Lower Merion’s two high school football teams won’t be merging, for now.
At a school board meeting Monday night, Lower Merion School District Superintendent Frank Ranelli made an official recommendation that the district not merge Lower Merion and Harriton High Schools’ football programs despite a coordinated push by parents to combine the teams.
“I don’t feel it’s [Lower Merion’s] responsibility to give up their team identity … and playoff chances to merge with Harriton,” Ranelli said. “Lower Merion High School would be giving up a great deal for a problem that they do not need to solve.”
Parents of Lower Merion and Harriton football players in recent months have petitioned the school board to allow for a merger. They argue that a lack of youth football infrastructure in Lower Merion Township has contributed to a steep decline in player interest, leaving both high school teams under-rostered and unable to compete with neighboring schools. Neither high school has a freshman or junior varsity team, leaving 14-year-old freshmen to play alongside 18-year-old seniors and, the parents argue, increasing the risk of injury.
Amy Buckman, director of communications for the Lower Merion School District, said any further action or vote on a potential football merger would be the school board’s decision.
Last fall, Lower Merion went 1-8 in the Central League, the 12-school athletic conference that stretches across parts of Montgomery and Delaware Counties. Harriton went 0-9.
Ranelli said the issues described by parents were “more of a Harriton problem than [a Lower Merion] problem.”
Explaining his recommendation, Ranelli cited a potential loss of age-old traditions, school spirit, and playoff eligibility. He expressed concerns that the district’s two cheerleading teams would not combine, creating potential issues.
Ranelli also cited a survey sent out to football players and parents. He said 95% of Lower Merion High School football players rated “having their own school team [as] important” and 74% of Harriton players “want to maintain the program at their school.” Thirty-nine percent of middle school players were in favor of merging the teams, Ranelli said.
Parents, students, and alumni, however, called the survey “misleading” and said Ranelli’s comments ignored the safety concerns at the core of their argument. Many urged the school board to take an official vote on the merger.
“To say I am unhappy and a little shocked with the decision is an understatement,” said Michelle Miller, a Lower Merion football parent.
Miller called the survey questions “confusing and up for interpretation.”
About a dozen football players attended the meeting, and four addressed the school board, advocating for their teams to merge.
“You’re shorting a lot of students this opportunity to develop,” Tommy Burke, a Lower Merion High School football player, said. “You’re shorting them development as players and as young men. A lot of them quit because of it. It’s a complete detriment to both programs.”
Rahul Mistry, the parent of a Harriton football player, told the board: “We’ve been trying to have a conversation for months. Let’s talk about it. Let’s open the books and have a conversation.”
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