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BUCHANAN — The Buchanan football team will honor its past when it plays Coloma Aug. 31 at Memorial Field.

In 2004, after 135 years, the Galien Board of Education voted to shutter the district for good. Just four years earlier, in 2000, the district had 400 students in grades K-12 and its own football team.

Those numbers quickly deteriorated. In 2004, when the school district closed the high school. By 2012, there were only 68 students in grades K-8 and 12 in its alternative education program, A mere 22 students registered for classes in 2012.

Buchanan Community Schools stepped up and agreed to take Galien’s students.

Twenty years ago Buchanan football welcomed athletes from Galien into its program.

“Today, we have many families in our program [especially of our current seniors] that have fathers or grandfathers who played for Galien,” said Buchanan Football Coach Mark Frey. “To recognize this merger, and the contribution many of these families have had to our program in the last 20 years, Buchanan football is excited to don the Gael Blue for our game against Coloma.”

Frey said he would like to thank all of the sponsors of this event.

“We will do our best to represent you with class,” he said. “Go Bucks, and Go Gaels!”