MERIDIAN - Along the roads in Cato, rows of corn are just starting to resemble stalks. Bales of hay from first cutting will soon be stacked neatly in barns.

Despite the picturesque countryside, there is a dark cloud hanging over the Cato-Meridian school district. At the high school, the athletic fields are empty, and it's not just because school is letting out.

They are likely to remain deserted when fall comes and school is back in session.

When voters struck down the budget for the second time on June 15, all activities, including sports, were cut. The school is unable to make up for the $265,498 needed to put the Blue Devils back on the field.

Superintendent Deborah Bobo is stuck between a rock and a hard place.

"The decision was cast, the decision was made," Bobo said. "The problem here is that the students are the ones who are missing out because a lot of people listened to advice from people who thought they knew what was going to go on here and it wasn't an accurate assessment. That's very, very sad because the students are the sacrificial lambs here."

Bobo understands that some of the citizens who voted no did so because of economic hardships.

"I have a respect for the people who are on fixed incomes and I know that elderly people are just having a tough time," Bobo said. "Cato isn't different than any other area. It's just a fact of life and taxes are a part of that."

Others decided to vote no for different reasons.

"For many of the other people, money wasn't the issue," Bobo said. "They have a vendetta with decisions that have been made or they absolutely just decided that they've had enough taxation and this is it. There are two groups out there that have their own issues, and there was one very, very positive group that tried very hard to get it passed."

Stacey Zimmer, an incoming senior, is not happy with the situation.

"I hate it, I never thought that it would come to this, especially in my senior year," she said. "I've played both volleyball and softball ever since I was in seventh grade. I've come to my last year and now there is nothing for me to do."

No matter what the reason or the politics, it appears that Cato-Meridian will be without sports this fall. Todd Salls, who coaches year round, is concerned.

"I really think that athletics are important to the school, and that they are a mainstay in the high school," Salls said. "I'm sorry to hear that we're not going to have it."

Salls is the boys varsity cross country coach. The Blue Devils won the league championship in 2003, and are on the rise like some other sports.

After several unsuccessful years, both the football and baseball teams had reason to be optimistic. The baseball team finished at 12-4, and made it to the Section III, Class C quarterfinals. The football team finished the regular season at 4-3, just one win shy of making the Class C playoffs.

Weedsport athletic director Calvin Mosher believes the kids will miss local rivalries, though the schools wouldn't have met in football since the Warriors have moved down to Class D this fall.

"At Weedsport, when you play Port Byron or Cato, those are the important games," he said. "You look forward to all the games, but those are the rival schools. The kids are interested and the schools are interested in who wins those games. If Cato can't field teams, that would be too bad."

Under New York State Public High School Athletic Association guidelines, Cato-Meridian could merge with nearby schools such as Weedsport or Port Byron. But doing so would require the NYSPHSAA to combine the total enrollments for classification purposes.

The NYSPHSAA's website lists Cato-Meridian's enrollment at 305, Port Byron at 291, and Weedsport at 264. Combining the Blue Devils with the Warriors or Panthers would easily put the teams over the 349 Class C limit.

NYSPHSAA assistant director Walter Eaton admits that most schools are hesitant to combine.

"It's a disadvantage as far as small schools are concerned for sectional and state playoffs," Eaton said. "They would be going up against schools that are used to playing at a higher level of competition."

Otherwise, students would have to relocate to another district. Three-sport athlete Grace Opderbeck is realistic about the chances of that happening.

"If I could, I'd go to another school," Opderbeck said, "but I cant. My parents don't want to move."

Fundraising is another option for the district. In 2001, the larger Auburn School District was in a similar situation. Forced to cut spring sports, the community raised the funds.

In the small farming community of Cato-Meridian, raising hundreds of thousands of dollars will be much more difficult.

"I wish we could, but I honestly don't think we can," Opderbeck said. "We could try. Me and my friends are talking about fundraisers, but we just don't know what to do."

While supporting the idea of fundraisers, Bobo admits that the odds are against them.

"The irony of the whole thing is that they're saturating the same public who was complaining about possibly having to pay higher taxes," she said. "Many people with positive votes might say 'I'd rather pay the money in taxes and be done with it.' Others have said 'I don't want to pay for anything and I don't care what we don't have'."

Three-sport athlete and incoming junior Sarah Gunnip thinks that it could be done.

"I think that our community could do it," she said. "I think it's important to a lot of people"

Opderbeck is grudgingly considering recreational leagues.

"It's kind of upsetting, it's what you look forward to in school," she said "It's all we have here. It's a rural area."

Gunnip agreed.

"It just seems like a lot of people's motivation is gone," she said. "Sports are what motivated us to go to school and do well. It's what we love."

Staff writer Michelle Prego can be reached at 253-5311, ext. 257 or

citizensports@lee.net