Posen football to continue in 2010

by Peter Jakey, Managing Editor

Posen football, a fall staple for 45 years in the Potato Capitol, will live to see another season. It was the consensus of the board of education Monday night that they will let the program continue and pass on an option of co-oping with Rogers City Area Schools, for at least 2010. The school?s board?s athletic committee, consisting of president Ken Wozniak, secretary Mitch Mulka and superintendent Dru Milliron, met with head coach Wayne Karsten recently to discuss the viability of a program that has struggled with numbers. In August 2009, the season was canceled due to low numbers, forcing the program to switch to the eight-man format a year sooner than expected. School officials are trying to avoid a similar situation in 2010. There are 22 students signed up for next season: four seniors, six juniors, six sophomores and six freshmen.

?THE NUMBERS look good on paper, but how many of them are true football players that will play? And how many will be out there when the first practice comes around and stick it out throughout?? Wozniak asked. ?You have to look at the numbers realistically, because six are freshmen,? said Wozniak. ?So, that drops it down to 16.? Wozniak added that of the 16, there are question marks about health and experience among a handful of players.

Karsten said 13 of the students signed up are returning players and some of the freshmen should contribute right away. A decision regarding a co-op needed to be made by April 15 so the paperwork could be submitted to the Michigan High School Athletic Association (MHSAA). Any decision to co-op would require a two-year commitment, said Karsten. The athletic committee was given a tentative nine-game schedule, including games within the new conference Karsten has assisted in establishing. THE FOOTBALL program was on a list of potential cuts last December.

?What occurs if we sit down with the finance committee and we all decide that we?re going to cut football anyway?? said Milliron, prior to the decision. ? Then, the kids won?t have a chance to participate anywhere. I would hate to go down to the last minute and decide we?re not going to be able to have a program and these students not have a chance to play.? Football is estimated at costing $1

0,739 a year;, however, gate receipts with five home dates would bring it down to possibly $7,000, with the largest expenditure being Karsten?s salary of about $5,000.

?I don?t want to see my salary be the reason why we can?t have football,? said Karsten. ?If it keeps the kids here, if it keeps football in the community?because the community does lose some of its identity when it loses a program like this.? Karsten wants the board to consider his offer of not being paid as an option when budgets are established. The cost to co-op would be $2,000 to $3,000, depending on the number of students involved.

KARSTEN SAID the MHSAA has not sanctioned eight-man football yet, as they are seeking 20 schools and have 18. The coaches of the respective schools involved in the eight-man game want to have a tournament and state championship game, possibly at the Superior Dome. ?At a venue that would get the kids excited,? said Karsten. There?s also the possibility of three games being played opening weekend in Posen, to raise revenue for the program and the boosters. Only one would involve the local team. There was only one home game in 2009. Schools on the tentative schedule include: Michigan School for the Deaf, Akron-Fairgrove, Brimley, Engadine, Superior-Central, Traverse City Christian and Bellaire.

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