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BELLEVILLE - Belleville Mennonite School Athletic Director Michael Armstrong heard this song and dance before.
A student-athlete wanted to play a high school sport that Belleville Mennonite didn't offer, such as football or field hockey. In the past, the student-athlete might have transferred to another school which offered the sport.
Belleville Mennonite School officials knew they needed a solution, and a co-operative agreement with Mifflin County High School seemed like the solution. Initially, Belleville Mennonite Superintendent of Schools Nicholas Wilson sent a letter to Mifflin County High School Athletic Director Tish Maclay expressing the school's interest in forming a cooperative.
There were hurdles to maneuver, such as gaining support from the Mifflin County School Board, which approved the co-op by a 7-2 vote at its Oct. 27 meeting; District 6; and finally the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association.
The Thunder cleared the last hurdle recently as the PIAA approved the proposed co-op between Belleville Mennonite and Mifflin County, effective July 1, 2023. That means it officially starts with the fall sports season.
Armstrong is pleased with the arrangement.
"It allows our students to play sports that we don't and can't offer," Armstrong said. "Due to numerical situations, we don't have enough students to form a team. This way, we can maintain our student numbers and still give them opportunities by offering sports that they want to be part of."
Belleville Mennonite offers boys and girls soccer in the fall, but Mifflin County also fields athletic teams for cross county, field hockey, football, golf, tennis and volleyball.
The Thunder previously had a field hockey team and was in a co-op with Huntingdon for that sport in the past. When Huntingdon dropped the sport, Belleville Mennonite switched to girls soccer.
Belleville Mennonite has boys and girls basketball during the winter, while Mifflin County also offers bowling, indoor track and field, swimming and wrestling.
There are no spring sports at Belleville Mennonite, while Mifflin County has baseball, lacrosse, softball, track and field.
"It just gives these student-athletes more of an opportunity," Armstrong said. "You won't have them saying, 'I guess my athletic career is over because there's nothing to play."
While there have been a few Belleville Mennonite athletes expressing an interest in playing football and field hockey, Armstrong believes baseball could be the biggest draw.
Because Mifflin County is already in the PIAA's largest classification, adding students from Belleville Mennonite will not impact that aspect of sports at the public school. Belleville Mennonite's PIAA population - the number of students in ninth through 11 grades at the school on Oct. 1, 2021 - is 20 boys and 25 girls.
All students enrolled and eligible at Belleville Mennonite can participate in the co-op, including those who do not reside in Mifflin County. There is no end date for the co-op unless one of the two districts or school boards asks for it to be re-evaluated.
There are also details to be worked out, such as transportation to practice and leaving from Mifflin County High School for games.
"Some of it is to be determined, but the agreement concept was that parents take on the full responsibility of transportation to and from practices," Armstrong said. "Then also transporting their child to the departure area (presumably MCHS) or agreed upon pick-up areas for games."
Neighboring schools have also established co-ops in the past as East Juniata had an arrangement with Midd-West in football as the Tigers struggled to fill its roster and Greenwood and Newport have an agreement in sports like football, track and field and wrestling.
Juniata and East Juniata later formed a co-op, combining athletic teams, such as air rifle, cross country, field hockey, football, golf and wrestling. Air rifle, field hockey and golf teams compete under East Juniata's banner, while cross country, football and wrestling are Juniata teams.
East Juniata also has formed a co-op with Juniata Christian School for baseball and softball.