HOLTON – The football season is quickly approaching, but there’s no guarantee a varsity team will take the field at Holton High School this season.

Football participation has been trending downward at Holton in recent years, and now it’s put coaches and school officials in a position where they may have to make some difficult decisions.

New Holton head coach Tommy Moore, who has years of experience as an assistant coach at North Muskegon, Reeths-Puffer and Ravenna, said there have only been between 13 and 15 kids consistently showing up for summer workouts, and at least 16 would be needed to field a varsity squad.

New Holton varsity football coach Tommy Moore

Only three players are back from last year’s varsity team, and most of the kids who have been at workouts are freshmen and sophomores, the coach said.

“We’re looking at having at least 16 varsity players to fully go into the season,” Moore said. “If we fall short – like maybe if we have 15 and we can pull someone up from junior varsity without cancelling that team – we might do that.

“We want to make sure it’s a good experience for the kids. I don’t think playing against Ravenna, when you have a four-year senior going up against a 14-year-old, would be fair. We want kids to be eager to come back next season, not dreading it.”

On the other hand, Holton is extra motivated to get a varsity team on the field, because the Red Devils will begin competing this year in the small-school tier of the newly reorganized West Michigan Conference. They will compete in a division with powerful teams from North Muskegon and Ravenna, along with Hart, Hesperia and Shelby.

Former Holton quarterback Austin Fowler lets go of a pass last season. Photo Steve Gunn

Joining the historic conference is a great opportunity for the school and the Red Devils want to get started on the right foot, according to new Holton Athletic Director Dustin DeBeau.

“We’re doing everything we can to have a varsity season,” DeBeau said. “We don’t want to be brand new to the conference and not have a varsity team.”

The participation problem may seem surprising to some Red Devil fans who had a good time watching the Holton varsity last year.

They were treated to a season full of big offensive plays, with senior quarterback Austin Fowler lighting up the field with 28 touchdown passes to fellow seniors like Bret Hosmer, Rice Robins and Kevin Erickson, to name a few.

But those seniors are gone, and participation at the JV level was so small last year that Holton converted the team to 8-man football, which is a growing trend at smaller schools throughout the state.

Holton’s Kevin Erickson goes in for a tackle while Austin Fowler (7) and Brett Hosmer (23) converge on the play in a game last season. Photo/Steve Gunn

At the moment Moore and DeBeau aren’t sure what to expect this season.

They said many high school kids in the Holton district have summer jobs, and weren’t likely to compete in summer workouts, anyway.

They said the week of Aug. 8 – when mandatory practices begin – will be critical to determine how many players will be available, and whether there are enough to field a varsity team. The other option would be to just field a JV team, like Orchard View did last season.

In that circumstance, Moore said his strong preference would be to field a standard 11-man JV team, but another 8-man team could be possible, based on available numbers.

“Once we get to mandatory practices we will be able to tell,” Moore said. “We won’t have firm numbers until the week of Aug. 8. We will be able to answer a lot of questions that week.”

Holton’s Rice Robins (4) looks for running room while Kent City’s Hayden Carlson (11) and Kyler Larson (12) converge during a game last season. Photo/Steve Gunn

DeBeau said there have been ongoing efforts to recruit players to the team, a process that’s difficult because school is not in session and kids are not around.

“That’s the hardest part,” DeBeau said. “There was a spreadsheet out in the spring, when they had a football meeting, and there were like 30 kids on the list. We’re looking around to see if a lot of them are still interested in playing. We’ve also been asking players to reach out to other kids, and we’ve been talking to kids who play other sports, as well.”

DeBeau believes the lack of coaching continuity at Holton over the past few years may have something to do with the low numbers.

Mike Jados was the head coach in 2020 then resigned. Alex Smith was the head coach last year then resigned. Now Moore has taken over, and students are not familiar with him yet, DeBeau said.

“It’s easier to get kids to come out if they have a good relationship with the coach,” the AD said. “The last two coaches were good for the kids, but they left and some of the kids may have felt let down. Some kids just love football, no matter who’s coaching, but there’s another percentage who will play based on their relationship with the coach.

A host of Red Devils tackle a Kent City runner in a game last season. Photo/Steve Gunn

“It’s hard for (Coach Moore) because he doesn’t know the kids yet. I do believe they will fall in love with him when they meet him.”

DeBeau said Moore is an enthusiastic coach who loves kids and will have a positive impact on the program, once he gets settled in.

“He’s great,” DeBeau said. “I love the guy. He’s going to do some great things. He’s very passionate, and I love what he’s doing so far.”

Moore said he hopes a lot more students will still consider coming out for Holton football this year, so the school can continue a varsity tradition that dates back to 1954.

“Kids don’t necessarily need a bunch of football experience,” he said. “We just want kids who are willing to go out there and fight it out for four quarters. They just need to have that grit on the inside. We need more kids who are eager and tough.

“We have a community that loves its football team. Holton was one of the first schools in the area to get a turf field, and that happened for a reason. Now we need to get more kids invested in that pride.”100