Fairfield Area School District administrators proposed Monday night that the district allow some athletes to play for another school district.
Athletic Director Keith Bruck told several dozen people gathered in the high school auditorium that he and High School Principal Brian McDowell do not believe the district has enough students to support football, wrestling, or field hockey teams. Alternatively, the district could enter into co-op agreements with nearby Gettysburg or Waynesboro.
“I want to provide opportunities that are sustainable, not just for our student-athletes we have now in our building but for the next five, ten, 12 years and beyond,” Bruck said.
Fairfield Area High School’s current enrollment is 277 students, Bruck said. The district offers 16 sports. Enrollment has decreased annually for 20 years, Bruck said. This fall, Superintendent Thomas Haupt canceled the varsity football season because the team did not have enough players to field a team safely.
Other Options
Bruck told the crowd that co-oping with Gettysburg or Waynesboro is what he and McDowell believe is the best of four options.
The district could, Bruck said, continue to have 16 teams competing in the York Adams Interscholastic Athletic Association (YAIAA). However, Bruck said, that scenario is likely not sustainable.
The district could also remove itself from the YAIAA and compete as an independent school.
“This is one option that I will never recommend,” he said.
Bruck explained that an independent Fairfield would likely have to travel far to find schools willing to compete with them. Post-season qualification would become more challenging, and the district would have to schedule all its games. Out of the 126 schools in the PIAA District 3, only five are independent.
“Going independent does absolutely nothing regarding the sustainability of our programs,” he said.
Fairfield could also disband all of its sports and co-op with Gettysburg or Waynesboro for everything. Bruck fears this option would have a long-term negative impact on the school’s spirit and culture.
Co-op logistics
If Fairfield students play for Gettysburg or Waynesboro teams, the district must transport them to those schools. The district will not permit students to leave school early to ensure they arrive to practice on time.
The school district that accepts Fairfield students will likely charge Fairfield Area School District. Bruck said those costs could be less than the cost of hosting sporting events or running its own program.
Bruck said co-oping does not guarantee a Fairfield student will make a team that requires tryouts or that a Fairfield student will get play time if they are on the team.
Next steps
The board must decide in December if it wants to seek a co-op agreement for the 2025 football season. The other school’s board of directors would also need to vote to accept Fairfield’s players. Bruck said he has had positive conversations with Gettysburg and Waynesboro’s athletic directors but stressed that they do not speak on behalf of their board members.
If Fairfield’s school board does not want to seek a co-op, the board will need to decide in January if they want to have a varsity of junior varsity football schedule. If Fairfield schedules a JV-only season, it would need to seek permission from YAIAA to have senior students play.
“I strongly encourage the co-op. It gives our student-athletes opportunities at the appropriate level,” he said.
The board will then need to decide in March if it wants to co-op for field hockey and in April if it wants to co-op for wrestling.
Bruck also suggested that the board establish a middle school cross-country team if it abandons middle school field hockey so students have an option in the fall. The board could also start a competitive spirit/cheer team if it disbands the football team.
Bruck joined the Fairfield Area School District staff in March. Since then, he has heard several stories of football players leaving the district to play for another team. Co-oping could keep students in the district and make them eligible to play other sports.
“We cannot afford to lose any more student-athletes in any sport,” he said.
Alex J. Hayes has spent almost two decades in the Adams County news business. He is passionate about sharing stories focused on the people in our communities and following local governments in an age when few journalists report on their meetings. Alex is also a freelance writer for several other publications in South Central Pennsylvania. Alex encourages readers to contact him at ahayes83@gmail.com.