Make football happen

There's a school of thought that says Rector should cut its losses and do away with football entirely after failing to field a senior high team for the second time in a decade. While those who feel that way are not always likely to come right up to you on the street and say so, there are a few quiet voices out there encouraging the kids and the school to throw in the towel.

While many of you may not have heard those voices, rest assured that I have.

And it turns my stomach, which is no small feat considering the size of it.

As long as there is one kid who wants to play football, our school and our community owes it to that one student to do everything we possibly can to keep football here. If not, then why bother with anything? Why not suggest the school quit offering band, study hall or Future Teachers of America, while we're at it?

Just because high school football is out for this year does not mean it has to go away forever. To tell you the truth, things aren't looking great for next year, either, based upon current numbers.

So, we can all kick a rock and say "shucks" or "aw, who needs football?" and sit back and see whether the ship rights itself.

Or, we can be proactive. Go out there and support those junior high, seventh grade and peewee players. Take one of those dollars you would've spent at the senior high game each week and set it aside for a fundraiser to help get kids and adults alike excited about Rector football again. Heck, buy a football and give it to some kid in your neighborhood who never seems to have anything to do. If you want football in Rector, folks, make it happen. There's no magic fairy with a pigskin on the end of a wand who will come down and make the game "cool" again. It's going to take some effort.

Of the schools that add programs and those who cut them, one type has a stronger chance of survival. Can you guess which that is?

I'm not going to tell you the future of our school, and therefore our community, rests upon whether or not we have a football team. Not only would that be irresponsible, it's just flat-out not true. I will say that it's not a good sign when schools begin cutting programs, and I don't want to see that happen here. The board members and administrators who talk to me have also said they don't want this to happen, before any of those rumors get started. There are several individuals in positions of authority who want to offer our students everything they can within reason. It's up to us as a community and the kids who want to play the game to make sure football remains a possibility.

What we do have going for us is a group of coaches who are working to make the future of Rector football as strong as possible. I think Bob and Nate can make the program work, provided we give them the support to do so.

At the peewee level, I can't say enough good things about the work Kirk Ford, Anthony Buck, Gary Loveless and Shawn Bucy did with those kids last year and will likely do this year. Those guys are tremendous, and should be displayed on a float during the Labor Day Parade for everyone to cheer.

Until next time, I'm out like the chances of those guys throwing me any candy after suggesting they should ride on a float in the parade.