This spring a big decision has been made for Park High school Ranger football team. The team will have an independent schedule where they will play more competitive games against teams that are not Eastern A class football. This is what the Park High athletic director had to say about the decision. He got the idea of this new schedule while talking to other coaches about this season. He proposed the idea to the other coaches, and they all thought it would be beneficial to the program. The schedule for the year should consist of 8 varsity and 4-5 JV games. 

 This eliminates any chances of the team going to the playoffs or state games. Also, players will not be able to win all state or conference as an individual. This is the start of an attempt to rebuild the program at Park High school, in hopes that we will have a more successful team in the future. 

The main factor in the decision is because the team numbers are low and other teams have almost double the number of players than Park has in their roster. There is also the possibility of a new coach from Indiana. If the coach does not take the job, the staff we have now will stay on the team. 

 Park High is looking at returning to class A football once the team has 40 good sized players. So far, we have several games scheduled for next year. Browning, Big Timber, and Ronan. This rebuilding process should take two to five years to rebuild the program. That means the current 8th grade class would be seniors when PHS returns to class A football. The team should have around 35-50 players when we return to conference play. 

The current players have made a sacrifice by giving up the chance to be all-state or in the playoffs, but they are the start of this new program, and its path to future success. Weston Vincent said “I think it is unfortunate for the upperclassmen. But it is a good step in the right direction, and we need to start from the ground up.”