Elk Lake-Montrose football jointure moves forward

BY KEVIN WOODRUFF

School boards meeting atElkLakeon July 28 and Montrose Area on August 8 gave the okay to a football jointure marking forward momentum on a proposal that’s been in the works for nearly a year.

ElkLakesuperintendent William Bush said on Thursday that the jointure will provide students with the opportunity to branch out and participate in a sport thatElkLakedoesn’t offer.

Bush said that Elk Lake will only be responsible for transportation costs in the jointure.

Despite some early reluctance on the part of the Elk Lake district when it was first suggested by Montrose, the plan gained momentum after several parents approached the school board, and research on the topic was conducted by Elk Lake.

“The administration and board got the chance to sit down with Susquehanna administrators and got to hear some hands-on information about their jointure withBlue Ridge,” Bush said. “And it helped to shape the conclusion.”

Bush was enthusiastic about the future of the jointure and said it would next be up for a vote in front of the PIAA.

Both Bush and Montrose superintendent Mike Ognosky are hopeful the plan will be in place for the 2012-13 school year.

In the meantime, following the conclusion of this fall’s Montrose football season, coaches will come toElkLakeand get interested students involved in its off-season weight training and conditioning program.

While nothing is set in stone at this point, Bush said that any potential issues that could arise from the jointure regarding a student’s academic schedule will be handled on an individual basis.

Ognosky said that it feels good to see forward momentum on the proposal.

“We’ve been working for nearly a year on this,” Ognosky said. “It feels terrific to see things move forward. We already have a relationship with them in swimming, and we’re just expanding it.”

Ognosky said that Montrose will assume the costs of additional equipment and uniforms.

He noted that an extra10 to 12uniforms will not be a huge additional cost to the district.

Ognosky said that he believes the jointure will greatly improve football at Montrose.

“Having depth and quality in football is important,” Ognosky said. “And I think we’ll be getting both with this jointure.”

He said the Montrose district is “fired up” about it and looks forward to getting the jointure started.

“We look forward to getting it running,” Ognosky said. “And both districts are entering into it with positive vibes.”