Central Valley Seniors Stuck Without a Team (VIDEO)

by KVRR Sports
June 19, 2012


Ethan Proznick and Dusty Schildberger of Central Valley should be preparing for their senior football season. Instead, they're caught between school administrators and the North Dakota High School Activities Association.

Central Valley does not have enough players to field a football team on its own, so a plan was put in place to co-op with Hillsboro. For a number of reasons, the two schools were unable to complete the co-op agreement, and file the neccessary paperwork in time to allow the co-op to begin this fall. The new arrangement won't begin until the 2013-2014 season.

That leaves the two seniors-to-be without a team.

NDHSAA rules will not allow Proznick and Schildberger to play at Hillsboro because the co-op won't be in place this season.

They say the NDHSAA rules are unfair.

"They're going by the rules and not following their hearts," says Schildberger. "We don't get to be leaders or have leadership over anyone."

"We just want to go out there and play with our friends from Hillsboro and finish off high school by playing football," adds Proznick.

When asked what they would say to those making the decisions, Schildberger says, "Please let us play. You know what it's like to play your senior year, that's what we want. We want that leadership. We want to feel important."

"We just want to feel what it feels like to play our senior year and be the captains and call the shots on the football field," says Proznick.

Proznick and Schildberger were two of 16 players on last year's Central Valley roster. They're the only two to have expressed interest in continuing their career.

The NDHSAA will discuss and vote on the issue at a meeting in Valley City on Tuesday.