Been a while since I've thrown my two cents into the hat, but I'm still around and this thread has given me the itch again. I'm seeing three separate issues being discussed here as this thread has evolved into at least three separate issues. The first post on this thread has to do with kids "transferring" . What is lost is that none of the youth league, Pee Wee included, teams are associated with the local schools. Kids are encouraged to play for the team that's in their district but, they are free to transfer for whatever reason. For instance, there were several South end kids playing for a WV team this year. Had they not played on that team, it may have folded due to lack of numbers. Now should we expect those same kids to attend a WV high school when they get to that level? I don't think so, but it could be an option for them and their parents.
Next is the college recruiting. At the D2 and 3 levels, grades are everything. Now it's been a few years so I may be off a little, but the way I remember it was that an athlete can get academic money with a 3.0 avg. However, the NCAA dictates that the academic money count against the football budget unless the student's gpa is 3.6 or higher. Then it doesn't count against the school. For these small schools that's a big deal. It wasn't that long ago that a young man from a local high school signed with a division 2 school after never starting a game at the high school level. He just wanted to be on the team and he had great grades so he got the nod.
Lastly, Alco's teams for next year. They finished last year with everyone on varsity. I wouldn't move anyone back down next year. I think that it sends the wrong message. They were there when they were needed, don't demote them for that. As far as the incoming class, allow them to play at their level, as a freshman football team. If they can again get good numbers in 2021, they will then be able to field three teams. It's a building process. Alco will be senior dominated next year but I will touch on that later.
A nice read. This has been a good thread.