Enrollment numbers in Franklin County high schools have declined significantly in the past decade. As another fall season approaches, the athletic departments in the area are feeling that impact.
Two high schools lost varsity teams for 2018. Mohawk Trail Regional High School will not have a varsity boys soccer squad, while Pioneer Valley Regional School won’t sponsor a golf team. Franklin County Technical School is also on the cusp of canceling the season for the school’s cross country teams.
The enrollment figures of Mohawk and Pioneer paint a picture of what the trends in the area have mostly shown. At Mohawk, the grades 9-12 enrollment in the MIAA’s most recent data report from 2015 show 287 total students (154 boys, 133 girls). Compare that to 2007, when Mohawk was listed at 398 students. In 2011, the school had 350 students from grades 9-12.
The Mohawk boys soccer team, which finished 0-14-4 in 2017, struggled with numbers throughout last fall. The Warriors had to forfeit one game, and the numbers to field a team this fall simply weren’t there, according to athletic director Greg Vouros.
“Based on the 2017 roster, I had an idea we were going to be low for boys soccer,” he said. “We didn’t make a final decision at our preseason meeting, but it was something that developed over the course of the summer. So we made the decision (to cut the varsity team) early enough before the season got going. We didn’t want it to be a last-minute decision.”
Vouros said Mohawk is still hoping to have a JV program this fall, though that decision likely won’t be made until later in the week.
“We’ve had guys out there practicing since last week so we’re hoping to be able to have a JV squad,” he said. “We’re kind of heading to a final decision by the end of the week hopefully. We want to rebuild the program back up and it starts there. Once we have everyone back in school (Wednesday), I’ll have a better answer. But it’s all in an effort to give these kids an opportunity to play. That’s the thinking. We do have some athletes that are good soccer players that love to be out there playing.”
In Northfield, the Pioneer athletic programs are again going through change for the fall season, although not all of it is disappointing. After dropping down to a JV program a year ago, field hockey has been restored and will operate as a varsity sport this fall. Former coach Sallie Gilliland is back, replacing Cheryl Canuel, who served as the head coach for the JV program last year.
“I think in the long run, it wound up being a good decision for the program and the kids in building the program back up for the future,” Pioneer athletic director Gina Johnson said. “Sallie noticed some really positive things that Cheryl was able to do with the girls last year. Right now, we’re at about 13 or 14 players and we’re hoping to convince a couple more to play.”
While field hockey is back in the fold, the Panthers were forced to drop a sport this fall as golf will not operate as a program in 2018. Johnson said the number of interested players hovered between three and four, and the school had to make the difficult decision before the fall practice schedule got underway.
“With the numbers being what they were and then, obviously, when we had our budget scare, the principal came to me and said, ‘What should we do?” the AD said. “So we looked at all of our sports and with the cost associated and only having three golfers … you just can’t run a program with three or four. Last year, we had a couple of matches with a few injured or sick players and we had to forfeit spots.”
Pioneer finished 2-13 a year ago, though the Panthers did earn a Western Mass. runner-up showing just two years ago. Johnson said the school will re-evaluate the status of the golf program for 2019-2020.
“It’s always really hard when you have to cut a program and it’s sad because our golf program in the past has been a very strong, solid program,” Johnson said. “I remember the days of having enough players for both a JV and varsity team.”
Pioneer’s enrollment numbers show a similar story to those at Mohawk. In 2007, there were 312 students grades 9-12 in the school. That number actually grew to 359 in 2011. But according to the MIAA’s data from its most recent study, that number fell to 262 (122 boys, 140 girls) in 2015.
Pioneer’s football cooperative with Turners Falls High School currently has five players from the Northfield school on the roster.
“Those are (five) kids who are getting a chance to play, so that’s a good thing,” she said.
The Franklin Tech cross country team has hovered above water in recent seasons, but this fall it is in serious jeopardy of sinking. For years, the program has not only formed a cooperative with Turners Falls High School, but it also has generally competed only as a boys team. Currently, the team does not have enough runners to compete. Athletic director Joe Gamache said the team will officially begin practice today with the limited number of athletes it has. A decision will be made by the end of the week.
“We are holding out hope but the decision will be dependent upon the numbers,” he said. “The numbers are not very high right not. Last year, we had a team made up predominantly of seniors.”
Unlike Mohawk and Pioneer, Franklin Tech does have strong enrollment numbers. The most recent numbers list 521 students at the school, including 342 boys. That number has remained fluid for the past two cycles of data (520 in 2011 and 525 in 2007), but not the number of cross country runners.