In late July 2002, this headline — “Football has arrived at Hopewell Valley Central High School” — appeared in the Hopewell Valley News.
By Ruth Luse, Valley News staff
In late July 2002, this headline — “Football has arrived at Hopewell Valley Central High School” — appeared in the Hopewell Valley News. It signaled the beginning of something many Valley residents had wanted for a long time.
The account went on to say that after a scrimmage at Peddie on Sept. 4, “Central High School’s freshman football team would open regular-season play at home Sept. 13 against Lawrence High” — ironically the school the 2013 Bulldogs varsity football team beat to take the Central Jersey Group III championship on Saturday (Dec. 7).
That huge victory for HoVal came 11 years after football put down its first roots at CHS.
During its first season in 2002, the freshmen team would play Trenton and Allentown at home and then Steinert, Princeton and Nottingham, all away. After a week off, Hopewell would host West Windsor-Plainsboro North, then close out the season on the road, at Hamilton in mid-November.
”Yes,” said HVN Writer John Tredrea in his account, “after a hiatus of 70 years, high school football is back in the Valley, due to a series of decisions made by the school board before a deeply divided packed house Monday night” (July 22, 2002).
NOTE: Hopewell (Borough) High School — housed in the building that today is home to the Hopewell Fire Department — played its last game within a few days of the election of Franklin Delano Roosevelt to his first term as U.S. president. That was in 1932, when Hopewell gave up football because of tight money and an enrollment school officials thought was too small to sustain a football program. Boys soccer was started at the school in 1933, 32 years before the existing regional school district was created, in 1965.
On July 22, 2002, with one member dissenting, the school board voted 8-1 to approve a two-year contract with HIKE, the nonprofit group that had pledged to pay all costs of football the first two years, three-fourths the third year and one-half the fourth.
After the vote, HIKE Treasurer Kris Kley gave district business administrator, John Nemeth, a check for $69,044, which would pay for the 2002 season. Costs covered by the check included busing the team from Central High School to the Pop Warner field off Scotch Road near the township municipal complex.
The board hired a coach for the team. His $5,500 salary for coaching football would come out of the HIKE money. He is David Caldwell, who also would teach special education full-time at Central High. Mr. Caldwell left Montgomery High School to come to Central High.
What is HIKE? HIKE (Hopewell Involved in Kids Enrichment) organized in January 2002 because it saw a need for more sports opportunities for children in Hopewell Valley. “We have focused on football to satisfy the ongoing needs of the 275 boys and girls participating in the local Hopewell Valley Pop Warner league (which requires minimum grades to play). While HIKE is initially focused on football, our name was designed so that we can assist with other sports and activities over time, such as marching band and girls volleyball. Our schools are increasing in size and there are insufficient athletic opportunities for the students,” explained a member back in 2002.
The 2002 Executive Committee of HIKE included: George Helmstetter, Kris Kley, Patty Arhontoulis, Michael Foster and Greg Myers.
The school board also voted July 22, 2002 to create a 12-member football advisory committee, which would evaluate the sport on an ongoing basis for two years. After the first two years, the school board would decide whether to continue with the sport.
The fall 2002 football team at Central High would be a freshman team. A junior varsity team would be added the next year. If the sport continued after that, a varsity team would be formed.
WHY DID FOOTBALL come on the CHS scene in the way it did. At least part of the answer follows:
In 2002, the issue of whether football should be started at Central High had become one of the most hotly debated political issues in Hopewell Valley in years. Opponents had expressed outrage that school officials were considering starting the sport in the wake of the April 2001 defeat, by a better than 2-1 margin, of a $75,027 ballot question that included $53,500 to start an interscholastic football program at Hopewell Valley Central High School, plus $11,971 for a new lacrosse team at Timberlane Middle School and $8,556 for a freshman softball team at Central High.
The question was defeated 2,847 to 1,364.
Supporters of the sport said it was an opportunity students at the high school should have, noting Central High was the only Group III school in New Jersey without an interscholastic football program.
Many who have had reason to discuss this 2001 vote over the years often refer to it as a referendum against football, when actually is was a vote against one ballot question that addressed three items for the 2001-2002 school budget year only.
AN HOUR OF PUBLIC COMMENT before the school board voted July 22, 2002, was about evenly divided between supporters and opponents.
”I am very angry. My vote is being denied,” said a township resident, who opposed starting football because of the outcome of the vote on the April 2001 question.
”What you’re doing is devious and dishonest. Such irresponsible behavior on the part of elected officials cannot be tolerated,” said another.
However, weeks before, while the school board was in open public session, the board’s attorney said the district would be on solid legal ground in starting a football program, notwithstanding the results of April 2001 vote.
The issue so angered many that some residents petitioned the state Department of Education to intervene and prevent the establishment of a football program at Central High.
Then Valley school board President Sally Turner said the board would “defend itself” against the petition.
AMONG THE SUPPORTERS of football who attended the July 22 meeting were boys who played in the local Pop Warner league and girls who were cheerleaders in the league.
In addition, a longtime township resident, said: “I’m retired, a senior citizen. I admire the board for doing this. I consider it almost a disgrace that we’re the only school in state without football. I may be forced to move out of the township because of taxes. But it won’t be because of football.”
Another resident noted that the first intercollegiate football game, played in 1869, was between Rutgers and Princeton. “That’s one town away from here. Football is part of the history and tradition of this state and country,” he said. “Not having it is un-American.” He added that not having the sport denies opportunities to students other than those who would actually play the game — members of the marching band, for example.
”After much deliberation, I believe the pros outweigh the cons” was how board member Steven Woods, of Hopewell Borough, explained his vote. “I realize voting for it is going to make me unpopular with some of my friends and neighbors, but I think it’s something we need to do.”
Board President Turner reminded those present that no public election was involved in decisions to start hockey or field hockey at Central High School.
”Those were all decisions made by the board without an election,” she said, concluding that, by starting football now, “we’re going to try to do something that perhaps should have been done in this community 45 years ago.”
Members of the 2002 school board included (among others): President Turner, William Hills, Michael Bruno, Mr. Woods, Carl Swanson, David Goldschmidt and Arthur Gabinet, District superintendent was Robert Sopko.