With the news coming down on Tuesday about Burch not having enough eligible players to field a middle school football team, it appeared that those athletes may not have a place to grow and develop. However, it was announced earlier today on the Burch Middle School Football page that interested Bulldog players can suit up for the Matewan Tigers this upcoming season.
“It’s just unfortunate circumstances,” said Burch Middle School head coach Zach Curry. “We had 11 players out for a few days, and a couple decided to quit. So, we had to make the decision to fold pretty quickly so kids wouldn’t get left behind. We had quite a few 6th graders decide to play down for the midget league, and others decide to not come out at all due to the size of the team. I didn’t want to drag nine kids along hoping they could get one or two more to come out and that never happen. Also, having to worry about an injury, suspension or coaching them too hard determining week by week if you could have a game or not was going to be difficult. So I, along with the guidance of administrators and my athletic director decided this was the best decision. Coach Mahon over Matewan welcomed us in with open arms and a few kids will make the trek across Miner Mountain to play with them.”
Burch has been a very strong football program in Mingo County for years. The Bulldogs won five Mingo County Championships since 2013, including three in a row from 2017-2019.
Combining programs is nothing new to Mingo County football. Kermit and Lenore have combined teams the last few seasons due to low numbers. Curry thinks that has helped coach Hady Ford’s Tug Valley Panthers and believes this will help David Jones’ Mingo Central Miners.
“Other schools do it such as Lenore and Kermit,” explained Curry. “They really succeed with it. It gets kids familiar with each other and gets kids ready for Coach Ford’s Panthers. I’m sure he loves kids already playing together and establishing that relationship together. It’s just the direction things are going now. If you want Mingo County Middle School athletics to be able to compete with the Belfrys, Logans and Chapmanvilles, it’s the only answer in my opinion.”
While the Bulldog program is on hiatus this season, it’s great to see that they have a place to play. Look for Matewan Tigers to have a few new additions as all of these young athletes grow and develop.
