Carlton, Wrenshall combine for football

They don't have a name or a mascot yet, but the combined Carlton-Wrenshall football team players know what colors they will be wearing - blue and orange - and that they will get to play football, and even have some substitutes when needed.

Casting a unanimous vote Monday, the Carlton school board joined the Wrenshall board in approving a cooperative football program for next fall. Per Minnesota State High School League rules, the cooperative agreement is for a minimum of two years. It will include junior high (grades 7-8), junior varsity and varsity. The two districts will split the costs equally, regardless of the number of players from each school, just like they did for cross-country this year. There will be six coaching positions: one head coach, three assistant coaches and two junior high coaches.

Although the collaborative program numbers will push the team into the 11-man Class A competitive bracket, the team will mostly play a nine-man schedule because the schedules were already set. It will have to play 11-man football during playoffs.

School board member Tim Hagenah said he was voting in favor of the cooperative football program because he wanted to do what was right for the kids and it's what they wanted. He doesn't think it is sustainable.

"Everyone is looking at mascots and colors, but I've been looking at numbers, what we'll have coming up through the ranks," Hagenah said. "We are moving up to 11-man. To maintain 11-man, they say we need 30 kids to keep a JV and varsity team. I look at the numbers, and in three years we'll start struggling. After that, boy oh boy."

The cooperative team would likely be placed in Section 7 of Class 1A football. That would mean the combined enrollment from Wrenshall and Carlton would make it the largest in the section, according to enrollment data from the state high school league. Using 2018 figures, a Carlton-Wrenshall pairing will have a combined enrollment of 228, 20 more students than Barnum, the school with current largest enrollment in the section with 208 students in grades 9-12. Other schools in the section are, by decreasing enrollment: Hinckley-Finlayson (198), Pine River (190), Braham (184), Chisholm (180), Deer River (170), East Central (164), North Woods (1640.

Combining teams will benefit both schools, as Wrenshall was looking at no varsity program in the fall due to low numbers, and Carlton is lacking numbers in the younger age group while Wrenshall isn't.

Hagenah talked about the "sacrifices" the Carlton boys are making by giving up a shot at nine-man playoff success, and suggested - to honor that sacrifice - that all home games be held in Carlton.

His suggestion was met with some surprise by fellow board members. The agreement before them called for a split in varsity game locations between the two schools.

"Are you asking for a change to the agreement?" asked chair LeRae Lehto, pointing out there was a motion and second for the agreement as written.

In the end, a group of teenage boys wearing mostly orange looked relieved as the special meeting ended after only 20 minutes and with the positive vote.

Noting that board members had given the issue careful consideration, Lehto also added that she hadn't gotten so many phone calls from parents and students on any issue in a long time.

"We have a thoughtful agreement in front of us," she said. "One prepared [to give] the most kids the opportunity to play.

The board passed the agreement as written, without Hagenah's suggested amendment.

"It's good to have a season," said Wrenshall junior Isaiah Johnson, noting that the Wrens had only 10 players for their final 9-man football game last season, and only eight players for the game before that.

"I'm happy we're gonna have a season and work with more people," added Wrenshall junior Hunter Holmes, adding that he was fine with playing with kids from Carlton.

Superintendent Gwen Carman said the decision about the mascot should be student-driven, with supervision. Six students from each district will decide together on five possible mascot themes, with input from the community.

Carman also suggested that students and parents from both districts fundraise to help pay for at least half of the costs of the new uniforms, estimated at a total of $14,000.