Someone had to do it. Someone had to be the sacrificial lamb for Orchard Lake St. Mary's Friday night.
Playing on their new red turf for the first time, the Eaglets needed just more than a half a quarter of football to totally dismantle St. Marcellinus (Ontario), 58-0, in a game that was as ugly as it was exciting.
St. Mary's forced a three-and-out and then four straight fumbles, all the while scoring on five-straight offensive plays - yes, the Eaglets scored on the first play from scrimmage on each of their first five possessions.
It really is too bad the turf couldn't have been unveiled against a local opponent, perhaps even someone in the Catholic League. As excited as St. Marcellinus was to make the trip to Michigan, the team did not travel well. Twenty minutes prior to the opening kickoff, there was not a single fan in the visitors' stands. And as the game got underway, perhaps 15 people made their way on to the bleachers. It would have been more exciting with a bigger cheering section.
Oh, and it would have also helped had the Spirit not fallen behind 35-0 in that first quarter.
No matter, seeing a team play on red turf for the first time was kind of cool. Oxford had it's blue turf. Everyone else plays on green. I'm sure it'll only be a matter of time before another school creates their own identity, too.