Listen to article • 0:00 min
Lower Merion and Harriton High Schools are merging their football teams.
On Tuesday, Lower Merion School District Superintendent Frank Ranelli announced that the merger was approved by the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association (PIAA) and will go into effect for the 2027-28 academic year. In August, Harriton suspended its varsity football season because of low participation, player safety concerns, and the school’s ability to maintain a competitive program.
Ranelli wrote in a statement that the schools will evaluate “relevant logistical topics,” including specifics on where the unified team would practice or play its games, and the merger’s “impact on related activities such as cheer and pep band” in the coming weeks.
“While thoughtfully implementing this change to our high school football programs will require a lot of work, the goal is to create a sustainable program that prioritizes the safety of our student athletes while preserving their opportunities to participate,” Ranelli wrote. “We will update the community on the process in the coming weeks and months.”
» READ MORE: Lower Merion and Harriton parents want to merge their football programs amid shrinking rosters
The decision came after a cooperative between the teams was approved by Lower Merion School District’s board in May.
“Cooperative sponsorships are voluntary requests initiated by PIAA member schools to help promote student participation in interscholastic athletics,” a PIAA spokesperson told The Inquirer. “Currently, the PIAA has more than 2,000 cooperative sponsorships involving member middle schools and high schools.”
Ranelli was initially an opponent of merging the programs, but months of pressure from the community reversed the school district’s position.
Many parents spoke out about the teams’ low participation rates and possible safety risks associated with the under-rostered teams. Last year, a petition asking the Lower Merion school board to approve the merger garnered 300 signatures.
» READ MORE: Harriton High School’s varsity football season is suspended amid concerns over player safety, ‘sustainability’
Rahul Mistry was part of a group of parents who advocated for the merger. Mistry’s son, Matai Mistry, was one of Harriton’s captain who played left tackle and defensive line. He transferred to the Hun School of Princeton following last season.
Throughout the process, Mistry was surprised by the schools’ “unwillingness to speak” with the parents who raised concerns. Ultimately, he is pleased that the merger was approved.
“I’m glad they did it,” Mistry said. “Wish it was not as difficult. A lot of people end up transferring and leaving, and the Harriton team collapsed. Everything we’re warning him about, trying to inform him about, were all true. There was no angle here. We’re just trying to keep football alive and have these kids develop and stay safe.
“I’m still worried about them waiting and the delays because the participation is so low now. I know a lot of middle school kids that were looking to come in saw there’s no future in football at either high school, and they went elsewhere.”
Inquirer Lower Merion
A weekly newsletter
Want to get Inquirer Lower Merion straight to your inbox every week? Sign up here for our guide to the news, stories, and events shaping life in your community.
Chris McCloud, father of Finn McCloud who transferred from Harriton to Penn Charter before the football season began, also expressed excitement about the merger. He is hoping the cooperative will allow a freshman team, which neither Lower Merion or Harriton has had.
“I think it’s pretty imperative that there’s a freshman team,” McCloud said. “I really hope that happens. Because then, you can have the proper graduation into different levels of football.”
Heather Farrell’s three sons play on Lower Merion’s varsity team. Her youngest son is a freshman and went through a “trial by fire” due to the lack of a freshman team. Farrell, a proponent of the merger, raised concerns about the logistical changes that it could present. Specifically, how the district will handle transportation. In recent years, Lower Merion has dealt with significant bus shortages.
“I’ve heard talk that we would have our Friday night lights games at Harriton because that field can accommodate Friday night games,” Farrell said. “I’ve also heard that some of the practices would be at Lower Merion. But for the football team this year, there are times when we didn’t have access to a field. The kids were practicing on the side of a building in grass. That’s not actually a football field. So I really hope that they’ll prioritize the needs of this team as well.”