Lincoln School starting year with return of cross country and renewed interest in football

Concerns about the ability to field a six-man football team this fall loomed at the end of last school year, prompting Lincoln High School to offer cross country as an alternative for Lincoln boys, since the sport only requires three members to form a team.

Lincoln Schools Athletic Director Shane Brown said they decided to bring cross county back after an absence of almost nine years, due to an apparent lack of interest among students in either high school or junior high football. At the April school board meeting, high school football coach Travis Williams noted concerns that medical issues could eliminate the only upperclassmen he had interested at the time, and academic eligibility was a concern for all the prospective players.

However, an unexpected surge in interest in football among students, including several senior boys, prompted the decision to begin football practice last week and Lincoln is now looking at fielding both a football team and a cross country team.

Brown said they had six boys turn out for football, with three more who are interested but still in need of physicals. "We have a lot of students starting late."

Although the prospect of nine players is a positive sign for the football program, the Lincoln High team will remain at the Junior Varsity level both this year and next, regardless of the number of kids who turn out.

"If we can show consistency, then I would go back and petition to come back into varsity," Brown said.

For the past couple years, Lincoln has been plagued by eligibility issues that affected their ability to play the required number of games each season, which has relegated the program to JV status under the Montana High School Association rules.

With the prospect of nine football players, Brown said they are going to push ahead with both programs, and he has started scheduling games for high school football.

"We did start cross country with two high school kids and two junior high kids," he said. They are waiting for a third High School boy to complete his physical to fill out a boys' team.

"We're still able to support the football team, because the three boys I have running cross country are also playing football," he said.

Since Brown is handling the scheduling, he doesn't foresee any conflict between the two sports, and is working with Williams to make sure they don't overload the kids with practices.

"If it becomes too much, we will look at cutting it back again," he said. "We used to run both all the time."

Brown planned to take another look at potential junior high school football numbers this week, knowing they already have a couple junior high kids running cross country.

With football back on the fall schedule for boys' sports, cross country will no longer serve as the sole fall sport offering for boys, so Brown has opened it up to girls as well. Pending physicals, he has one high school girl interested, as well as a junior high girl and a third junior high boy.

"We'll see how things change once school starts, but as of right now I have enough for a team for high school boys and that's it, and I'll have some individual runners. There's nothing wrong with them competing individually," he said.

Aside from football and cross country, Brown said High School volleyball is good to go as the school year starts but is also at minimum numbers again this year.

"I think there's always a concern with injury and eligibility; that always the red flag," Brown said. "When you're always floating with minimum numbers, it's just hard to know."