Edmunds County Tribune -

Edmunds Central School had a Public Football Forum on Monday, Nov. 16 to discuss the future of football for EC athletes.

The 2020 season marked the end of the cooperative agreement with Ipswich for football. Extending that coop with Ipswich was requested by an EC district member.

The options of continuing the coop with Ipswich or beginning the Thunder coop with Eureka and Bowdle were outlined.

EC AD Riley Donovan said there will be possibly three football players from Edmunds Central in the 2021 season. The number of boys in the coop is important. If the combined number of boys is over 56 then they would have to play 11-man instead of the present 9-man schedule.

John Krogstrand, SDHSAA Assistant Executive Director, had said that they may have to dissolve the coop with Ipswich because of reclassification.

Bowdle and Eureka had been cooped with Leola and Frederick to play as North Border. That coop has been dissolved.

It was estimated that a Thunder Eureka/Bowdle/ Edmunds Central football team would have 15-18 members in grades 9-12.

The Edmunds Central School Board voted to dissolve their football coop with Ipswich and join the Eureka/Bowdle coop for football.

The fall meeting of the three cooperative schools was held on Nov. 18 in Bowdle. A motion to pass a resolution that the proposed agreement for a joint high school program for football between Eureka, Bowdle and Edmunds Central School Districts, known as North Central Thunder was made and approved. They will apply to SDHSAA for approval of the new coop.

They will advertise to hire a head coach and two assistant coaches for the 21-22 football season. No decision was made on the locations of football practices and games. It will be discussed at the spring cooperative meeting.