Medina to go solo in football next fall

After competing as a merged football team for several years, Medina will be going back to playing solo next fall.

Medina has played as a merged team with Lyndonville for eight years and also with Barker for the past two seasons.

However, low participation numbers from both Lyndonville and Barker of late have led Medina to opt to return to playing alone.

This past fall Lyndonville had only 2 varsity and 3 JV players on the team and Barker just 4 on the varsity and 3 on the JV.

“The low participation numbers just didn’t make it practical to continue,” said Medina Athletic Director and varsity football Coach Eric Valley. “We are confident we have the numbers to go it alone.”

Medina and Lyndonville will continue to have merged teams for boys and girls soccer and cross-county.

Over the past eight years the Medina-Lyndonville sports merger agreement has seen several other changes depending upon need and situation.

Medina hosted Lyndonville athletes for merged track teams for several years but when numbers improved Lyndonville returned to having its own track teams.

In girls soccer Medina hosted Lyndonville players for a short time as a Medina/Lyndonville squad but over the last two years Lyndonville has served as the host school for a Lyndonville/Medina team.

The big beneficiary of the football decision looks to be Roy-Hart which has been hampered by low numbers of late and this past fall fielded only a small varsity squad with no JV or modified teams.

Now Roy-Hart is in talks to merge with Barker and Lyndonville in order to gain enough players for the Rams to be able to continue their football program at either the 11 or 8 man level.

“I think it could work out well for everyone,” said Valley.

Interestingly, Roy-Hart and Barker previously played together as a merged football team for several years and the two schools still field a merged wrestling squad.