(2/22) The Fairfield Area School Board threw a Hail Mary to the varsity football program during its Feb. 12 meeting. High School Principal Brian McDowell said the district’s size has made it difficult to recruit new players. In 2009, 437 students attended Fairfield Area High School. Currently, 283 students are enrolled. Last year, The Knights ended their season with one win and nine losses.
McDowell said the board had two options - play only a junior varsity schedule or continue to compete at the varsity level. Two other possibilities were not options for Fairfield, McDowell said.
Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association (PIAA) allows small to enter into a co-op agreement with a neighboring district so students can play on those teams. PIAA rules state a co-op agreement must be made with an adjacent district that competes in the same league.
Both districts adjacent to Fairfield, Gettysburg and Waynesboro, play in the Mid-Penn League. Fairfield is a member of the York-Adams Interscholastic Athletic Association (YAIAA). McDowell said changing to Mid-Penn would affect every sport in the district.
YAIAA rules also prohibit Fairfield from creating an independent schedule. If one sport is a member of the YAIAA, they all must be.
Student Lincoln Kearchner said college coaches told him they would not consider a player who competed at the junior varsity level his senior year. "Every coach has told me ‘Your football career ends there,’" he said.
Kearchner acknowledged parents might fear younger students who compete at the varsity level could get hurt. "Are kids going to get hurt? Yes, it’s football," he said. "I am trying my hardest to get to that next level."
Junior varsity games are held on Monday night per PIAA rules. Board member James Fisher expressed concern about the effect losing Friday night football games would have on community spirit.
Board Vice President Jack Liller added he believes switching to a junior varsity schedule signals the eventual end for Fairfield football. "We are not putting bandaids on things anymore. We are fixing it and fixing it for the long haul," he said.
District Superintendent Thomas Haupt acknowledged the board’s concerns but said he does not believe data shows enough students will register for football to allow the school to safely field a team. Haupt said the decision to cancel games based off of safety concerns is his, not the board’s.
The board ended the meeting with members agreeing to keep the program as-is for two years.
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