Granville, Fort Ann eye wrestling merger

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By Matthew Saari

The Granville Golden Horde and Fort Ann Cardinals are considering merging their wrestling teams.

The matter will be discussed and possibly approved by the Granville Board of Education at its remote meeting on Monday. The Adirondack League has already approved the merger, officials said.

Granville school superintendent Tom McGurl described the merger as a win-win for both districts, with the Fort Ann wrestlers filling some vacant weight classes in the Granville lineup at no additional cost to the district.

McGurl described the merger as one in which Granville absorbs the Fort Ann program, not a partnership. Therefore, the team will remain the Granville Golden Horde and not necessitate new uniforms.

“There is no cost to our district at all,” McGurl said. “It’s a good opportunity for them.”

Granville varsity wrestling coach Steve Palmer, who is currently deployed overseas, was unavailable for comment.

Practices and most home matches will be hosted by Granville with two matches likely hosted at Fort Ann. The Cardinals will provide their grapplers with the necessary transportation.

Fort Ann is currently merged with Whitehall, forming the Whitehall-Fort Ann wrestling team and has been such since 2013. If Granville and Fort Ann merge, it would end the Whitehall-Fort Ann merger.

The Railroader-Cardinal partnership has been somewhat tumultuous, with Whitehall Board of Education members expressing skepticism of the program’s fairness and efficacy.

In 2015, board member Frank Barber voiced concern that the Railroaders were paying more than their fair share. Additionally, several board members were irked by the fact that while Whitehall agreed to a wrestling merger, Fort Ann roundly shot down a soccer merger at the same time, the Whitehall Times reported.

“We had a boy who wanted to play soccer a couple years ago and they said ‘no,’ I think that speaks loudly,” Barber said.

More recently, last October, Whitehall school superintendent Patrick Dee warned that the merger may be coming to an end.

“Realistically, I do believe Fort Ann’s intent is they will look elsewhere for the following year,” Dee said. “We don’t anticipate continuing the merger with Fort Ann.”

A call to Fort Ann athletic director Jason Humiston requesting comment went unreturned.