Bedford football makes history by hosting foe from Massachusetts

Bedford’s football team will make some history this season.

The Mules will become the first team in Monroe County Region history to play a school from Massachusetts.

Mansfield High School will travel nearly 800 miles to play at Bedford on Sept. 12.

“They do some kind of trip every few years,” Bedford coach John Phillips said. “They’ve been to Texas and all over Ohio. They have a player at (The University of) Michigan this year. They saw we had an open date in Week 3, and contacted us. They will play us on Friday night and go to the Michigan game Saturday.”

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The Hornets will be in Michigan most of the week.

“They will practice at our place on Thursday and they are practicing somewhere else, too,” Phillips said. “I think it’s Monroe or Jefferson.”

Mansfield has a solid program, racking up 31 wins over the past four seasons, including nine-win campaigns last year and 2022.

“They are good for Massachusetts, but I don’t know what that means,” Phillips said. “We’re excited to play them.”

The contract for the schools is a one-time thing. Even if Bedford wanted to repay the favor, Michigan High School Athletic Association rules prohibit such a trip.

Bedford’s other non-league game this season is even more daunting than the Mansfield game. The Mules will host defending Division 1 state champion Detroit Cass Tech in the regular-season finale on Oct. 24.

“If we believe in our kids and are looking to do good things, we have to play good people,” Phillips said.

There are quite a few changes on the Region schedule for the 2025 season.

Many of the changes were necessitated by Erie Mason, Summerfield and Whiteford moving to the Toledo Area Athletic Conference. That league is playing many of its games on Saturdays this season.

“We ended up with three Friday games and six on Saturdays,” Mason coach Steve Bowers said. “It kind of messes things up. We play our first two games on Friday, then we have a long stretch of Saturdays. I don’t really like Saturday games. It’s not ideal by any means.”

One of Mason’s Friday games will be played at a neutral site.

When the Eagles meet Tawas for a Week 2 game on Sept. 5, neither team will be making the trip of more than 200 miles. They will meet in the middle at Linden.

Summerfield won’t have nearly as many Saturday games as Mason. Bulldogs’ coach Dylan Szegedi gives athletic director Kelly Kalb credit for that.

“When it first came to our attention sometime over the winter, they were talking about Thursday night games or playing at 4 p.m. Friday,” he said. “Kelly really dug deep.”

In addition to the new TAAC schedule, Whiteford has added Harbor Beach to its schedule in Week 2.

“They have most of their team back, which was 11-1 a year ago,” said Whiteford coach Todd Thieken, who expects the Pirates to be ranked first or second in the state heading into this season.

An oddity of the football schedules this season is that there are no non-league meetings pitting Region schools against each other.

The Ida-Whiteford, Airport-Gibraltar Carlson, Dundee-Erie Mason and Dundee-Flat Rock rivalries ended after last season.

The new matchups include:

Airport: Travels to Tecumseh in Week 1, replacing the game against Carlson.

Carlson: Adds Division 5 state champion Pontiac Notre Dame in Week 3 to take the place of Airport.

Dundee: Playing Adrian (Week 1) and Grosse Ile (Week 9) instead of Flat Rock and Erie Mason.

Flat Rock: Facing Gladwin (Week 1) and Lutheran North (Week 9) instead of Dundee and Livonia Clarenceville.

Ida: Playing Birch Run in Week 9 instead of Whiteford.

Jefferson: Concludes the regular season with a long trip to Benzonia Benzie Central. Melvindale is off the schedule.

Milan: Redford Westfield replaces Ypsilanti Lincoln in Week 1.

Monroe: Will wrap up the regular season against Rochester instead of Riverview.

New Boston Huron: Takes on Lake Fenton and Adrian in the first and last weeks of the season instead of Livonia Churchill and Detroit Henry Ford.

Full schedules for all 14 Region teams follow.

AIRPORT 

Aug. 28: at Tecumseh, 7 p.m. 

Sept. 5: at Jefferson, 7 p.m. 

Sept. 12: RIVERVIEW, 7 p.m. 

Sept. 19: at Flat Rock, 7 p.m. 

Sept. 26: at SMCC, 7 p.m. 

Oct. 3: GROSSE ILE, 7 p.m. 

Oct. 10: at New Boston Huron, 7 p.m. 

Oct. 17: MILAN, 7 p.m. 

Oct. 24: AUBURN HILLS AVONDALE, 7 p.m. 

BEDFORD 

Aug. 28: at Sterling Heights Stevenson, 7 p.m. 

Sept. 5: at ANN ARBOR PIONEER, 7 p.m. 

Sept. 12: MANSFIELD (Mass.), 7 p.m. 

Sept. 19: at Monroe, 7 p.m. 

Sept. 26: at Ann Arbor Skyline, 7 p.m. 

Oct. 3: DEXTER, 7 p.m. 

Oct. 10: ANN ARBOR HURON, 7 p.m. 

Oct. 17: at Saline, 7 p.m. 

Oct. 24: DETROIT CASS TECH, 7 p.m. 

DUNDEE 

Aug. 28: at Adrian, 7 p.m. 

Sept. 5: at Onsted, 7 p.m. 

Sept. 12: ADRIAN MADISON, 7 p.m. 

Sept. 19: at Clinton, 7 p.m. 

Sept. 26: HILLSDATE, 7 p.m. 

Oct. 3: at Hudson, 7 p.m. 

Oct. 10: IDA, 7 p.m. 

Oct. 17: BLISSFIELD, 7 p.m. 

Oct. 24: GROSSE ILE, 7 p.m. 

ERIE MASON 

Aug. 29: vs. Flint New Standard at Atwood Stadium, 4 p.m. 

Sept. 5: vs. Tawas at Linden, 7 p.m. 

Sept. 13: MONTPELLIER, 7 p.m. 

Sept. 20: EDON, 7 p.m. 

Sept. 27: at Hilltop, 2 p.m. 

Oct. 4: PIONEER NORTH CENTRAL, 7 p.m. 

Oct. 11: at Whiteford, 7 p.m. 

Oct. 17: at Ottawa Hills, 7 p.m. 

Oct. 25: SUMMERFIELD, 2 p.m. 

FLAT ROCK 

Aug. 28: at Gladwin, 7 p.m. 

Sept. 5: SMCC, 7 p.m. 

Sept. 12: at Grosse Ile, 7 p.m. 

Sept. 19: AIRPORT, 7 p.m. 

Sept. 26: JEFFERSON, 7 p.m. 

Oct. 3: at Riverview, 7 p.m. 

Oct. 10: at Milan, 7 p.m. 

Oct. 17: NEW BOSTON HURON, 7 p.m. 

Oct. 24: LUTHERAN NORTH, 7 p.m. 

GIBRALTAR CARLSON 

Aug. 28: WYANDOTTE ROOSEVELT, 7 p.m. 

Sept. 5: at Dearborn Edsel Ford, 7 p.m. 

Sept. 12: at Pontiac Notre Dame, 7 p.m. 

Sept. 19: at Trenton, 7 p.m. 

Sept. 26: TAYLOR, 7 p.m. 

Oct. 3: SOUTHGATE ANDERSON, 7 p.m. 

Oct. 10: WOODHAVEN, 7 p.m. 

Oct. 17: at Lincoln Park, 7 p.m. 

Oct. 24: ALLEN PARK, 7 p.m. 

IDA 

Aug. 28: at Grosse Ile, 7 p.m. 

Sept. 5: HUDSON, 7 p.m. 

Sept. 12: at Hillsdale, 7 p.m. 

Sept. 19: at Onsted, 7 p.m. 

Sept. 26: BLISSFIELD, 7 p.m. 

Oct. 3: ADRIAN MADISON, 7 p.m. 

Oct. 10: at Dundee, 7 p.m. 

Oct. 17: CLINTON, 7 p.m. 

Oct. 24: BIRCH RUN, 7 p.m. 

JEFFERSON 

Aug. 28: at Hanover Horton, 7 p.m. 

Sept. 5: AIRPORT, 7 p.m. 

Sept. 12: at Milan, 7 p.m. 

Sept. 19: RIVERVIEW, 7 p.m. 

Sept. 26: at Flat Rock, 7 p.m. 

Oct. 3: NEW BOSTON HURON, 7 p.m. 

Oct. 10: at Grosse Ile, 7 p.m. 

Oct. 17: SMCC, 7 p.m. 

Oct. 24: at Benzie Central, 7 p.m. 

MILAN 

Aug. 29: at Redford Westfield, 4 p.m. 

Sept. 5: at Riverview, 7 p.m. 

Sept. 12: JEFFERSON, 7 p.m. 

Sept. 19: NEW BOSTON HURON, 7 p.m. 

Sept. 26: at Grosse Ile, 7 p.m. 

Oct. 3: SMCC, 7 p.m. 

Oct. 10: FLAT ROCK, 7 p.m. 

Oct. 17: at Airport, 7 p.m. 

Oct. 24: at Eaton Rapids, 7 p.m. 

MONROE 

Aug. 28: PLYMOUTH, 7 p.m. 

Sept. 5: DEXTER, 7 p.m. 

Sept. 12: at Ann Arbor Skyline, 7 p.m. 

Sept. 19: BEDFORD, 7 p.m. 

Sept. 26: SALINE, 7 p.m. 

Oct. 3: at Jackson, 7 p.m. 

Oct. 10: at Ann Arbor Pioneer, 7 p.m. 

Oct. 17: at Ann Arbor Huron, 7 p.m. 

Oct. 24: at Rochester, 7 p.m. 

NEW BOSTON HURON 

Aug. 28: at Lake Fenton, 7 p.m. 

Sept. 5: at Grosse Ile, 7 p.m. 

Sept. 12: SMCC, 7 p.m. 

Sept. 19: at Milan, 7 p.m. 

Sept. 26: RIVERVIEW, 7 p.m. 

Oct. 3: at Jefferson, 7 p.m. 

Oct. 10: AIRPORT, 7 p.m. 

Oct. 17: at Flat Rock, 7 p.m. 

Oct. 24: ADRIAN, 7 p.m. 

SMCC 

Aug. 28: vs. Clinton at Adrian College, 7 p.m. 

Sept. 5: at Flat Rock, 7 p.m. 

Sept. 12: at New Boston Huron, 7 p.m. 

Sept. 19: GROSSE ILE, 7 p.m. 

Sept. 26: AIRPORT, 7 p.m. 

Oct. 3: at Milan, 7 p.m. 

Oct. 10: RIVERVIEW, 7 p.m. 

Oct. 17: at Jefferson, 7 p.m. 

Oct. 24: at Detroit Country Day, 7 p.m. 

SUMMERFIELD 

Aug. 28: vs. Flint Beecher at Atwood Stadium, 1 p.m. 

Sept. 5: at Detroit Northwestern, 7 p.m. 

Sept. 12: at Edon (Ohio), 7 p.m. 

Sept. 19: MONTPELIER (Ohio), 7 p.m. 

Sept. 26: at Pioneer N. Central (Ohio), 7 p.m. 

Oct. 3: WEST UNITY HILLTOP (Ohio), 7 p.m. 

Oct. 10: at Ottawa Hills (Ohio), 7 p.m. 

Oct. 17: WHITEFORD, 7 p.m. 

Oct. 25: at Erie Mason, 2 p.m. 

WHITEFORD 

Aug. 28: at Blissfield, 7 p.m. 

Sept. 6: vs. Harbor Beach at Davison, 1 p.m. 

Sept. 12: WEST UNITY HILLTOP (Ohio), 7 p.m. 

Sept. 19: At Pioneer N. Central (Ohio), 7 p.m. 

Sept. 26: at Montpelier (Ohio), 7 p.m. 

Oct. 3: EDON (Ohio), 7 p.m. 

Oct. 11: ERIE MASON, 7 p.m. 

Oct. 17: at Summerfield, 7 p.m. 

Oct. 24: OTTAWA HILLS (Ohio), 7 p.m. 

This article originally appeared on The Monroe News: High School Football: Who has the Region's toughest 2025 schedule?