- Michigan
Football games continue to be rescheduled earlier due to threat of EEE
The threat of Eastern Equine Encephalitis — one of the most dangerous mosquito-borne diseases in the U.S. — remains an issue for Michigan high school athletic directors and administrators to grapple with this season, especially across southwestern and western Michigan.
As of Monday, according to the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, there had been nine confirmed cases of EEE, all located in Southwest Michigan: Barry, Berrien, Calhoun, Cass, Kalamazoo and Van Buren counties.
Of those nine cases, three have resulted in fatalities.
Outside those six counties, animals in Allegan, Genesee, Jackson, Kent, Lapeer, Livingston, Montcalm, Newaygo and St. Jospeph counties have been confirmed with cases of EEE.
Aerial spraying has begun in all those impacted counties to kill the mosquitoes which carry the disease.
The MDHHS has also recommended that outdoor activities at or after dusk, when the mosquitoes are active, be postponed, moved up or canceled.
That’s where the dilemma comes in for athletic directors and school administrators comes in: Do they leave games scheduled for 7 p.m. alone? Or do they play it safe and change the time?
As a result, many individual districts in those impacted areas have made the decisions to move football games to earlier in the evening to lessen the risk of exposing fans and players to peak mosquito hours.
As of noon on Tuesday, 34 games in those areas (two 8-player games and the rest 11-player contests) have been moved up from the normal 7 p.m. start times for Friday, Oct. 4.
Here is the current list, based on information on the MHSAA’s schedule page:
FRIDAY’S 11-PLAYER GAMES
4:30 p.m. starts
Grand Haven at East Kentwood
Hudsonville at Grandville
Wyoming at Holland West Ottawa
Coldwater at Marshall
5 p.m. starts
Kalamazoo Central at Battle Creek Central
South Bend (Ind.) Clay at Benton Harbor
Comstock Park at Byron Center
Rockford at Caledonia
Grand Rapids Forest Hills Central at Cedar Springs
Galesburg-Augusta at Fennville
Allendale at Grand Rapids Catholic Central
Middleville Thornapple Kellogg at Grand Rapids Christian
Niles Brandywine at Grand Rapids NorthPointe Christian at Comstock Park
Muskegon Mona Shores at Grand Rapids Union
Flint Beecher vs Grandville Calvin Christian at Grandville Middle School
Mendon at Hartford
Zeeland East at Holland
Gobles at Lawton
Grand Rapids Ottawa Hills at Lowell
Centreville at Marcellus
Lake Odessa Lakewood at Stockbridge
Ada Forest Hills Eastern at Wayland
Hopkins at Wyoming Godwin Heights
5:15 p.m. starts
Three Rivers at South Haven
5:30 p.m. starts
East Grand Rapids vs. Grand Rapids South Christian at Fifth Third Ball Park
Holland Christian at Hamilton
Kalamazoo Loy Norrix at Mattawan
Portage Northern at Niles
St. Joseph at Portage Central
Cassopolis at White Pigeon
6 p.m. starts
Saugatuck at Buchanan
6:30 p.m. starts
Springport at Jonesville
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FRIDAY’S 8-PLAYER GAMES
5 p.m. starts
Colon at Bellevue
Climax-Scotts at Tekonsha
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Breakdown by county: Kent 13, Van Buren 4, Allegan 3, Berrien 3, Calhoun 3, Ottawa 2, Cass 1, Eaton 1, Hillsdale 1, Ingham 1, Kalamazoo 1, St. Joseph 1.
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Here are the list of games moved up for Friday, Oct. 11:
4:30 p.m. starts
Jackson Lumen Christi at Battle Creek Harper Creek
Hastings at Battle Creek Pennfield
Holland at East Kentwood
Caledonia at Grand Haven
Portage Central at Kalamazoo Loy Norrix
5 p.m. starts
Hopkins at Belding
Mattawan at Benton Harbor
Zeeland East at Byron Center
Schoolcraft at Coloma
White Pigeon at Eau Claire
Lawton at Fennville
Saugatuck at Galesburg-Augusta
Niles Brandywine at Gobles
Grand Rapids Kenowa Hills at Grand Rapids Forest Hills Northern
Grand Rapids Forest Hills Central at Grand Rapids Ottawa Hills
Allendale at Grand Rapids West Catholic
Newaygo at Grant
Grand Rapids Northview at Greenville
Marcellus at Hartford
Niles at Kalamazoo Central
Delton Kellogg at Kalamazoo United
Cedar Springs at Lowell
East Grand Rapids at Middleville Thornapple Kellogg
Stockbridge at Perry
Hudsonville at Rockford
Wayland at Wyoming
5:15 p.m. starts
Vicksburg at Paw Paw
5:30 p.m. starts
Bloomingdale at Cassopolis
Grand Rapids South Christian at Grand Rapids Christian
Grandville at Holland West Ottawa
Richland Gull Lake at Stevensville Lakeshore
Otsego at Plainwell
6 p.m. starts
Wyoming Godwin Heights at Wyoming Kelloggsville (1-0 Godwin Heights forfeit win)
