Which football team in Emmet, Charlevoix counties will travel the furthest in 2023?
We all know how much teams have to travel for competition up here.
It’s laughable sometimes to think about downstate programs complaining about having to travel over an hour in the postseason. Try being in a conference where an hour would be the shortest trip.
We’re a week into the high school football season and some teams have already logged some serious miles.
So, why not explore who will add up the most this fall? Below you’ll find just that for the programs around Emmet and Charlevoix counties. Otsego area also had some high numbers.
Nobody this year quite adds up to the 2018 Petoskey football team, which logged over 1,700 miles during the regular season and over 2,000 miles overall.
Note: All miles and times are calculated as roundtrip.
6. Pellston
Road games: 4
Total miles traveled: 330 miles
Hours on the road: 7 hours
Average distance: 83 miles
Longest distance: At Bellaire (130 miles)
Shortest distance: At Inland Lakes (38 miles)
It’s been a good move for the Hornets moving to the Ski Valley Conference and 8-player football. It’s cut down on some Upper Peninsula trips and trips into area’s like Hillman and Atlanta that were once conference games. They also luck out in 2023 with Mesick and Wyoming Tri-Unity both making the trip up. Wyoming alone is a 400-plus mile trip.
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5. Charlevoix
Road games: 3
Total miles traveled: 516 miles
Hours on the road: 10 hours
Average distance: 172 miles
Longest distance: At Tawas (294 miles)
Shortest distance: At Elk Rapids (66 miles)
It’s already been touched on some, but it’s kind of a dream schedule for Charlevoix this season with only three road games and they open and close the season at home. The one blemish is a trip late in the year to Tawas, but at under 300 miles roundtrip, it’s nothing they can’t handle.
4. East Jordan
Road games: 4
Total miles traveled: 572 miles
Hours on the road: 11 hours
Average distance: 129 miles
Longest distance: At Manistique (328 miles)
Shortest distance: At Charlevoix (31 miles)
The worst of the 2023 East Jordan schedule is behind them now. East Jordan opened the season with the five and a half hour roundtrip to Manistique. Luckily, they made good use of it, winning a 43-20 game that certainly made the bus ride back better. It’s actually pretty smooth sailing from here, with really only the trip to Glen Lake bumping the numbers up.
MORE: Boyne City wins without an offensive TD, East Jordan rolls in Upper Peninsula
3. Boyne City
Road games: 4
Total miles traveled: 624 miles
Hours on the road: 12 hours
Average distance: 156 miles
Longest distance: At Oscoda (262 miles)
Shortest distance: At Charlevoix (40 miles)
The Ramblers have been known to test themselves, which can lead to some lengthy trips. They’ll test themselves again in 2023, but Standish, Kingsley and Benzie all head to Boyne. That trip to Oscoda will be long, but at least they’re not going to Oscoda and then Tawas in back-to-back weeks. Tawas will make the trip up the final week of the year.
2. Harbor Springs
Road games: 5
Total miles traveled: 952 miles
Hours on the road: 17 hours
Average distance: 190 miles
Longest distance: At Burton Bentley (436 miles)
Shortest distance: At Charlevoix (60 miles)
Harbor Springs doesn’t have the highest total, but the Burton Bentley trip this week is actually the longest anyone will make this season. With five road games, it’s also back-to-back weeks on the road for the Rams to start the year. They’ll also go back-to-back with Mancelona and Frankfort, making for four road games in the first five weeks. The bright spot? Going three straight at home after that tough start.
1. Petoskey
Road games: 5
Total miles traveled: 1,321 miles
Hours on the road: 23 hours
Average distance: 264 miles
Longest distance: At Marquette (410 miles)
Shortest distance: At Gaylord (77 miles)
Surprise, surprise. The Northmen are constantly on the road, but that’s what it’s like being a large school in Northern Michigan. After the first two weeks of the season, Petoskey will actually have 644 miles under themselves and 11 hours on the road. The U.P. trips add up, but they won’t be going back-to-back with any crazy distances (outside of weeks one and two). As long as the bus doesn’t break down again (like in Ludington), Petoskey is probably fine with whatever trip comes their way from here on out.
Contact Sports Editor Drew Kochanny at dkochanny@petoskeynews.com. Follow him on Twitter, @DrewKochanny, and Instagram, @drewkochanny
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This article originally appeared on The Petoskey News-Review: Which football team in Emmet, Charlevoix counties will travel the furthest in 2023?
