NCAAF teams
Tom VanHaaren, ESPN Staff Writer 8y

Paramus Catholic to open its season at Michigan's Big House

Michigan Wolverines

Paramus (N.J.) Catholic High School will open its season with a game inside the Big House at the University of Michigan the day before the Wolverines' opener against Hawaii. The Paladins will play St. Frances Academy of Baltimore at 7 p.m. ET on Sept. 2.

It was announced earlier that there will be 14 other high school teams set to square off in Michigan Stadium Aug. 25-27. Those teams are all in-state programs and include Detroit Catholic Central, Ann Arbor Pioneer, Farmington Hills Harrison, Brighton, Detroit East English Village and others.

These games are believed to be the first high school regular-season games played inside Michigan Stadium since at least the 1970s.

The announcement for Paramus Catholic continues its relationship with Michigan, as former Paramus Catholic head coach Chris Partridge is now Michigan's linebackers coach. The high school has sent three former prospects to Michigan, including No. 1-ranked Rashan Gary and No. 2-ranked Jabrill Peppers; also, Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh is scheduled to speak at the Paramus Catholic commencement this year.

Steve Kanoc, Paramus Catholic assistant coach and director of football operations, said the idea came from Harbaugh and the Paladins' president, Jim Vail, in 2015.

"They were talking back and forth and Harbaugh said it would be great to have us play a game by them," Kanoc said. "Our president thought it sounded good, but wasn't sure if we would be able to make it work. After we sat down as coaches and talked about it, we said it would be a great opportunity for the kids to stay the next day and see Rashan's first game."

The game is open to the public and will be $5 at the gate. The cost for Paramus Catholic to rent the facilities was $12,000, so the admissions fees will go to the school to recoup that cost.

The teams will take buses from their respective schools to Ann Arbor, which is a nine-hour drive for Paramus Catholic. They will leave early Thursday morning, stay at a hotel near campus, play the game Friday and stay Saturday for the Wolverines' game against Hawaii.

NCAA rules prohibit the Michigan football coaches from attending the game Friday, but the prospects can meet with the coaches Saturday as a normal unofficial visit.

That prospect list will include Paramus Catholic teammates Drew Singleton, the No. 2-ranked prospect in New Jersey, and Corey Bolds, the No. 6-ranked prospect in the state. Both prospects are considering Michigan and hold offers from the Wolverines.

Also Wednesday, the Paramus football field was found littered with Rutgers magnets, a stuffed animal teddy bear and an undisclosed note with the bear. The police were called to investigate the vandalism.

The stunt comes on the day of the Next Level football camp, a satellite camp at Paramus Catholic featuring over 40 college coaches, including Harbaugh. The tension has been building toward this event between Michigan and Rutgers. When it was announced Michigan was participating in the camp, Rutgers immediately responded by holding a camp of their own on the same day at the same time.

^ Back to Top ^