Last year, Newark and seven other area high school football teams opted out of Section V Federation Football scheduling and formed the Wayne-Finger Lakes Independent Football League so they could begin competing against one another like they had done five years before.
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Despite countervailing opinions however, the controversial change seemed like a no-brainer for the eight school districts Newark, Palmyra-Macedon, Midlakes, Waterloo, Marcus Whitman/Bloomfield, Mynderse, South Seneca and Clyde Savannah that made the switch.
Here’s why:
Federation Football scheduling slowly eroded the prevailing competitive spirit in the region that used to be evident by playing nearby rivals. Not only morale, but team and fan base sizes had been shrinking because of diminished interest in the sport. It had also resulted in increased injuries because smaller teams meant fewer players were on the field more often.
Seeing the handwriting on the wall with only 21 players returning for the 2023 fall season, Jonathan Mastin, Director of Physical Education, Health, and Athletics for the Newark Central School District, joined forces with Athletic Directors from some other area schools, who, like him, had been frustrated with the results of Section V Federation scheduling.
With a green light from players and parents, they created the Wayne-Finger Lakes Independent Football League which was made up of 2 divisions. Last season, Newark, Palmyra-Macedon, Midlakes, Waterloo made up the East Division and Marcus Whitman, Mynderse, South Seneca and Clyde-Savannah were in the West Division.
The change proved to be a huge win-win for the new league schools.
First and foremost, independent teams now put together their own schedules and choose their non-league opponents. Section V's Federation schedule calls for teams to play opponents in their classifications based on schools' student enrollments but doesn’t allow individual schools the flexibility to schedule their own non-league games.
“The Federation football schedule has been a detriment to football in our area,’’ said Mastin.
Newark High School Physical Education teacher Mike McGavisk, who is Newark Reds varsity football coach agrees, saying the change has been a “huge win, that has made a significant difference in not only team morale, but numbers of people attending the games and atmosphere at them. Last year’s players, in general, really appreciated the change and really enjoyed playing.”
Consider these “big win” stats McGavisk provided regarding Newark’s first year in the new league:
• “ Last year's team finished with a 5 win and 4 loss record and Kellen Foster was named the Independent League Player of the Year.
“That was our most wins since 2013 when we were 7- 2 and League co-champions and last year Mike was named the Coach of The Year by the Finger Lakes Officials Association.,” Mastin said.
• “Opening night at home with a 48-42 victory over Jamesville-Dewitt out of Section 3. Down 29-18 at the half we came back to beat them 48-42. We outscored them 30-13 in the 2nd half. Our student section stormed the field after the game and celebrated the big win with the team. It was a great atmosphere.
• “Senior Day against Waterloo we were down 24-6 at the half and we exploded to outscore them 46-0 in the second half to win the game 52-24. IT WAS A GREAT TEAM WIN!
• “Beating Midlakes 41-7 on Homecoming in front of a big crowd was very exciting.
• “We beat Greece Olympia/Odyssey 30-22 on the road. Down 14-8 at the half. we won the second half by a score of 22-8.
• “Pal-Mac players were the Independent League Champions as they finished with a record of 9-0. They beat us in the semifinals of playoffs at Pal-Mac by a score of 9 to 7. They kicked a 20-yard field goal in the last minute of the game to beat us. Pal-Mac went on to beat Marcus Whitman in the Finger Lakes Independent League Championship the next weekend.
“Playing a league schedule was great because we were able to play the teams that we play in every other sport here at NHS like Waterloo, Midlakes and Mynderse,” McGavisk said. “It brought back many local rivalries. We also played Clyde Savannah for the first time since 1980 in varsity football. It was a very competitive game that Clyde won on their homecoming in front of a huge crowd. We played Jamesville-Dewitt out of section 3 and Ithaca out of section 4 to round out our schedule.”
“Choosing to go independent was a great move for us,” McGavisk continued. “We talked to our players, parents, trainers, coaches and administrators and we were unanimous in deciding to go independent. We have had more competitive games and we have increased our numbers. The players really enjoyed the competition and playing against players who they know from playing against them in other sports. We played in front of big crowds and the atmosphere at games was great.” What’s more, four other Finger Lakes schools _ Wayne Central, Geneva, PennYan/Dundee and Lyons/Sodus joined the W-FL Independent Football League during the off season. The League now consists of 3 Divisions. Wayne Central, Geneva, Newark and Pal-Mac at in the East Division; Midlakes, Penn Yan/Dundee, Waterloo and Marcus Whitman/Bloomfield at in the Central Division and Lyons/Sodus, Mynderse, Clyde-Savannah, and South Seneca are in the West Division.
And five more Section V schools from the region Edison, Dansville/Wayland-Cohocton, Greece Olympia/Odyssey, Bishop Keaney/RACS, Charles G. Finney/Northstar have become independent for the 2024 season. There are now 17 schools that have gone independent.
“The mission of the Wayne-Finger Lakes Independent Football League is to foster and promote participation in the game of football in our area by providing our student-athletes an opportunity to compete in a safe and competitive environment. Our goal is to provide our student-athletes with a positive experience by creating a regionally based schedule that offers member schools greater flexibility and control over their schedules," Mastin said “I think the results continue to speak for themselves. We have 30 kids on the roster this year which is the first time that we have had 30 or more, outside of COVID, since 2014.”
While the 12 schools in the Wayne-Finger Lakes Independent Football League and the other five independent schools are still members of Section V, they are unable to compete in sectionals.
“Our athletes are eligible for All Star Recognition, participation in the Eddie Meath All Star Game and All Greater Rochester recognition. Unfortunately, we will not be eligible to compete in sectionals. Football is the only sport in Section V where a school that competes as an independent is not eligible for sectionals,” Mastin continued. “We made a two-year commitment to step away from Federation scheduling, focus on the recruitment and retainment of our student athletes, rebuild our program and put ourselves in a position to compete in sectionals in the Fall of 2025. We will re-evaluate our position at the end of the 2024 season.”