Bradford, Vt.
Oxbow athletic director Brianne Barnes confirmed last week that the O’s anticipate having enough participation to once again field a full varsity team next fall. Oxbow suspended its program shortly after the start of preseason workouts, shortly before the beginning of the regular season, due to a decrease in participation. Only 16 athletes came out for football last season, and many of those players were freshmen and sophomores.
Barnes said the athletic department anticipates about 22-25 athletes to register for football for the upcoming season.
“I think there will be more upperclassmen playing that didn’t come out last season,” Barnes said in an email. “We are also hopeful that the new member-to-member rules will allow for additional athletes to come to Oxbow and play, which should bring up the numbers.”
Oxbow has, in the past, provided a football home to student-athletes from Rivendell Academy and Blue Mountain Union High who were looking to hit the gridiron via the VPA’s member-to-member program. Two Rivendell seniors, wide receiver Owen Pelletier and lineman Will Usler, elected not to return last fall, contributing to the program’s low numbers.
Declining participation is not unique to Oxbow, which was the second Vermont school in as many years to shut down its football varsity. Winooski eliminated its program in 2016 due to low participation. In February, the VPA’s Activities Standards Committee approved a two-year proposal to merge the Burlington High and South Burlington High football programs into a cooperative squad beginning this fall in an attempt to curb declining numbers. Poultney High and Rutland’s Mount St. Joseph Academy also merged their football programs in 2016, although the two are planning separate D-III teams in August.
The Olympians debuted as a club program in 2005 before going full varsity in D-III in 2007. They compiled a 35-54 record over a 10-year span, finishing better than .500 four times and going 0-5 in tournament play. Oxbow’s first postseason appearance was a semifinal loss to Bellows Falls in 2010. It was defeated by Woodstock in the D-III quarterfinals in 2013, 2015 and 2016.
Dan Nolan, a West Burke, Vt., resident and a former coach at Lyndon Institute, served as the O’s head coach last season, guiding the program through a junior varsity schedule. He was hired in March 2017, replacing previous coach Sean Murphy, who guided the program to consecutive D-III quarterfinal appearances before stepping down to spend more time with his family.
“I have to be honest. I found it, the first day out there with those limited numbers, really demoralizing,” Nolan, who coached a stint in west Texas before returning east, said during a practice in October. “We had a lot of plans. A tremendous amount of time went into preparation for the season.
“There was just no way we could have got through a game (with 14 athletes),” he added. “Honestly, it’s a stretch to get through a full jayvee game. This is what we have. … It’s been a culture shock for me, no question.”
Barnes said last week that she anticipates Nolan will return as the team’s head coach next fall. The O’s feeder program, the Bradford Bulldogs, hosted more than 60 athletes in grades 3-8 last fall, creating a base of incoming students with football experience who can help pad Oxbow’s numbers in the immediate future.
“(We’re) very exited about our community involvement in building this program,” Barnes said.
Oxbow will open its season on Sept. 1 at Mill River, according to schedules released by the Vermont Interscholastic Football League last month. It will play its home opener a week later, Sept. 8, against Spaulding.
Josh Weinreb can be reached at jweinreb@vnews.com or 603-727-3306.