(6/20) The future of the Fairfield Area High School football program was in the spotlight during June’s board of education meeting.
Several parents and program supporters told the board the district’s new coach, Jake Johnson, announced at a meeting the night before the board meeting he was going to recommend the district end the program.
The district hired Johnson in March to replace Jason Thurston, who resigned last fall after five seasons with the team. Fairfield has struggled to build a football program since it began in 2004. The team has had only two winning seasons since its inception. Last year, the Knights canceled its Week 3 game against Hamburg when injuries prevented them from fielding enough players.
Parent Corrine Higgs told the board Johnson is frustrated by the lack of participation in off-season workouts. Higgs, whose son is entering his junior year, said she wishes Johnson communicated more with parents.
"My son is not yet a man and I still can use the time I have left to teach him and guide him in regard to honoring his words to coaches, teammates, and coworkers; but what I do not know about I cannot control," Higgs said.
A grandmother told the board her grandson participates in three sports and did not have time to exercise with the football team during the off-season. Another speaker told the board the practices are optional per PIAA rules so the coach should not be considering them mandatory.
The board listened to the citizens’ concerns but did not respond.
The district’s athletic struggles were further discussed later in the meeting when Athletic Director Andrew Kuhn presented the state of his department. Kuhn proposed replacing team uniforms every five years, but board members expressed concern that replacement may be necessary more often.
Board Vice President Jack Liller suggested the district fundraise for uniforms, but Superintendent Thomas Haupt said he did not believe that plan treats teams equitably.
"I think if we are really going to run scholastic sports programs as a district, then we should support them as a district," Haupt said.
Kuhn noted his five-year proposal is flexible depending on team needs, using the example that baseball pants may have to be replaced more often than volleyball shirts.
Haupt and Kuhn, who are recent additions to the district administration, noted the athletic program has been neglected for the past several years. Kuhn said he is working to return a sense of pride to Fairfield athletics by updating record boards, adding storage space, and purchasing digital scoreboards.
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