Season Pass … by Dennis Cox, Sports Editor
This website brought to you in part by the following sponsor:
Find out how to advertise here - Email us! [email protected]
Tarkio’s decision to play eight-man football, beginning in 2010, wasn’t an easy one for many reasons, and wasn’t a unanimous decision (two dissenting votes) by the Tarkio school board.
Tarkio, a Grand River Conference football member since 1992, has seen declining enrollment numbers over the past several seasons, and that has directly affected the Indians’ ability to compete in the conference. Tarkio has experienced more success this season in the league, as witnessed by a 2-4 GRC record and 3-6 overall mark that includes an 11-man victory over eight-man school St. Joseph Christian, but the Indians have not challenged for a district title since 2002 and have not factored into the GRC title race since 1995.
Low numbers also forced Tarkio to play a partial eight-man football schedule in junior high this season.
According to a story in last week’s Bethany Republican-Clipper, Rock Port’s bid to return to the GRC in football was turned down by a 5-4 vote of school superintendents. Curiously, the motion to admit Rock Port was made by Stanberry, which plays eight-man football and wouldn’t be affected by either a yes or no vote to accept. Perhaps Stanberry was the only school willing to bring the motion up for discussion, or had been asked to do so.
Votes to allow Rock Port back in came from school officials from Stanberry, Worth County, King City and Maysville. "No" votes came from Albany, Gallatin, Hamilton, South Harrison and Polo. Princeton was not represented at the meeting.
In denying Rock Port’s wish to get back into the GRC for football, league schools may be taking a wait-and-see stance towards re-districting next year by the state activities association. Three of the five nay votes are easily explained.
South Harrison currently resides in Class 2 in football, and Hamilton, reportedly, has turned in a high school enrollment number higher than South Harrison’s for the next two-year period.
Both South Harrison and Princeton have not been able to play Tarkio in football over the past two seasons, due to end-of-the season district game commitments. Adding Rock Port in place of Tarkio would likely produce the same problem for the next two years for Princeton, South Harrison and Hamilton.
I don’t think it sits well with any GRC football school to have "watered down" football championships when some schools can’t play a full league schedule.
Albany and King City currently have Rock Port on their district football schedules but are the only league schools playing Rock Port.
Rock Port, you may remember, was booted from the Grand River Conference after the 2003 football season. Though it was never stated as such, Rock Port’s ouster likely came as backlash for a football incident involving South Harrison.
The two schools were to meet for a conference game on Oct. 10, 2003, in Bethany. Apparently the game’s officials double-booked that night and were unable to make the 7 p.m. kickoff in Bethany. Once contacted, the officials said they could be there for a 9:30 p.m. kickoff, but Rock Port reportedly declined that scenario, and would not consent to make up the game on the following Saturday or Monday.
South Harrison even offered to travel to Rock Port to make up the game but was turned down. Less than a month later, Rock Port was ousted from the league through a unanimous, 9-0 vote during a regular meeting of league officials. At that same meeting, Tarkio received 7-2 approval to remain in the league’s ranks. At the same time, Polo and Braymer were denied entry into the GRC. Gallatin and Princeton school officials cast the lone votes to let them in.
Polo was finally admitted into the GRC as a full participating member in 2006, but Braymer remains on the outside, looking in. It’s no secret that Braymer still wants in. The Bobcats have been without a conference affiliation since the Central River Conference went belly-up several years ago, but they will likely be denied entry because of the Class 1 and Class 2 issues already mentioned.
As stated from the beginning, GRC membership remains a complicated, and hot topic. Though conference football membership next season will include eight schools, 13 different schools currently take part in at least one league-sanctioned sport. In addition to the eight football schools <197>Albany, Gallatin, Hamilton, Maysville, King City, Polo, Princeton and South Harrison <197> Stanberry and Worth County continue in GRC basketball ranks, and Tarkio, Rock Port and South Holt are among 10 league members competing in wrestling.
All this talk about small GRC schools begs one final controversial question. Given the recent unsettled climate in the league, and with Stanberry and Worth County continuing as full voting members, is the day coming when a move will be made to oust Hamilton and maybe South Harrison, as well?