Very sad news up there in Lawsonville/Danbury areas. Game with Mt Airy cancelled due to lack of players.
Hearing North Stokes varsity team has folded
- Thread starter Deana_King_rivals106402
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1. Will the game go down as forfeited sense they did start half the season or just a 10 game season with no endowment game ?
2. Also if a forfeited game will the remainder of North Stokes games be forfeited ?
3.Will they have a team next year and if not how will it affect the 2017 realignment ?
2. Also if a forfeited game will the remainder of North Stokes games be forfeited ?
3.Will they have a team next year and if not how will it affect the 2017 realignment ?
I hate this for MA, since it means they'll go three weeks without playing, but it sounds like NS didn't have much of a choice. You can't line up against MA and play 48 minutes with only 11 players, some of them freshmen. That doesn't do either team any good.
I believe they will also have to pay a fine for each remaining away game to cover gate loss.
South Stokes had a similar situation in 2009 when most of their jr and sr players quit the 1rst week of practice. They fielded a varsity team with mostly sophmores and freshman and still maintained a JV team for about half the season before moving all those kids up. It was a ugly season but I believed it helped south in the long run because the freshman and sophmores became close and stuck it out and had successful seasons as jr and srs.
Not saying North is doing the wrong thing here. It is a tough deal anyway you look at it.
South Stokes had a similar situation in 2009 when most of their jr and sr players quit the 1rst week of practice. They fielded a varsity team with mostly sophmores and freshman and still maintained a JV team for about half the season before moving all those kids up. It was a ugly season but I believed it helped south in the long run because the freshman and sophmores became close and stuck it out and had successful seasons as jr and srs.
Not saying North is doing the wrong thing here. It is a tough deal anyway you look at it.
That was my junior season; I remember that well. I think our game with them on JV was one of the last ones they played. We beat them badly and I ran the playclock. Got them with delay of game 4 times they weren't in good shape. It was sad but they fixed it that next year.
I agree though their 2011/12 teams were extremely close under Frasher as a result of that. They had a lot of kids play in 09 that benefited from it later in terms of experience and giving them earlier chances to shine.
To be honest I expected this to happen once I seen them on Hudl when they scrimmaged Forbush. They were small and had not many players; it wasn't pretty. They tried hard but it wasn't there for them. When they let South Davidson come back and win I knew it would be a matter of time. JV wise they won this year already and will have a shot at a few more by November.
I can't really say I agree with the move but it's tricky to answer. For one the main cash hog in Friday Football's gone and it will hurt North Stokes some income it could have gotten from the WS Prep and Atkins games (the latter game could have been a thriller because both were equal in my book.) North Stokes won't have that money now and if they get fined it will cost them. Secondly I hate it for the 7 seniors they had I really do. They had a great junior season and then it all fell apart for them and they can't play anymore. I don't guess they can play for South or West Stokes either so they are just stuck. How awful.
This isn't the first time they have done a rash move though going back in history. In 1982 they folded the whole program in the first week of practice and everyone had to scramble to replace them on the schedule. MA and East were lucky to get Bessemer City and Charlotte County Day but we weren't and us and Starmount had to play twice that year. They also forfeited in 1998 the same way in the last two weeks. To be honest rash moves like this is what North Stokes does but this is probably the oddest one.
They could have done what East Wilkes did in 2013 and move the kids up but I can see why they did it too. I hate it for that whole community. I hate it for the Northwest too because everyone is forced an extra bye week. Just an ugly situation all around.
I hope they get back to playing next year.
I can't really say I agree with the move but it's tricky to answer. For one the main cash hog in Friday Football's gone and it will hurt North Stokes some income it could have gotten from the WS Prep and Atkins games (the latter game could have been a thriller because both were equal in my book.) North Stokes won't have that money now and if they get fined it will cost them. Secondly I hate it for the 7 seniors they had I really do. They had a great junior season and then it all fell apart for them and they can't play anymore. I don't guess they can play for South or West Stokes either so they are just stuck. How awful.
This isn't the first time they have done a rash move though going back in history. In 1982 they folded the whole program in the first week of practice and everyone had to scramble to replace them on the schedule. MA and East were lucky to get Bessemer City and Charlotte County Day but we weren't and us and Starmount had to play twice that year. They also forfeited in 1998 the same way in the last two weeks. To be honest rash moves like this is what North Stokes does but this is probably the oddest one.
They could have done what East Wilkes did in 2013 and move the kids up but I can see why they did it too. I hate it for that whole community. I hate it for the Northwest too because everyone is forced an extra bye week. Just an ugly situation all around.
I hope they get back to playing next year.
Is it my imagination or is this happening more and more over the last few years? Just wondering if it is the result of changing demographics and shrinking school populations, or fewer kids interested in football due to safety concerns, or what. Seems like there are more and more 1A schools that are struggling to get enough kids out to field teams.
Hate to hear this for NS and hope they can get back to action next year.
Hate to hear this for NS and hope they can get back to action next year.
Lack of jobs, not saying that is the case for NS. I have seen a lot of school's and their programs suffer because business shut down and leave town. With no work family's are forced to move where there is work. Like I said I don't know the situation at NS, but this is the problem we have faced and still are facing here in the mountains.
Two things come into play here that probably will not go away. Number one, the public awareness of traumatic brain injury is beginning to cause numbers to dwindle. Secondly, the ongoing rise in charter schools across the state continues to climb. This continues to impact, particularly, the smaller schools as more parents opt to take their children to where the grass is supposedly "greener". I think we will see some schools drop football altogether in the near future.
What I don't understand is why there wasn't much excitement for their program this year. They won 6 games and got a home playoff game last year; you'd think more kids would have came out this season especially upperclassmen. Regardless if they were bad or not they had reason to be excited.
They can use certain ideas and points all they want (and i've heard a lot from their fans; they are too busy trying to attack others for calling them out on their decision than defending their program and that's sad,) but it just boggles my mind that they would be in a state like this.
They are trying to do homecoming somehow so that's nice. Their older players deserve better though.
They can use certain ideas and points all they want (and i've heard a lot from their fans; they are too busy trying to attack others for calling them out on their decision than defending their program and that's sad,) but it just boggles my mind that they would be in a state like this.
They are trying to do homecoming somehow so that's nice. Their older players deserve better though.
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I know a couple of schools that had them scheduled for homecoming...play the JV game on Friday night??
They should be fined and not allowed to be in a conference till they can get their act together after the 2017 -2021 realignment, This has happened to many times. Allow the players to finish out this football season at South or West Stokes because this had to be on the coaches and not the fault of the players that did give 100% and should not suffer for bad leadership. For get the 365 day rule and make the school go without a football team till 2022. Just seems totally unfair to the kids .Maybe consolidate North and South Stokes in a new school built midway between them being completed for the 2022 realignment.May sound stupid or not but any better ideas for a schools that has just screwed up the Northwest Conference mid season.Lets here some ideas .Good or bad that's mine ! ! Or maybe I missed something. LOL
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Not a surprise; them and Atkins both.
That's not a bad idea to be honest. It's probably too late to do it for Mount Airy but I could see it doing well when they play East at the gate. East and North Stokes always play hard anyways. They can compete with Walkertown and Atkins on JV; neither have stunning teams this year. They can make a big game atmosphere and draw a crowd for the kids.
Only downside is that they won't have a full schedule because Prep isn't fielding a JV team this year which gives the NW another black mark.
Only option to keep varsity would of been to move the 20 freshman players up.
So you would be looking at a team this Friday or more with:
5 seniors
1 junior
5 sophomores
20 Freshman
The tough but right choice was made for this year. Right choices are not always the easiest choice, or popular.
Think there's 13 or more 8th graders playing in Middle school, and the 6th and 7th grade class are dominating the Surry county football league so far this year, So things are not as bleak as it appears now.
So you would be looking at a team this Friday or more with:
5 seniors
1 junior
5 sophomores
20 Freshman
The tough but right choice was made for this year. Right choices are not always the easiest choice, or popular.
Think there's 13 or more 8th graders playing in Middle school, and the 6th and 7th grade class are dominating the Surry county football league so far this year, So things are not as bleak as it appears now.
I understand the frustration, but this comment is ridiculous. Safety of the kids comes 1st. While football is the moneymaker for schools, it's not the only sport. North fields teams in almost every sport within the conference and have been very competitive in recent years in several of them (cross country, softball, baseball, volleyball). Small schools go through cycles of lean years - years with limited numbers/limited athletes. The future looks fine for North to participate in football starting next season.
If you want to talk about removing anyone from the conference, you might want to start with WS Prep. They offer 6 sports (the least you can have and be in a conference). They have a volleyball team that only plays a conference schedule and hasn't won a set all year, a football team that's 1-4, men's basketball (the reason for athletics at the school), and a handful of kids that run track. They may not even have a girls basketball team this year after winning the state title the past 2 years. If you want to talk about maintaining the integrity of conference play, start there first before heading up the road to N.Stokes!
FNL, seriously dude think before ya type. I can remember years ago when North Stokes would come to East Surry and dress out around 14 varsity players and they played lights out every snap. They showed more toughness and heart than most huge schools would. I am blessed to be affiliated with East Surry where this isn't an issue, but to want to run em out of the conference is ridiculous. Those kids deserve a chance. I don't agree with some if the decisions but they call and ask my opinion right after the hang up with the experts like FNL...
unless they really get out and recruit kids from within the school, it looks like 2018 before they field a varsity team....would not break up that freshmen class...keep them together BUT make the decision early so the other teams can make adjustments to their schedules.....I'm about 110% sure the rest of the new conference will work with them
In true 1a schools, it is going to get increasingly difficult to field competitive or even non competitive teams in the future. As much as we all love football, it is coming under extensive pressure with the concussion issue and parents steering them in other directions. The other issue is that participation is down across the board in athletics. Not sure exactly why but there is no doubt a decline in participation. Even the kids that play something dont play anything else. Maybe they are having to work, maybe they would rather spend time with their girlfriend, maybe they would rather play their video games. I think all of these come into play, but the biggest reason that I think participation is down, i because it gets more and more difficult to coach todays kid. I like most of you have kids in this generation, and many of US have been guilty of telling them how wonderful they are that when the coach tells them something different, it can be hard to accept. I think all of these are factors and of course specialization is another factor. The reality is that it will get more and more difficult for 1a schools to field football teams due to the numbers of athletes required to be competitive. I hope football is still being played at the 1a level when my 4 month old grandson comes of age, but I am having concerns in my mind. This is not just a North Stokes problem, it might just be getting there earlier.
Also being a small rural school, some kids have to find a job or help on the farms.
It's a sad situation and I'm afraid it may get worse with more schools.
It's a sad situation and I'm afraid it may get worse with more schools.
Think back again, was that before West Stokes may have started getting a good amount of there players .... I asked for other ideas to why this has happened.If you are so smart why do they not have a football team. You may open the wrong door. Just forget I gave my 2 cents worth S/A..... This is today ,not years ago. The fact is what is happening today. years ago they were 3-A along with S.Stokes,East Surry,North Surry,Surry Central and all the Northwest conference back then.
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Hahaha keep calm dude... West Stokes took more South Stokes kids than North Stokes kids if i remember correctly. Numbers has always been an issue over there. Small rural school and people have to choose between playing ball or doing something else. When I was growing up my daddy asked me, do you wanna eat or play ball. I chose to work on the farm and eat. Honestly losing does have repercussions. Look at your winning programs huge numbers. If I remember correctly East Wilkes had around100 to come out at the first of the year. Think those boys just decided to play football all of a sudden? Probably not. Might just wanted be a part of something special. Losing programs have kids who love the game win or lose. After a while it takes its toll on everyone involved and they just choose not to participate.
Not sure that it is as simple as winning and losing. Starmount has a storied football tradition, and win more than they lose year after year after year. Look at their numbers this year. This problem is bigger than winning and losing I fear.
Numbers are a little bit better this year. Last year was the smallest team the Rams had number-wise.
I don't know of any players that has went to West Stokes from our area. I believe one tried a few years back but ended up coming back. I can think of a couple that has went to South.
This is not a surprise about the junior and senior classes with football. They struggled for numbers in the Little League program during the same years. Just like before, after the class left before them, they had to pull up a few younger kids in the program to make it. And after winning the Super Bowl with last years class, the wins reflected the numbers too.
So it really had nothing to do with the current coaches or leadership, it's just these two particular classes were not huge football participates.
This is not a surprise about the junior and senior classes with football. They struggled for numbers in the Little League program during the same years. Just like before, after the class left before them, they had to pull up a few younger kids in the program to make it. And after winning the Super Bowl with last years class, the wins reflected the numbers too.
So it really had nothing to do with the current coaches or leadership, it's just these two particular classes were not huge football participates.
West Stokes opened in 1999 and North Stokes ADM was 716 in 1998.. In 1999 when West Stokes opened North Stokes ADM dropped to 419. Where did 297 NS students go from 1998 to 1999 ? It was up and down with a high in 2011 of 449 in and was 386 in 2015. From the ADMs WS did get more from SS but from the ADMs they may have got quit a few from N.Stokes. Most did come from SS... That is just the numbers , not my answer and leaves a lot of ????? North Stokes win ,loss records sense 1965 is not good. North Stokes have won ?? games and lost ?? Games .I will post only by request from a NS fan
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Where did you get the numbers for 1998? I've never known north to have even numbers close to that ever. Unless 1979/80 was a very special year for fertility.
I live a mile from the west stokes line, it was the south stokes line before that and it did not change when west was opened. Can drive to west in under 10 minutes where it takes 15 to north. So don't think that west took any of norths district.
I live a mile from the west stokes line, it was the south stokes line before that and it did not change when west was opened. Can drive to west in under 10 minutes where it takes 15 to north. So don't think that west took any of norths district.
1999 - 419
1998 - 716
1997- 673
1996 - 650
1995 - 632
1994 - 632
1993 - 632
1992 - 639
1991 - 648
1990 - 666
1989 - 676
1988 - 700
1987 - 735
This is what I am seeing for North Stokes and it don't make sense as this was the conference in 1997 - 1998 Northwest 1-A ---Alleghany ----Elkin ---East Surry ---East Wilkes--- Mount Airy ---North Stokes Starmount
Maybe the source has it wrong. I would rather someone else explain as That is what I found. The conference and year came from NCHSAA, the ADMs from another source that other than North Stokes the other schools start the ADMs in 2001. Looks like it may be error on the NS and SS sites going back to 1987 as does other schools in Forsyth Co but I have not got the answer .
1998 - 716
1997- 673
1996 - 650
1995 - 632
1994 - 632
1993 - 632
1992 - 639
1991 - 648
1990 - 666
1989 - 676
1988 - 700
1987 - 735
This is what I am seeing for North Stokes and it don't make sense as this was the conference in 1997 - 1998 Northwest 1-A ---Alleghany ----Elkin ---East Surry ---East Wilkes--- Mount Airy ---North Stokes Starmount
Maybe the source has it wrong. I would rather someone else explain as That is what I found. The conference and year came from NCHSAA, the ADMs from another source that other than North Stokes the other schools start the ADMs in 2001. Looks like it may be error on the NS and SS sites going back to 1987 as does other schools in Forsyth Co but I have not got the answer .
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