Will Andover Have Varsity Football for Final Season?

At the conclusion of this fall’s football season, Andover High School Principal Rob Durecka was faced with the real possibility of not having a varsity football team next year due to the low number of players and waning interest in the program. Determined not to let that be part of Andover's athletic legacy as the district plans to merge with rival Lahser High School in the fall 2013, he and others associated with the programs started recruiting.

In late November, only 17 students were either returning or declared a deifinite interest in the team for 2012, district officials said. After several meetings and reaching out to parents, that number swelled to close to 30 by the time the MHSAA said it neeeded to know for scheduling. Most, if not all, were expected to make the no-cut team, as long as they passed the strength and condition class head coach Jim DeWald taught.

But those efforts when DeWald accepted the coaching job at Birmingham's Seaholm High School. The uncertainty of his position given the pending consolidation of schools and their athletic programs weighed into DeWald's decision to head to the nearby rival district.

In response, Durecka called a special meeting at 7 p.m. Wednesday in the high school media center to discuss the future of the program with Athletic Director Mike Cowdrey. Students, parents and school officials are invited as they discuss the sub-varsity teams and their configurations going forward, as well as the viability for Andover's varsity next year, Durecka said.