To balance the 2015-2016 budget, the Frederick County Board of Education made the decision on May 27, 2015 to eliminate freshman sports from Frederick County schools.  However, they also gave each high school the opportunity to choose whether or not the schools wanted to continue their freshman sports programs at their own cost.  Of the ten high schools in Frederick County, only Linganore and Middletown chose to sustain their freshman sports programs.

FCPS decided to terminate freshman athletics as part of a difficult budget cut.  The decision saved FCPS $60,000, money that would have to come out of the pockets of the schools and athletes who wished to continue their freshman sports programs.  

This financial burden is one of the main factors that led Frederick County high schools to accept the end of their individual programs.  On top of the regular athletic fee of $90 paid by all student-athletes, freshman athletes who are no longer supported by the county have to pay an additional $125 fee to participate in freshman sports at their school.  However, students who have financial hardship have that additional fee waived, similar to other reduced fees.

It’s a fact that the rest of the county is saving money, but those savings are coming at a cost.

Before budget cuts, Frederick County was home to 496 freshman athletes.  In all schools but Linganore and Middletown, these same student-athletes have been integrated  into junior varsity and, in some cases, varsity level sports.  This could possibly cause a decrease in playing time for incoming freshmen.  

It could also cause freshmen to be cut from teams in favor of sophomores, or vise versa, decreasing the number of student-athletes able to participate in sports.  There are currently 46 players on Linganore’s freshman team; 46 players that might not have gotten the opportunity to participate in athletics, or could have kicked a sophomore off the JV team, had LHS not taken the initiative to preserve their freshman athletics program.

This shortcoming of the new athletic hierarchy is one of the reasons Linganore chose to continue their freshman sports program, despite the cost.

As someone who has played a key role in helping freshmen take the leap from middle school to high school, Coach Geppi understands the importance of freshman sports when it comes the development of these student-athletes, both in the classroom and on the field.

“With close to 80 student athletes participating in football at the 9th and 10th grade levels, freshman football enables these transitioning students the opportunity to get more individualized coaching and a greater chance to play in games during the season,” says Linganore freshman football coach Tom Geppi.

Coach Geppi has coached freshman football at Linganore for five years and has been the head coach for the last three.  He also coached youth football for six years prior and, with Coach Conner, helped start an off-season training program for 8th graders about to make the transition to high school athletics.  

“Freshman athletics is a vehicle that enables students to make a smoother transition from middle school to high school, which can be quite a challenge in and of itself,” explains Coach Geppi.  “These student-athletes start working together, developing relationships and confidence for several weeks prior to school starting, and this can jump-start their successful transition both personally and scholastically.”

Eliminating freshman level sports not only hinders the affected freshmen athletically but could hinder them academically, as well.  Without the discipline athletics ingrains into student-athletes and the extra incentive to meet high academic standards, incoming freshmen might find themselves struggling more in school than freshmen who are able to participate in sports.

It also dismisses a chance for incoming freshmen to be provided with a safe environment to be involved  in their school and work with other student-athletes in their same position who share also the same interests.

According to Coach Geppi, “It is critically important for freshmen who are making a major transition in the move to high school to have the opportunity to participate in freshman sports because it helps them assimilate into the high school system, builds early confidence and camaraderie that enables early success, and will keep them focused on positive activities after the school day has concluded.

Dawn Aburto’s son Cole is a student-athlete on Linganore’s freshman football team.  As an FCPS employee, Mrs. Aburto understands the financial reasoning behind the elimination of freshman sports in the county.  As a mother of two student-athletes, however, she supports Linganore’s decision to maintain their freshman sports program.  

“Freshman football serves as a building block for high school football.  It gives new and inexperienced players the opportunity to participate in football and get better,” explained Mrs. Aburto.  “My son loves sports and getting to play on the football team and our family loves getting to be part of the Linganore community.”

Linganore Athletic Director Sonny Joseph said, “There was too much community interest in freshman sports not to save it.  It was really a decision made by everyone.”

With all the rewards that can only be offered through freshman sports, it’s clear to see how the benefits of continuing Linganore’s freshman sports program outweigh the costs.  Both on the field and on the court, the Class of 2019 will be ensured further opportunity to bond and grow as both students and athletes while learning just what it takes to be a Lancer.

You can support Linganore’s freshman football and boys basketball teams during the fall and winter seasons, respectively, as they play both at home and away.