The Bluffton news. [volume] (Bluffton, Ohio) 1875-current, 1949-09-15
REShUFFLING OF
SCHEDULES WILL
FOLLOW ACTION
Coaches and Faculty Manager
Present Resignation at
Meeting Tuesday
Announcement Comes as Sur
prise to Fans; Declining En-
rOllment Cause

Bluffton high school, one of the
founders of the Western Buckeye
Athletic league presented its resig-
nation as member of the group
at meeting of league representa-
tives held in the Lima Y. M. C. A.
Tuesday night.
The action came as complete
surprise to local athletic circles here
which Wednesday were endeavoring
to evaluate far reaching effects of
the move which it is conceded will
cause a major reshuffling of athletic
schedules.
Since the founding of the league
IT years ago, it has been the nu-
cleus around which Buttons inter-
scholastic athletic activities were
built.
SHRINKING ENROLMENT CAUSE
Shrinking enrolment which makes
it impossible for Bluffton, the only
Class B school in the league to COM
pete with other members, all Class
A, was given as the basic cause for
the withdrawal.
The league is one of the top high
school athletic circuits in northwest
ern Ohio and competition in recen,
years has been increasingly keen
The resignation it was pointed out
is simply an official recognition OF
a situation which has existed for q
number of years that a school OF
Buttons present size is unable to
compete on equal terms with other
league members with larger enroll
ments. Other schools in the league
are Wapakoneta, Bellefontaine, Ken
ton, Van Vert, Celina and St
Marys.
Bluffton's resignation from the
league was presented by Coach Rich
ard Lowry who together with assist
ant coach Russell Gratz and faculty
manager Robert Ewing attended the
meeting. The resignation was ac-
cepted by league officials with ex-
pressions of regret.
REsHUFFLE SCHEDULES
A complete reshuffling of high
school athletic schedules here will
follow the move to withdraw from
the league, although it is possible
that athletic relations may be con.
tinued on a montague basis with
some of the members. BY and large
however, the step means that new
schools win appear on Buttons
schedules and many traditional op'
ponents will be dropped.
The resignation will become eff
fective at the close of this falls
football season when Bluffton will
drop out as a member of the league
and schedule games for next veal
presumably with smaller schools II
the Class B range.
Since smaller squads are sufficient
for basketball, it was agreed a
Tuesday nights meeting to continue
Blufton on a temporary basis il
league basketball play until sucf
time as new member may be found
at which time the school here vii
automatically be dropped from al
league connection.
Position INCREASINGLY UNCERTAIN
Buttons position in the leagu
has in recent years become increas
ingly precarious as material, espe
,cially in football, became progress
lively less promising and the de
cision to withdraw from the leagu
was reached at meeting this wee
of the schools faculty committee o.
athletics consisting of supt. A. E
Murray, Principal Gerhard Buhlei
Coach Richard Lowry and Facult
Manager Robert Ewing.
Coach Lowry pointed out at tn
beginning of the football season tha
material available was sufficient fo
only one first string team with n
reserves for emergencies. There al
~ boys enrolled in the four uppe
grades of high school, the lowest /
recent years, with. no prospect fo
early improvement.
Last years football record {
league play showed one game wol
one tied and four lost,