The Turners Falls High School football team finally got some good news on Thursday.
The school will field a squad this fall.
Athletic director Adam Graves made the decision Thursday morning and contacted school officials, area coaches and athletic directors and concerned alumni.
“It’s a great day for the Turners Falls community,” Graves said. “It’s not just about football. It’s about something positive that the town is so supportive of. The band, cheerleaders and alumni are all a part of this.”
The decision to fold the program for the 2019 season had been kicked around over the past few months due to low numbers around the program. The school held a meeting three weeks ago to gauge interest from students, and at the time only 13 players committed to the program. At that time, no players from Pioneer Valley Regional School (which is in the second of a two-year cooperative with Turners) were committed. The number now sits at 16 committed players, including one player from Pioneer.
“I give the kids a ton of credit, they recruited kids in the hallway,” Graves said. “I think we can find a couple more. Now that we are officially a go, we think a few more kids might come out.”
Chris Lapointe is slated to return to his head coaching position this season and he was pleased to get the call from Graves on Thursday.
“When there were thoughts of not having a team, I was disappointed for the town and the alumni,” Lapointe said. “Turners Falls is a football town and the community and alumni really support us. We have a great core returning and I’m happy for all of them. It provides them with the opportunity to play and play for their school.”
Rumors had swirled in recent weeks about several players possibly school-choicing out of the district in order to continue playing football. It would have had a trickle-down effect on other teams at the school.
The community also rejoiced, as former players and prominent supporters like Rick Legere and Lew Collins were among the alumni contacted by Graves on Thursday.
As for the future of the program, Turners Falls has a large crop of current seventh-graders playing football and many appear committed to the school for the long-term, which leads Graves and Lapointe to believe that the team will get an influx of players for the 2020 season.
It also means that the 93rd consecutive Turkey Day game against Greenfield will be played this Thanksgiving at 10:30 a.m. at the Bourdeau Fields Complex in Turners Falls
“I’m happy for the town, happy for the school, and happy for the kids who want to participate and play football,” Lapointe concluded. “Adam (Graves) never gave up on it, and the kids who have always been interested never gave up on it.”