Sedona-Oak Creek School District Superintendent Tom Swaninger, Ph.D., indicated during the district’s Dec. 3 board meeting that district staff are discussing bringing back tackle football.

“Our kids and our community have expressed interest in it,” Swaninger said. “I think it’s a great way for the community to gather and be together in a positive, fun environment. This is not about, at least initially, winning championships. This is about giving kids access to a sport that a lot of these kids love. I think we’ll have a lot of families show up, and I think we’ll have good participation in the stands and hopefully on the field.”

The district has sent out student surveys to gauge their interest. Physical education teacher and track and field coach Sean Eicher met with interested football players on Wednesday, Dec. 11.

“I know the numbers look good based not on the surveys, but based on the interest of the athletes that have played for me and that want to do tackle football,”

Eicher, who also coaches flag football, said, and added that he would probably be part of the football coaching staff if the program is revived.

The Scorpion football program was terminated in May 2020 by a unanimous board vote given lack of interest in the program and its financial cost. Swaninger said that his preliminary cost estimate to bring the program back would be between $30,000 and $50,000 up front, not including annual expenses.

There are two options if football returns, playing eight-man football or petitioning to join the Arizona Interscholastic Association as a 1A school, which would be suitable for the school’s size.

“The competition won’t be as great,” Swaninger said. “One of the downsides to it is its greater travel. 1A schools tend to be smaller and spread out throughout the state. One of the other options is to petition to be independent. The upside to that is we can pick and choose who our opponents are. We can even play JV teams to get things up and running. The downside to that, and it’s at least initially, not much of a downside, [he] can’t participate in playoffs. I don’t anticipate us getting anywhere close to the playoffs, anyways, at least to begin with.”

Swaninger said that he anticipated a decision on the program would be made during the first quarter of 2025 to give the district time to plan for a season if it

decides to bring the program back.

“We have to have the interest, the kids, the commitment from the parents, the finances to make that happen, and we have to be able to staff it,” Swaninger said. “What we don’t want to do is invest $50,000 to get this up and running and then have to cancel it again. We want the assurance that this is something that we can do, not just this season but into the future.”