Opinion: We Are The Raiders

For those of us who have lived and grown up in this small but proud community known as Portland, we are VERY PROUD. It is a middle class, hardworking community that believes in hard work. It believes in fairness. It also believes in recognizing and rewarding hard work and success. We live almost halfway between Lansing and Grand Rapids and neither media outlets will offer consistent coverage during football season for a program that is very successful and consistent. A program with such a successful reputation among schools that it becomes very tough to find schools willing to schedule Portland in non-conference Games.

It is irritating and frustrating to watch this program and kids largely ignored. Infuriating to this proud Raider grad. I know I’m not alone with these feelings. This program, over the last 10 seasons, has accumulated 79 wins 17 Losses. An .823 winning percentage, along with 6 undefeated league seasons.

Over that same time, here are records of programs that consistently get more coverage:

Lansing Catholic 77 wins 20 losses, .794 winning percentage

DeWitt 87 wins 10 losses, .897 winning percentage

Grand Rapids West Catholic 80 wins 17 losses .825 winning percentage

Lowell 84 wins 13 losses, .866 winning percentage

This is not to disparage these fine programs, but to illustrate that this program is on par with them, and deserves the coverage. Like I said, we are a proud, hardworking and fair community. It is only FAIR that this program get the coverage IT DESERVES!

The opinions expressed in this piece are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect those of The Portland Beacon, or its management.