It's probably just a matter of time before the next cleat drops.
The accumulation of bumps and bruises that are part of the game is forcing a number of high school football teams across the state to forfeit
games or shut down the season altogether. Declining participation at several small schools has already resulted in one Section 1 program canceling the season and three others forfeiting a game.
And we're only a month into the regular season.
The shortages did not sneak up on anyone. Based on the latest National Federation of State High School Associations numbers, football participation in New York state dropped 32.5% between 2008 and 2024. It's an issue regardless of classification, but the schools with enrollments of less than 650 students are hurting the most.
Croton didn't make it to halftime of its season-opener and promptly canceled the season. Putnam Valley changed its season-opener into a scrimmage after several players missed part of preseason camp. Briarcliff/Hamilton, Haldane and Edgemont/Blind Brook offered recent opponents forfeits either because they didn't meet the minimum of 16 healthy players required to play a game or because they feared going head-to-head with a more experienced program might sideline a number of players and put the season in jeopardy.
This is officially a nagging problem.
Forfeits need to be a last resort, not a frequent occurrence. And let's get this in writing, a lack of participants did not create the weekly schedule disruptions across the state, a lack of institutional foresight did.
Every school district closely monitors enrollment trends. Each coach is up to date on the number of athletes in the program from modified to varsity. The difficult conversations and impossible decisions waited until a new season kicked off with far too many helmets and shoulder pads collecting dust in storage.
And here we are, turning off the lights and consoling too many heartbroken seniors.
Outside the lines, each cancellation and forfeit is a setback for the entire school community. A quiet weekend creates a social void in the student section, prevents school and booster clubs from raising funds and sidelines cheer teams and marching bands. Inside the lines, opposing teams are usually stuck with an unwanted open date, which is a buzzkill of the highest order.
So what now?
Play defense with appropriate desperation. Here are five ways to prevent further upheaval and maybe weather this perfect storm.
1. Huddle up
There are so many issues to discuss. Honest conversations need to start as soon as the final bus pulls away from the JMA Dome in early December.
Section 1 is already planning to spotlight the interruptions.
“At this point in the season it’s really difficult to do anything,” said Mahopac athletic director Steve Luciana, who is co-chair of the sectional football committee. “When the season is over, we will definitely meet and look at ways to help or come up with solutions to avoid this in the future.”
It’s time for a full-blown intervention.
Stop believing athletes within the school who don’t have a passion for the game are going to succumb to lobbying and suit up. Be honest about how many linebackers typically move into the district each summer.
There has to be more certainty in the roster numbers within so mergers can be facilitated and equitable leagues formed in January.
And how about a workshop for Conference III superintendents, athletic directors and coaches? Bring in the powers that be from Bronxville, Pleasantville, Dobbs Ferry and Tuckahoe. Everyone has to do more with less, but those programs have been able to focus on football instead of survival.
Their playbooks are worth sharing.
2. Hit the snooze button
The regular season for most programs includes a maximum of eight games, so this one is going to sting. If your program is likely to open camp in late August with fewer than 24 players, don't schedule a Week 0 game. Buy time for stragglers who had to finish up a family vacation. Scrimmage. Let those inexperienced underclassmen get comfortable against bigger, stronger and faster competition.
We have multiple schools in Section 1 that routinely wait until Week 1 to kick off. We have one school here that typically prefers a bye week over an eighth game and it's probably worth noting Bronxville won a state championship. There is no way to eliminate the risk of injury, which makes this a hard sell, but the benefits here are logical.
3. Establish power leagues
It's a surefire way to delay the scheduling process while schools with conflicting agendas debate the logistics, but something has to be done with the current league structures for Class B and Class C/D teams. Who thought sending Briarcliff/Hamilton to Pearl River or Edgemont/Blind Brook to Westlake made sense?
Those are games only a certified athletic trainer would circle on the calendar.
Power leagues usually reduce the number of lopsided games. It's not fair to run each Section 1 contender through a meat grinder, so limit the top Class B league to six teams and the top Class C/D league to five teams. Schedule the cross-overs with care or we're going to see more forfeits due to competitive incompatibility.
4. Start recruiting earlier
Capturing the attention of the next generation is critical. We're dealing with declining enrollments and shifting demographics. Private schools are coming after student-athletes, too, and club teams are selling the idea of specialization to anyone with a dream of playing in college.
The pool of talent is noticeably smaller.
Away from athletics, the competition vying for the time and attention of the average 10-year-old is well-funded and well-marketed.
But the magic of those bright lights on a crisp Friday evening is something no other sport can rival.
Check out the game day experience at Mahopac complete with fireworks, a highly-engaged student section and little kids in blue and yellow MSA jerseys making plans to sprint through a giant WolfPac helmet one day in the future. Take note of the varsity players from Somers who pull on jerseys and fan out across the district to greet kids coming off the buses and stop into classrooms to read a favorite book.
We need more of that along with creative new ideas to engage the boys and girls in each community whose parents haven't already signed them up to play football or cheer.
5. Ride the flag football wave
Girls flag football is currently the fastest-growing sport in America.
Let's face it, the long-term health and safety issues associated with tackle football are contributing to the declining participation numbers in New York State. There are several organizations across the Lower Hudson Valley that offer flag football for boys in elementary school.
A number of this year's lohud Super 11 players got their start in flag.
Haldane is making due with 18 players right now and is hoping a flag football program run by the Phillipstown rec department helps bring that number up in the not-so-distant future. Blue Devils coach Ryan McConville shows up at the field on Sundays with varsity players along with tackling dummies to educate seventh and eighth graders about proper technique and to demonstrate to parents the measures taken over the last decade to address concerns about brain trauma.
Flag has to be part of the fix. It's fast. It's fun. And games are usually over before anyone has to use a porta potty.
Mike Dougherty covers high school football for The Journal News/lohud.
This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Five ways to prevent more high school football forfeits | Dougherty
