Co-op football, staying 8 player discussed by Highland School Board

Highland’s football team has not had much problem putting big numbers on the scoreboard.

The Cardinals were a dominant team when they played 11-man which they did until switching to 8 player football this season.  So far in their first two games of 8 player they have outscored their opponents 85-8.  The move to 8 player was a decision made with shrinking enrollment, a problem facing many districts throughout the state.

While big numbers on the scoreboard are important, more important is the numbers the Cardinals can put on the football field. Unfortunately those numbers are shrinking, so much in fact that it is predicted there will be 11 players available in 2026 followed by one senior and three juniors for 2027.  

Additionally, youth coaches in the audience at last Wednesday’s school board meeting reported that there are only 11 kids available in middle school—seven eighth graders, two seventh graders and two kids not attending school in Highland. That doesn’t translate into a large roster.

For almost two hours the school board, administration, coaches and a handful of parents discussed the low numbers issue with a deadline approaching of moving to a co-op if that is the decision....

(See the rest of this story in the September 19. 2024 Chronicle issue)