Brian Hagberg
RUSSELL, Pa. – For the second time this academic year, Warren and Sheffield will combine to form a single athletic team.
The Warren County School District Board of Directors unanimously approved a co-op with the Dragons and Wolverines in softball, after Sheffield was unable to field a team due to low numbers.
Sheffield had just five girls sign-up to play softball this season, and most of the girls coming from Abraxas have opted to participate in track instead of softball over the last few seasons.
“They were not even close to being able to field a team,” WCSD Supervisor of District-Wide Athletics and Co-Curricular Activities Rick Gignac said at the end of the spring sports sign-up period. “Abraxas has focused more on track than softball and we haven’t had participants from them in a couple of years.”
The co-op will need to be approved by both District 9 and District 10, as well as the PIAA before it can become official. The district anticipates that approval will come on or before March 21.
Classification and geography played the biggest roles in selecting Warren as the host school for this co-op Gignac explained.
“Warren is bottom of 4A and has some wiggle room,” Gignac said. “Classification is a big driver in (co-op decisions). Geographically speaking, Warren is the closest too.”
As was the case in girls’ basketball, Warren will host the co-op and the team will play with the Dragons’ team name and uniforms. The district will provide transportation to and from away games, while students and/or their parents are responsible for providing transportation to and from Sheffield to WAHS.
