When Andover Ended Football Season, Avondale Was Left Scrambling

The corner of Andover and Long Lake roads was unusually quiet Friday night. No bright lights to drown out the moonlight, no thumping drum beats from the marching band, and no rattle of the aluminum stands shaking from the enthusiasm of a raucous crowd.

There simply was no football Friday night at Andover High School. And despite the best efforts of school officials, coaches, parents and players, there will never be again.

The Barons forfeited to Ferndale in the midst of a three-game homestand during the school's final varsity football season with the pending merger to Bloomfield Hills High School in 2013.

A roster of injured and frustrated students quickly began to lose interest following a few winless performances on the field.

R.J. Guizzetti, Andover's athletic coordinator, said of the 28 players that attended football camp in late August, only 12 were able to wear pads in practice last Monday, and 11 on Tuesday.

"We cannot expect our players to play in a football game on Friday when they are not able to be coached during the week on the techniques and skills that they need to have to be safe and successful," Guizzetti said. "With 7-8 players injured and others missing practices for other reasons, we felt that we had to do this to keep from putting our players in an unsafe situation."

How it impacts Avondale

The impact of the district's decision reverberates beyond the Bloomfield Hills Schools. Andover was scheduled to be Avondale High School's homecoming opponent on Oct. 5.

School officials scrambled for a new opponent and scheduled Highland Park on that date, according to district spokeswoman Barbara Fornasiero. First-year principal Michelle Imbrunone credited Keith Gust, the teacher in charge of athletics, and Head Coach Steve Deutsch with tirelessly calling, texting, and e-mailing potential opponents across the region for more than two days last week.

She was also extremely grateful to Highland Park for coming through when it didn't have to, particularly when crucial MHSAA games are at stake. It is the first time the schools will play each other.

"I'm very appreciative that they were so flexible and really able to step up here," she said. "It's a lot easier to say 'don't do it,' but I think they recognized we were in a very tough spot."

Imbrunone said she hated the thought of having to move homecoming festivities to the following week when Avondale hosts Lahser High School, which is already shaping up to be a big game between two current unbeaten teams in the OAA Blue Division.

"Homecoming, prom and commencement are the three anchor events that people look to at any school, and we have alumni coming in and there are a lot of other factors that would make moving the event difficult," she explained.

Avondale is 4-0 and plays Berkley High School at home on Friday night.