The district will play a much-needed role in providing equipment resources, coaching and competition spaces to both organizations, district spokesperson Mitch Arquette told the Standard-Examiner.

Funding of $50,000, allotted from Juul lawsuit funds, will cover new equipment and operating costs associated with the new partnership. That support, as well as combined resources between both parties, enables a $100 drop in registration fees, from $250 to $150, beginning this fall.

“Our focus was to get participation increased at the junior high ages,” Arquette said. “That will feed directly into our high school pipeline. We’re going to try and promote and get as much registration as we can in the elementary, and then just make it so there’s enough support with coaches, with equipment and with fields to continue their participation.”

Participation is a leading factor in youth football disappearing from Northern Utah.

The initiative comes roughly a year following the Weber School District’s decision to scrap junior high football altogether, largely due to declining participation. Just 20 total students across Highland, Mound Fort and Mount Ogden participated in the latest Wildcats football season.

Between both youth programs — the Wildcats and the WFFL — the district plans to increase registration by 25%, from 120 to 150 players, beginning with the 2025-26 calendar year. The district hopes to establish at least one team per grade level, with roughly 25 to 30 players each, Arquette said.

Ogden and Ben Lomond each enter the fall under new head coaches: Terry Larsen, a longtime assistant to former Tigers coach Erik Thompson, and Ty Smith, a Mississippi native with Utah coaching ties. The programs combined to welcome just 25 ninth-grade players in 2024.

“Statistically, most kids quit playing youth sports around the age of 13, when the commitment becomes a little bit more, whether that’s financial or time or effort,” Arquette said. “If we can kind of get them excited about playing at the elementary levels, and then give them a more-focused product in the junior highs, we can (ultimately) increase participation in our high schools.”

Registration information can be found through the program’s official participation page or by contacting Arquette at ogdenwildcats@gmail.com

Connect with sports reporter Conner Becker via email at cbecker@standard.net and X @ctbecker.