WADENA. Min. – A school district in Minnesota was just forced to cancel the remainder of its varsity football season because too many players were injured.
Officials at Wadena-Deer Creek High School, about 160 miles northwest of the Twin Cities, made the announcement Tuesday on Facebook.
Head coach Kyle Petermeier says a big problem is that those who aren’t injured are all ninth or tenth graders.
“As we worked through the middle of the season, injuries started piling up and we entered our Week 7 game with very, very low numbers,” Petermeier said. “We are now in a position where we have to deploy a majority of our team, which is 14 and 15 years old, and that is not in the best interests of our children.”
Petermeier said despite this setback, he believes the future of the Wolverines is “very bright.” He says the training the players put in this offseason was “incredible” and is an indication of how prepared they will be next fall.
“Football is a game that requires strength in numbers, and we will do everything we can to keep these numbers high and keep kids out for football,” he said.
A study published in 2021 found that participation in high school sports in the United States has declined football sees the biggest decline “Possibly due to concerns about head injuries and their potential long-term consequences.”
