flat Rock, Riverview, or both would go a long way to having the best odd-numbered season since 2011.
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