By Jamie Wiggan
-Sto-Rox-
Sto-Rox school directors approved a plan put forward by Athletic Director LaRoi Johnson to launch a middle school football team starting next academic year.
Johnson said establishing a seven-game season for seventh- and eighth graders will help prepare them for the high school team down the line.
“I think that it will be a good thing to get more kids in the program,” he said during the district’s Oct. 29 meeting. “…I think this is the next step.”
The district will partner with local youth football association the Little Vikings, where many Sto-Rox students already participate.
Johnson, who was promoted to the athletic director position during the summer, also spoke to recent academic shortcomings that led to the disqualification of the football team and pep band on separate occasions.
Moving forward, he emphasized his devotion to building a robust academic culture in each of the athletic programs.
“It’s going to take a bit of time,” he said. “…You’ll be proud of the programs that are there.”