California HS Football Team Cancels Entire Season After Being Blown Out 102-0 in First 2 Games
After a pair of blowout losses to start the season, Healdsburg High School of California has decided to cancel the remainder of their season.
The school, which is about an hour north of the Bay Area, lost its first game 41-0 and then its second one 61-0.
Shortly after the second loss, six of the team’s 18 players quit, which prompted a team meeting with just 12 players left, KPIX-TV in San Francisco reported.
Head coach Dave Stine and principal Bill Halliday stressed the importance of sticking through during tough times in the meeting.
“They had a long talk about commitment and what that means and about quitting. Once you quit, it becomes easier to do it,” Halliday said. “It was all the things coaches are supposed to say.”
The team then had a public vote, which came up inconclusive. Stine then asked for an anonymous vote; seven players decided to end the season while four wanted to keep on playing.
Thus, the decision was made and the Greyhounds ended their season before even reaching September.
“We’re not alone,” said Halliday about the dwindling participation in football. “There’s concerns about safety with football. The numbers across the board in California, and certainly in Northern California, of students signing up is down.”
More than 20,000 fewer high schoolers played football in 2017 compared with 2016, The Washington Post reported. Counting freshman and JV teams, twenty schools dropped football completely over the past year.
Halliday also said that many students are choosing to specialize in just one sport such as basketball or soccer, and that further reduced participation in football.
“For one reason or another, we had low numbers to start, and when you only have 18 and a couple of the boys start to do other things, you start to get concerned,” he said.
The Greyhounds had a 3-6 record last season, including a victory over the team that beat them 41-0 this season. The school last made the playoffs in 2016 but was defeated 76-24 in the first-round game.
Despite the varsity team deciding to end its season, the junior varsity team is still going strong with 30 players.
“I’m excited about JV team now. There’s 30 kids on that team and they really want to play and are working hard. So the future looks bright,” Stine said.
KPIX-TV reported Healdsburg is considering pushing back the JV games so the school still has the “Friday Night Lights” feel that is normally provided by high school varsity football.
“I think this year it’s just an anomaly,” Stine said. “Next year we should be back with the varsity program pretty strong.”
Truth and Accuracy
We are committed to truth and accuracy in all of our journalism. Read our editorial standards.
