WHITE HALL - The North Greene Spartans football program is in a difficult situation.
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Last week, it became apparent that the football budget was depleted of funds and is in debt.
“It’s unfortunate, but our kids and community are being resilient,” North Greene athletic director Brett Berry said on Friday.
“It was one of those things where I don’t know how it came through the cracks. When it came to our attention, the program was about $2300 in debt. There was only $1,000 in the account left unattended when the coaching change occurred. Several purchases were made and not covered financially.”
“People have been supportive and outstanding. We got a great group of community members that got together and said, “hey listen we need to take care of this issue so that a new coach does not come in and is in that situation.”
To add insult to injury, it was announced on July 2 that Barry Creviston had accepted the positions of head football coach and athletic director at Routt Catholic in Jacksonville. The former Spartan coach finished his only season at North Greene with a 0-9 record.
Ironically, Routt and North Greene are scheduled to play each other in Week 1 this coming season.
In light of these events, the program has been grateful for the help of some volunteer coaches to help the players continue their offseason training regimen.
“When the coaching change occurred we gathered about eight individuals that have played at North Greene in the past to volunteer their time and keep summer training going,” Berry said. “They’ve [spent] three days a week with the kids in the weight room and [kept] them going which has been a wonderful inspiration for the kids.”
In the meantime, a search committee for a new head coach has been underway for some time, and the program is hoping to find the right person for the job in the coming weeks.
“We’re rallying around a new coach search. We got interviews set up for next week,” Berry said. “[There’s] several candidates that are promising and I’m looking forward to meeting them. We’re looking for the best quality individual we can to lead this program.”
Four years ago the Spartans finished with a 9-3 record and made it to the state quarterfinals, which was highlighted by a 58-44 come-from-behind victory against undefeated Abingdon-Avon in the second round. It’s been tough sledding ever since. After the 2014 season, North Greene has gone a combined 3-24.
At this point, the Spartans have a long way to go on the field, but these current conditions could quite possibly bring teammates together, especially the ones committed to getting better every day. After all, as Berry pointed out, “the work ethic and commitment is the first step towards making things better.”
“0-9 was a scary time last year. So I think even though it’s a little bit daunting we got a lot of faith with what’s going on,” Berry said. “Hopefully we’re heading in a good direction. I think the solidarity and consistency can go a long way for our program. That’s some of the biggest things that will help get these guys going in the future.”
“Right now our kids are working really hard.”
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