The Northwest United Co-op is no more. The co-op, including Oliver-Wolcott Tech, Nonnewaug, Lakeview, and Shepaug has been disbanded, but Nonnewaug was able to apply for a new co-op that includes Shepaug and Lakeview. With the co-op shifting to Nonnewaug’s control instead of Oliver-Wolcott Tech, there have been major changes that shift the dynamic of the new team. 

The biggest of the changes has been the coaching staff. Not a single coach from the previous co-op has returned. With a new staff comes changes in philosophies and goals. 

“They’re similar in their goals, but the way they’re done is different,” said senior captain Scott Viveros. “Last year and this year we had the same goals of winning no matter what, but this year is more strict, which is better and needed for a program to be successful.” 

Coaches also play a larger role in their players’ lives than just what they bring on the sports field. 

“We wanted a coaching staff that had integrity and had the ethics to make sure we were raising football players to the best of their ability both on and off the field,” said previous athletic director Declan Curtin. “We wanted a coaching staff that was student first… who had experience and has won at the varsity level.” 

Another major change is the team becoming independent–meaning they are not in a conference. In the previous co-op, the team was in the Tech Conference. 

With Nonnewaug being the lead school for the new co-op, the team was not able to re-enter the Tech Conference. With this, the administration looked for a new conference, but wasn’t able to find one.

 “We wanted and still want to join a conference so that we can have our boys recognized with all conference honors.” said Curtin. “We want to compete to hang another conference championship banner at Nonnewaug.” 

Nonnewaug is trying to get into a conference for next season, with hopes of building off a successful season looming.

“Most conferences often want to see how a new team performs before allowing them to join their conference,” said Curtin. “We have high hopes for our team and know that they will perform at the highest level possible, no matter the circumstances.”