Norwood High’s impending move to leave the Bay State Conference and join the Tri Valley League was termed “a sad day for me’’ by Natick Athletic Director Tim Collins, whose link to Norwood dates back to his days as a student-athlete at Walpole High School.
“Norwood was a charter member of the Bay State Conference, and as a kid who grew up playing in the BSC, it is a sad day for me,’’ Collins noted. “I always enjoyed competing against Norwood athletes, especially as a Walpole High grad. The Norwood-Walpole rivalry was intense — in a neighborly way because the towns bordered. But, we regularly competed with Norwood for BSC titles in football, basketball, ice hockey, and baseball, to name just a few.’’
The athletic directors and the principals of the 11 schools in the TVL voted unanimously to accept Norwood as its 12th member. Starting in September, Norwood will compete in the TVL’s Large Division.
The 47-year-old Collins, who’s been Natick’s A.D. for eight years, is acutely aware that the Norwood community and school administration deliberated long and hard before deciding to leave the BSC.
“Having been an A.D. in the BSC since 2010, I know how thoughtful the Norwood school administration and the entire community has been about this move,’’ Collins emphasized. “The Norwood School Committee voted to approve the move and the BSC also approved the release of Norwood. I know a lot of research has been done to figure out what’s best for the student-athletes in Norwood and I will always wish them well.’’
The BSC now will become a 10-team league in the fall after losing Dedham a year ago and now Norwood. Collins believes the BSC will continue to be a strong league because of its competitive nature.
“The BSC is going to reconfigure starting this fall and become a 10-school league,’’ Collins said. “The Carey Division (named after former Natick coach/A.D. Bill Carey) will now consist of Framingham, Natick, Wellesley, Newton North, and Brookline. And the Herget Division (named after former Braintree coach/A.D. Fred Herget) will now consist of Needham, Walpole, Milton, Braintree, and Weymouth. We’ve started scheduling games and planning the league schedule for this fall. We still have some things to iron out but I feel really good about the future of the BSC because of the collegiality and the competitiveness within the league and among the remaining 10 schools.’’
Athletic Directors in the TVL welcomed the decision to add Norwood and they definitely like the balance Norwood will provide — six teams in both the large and small divisions.
“The addition of Norwood is a win for both Norwood and the TVL,’’ said Mike Grimes, the Ashland Athletic Director. “This will not only strengthen the TVL, but also continue to increase the opportunities for our student-athletes in Ashland and throughout the league.
“While coaching in Natick, I had the opportunity to compete against Norwood every year. I truly enjoyed traveling there because they were always gracious hosts and had well-kept athletic facilities. I look forward to working with their A.D., Jon Longley. He will be a great fit and a great addition among the other A.D.s within the league.’’
Holliston’s A.D., Matt Baker, also regards Norwood’s entrance as a major plus. “Lots of positives with Norwood entering the league,’’ he said. “This gets us back to an even number of teams with a perfect split for the TVL Large and Small Divisions. I think they’re a good fit geographically and competitively. I’m looking forward to the future of our league with 12 teams and to start new rivalries and traditions with Norwood.’’
Norwood’s School Committee voted, 3-2, for its athletic director to file an application for entrance into the TVL. The school’s enrollment was 957 for 2016-2017 and, with Dedham’s departure from the BSC and subsequent entrance into the TVL, Norwood became the smallest-enrolled school in the BSC.
When the move to the TVL became official, Longley expressed delight that the Mustangs will be developing new relationships and new rivalries but he also noted that Norwood was leaving a first-class league. “We’re going from one excellent league to another,’’ he said. “The Bay State League is top-notch but our student-athletes now will have an opportunity to compete against schools that are similar to our size. We’ll be a good fit for the TVL, in terms of geography and enrollment.’’
Norwood’s relationship with Dedham will remain intact, especially in football where the two schools have been Thanksgiving rivals for decades. “Dedham has been our main rival in so many sports and now it’ll be exciting to reunite with them in a new league,’’ Longley said. “Dedham and Norwood will stay well-connected.’’
Longley said that “a majority of our community supports the move.’’ He previously said that a poll of Norwood coaches revealed that 70 percent of those responding favored moving to the TVL.
Norwood will be the third largest-enrolled school in the TVL, trailing Hopkinton and Westwood. Norwood’s entry now gives the TVL 12 members, six in the large division and six in the small division. The Large Division includes Holliston, Hopkinton, Westwood, Norton, Medfield and Norwood. The Small Division is composed of Millis, Medway, Bellingham, Dover-Sherborn, Ashland and Dedham.
“Norwood provides great balance, particularly in light of Dedham’s addition,’’ said Bellingham A.D. Michael Connor. “Norwood will nicely round out the large-school division.’’
Medway High A.D. Rob Pearl, was on board as the TVL president when Dedham applied for entrance into the league and he’s pleased with Norwood’s addition. “To get to 12 schools is truly a benefit,’’ said Pearl. “It will make scheduling easier and also streamline it. Norwood seems like a good fit, both in terms of size and competitiveness.’’
Another A.D., Chuck Grant of Millis, also expressed a welcoming sentiment. “Norwood brings a state of the art facility coupled with a level of competition commensurate with our league. Their addition will enhance our scheduling as it will afford us two six-team divisions. We look forward to their entry into the TVL.’’
Issue Date:
February, 2018
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