The rivalry was once among the most legendary in Section V - Caledonia-Mumford vs. the Oatkan Knights of Le Roy.
The rivalry waned when leagues were realigned a few years ago, and starting next season, the once fierce fighters on the field will be brothers on the gridiron.
Both school districts have approved, pending Section V approval, a merger of the two football programs. The merger will affect all levels of football in both communities.
The Knights are coming off a 2023 campaign in which the team won its record-setting 16th Section V title.
The Le Roy Central School District said in a statement on Tuesday evening:
Please know that this decision was made with the best interests of our students and our school district in mind and keeps the mission of our shared services committee central to our decision-making. The decision to merge football teams with the Caledonia-Mumford CSD reflects the collaborative spirit and commitment to providing exceptional opportunities for our student-athletes.
The statement acknowledged the rich football history in both communities and said the merger would strengthen football opportunities for all age groups and help both districts sustain 11 main football programs.
The district said there would be future announcements about the plan to carry out the merger, practice and game schedules and locations, and a selection of a head coach and additional coaching staff.
"The team name, mascot, and colors will also be determined by student-athletes in partnership with our athletic directors and coaching staff at a later date," the statement read.
It concluded, "We are excited about this merger and the future of the Caledonia-Mumford and Le Roy football program."
Over the past few seasons, Cal-Mum has been merged with Byron-Bergen for football and cheerleading. On Tuesday evening, Athletic Director Rich Hannan and Superintendent Pat McGee issued the following statement.
We are writing to update everyone on a developing situation with our football and fall cheer program here at Byron-Bergen. Last week we were made aware that Cal-Mum is exploring a new partnership for their football and fall cheer squad that does not include Byron-Bergen. While we did not initiate this change, we are already actively exploring possibilities for our student-athletes to continue competing in their chosen fall sports.
