Sitting 30.5 miles from Ann Arbor and 36.8 miles from East Lansing, the village of Stockbridge falls in the center of two cities that hold the major colleges in the state of Michigan. For a small school such as ours, sports rivalries play a significant role.

In a recent survey conducted with 100 students at Stockbridge High School, 84 stated that they were sports fans.

“Sports definitely play a big role,” said senior John Meitz. “For some kids, it may be a dream of theirs to go to Michigan or Michigan State to play sports. When I played football, Jake Ryan was my role model. I looked up to him and wanted to be just as good as he was.”

Stockbridge sports are ranked 310th in the state of Michigan according to Niche, so support from fans and the student athletes plays a huge factor. Of the 84 students who were surveyed that played sports, 22 played only one sport, 30 students played two sports and 32 students played three or more. With the amount of people that wear the maize and blue of Michigan and the amount of those who wear the green and white of the spartans, it could be a goal of theirs to attend that school at some point.

“It’s so hard to miss the big block M when you see it; however, the same goes for the Michigan State S,” University of Michigan athletic department secretary, Barbara Donlan said. “Michigan carries a lot of weight, not just because of athletics but academics. Student athletes tell me all the time that they were interested in Michigan because of their academic programs and also athletics.”

Freshman Kyle Lilley agrees with the influences that the college teams may have on Stockbridge students. “I root for Michigan State. I watch their basketball team, and I like Brandon Dawson the most. Players at MSU and Michigan are a big inspiration to athletes here because we look up to them.”