Norwood HS To Apply For Tri-Valley League Membership

NORWOOD, MA — Norwood High School Athletic Director Jon Longley has the school committee’s permission to make a formal request to join the Tri-Valley League and leave the Bay State Conference.

The committee voted 3-2 Wednesday night after a lengthy discussion on whether they should move forward with the application or if they should apply at all. Committee members Michele Eysie Mullen and Patrick McDonough voted against the motion. A prior vote to table discussion failed 2-3, with Mullen and McDonough voting to table.

The vote does not mean for certain that Norwood is going to join the Tri-Valley League. The league’s schools must meet to consider the request and vote to invite Norwood into the league. If Norwood is invited, the school committee must vote to accept the invitation. The earliest Norwood would be able to switch leagues is the 2018-19 school year.

In past meetings, Longley has said that Norwood is simply outmatched as the smallest school in the league and can’t compete against schools like Needham, Newton North, and Wellesley.

“It may not be perfect in the Tri-Valley League. It’s not perfect but when you compare it to the Bay State Conference, there would be more opportunities to be successful in the Tri-Valley League,” Longley said.

Mullen said she needs more time to look at the issue. She noted that she has a family member who attends Tri-Valley League school Dover-Sherborn and said while they have a smaller enrollment, the affluent community allows for students to take private lessons and specialize in single sports.

“I know how much extra training and private training he does to become the basketball player he’s becoming. There’s Medfield, Hopkinton, all of those schools have that privilege we don’t have,” Mullen said. “As a committee, our number one responsibility is student achievement. I think no matter which way to go, there’s still work to do.”

Committee member Patrick McDonough was adamant about remaining in the Bay State Conference because he felt it sent the wrong message to students.

“When the going gets tough, we bail out. That’s what we’re saying to our kids and you know what, I can’t say that. By moving to the Tri-Valley League, we’re saying this is hard, we’re going to win more here. I can’t vote for something that supports that message,” he said.

McDonough did say he would be open to changing his mind depending on how now former Bay State Conference member Dedham performs in their first year in the league.

Chairperson Myev Bodenhofer said her vote to allow the application to go forward was influenced by watching her daughter play JV soccer and seeing the team's quality of play decrease as they struggled to win games. She noted that she thinks a move would mean more competitive game on the sub-varsity level.

Currently, many Bay State Conference teams have freshman squads while Norwood does not have enough freshmen to fill a freshmen team in girls' soccer and needs an eighth grade waiver for field hockey.

"We’re charged with looking at what’s best overall. The recommendation is to move. I’m going to need a strong reason to veto that decision. No one has given me a compelling reason not to support the recommendation," she said.

Following the vote, McDonough said he would support a non-binding ballot question that asks residents if Norwood should stay in the Bay State Conference or move to the Tri-Valley League.

The Tri-Valley League consists of Ashland, Bellingham, Dedham, Dover-Sherborn, Holliston, Hopkinton, Medfield, Medway, Millis, Norton, and Westwood.

Image: File Photo