As the start of the new school year quickly approaches it brings with it a much more important occasion, the start of a new fall sports season. That's right, there's not much time now until high school athletes will be roaming the halls talking about their upcoming match-ups or reliving their latest triumph on the field. The first of the Friday night football games are quickly approaching and with them comes the fervor of school and community pride. Every year the fall sports season brings with it excitement, anticipation, and the promise of new opportunity. This fall, in particular, brings with it a very special opportunity for the community of northern Carroll County. Due to the obviously controversial decision to close North Carroll High School, the previously divided community will once again be united under a single mascot. This reunion is perhaps the most promising thing to come out of an otherwise difficult situation and allows for northern Carroll to potentially reclaim its status as a powerhouse in county athletics. Sure the separate schools' found individual success, with each winning multiple state championships in the past few years. But never finding consistent success in the county standings, let alone the Carroll Cup standings. However, with the reunion of the two rival schools the athletics are poised to once again return to its former glory. The dreams of a full capacity gymnasium for basketball games, or a student section packed together like sardines will once again become a reality, and the dominance of schools like Liberty or Westminster in the Carroll Cup may finally be challenged.

The impact of the merger won't only be in the county standings however, it will also impact the experiences of each individual athlete at Manchester Valley. During the school's time in the 1A classification, athletic events were rarely packed, and a student's accomplishments rarely reached outside of the social circle of athletes. But in the larger school setting, all of the sudden the images of countless high school football movies and feel-good stories about underdog teams uniting the community come to mind. While it's fairly certain that varsity athletes won't be eating for free at local restaurants like the football team from "Remember the Titans", it does seem that the social experience as a result of athletics will be significantly boosted. All of the sudden an athlete walking the halls may be congratulated by people or teachers they don't even know, gaining praise for their hard work or a great play in the game the night before. Even though it may seem selfish, these moments of praise or congratulations brighten any athletes' day, and the increased impact of sports on the community will allow athletes to become even more influential figures in the community.

Even more so, athletes at Manchester Valley will enjoy large crowds at all of their sporting events, they'll have a student section so loud it could even influence the outcomes of tight games, and rival schools may even fear playing at Manchester Valley. Finally, with prep-sports teams being even stronger and more competitive, athletes will find themselves facing even tougher competition and potentially gaining attention from college scouts. Even though the high school circuit will never overtake the recruitment potential of club teams or ID camps, the stronger schedules and a higher level of notoriety for the school will certainly also result in more athletes pursuing their sports in college.

It seems to me that even though the students that will take the field next year for Manchester Valley may be viewed as getting the short end of the stick following the Board of Education decision, the reality is that they've been given quite a gift. While it can't be disputed that having your homeschool closed hurts even more than words can express, these students are also gifted with the perfect combination of a small and large school atmosphere throughout their high school career. The Seniors and Juniors at Manchester Valley were able to acclimate into high school and find themselves in a smaller tight knit community when they most needed it, and now that they've established themselves they can enjoy the personal glory and experiences that come from performing in front of large student sections and having an entire community behind them.

So overall, even though the Board of Education decision seemed to leave a fracture throughout the county as a whole, there is a bright side to the decision just as there is with any. The community of northern Carroll County will once again be united after a short break and is certainly primed for years of athletic success in the county and beyond. I mean let's be honest the entire starting girls lacrosse team in 2017 might already be committed to play in college.