Wolverines football merger expected to survive incident

WARRENSBURG | The football program merger between Warrensburg, Lake George and Bolton central school districts is expected to continue this fall, regardless of the 2024-25 season being canceled in early November, when the team was ranked the No. 1 Class D team in the state, and expected by sportswriters to win the Class D state championship. Each school board of the three school districts recently voted to resume the merged football program, known as the Wolverines, for the 2024-25 season. Over the last several months, questions had arisen among sports fans and area residents about whether the merger would continue. Area football fans are now awaiting an endorsement of the merger's continuation by Section II officials. An affirmative vote is expected, as every merged sports program is subject to renewal each year, and a Sectional decision is considered a formality. The Wolverines' football season was canceled Nov. 2 by the three school districts' boards of education in response to an alleged sexually-related incident involving athletes on a school bus during a school-sponsored team trip to Syracuse that resulted in the arrest of two Lake George student-athletes. The incident prompted the Warrensburg Central School District administration to sideline Wolverines coach Mike Perrone from coaching basketball for the 2024-25 season, an action that upset hundreds of community members. As of Jan. 19, 435 people have signed an online petition calling for Perrone's reinstatement as a three-sport Warrensburg High School coach. The petition's accompanying text cites Perrone's "extraordinary commitment": to students and school alumni, his "passion for the wellbeing of students" and his moral support for students. At the December meeting of the Warrensburg School Board, coaches, students' parents, and other community members testified that Perrone inspired students to achieve their highest potential, and was an outstanding role model. Also, community members and coaches said Perrone had been on another bus when the incident occurred and had followed the school's policies for such school trips — and thus was "unfairly prosecuted." As of Jan. 19, Warrensburg Central's administration had not made an announcement about Perrone's status as a coach for the school's varsity baseball, football, or basketball teams.

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Wolverines football merger expected to survive incident

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