Albion and Medina Central School District’s Boards of Education voted earlier this week to combine the football programs at both schools.
The merger takes effect this year.
The schools say the mergers were necessitated by declining school enrollment and extracurricular participation trends.
The teams will be combined at all three levels — modified, junior varsity and varsity.
“The best interests of our students need to always remain top of mind,” Albion Board of Education Vice President John Kast said in a statement. “Both schools are familiar with the power of community and we believe that bringing our communities together to work toward the same goal will only make us stronger.”
“We are looking forward to providing a safe and competitive program for our student-athletes,” Eric Valley, Medina athletic director and varsity football coach, said in a statement. “We hope to foster an exciting environment where school pride, comradery and lifelong friendships can flourish.”
School officials say finalized branding, including the team name, logo and colors, will be announced at a later date, along with details on what division the teams will play in.