An old friend may be seeking potential entry back into the Central State Activities Association for football in 2027.

Montabella, who currently plays 8-man football, will have an enrollment of 222 students this upcoming school year. This puts them over the MHSAA limit of 215 to play 8-man football. 

According to Mustangs Athletic Director Shane Riley, the school district plans on being over the limit for 8-man going forward.

"We needed to be proactive in looking for an 11-man league because our projected enrollment numbers for the foreseeable future will keep us at that level," Riley said.

With this being the first year the Mustangs will be over the limit, the MHSAA grants schools in this position a one-year grace period. This will allow them to compete as an 8-man football program this coming season. 

If Montabella were to join the CSAA, they would likely be placed in the CSAA-White with Central Montcalm, Kent City, Lakeview, Morley Stanwood and White Cloud. This addition, which needs approval by vote from CSAA athletic directors, would bring the conference total to 12 teams: six in the 'Red' and six in the 'White'. A conference breakdown can be seen below:

 

^{A visual of the two divisions if Montabella was approved to join the CSAA-White for football.}

“There has been a little bit of interest in teams joining for football only, but we are still talking through that, as that has to go through school boards and everything else,” CSAA Secretary Jason Vogel explained. “Montabella is one of those teams interested. We’re not sure where that is at right now, but it is something we’ve discussed.”

This past season, the Mustangs had their best football season in program history with a record of 11-2. The season ended in the 8-man Division 1 State Championship, when they lost to powerhouse Martin in the Superior Dome.

Montabella hasn’t always seen that level of success on the gridiron, as last year's first round win over Breckenridge was their first playoff victory since 2011, across both 11-man and 8-man. Through five seasons of 8-man football, they obtained a record of 31-19 with two postseason appearances and two league championships. 

Recent success has set Montabella for an optimistic return to 11-man and an impending search for a new conference home. A potential move into the CSAA would return them to a conference they called home in the 90’s and give them a chance to carry their recent success into a growing football landscape.

Photo courtesy of Montabella High School, Leia Webb, and Shane Riley.