By David Fleet
Editor
Goodrich- Martian athletes could soon find some new competition.
Since 1978 the Martians have been members of the Genesee Area Conference which today consists of 17 area schools divided up into two divisions—Red and Blue— based on enrollment and competitive balance.
However, earlier this year a group of six GAC schools, Montrose, Mt. Morris, Lakeville, Byron, Durand and New Lothrop, gathered independently without consulting all members of the conference and formed a new Mid-Michigan Activities Conference beginning with the 2018-19 school year. The new conference will also include the Ovid-Elsie and Chesaning school districts.
“That now leaves Goodrich, Corunna and Lake Fenton as the only schools in the upper or larger enrollment Red Division of the GAC with between 550 and 750 students,” said Dave Davis, district athletic director, during the Monday school board of trustees meeting. “The (smaller) GAC Blue division with 300-400 enrollment schools now includes Atherton, Bendle, Bentley, Genesee, Flint Hamady, Flint Beecher, Webberville and Morrice.”“Obviously this creates a disparity in enrollment and a (disparity) in competitive balance,” said Davis.
Davis said for the past couple of seasons the huge enrollment difference between GAC schools, coupled with football and other sports’ scheduling issues, has sparked a row among districts.
“In 2015 we lost three schools from the GAC to eight-man football which impacted the football schedule,” he said. “After that, the GAC went to a competitive balance schedule, where games were not (all) determined by enrollment. Also, a few of the GAC schools had strong objections to that (competitive balance schedule) and if the league was going in that direction they would go somewhere else. Some of the (GAC) schools (also) thought Goodrich and Corunna were too big to play.”
Davis pointed to Flint Beecher as an example of a competitive balance team in the GAC with only 400 students but which often competes at the state championship level and plays the bigger schools.
“We looked at several scenarios,” said Davis. “Our plan for 2017-18 will remain status quo, the schedule will be honored, however, after that point we are at a crossroads. We, (Goodrich), Lake Fenton and Corunna have contacted the Flint Metro League, which includes Flushing, Fenton, Holly, Brandon, Swartz Creek, Kearsley, Clio, Linden and Owosso, to see if they would be interested in taking us to form a two division conference. We have not heard back from them as of Monday.”
Joining the Flint Metro League is not positive right now, he added.
“They may take Goodrich alone,” he said. “But that might not be the best for us. We need a few schools that are similar in size. The lowest Flint Metro League school right now is mid-900s and we are 750. The smallest school is just under 1,000. The other issue with the Flint Metro League is in order to take all three schools they would have to change by-laws and application procedures. And go to two divisions. They are happy right now.”
Davis added that there is also consideration of the three schools joining the Tri-Valley Conference which include Frankenmuth, Birch Run, Millington, Bridgeport, said Davis.
“It’s not an ideal scenario due to travel times and rivalries,” he added. “We are keeping the channels of consideration open to put our student-athletes in the best area of success for athletic competition. We are in flux right now, I’m sure Goodrich will end up finding a home—we are, however, an attractive commodity out there. Yet, similar size schools with 750 students are rare outside the Flint Metro League.”
“The scheduling cycle for the 2018-19 should have begun in June, so we are scrambling right now,” he added.