Pigskin pride returns to Valley Heights Secondary School

_{Article content originally published in The Simcoe Reformer on October 18, 2025 by Jacob Robinson.}

_{Assistant coach Caleb Girard addresses the Valley Heights Bears following Friday's contest against McKinnon Park. Photo by Jacob Robinson}

The roar has been restored at Valley Heights Secondary School.  

Prior to this season, a once-dominant varsity football program had been dormant due to a lack of interest in recent years. 

That’s when newcomer Brady Smith and his friends rallied to help resurrect the Bears’ gridiron tradition.  

“He started in Grade 9 and said, ‘I wanna play football’ and I’m like, ‘You might want to pick another school, bud,'” said Bears head coach Joel Smith, a VHSS grad and local butcher. “He said the boys wanted to get it going, so I talked with (principal) Ms. (Alison) High, and she wanted to see what we could do, so we ran a junior program for two years, and we’re in the league now this year.”  

Read the full news article.