Allegany should’ve opted out

[cognizantbutconcussed]

Not an unhappy Alco fan (actually no connection to Alco at all, just a fan of Allegany County athletics in general). The county no longer has the need for 3 county high schools with less than 2000 total students. Hasn't had the need for many years now. Football in particular there is no real competition, forget the number of players listed, how many are really quality players. Alco varsity is full of freshman, and sophs, FH feilding 10 sophs that contribute, MR very young as well. All sports in the county schools can field some quality teams with good starters, but no quality reserves. No one is fighting for playing time. How many quality Jr. and Sr at FH maybe 15, Alco and MR i'm guessing 10 apiece.

As a fan of Allegany County athletics, isn't it ok for FH to rule in football? There's parody in other sports, with swings of the pendulum here and there. How does 1 less high school impact employment for our County? What happens if/when this county experiences growth of population in the future? Your initial comment, following the results of 2 football games, posted on a football forum, wasn't about football? One team, one coach, one Dollar General......come on man

 

[TDHelmick]

Not an unhappy Alco fan (actually no connection to Alco at all, just a fan of Allegany County athletics in general). The county no longer has the need for 3 county high schools with less than 2000 total students. Hasn't had the need for many years now. Football in particular there is no real competition, forget the number of players listed, how many are really quality players. Alco varsity is full of freshman, and sophs, FH feilding 10 sophs that contribute, MR very young as well. All sports in the county schools can field some quality teams with good starters, but no quality reserves. No one is fighting for playing time. How many quality Jr. and Sr at FH maybe 15, Alco and MR i'm guessing 10 apiece.

Why would anyone base consolidation on athletics?

If you wish to go down that road...combine Alco and FH and there are 1300+ kids in the school. Mtn Ridge can only take on another 100 or so students since that is all it was built to hold.

Now tell me who a combined Cumberland school is going to compete against, especially in football? Northern & Southern - no, neither school will do it and for good reason. There would be no more AMAC. Mineral County, Washington County, Frederick County?

You realize none of those counties will play FH now. A new school would have to either join the Martinsburg league (which they don't want FH now) and every sport will need to travel an hour and a half to play games in all sports.

So who would agree to play a Cumberland school outside of Mountain Ridge being mandated to do so? It's a rhetorical question. The answer is very few if any. Look around this rural area and check the enrollment at every school. They are all under 500 students with the exception of North and South Hagerstown.

If there is to be Cumberland consolidation, it will be based on finances. I need to see those numbers. Allegany is already at 100% bused (meaning all students have to take a bus). Put the middle school there and now 100% of all those kids need bused. Put the high school kids in FH and 75% of those kids need bused. Building the new Alco on Haystack was stupid. Should have been built next to Braddock Middle.

 

[ravemwp]

Why would anyone base consolidation on athletics?

If you wish to go down that road...combine Alco and FH and there are 1300+ kids in the school. Mtn Ridge can only take on another 100 or so students since that is all it was built to hold.

Now tell me who a combined Cumberland school is going to compete against, especially in football? Northern & Southern - no, neither school will do it and for good reason. There would be no more AMAC. Mineral County, Washington County, Frederick County?

You realize none of those counties will play FH now. A new school would have to either join the Martinsburg league (which they don't want FH now) and every sport will need to travel an hour and a half to play games in all sports.

So who would agree to play a Cumberland school outside of Mountain Ridge being mandated to do so? It's a rhetorical question. The answer is very few if any. Look around this rural area and check the enrollment at every school. They are all under 500 students with the exception of North and South Hagerstown.

If there is to be Cumberland consolidation, it will be based on finances. I need to see those numbers. Allegany is already at 100% bused (meaning all students have to take a bus). Put the middle school there and now 100% of all those kids need bused. Put the high school kids in FH and 75% of those kids need bused. Building the new Alco on Haystack was stupid. Should have been built next to Braddock Middle.

First I agree with everything you said. My original combination of schools post was maybe taken a little out of context. On this forum the past few weeks people have complained about a myriad of things about area football. From lack of quality coaching at all levels. Participation numbers at all levels. The dissipation of some youth league teams for various reasons. The constant complaining about who should or shouldn't be playing here or there. Parents trying to find loopholes in the current district setup to get their kids in the school they want them in. Everyone looking for answers to all these questions. My post was more of a rethorical response in a one school situation, lots of those questions are settled. I'm old enough to remember when FH and Alco both housed more students individually as they both have combined now. Upon relocating back after 40 plus years downstate noticing some of the antiquated thought process of where kids should attend school. I especially agreed to a post you authored about how times have changed. Was living down state and had friends whose children were impacted by the magnet program of schools. I will say it out loud Athletics should never dictate the combination of schools. To settle the decade's old argument of local athletic complaints. The one school argument would end those complaints. On a lighter note some of us old folks are still complaining about were so and so played back in the 70s. Rumor has it that FH starting QB on the first state championship team in 1975 lived next to Braddock. Some will say it was fact. In any case I hope that clears up my thought process.

 

[TDHelmick]

First I agree with everything you said. My original combination of schools post was maybe taken a little out of context. On this forum the past few weeks people have complained about a myriad of things about area football. From lack of quality coaching at all levels. Participation numbers at all levels. The dissipation of some youth league teams for various reasons. The constant complaining about who should or shouldn't be playing here or there. Parents trying to find loopholes in the current district setup to get their kids in the school they want them in. Everyone looking for answers to all these questions. My post was more of a rethorical response in a one school situation, lots of those questions are settled. I'm old enough to remember when FH and Alco both housed more students individually as they both have combined now. Upon relocating back after 40 plus years downstate noticing some of the antiquated thought process of where kids should attend school. I especially agreed to a post you authored about how times have changed. Was living down state and had friends whose children were impacted by the magnet program of schools. I will say it out loud Athletics should never dictate the combination of schools. To settle the decade's old argument of local athletic complaints. The one school argument would end those complaints. On a lighter note some of us old folks are still complaining about were so and so played back in the 70s. Rumor has it that FH starting QB on the first state championship team in 1975 lived next to Braddock. Some will say it was fact. In any case I hope that clears up my thought process.

I count 85 varsity football players on a combined Cumberland school roster for next season. About 30 or more will need to be cut.

Hey, we had to tryout back in my day and not everyone made the team. Especially in basketball. But once again, to show how times have changed...I'm certain there are many parents who will be offended if their child is cut from the team after years of pee wee/youth experiences. I can already smell the participation lawsuits. It's a new day.