White Lake, Kimball will co-op in football

It is official.

The Kimball and White Lake school districts will become a co-operative in high school football beginning next season.

The decision was made official after both communities held school board meetings Monday night, where a vote was held to either approve or decline the proposal.

Both meetings resulted in unanimous votes to approve the proposal. A majority vote was all that was necessary for the proposal to pass.

“That’s kind of what we were working toward all along,” White Lake School Board President Merlin Konechne said.

The decision comes after months of speculation following the dissolution of White Lake’s former co-op with Plankinton — the state’s longest-standing football partnership had stood since the late 1980s — at an October school board meeting.

The new co-op, which will be known as the Kimball/White Lake WiLdKats, will compete in Class 9AA next season.

Each school’s student council provided ideas for the team mascot before it was decided.

Konechne said the vote also included a stipulation that Dale Taylor will be offered the head coaching position. Taylor, who has yet to accept the coaching position, coached Kimball last season.

The next step for the schools is to submit their co-op to the South Dakota High School Activities Association.

“That will take place this week yet,” Konechne said. “Maybe (today).”

Kimball, which competed in Class 9B last season, went 2-7 after losing in the first round of the playoffs.

White Lake/Plankinton went 5-5 after losing to eventual state champion Bridgewater-Emery/Ethan in the 9AA playoffs.

White Lake and Kimball already co-op in wrestling and track and field.

White Lake’s former partner, Plankinton, will compete on its own in football and be a part of Class 9B next season.

According to the SDHSAA website’s application for cooperative sponsorship of an activity, all football co-operatives must remain in tact for a minimum of two years. The co-ops must be approved by the board of directors prior to the establishment of a new master schedule for the next two-year alignment period.

Tags: high school football, our towns, white lake, sports, football, kimball