To celebrate High School Football America’s 15th anniversary we’re starting a Throwback Thursday feature. Every Thursday throughout the 2019 high school football season, we’ll be re-living stories from the past.
Related: Michigan high school football news
Today, we turn-back-the-clock to September 4, 2009 when Trish Hoffman and I traveled to Paw Paw, Michigan in search pawpaw trees and its fruit. Pawpaw trees are the largest edible fruit trees native to North America.
From September 4, 2009
Trish and I took a relaxing 129 mile drive east of Chicago to enjoy high school football in the village of Paw Paw, Michigan.
Paw Paw has a population of 3,300 people and sits at the confluence of the east and south branches of the Paw Paw River. It’s named after the pawpaw trees that once grew along the river. Pawpaw trees are pretty elusive to find these days, but Trish and I did.
Actually there’s a pawpaw song that Village Manager Larry Nielsen (video above) shared with Trish in front of a pawpaw tree that was planted recently along side the Paw Paw Post Office.
Paw Paw is also the home of Charlie “Paw Paw” Maxwell, who played for the Detroit Tigers, Boston Red Sox, Baltimore Orioles and Chicago White Sox…as well as Jason Babin of the NFL’s Seattle Seahawks.
As far as the game, Paw Paw lost to Gull Lake 40-20, but we got to check-out Paw Paw junior quarterback Andrew Buskirk, who looks like he’s going to be a good one. Below are two highlights from the 6-1, 170-pounder…one a touchdown toss to Raleigh Rushing and the other a nice option run.
Next week, we’ll re-live HSFA’s 2009 trip to Woodstock, Illinois, home of cartoonist Chester Gould of Dick Tracy fame and the town where Bill Murray’s Groundhog Day was filmed.
See you later tonight with scores from around the country!!
Jeff & Trish
