It's an unlikely marriage that could help one program that struggles with a lack of numbers and another small school looking to create an opportunity for some of its students.
When several students at Richard Hardy, a small independent school in South Pittsburg, expressed an interest in playing football, school administrators began looking for ways to accommodate them. But they were turned away by the three high school programs in Marion County, and the closest school willing to allow them to participate was Lookout Valley, whose football program traditionally struggles with a lack of numbers.
Lookout Valley head coach Tony Webb during the Sequatchie County Jamboree. Seven teams--Grundy County, Lookout Valley, South Pittsburg, Sequatchie County, Marion County, Whitwell, Bledsoe County--played two teams a piece during two non-consecutive quarters. The TSSAA has approved the co-op between the two schools, allowing Richard Hardy students to begin working out with the Lookout Valley football team this summer.
"Hopefully it will be a win-win situation for both sides," said Lookout Valley football coach Tony Webb, who expects 8-10 new players with the arrangement. "You have to have depth in football, and when we finished spring practice we had 20 players and no seniors, so this could really help us.
"If you're committed enough to drive 30 minutes every day, crossing time zones, just to practice, that tells me you're serious about wanting to play. I'm sure it will be an adjustment for them to play football at this level, but we're excited to have them."
Richard Hardy is located about two miles from South Pittsburg High, near the Alabama state line, but is considered to be in its own special school district and is not part of the Marion County schools system. For that reason, South Pittsburg principal Danny Wilson said he chose not to allow the prospective players to join the Pirates football program.
"The bottom line is it was my decision and it was because of several factors," Wilson said. "If we were a part of the same school system, it wouldn't be a problem. But I'm responsible for doing what's best for our school, our faculty and students, and when (SPHS athletic director and football coach) Vic (Grider) and I discussed it, we decided that the negatives far outweighed the positives for us.
"First, for every kid that decides not to attend here, it costs our school $4,800 in state enrollment funding. For a school our size, to lose 10-12 kids could make up half of one teaching position. It adds up. There's also the issue of having no way to discipline students that aren't in our hallways. If they're not our students we have no control over how they're disciplined, and that was a major factor for myself and Coach Grider.
"There's also the factor of opening your school up to the potential for liability issues by having players who are not in your school."
According to Marion County Schools superintendent Mark Griffith, after South Pittsburg declined to co-op with Richard Hardy, administrators from the other two county schools - Marion County High and Whitwell - opted to follow suit.
The biggest issue facing the Richard Hardy students will be traveling roughly 30 miles each day for practice, a trip that includes crossing over from the Central to Eastern time zone. According to Richard Hardy principal Beth Webb, students playing football will be allowed to leave their last period class, an activity period, to make the trip each day.
Co-op situations are common among TSSAA member schools, where students of one school are allowed to participate in a sport their school doesn't offer. The TSSAA guidelines require those students to co-op with the school that is located closest to the one they attend geographically. However, principals from both schools have to agree before the students are allowed to participate.
"It would've been easier on our kids and their families to get to play at a school that's closer, but I'm just tickled that Lookout Valley was willing to give them a chance to play," said Richard Hardy principal Beth Webb, who is not related to Tony Webb. "We don't have enough kids to field a team, but we do have several that are interested in playing, and this allows them to continue going to school here and also get to play the sport they want to play.
"Coach Webb welcomed them in, and I hope we're sending some kids that can help his program. I've encouraged the parents that if their kids do go out, that they stay out. We felt like Lookout Valley being a small school could probably use the help and offer a better chance for our kids to get to play."
Contact Stephen Hargis at shargis@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6293. Follow him on Twitter @StephenHargis.