The future of the Fairfield football program was in the spotlight during June’s board of education study session.
Several program supporters told the board that the district’s new coach, Jake Johnson, had announced at a meeting the night before the board meeting that he would recommend the district end the program.
The district hired Johnson in March. He replaced Jason Thurston, who resigned last fall after five seasons with the team. Fairfield has struggled to build a football program since it began in 2004. The team has had two winning seasons since its inception. Last year, the Knights canceled its Week 3 game when injuries prevented them from fielding enough players.
Parent Corrine Higgs told the board Johnson is frustrated by the lack of participation in off-season workouts. Higgs, whose son is entering his junior year, said she wishes Johnson communicated more with parents.
“My son is not yet a man and I still can use the time I have left to teach him and guide him in regard to honoring his words to coaches, teammates, and coworkers; but what I do not know about I cannot control,” Higgs said.
A grandmother said her grandson participates in three sports and did not have time to exercise with the team during the off-season. Another speaker told the board the practices are optional per PIAA rules so Johnson should not consider them mandatory.
The board listened to the citizens’ concerns but did not respond. Later in the meeting, Superintendent Thomas Haupt said parents who have concerns should contact Athletic Director Andrew Kuhn. Haupt said district leadership, not the coach, has the authority to decide on a program’s future.
District aims to fix athletic program ‘neglect’
The district’s athletic struggles were further discussed later in the meeting when Kuhn presented the state of his department. Kuhn proposed replacing team uniforms every five years, but board members expressed concern that replacement may be necessary more often.
Board Vice President Jack Liller suggested the district fundraise for uniforms. Haupt said he did not believe that proposal treats teams equitably.
“I think if we are really going to run scholastic sports programs as a district, then we should support them as a district,” Haupt said.
Kuhn noted his five-year proposal is flexible depending on team needs, using the example that baseball pants may have to be replaced more often than volleyball shirts.
Haupt and Kuhn, who are recent additions to the district administration, noted the athletic program has been neglected for the past several years. Kuhn said he is working to return a sense of pride to Fairfield athletics by updating record boards, adding storage space, and purchasing digital scoreboards.
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.
No high school program should be discontinued due to high school athletes not attending optional summertime programs. Perhaps the Board needs to consider discontinuing the contract of the coach.
I agree. My grandson plays Football here in CT and they don’t have summertime programs that you must attend to play again in the Fall.