Medina joins Albion in voting to merge football teams

This graphic was presented by Medina football coach and athletic director Eric Valley as the possible name and colors of the new Albion and Medina football program.

MEDINA – The Medina Mustangs and Albion Purple Eagles will be joining forces on the football field this fall after more than a century as bitter rivals.

The Medina Board of Education this evening approved a five-year agreement with Albion on a merged football program. The Albion Board of Education approved the merger on Monday.

Both school districts will pay 50 percent of the program costs the first two years, and then the funding shares will be based on the percentage of each district’s student participation among the players in the program in years 3 to 5.

Both schools have declining numbers of students playing football. They haven’t been able to field junior varsity teams, and Medina nearly went to 8-man football last season before going back to 11-man football just before the start of the season.

Eric Valley, Medina’s varsity head coach and the district’s athletic director, said the two schools have held joint practices in recent years. He remembers talking with Albion coaches in those practices, saying the two programs worked well together.

Valley is expected to lead the new merged program. He would like the team to be called the “O.C. Rivals” with gray, black and maroon in the colors. The logo could have two shovels, representing the two communities that began to flourish after the digging of the Erie Canal two centuries ago.

Valley said the merged team will likely be a Class B school. He is projecting the two schools will have 29 players for varsity, 40 for JV, and 35 for modified. That is enough to have a competitive program with a focus on student safety, he said. Medina and Albion needed to play some kids up a level when they may not have been ready due to a shortage of players.

The teams will alternate practicing at each school after every week. Both schools are expected to host two home games.

“We’re pretty optimistic,” Valley said after a unanimous vote from the Medina Board of Education. “We think we have a good core of kids and both schools have beautiful facilities. ”

Valley said five of the six coaches will be back from Medina’s team. He knows at least one will return from Albion.

The football program will be hosting an informational meeting at 6 p.m. this Thursday in Albion for players and parents and will soon be doing one in Medina.

He wants to form the staff for the program and advise players on off-season workouts.

He is pleased the two schools have joined forces and football will continue for Albion and Medina.

“Some people don’t like change but the alternative was no football,” he said.