Courtesy photo The Hillman youth football team celebrates on the field in this undated photo provided by Hillman Community Schools.

ALPENA — Hillman Community Schools hopes to take over the youth football program in Hillman and have it act as the school district’s junior high football team.

In the current setup, the youth football team is handled outside the school district.

The league it plays in has two teams, a fifth- and sixth-grade team and a seventh- and eighth-grade team.

“We have everything in place as for equipment transfer and uniform transfer,” said Hillman Community Schools Athletic Director Eric Muszynski. “Now, we just need the school board’s stamp of approval.”

Muszynski said the current setup severely limits the number of teams the kids can play.

The youth football teams currently play only four games between two opponents.

“Our kids in this youth football league ended up only playing Alcona and Roger City, and they played them twice,” said Muszynski. “They only got four games, and they’re allowed six.”

If the school takes over the program, Musynski said, the kids would have access to more teams and more games because they would compete in a different league.

“A lot of it just had to do with giving our kids the opportunity to have a full schedule and the consistency that the league gives us,” said Musynski. “It would be really beneficial for the kids to have a full schedule and more opportunities to play.”

If the idea is adopted by the Hillman Community Schools Board of Education, the junior high team would play six games beginning next fall.