Merkel Independent School District

The Merkel Athletic Department is dedicated to preparing student-athletes for success in athletics, in the classroom, and in life. In our programs, we will teach our players the importance of discipline, a strong work ethic, loyalty, and character by creating a family atmosphere in which trust is a key component. Every coach and athlete involved in the athletic program will demonstrate a great attitude and will give relentless effort daily in preparing for success. The ultimate goal of our program is to have each student-athlete leave with a sense of pride and a feeling that their years at Merkel ISD, and in our athletic program, have been the best years of their life.
 

We envision an Athletic Program that sets the standard for athletic and academic achievement. The Merkel Athletic Department has strong tradition and it is our vision to build on this tradition and to continue on the upward path of excellence. Through hard work, dedication, trust, and character building between students, staff, and coaches, we believe the Merkel Athletic Department can and will have sustained success. Our vision is for the Merkel Athletic Department to compete for championships on a yearly basis, while maintaining high academic achievement and promoting character development. In order to get to this point, it will take coaches who share the same vision and who are dedicated and passionate in pursuing excellence. It will also take changing the mindset of our
players and giving them the confidence they need to be successful. We believe that through hard work, building relationships, and commitment from coaches and players this vision is attainable.

Christ Centered Community
Family
Commitment To Excellence
Positive Attitude
Discipline
Relentless Effort

Good Morning Badger Nation,

IMPORTANT INFORMATION UPDATE. PLEASE READ CAREFULLY.

We are moving to a new way of completing our athletic forms and paperwork. Everything will now be done digitally (online) right through your phone or computer. This will be more efficient and user friendly.

The online platform is called RANK ONE.

Here is the site that provides guidance and instructions on how to create an account and complete forms:

New Instructions Page

We would also recommend having parents/athletes download the app for convenience. Parents, please email support@rankone.com for any questions.

For the physicals and medical history section... We already have a hard copy of all physicals from our blitz that we did in May. We will upload all of those these next two weeks, so if you know that we have your physical already, please skip this part. The mass majority of all athletes should be good to go. If you know that we do not have your physical, you can upload your copy on your own. If you do not have a current physical, Action Sports Medicine will do a last-chance makeup on August 3rd from 9-11am and they will cost $15 each.

PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE be diligent in getting your account set up and your forms completed ASAP. You will not be allowed to start or participate on the first day until your forms are completed.

Thank you for your time and understanding in this transition.

God Bless & Go Badgers!

12/16/2024
Greetings,

This is a friendly reminder of our off-season policy and expectations that are in our Athletic Handbook...

OFF-SEASON & PRE-SEASON

It is the goal of the athletic program to protect the integrity of each sport and continue to strive for excellence. The off-season training prepares student-athletes for in-season sports and promotes safety by getting them ready physically and mentally. All student-athletes will have to be active participants in off-season training before they can participate in that particular sport. The only exceptions will be for student-athletes participating in another sport that would cause him or her to miss off-season training for the next sport. Again, all decisions are up to the discretion of the Athletic Director.

Therefore, if you did not play football this year, and you are interested in playing football next season (2025), please email Coach Wes Wood (wwood@merkelisd.net), Rocky Reed (rreed@merkelisd.net), and Rachel Byers (rbyers@merkelisd.net) in one message as soon as possible. If you are not in athletics, we will need to look into your schedule to make sure you can enroll in the Spring Semester in order to go through off-season. If you are in another sport already, a schedule change is not necessary, but we still need to discuss details. 

Thank you. #BadgerPride #CompETE

11/28/2023

Badger Nation,

Good afternoon! The expectation of spectators for Merkel ISD is to be a supportive participant for our student-athletes and community. We WILL NOT condone nor tolerate spectators complaining or ridiculing the teams participating, opposing fans, game officials, or coaches. We want our kids to have a positive experience as a student athlete, and allow them to compete and play the sports they cherish.

Please see the following from the UIL:

For full UIL Rules CLICK HERE

Any spectator or parent can be removed by Merkel ISD for any disruption or unruly behavior at a contest. This also could prohibit a parent or spectator from attending future contests. Officials can request that any fan can be removed if they deem it necessary by school administrators. Spectators must understand that questioning every call by officials, expressing dissatisfaction with officiating, verbal abuse or personal attacks of officials, etc. will not be tolerated by TASO/THSBOA and can result in the removal of a spectator from any facility. 

The officials organization will continue to implement a three strike policy. Three incidents in which any spectator has to be removed at the request of officials, they have the right to refuse to provide officials for our student-athletes. We CANNOT play the game these young people love without officials. We want our kids to be able to play and compete.  If you are going to attend or planning on attending, we please ask that you exhibit self control and be there to support your players, coaches, and teams.

We want you there to cheer our student-athletes to victory and be a positive factor in every contest. Thank you for your continued support of Merkel ISD Athletics!