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Varsity 541 NEWS NOW One injured, three houses damaged in east Medford fire ... Crews encircle Cleveland Ridge fire near Shady Cove ... Emergency services, Aug. 25 ... One injured, three houses damaged in east Medford fire ... Crews encircle Cleveland Ridge fire near Shady Cove ... Emergency services, Aug. 25 ... PREP FOOTBALL Butte Falls forced to drop football Comment By Frank Silow Mail Tribune Follow @@MTsports MailTribune.com By Frank Silow Mail Tribune Follow @@MTsports Posted Aug. 20, 2016 at 7:29 PM Updated Aug 20, 2016 at 9:49 PM By Frank Silow Mail Tribune Follow @@MTsports Posted Aug. 20, 2016 at 7:29 PM Updated Aug 20, 2016 at 9:49 PM » Social News Butte Falls has sometimes faced uncertainty when trying to field a football team because of a shortage of players. But the Loggers have overcome the difficulty and constantly put a Class 1A 8-man squad on the gridiron — until this year. Butte Falls athletic director Adam Williams said because of "attrition and injuries," the school will have to forgo the sport this season. On Wednesday night, Adams met with a group that included Butte Falls High Principal Dianne Gorman, two school board members and the football coaching staff to decide the fate of this year's team. "It was a very heartbreaking meeting," said Williams. "We sat down, explained the situation and decided as a group to pursue other avenues like to co-op with a bigger school." After Darren Kinyon posted a 3-25 record as head coach the previous three seasons, Williams decided to make a change and hired Shawn Grady last February to take over the program. Grady, a 1989 Eagle Point graduate, created some early interest and had between 10 to 14 players participating in the first spring practices at the school in recent memory. "Going in, we were excited because we had a solid core of kids," said Grady, 46. "In the summer we started losing a couple of kids here and there. And when camp started Monday, we had one kid transfer back to Eagle Point and had two injuries — one non-football related." Additionally, the team graduated seven seniors off last year's team and added just two freshmen. "We put out some valiant efforts to pump a lot of interest into the football program," said Williams, in his second year as AD. "During the summer that interest dwindled away and some factors were out of our control. It wasn't responsible to begin the season without enough kids." "We just couldn't sustain a team with seven players," added Grady. Williams estimates dropping the program will probably affect three players, including senior quarterback Tyler Davis. "We're doing our due diligence to provide our athletes a chance to play football if they want to," said Williams. The Oregon School Activities Association is aware of the situation, and officials there are optimistic something will be worked out. Williams is, too. "Butte Falls will still have football,” he said, “it will just be a co-op with another school." Reach reporter Frank Silow at 541-776-4480, or email [email protected] By Frank Silow Mail Tribune Follow @@MTsports MailTribune.com By Frank Silow Mail Tribune Follow @@MTsports Posted Aug. 20, 2016 at 7:29 PM Updated Aug 20, 2016 at 9:49 PM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction Schedules & Events --> Recent Scores --> Prep Notebook Kris Henry Challengers make it back on top in softball Winning the Southern Cascade League title seemed like a pretty bold goal this spring considering the recent history of the Cascade Christian... Varsity 541 Photos Coach K Summer Competition at SOU U19 Memorial Day Challenge North Medford vs. Grant State Track & Field 6A-6 SWC District Championships 5A-3 Midwestern League Districts - Day 1 » More Photo Galleries Privacy Policy | Terms of Service | Local Media Group Publications | Contact Us | Advertise | © Copyright Local Media Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved.