Holton Public Schools Cancels Varsity Football Season Amid Safety Concerns and Low Participation

Holton, Michigan – Holton Public Schools has announced the cancellation of its remaining varsity football games for the season due to a combination of factors including a low number of players, ongoing injuries, and concerns for player safety. The announcement was made on Friday, September 13, via a post on the school’s Facebook page.

The school district said it made this difficult decision after carefully considering the implications for players, coaches, families, and the community. “We all want to see a strong Red Devil Varsity Football program,” the post read. “Ultimately, to make that happen we have to also protect player development, prevent injury and work to increase participation.”

This season, Holton’s football program has been struggling with low participation rates, an issue that has persisted over the last three seasons. Earlier in the week, officials announced the forfeit of a scheduled home game against Ravenna due to not having enough available players. This was exacerbated by injuries sustained by several key team members during their previous game against Hesperia.

Third-year head coach Tommy Moore reflected on the challenges faced by the team, stating, “We were already a little bit on the younger side as far as our roster construction and had to pull up all of our sophomores from the JV level heading into Week 1.” With only around 13 healthy players at the moment, the coaching staff was considering pulling in freshmen to fill gaps but decided against it to protect their development.

Despite the cancellations, there are still two non-conference games scheduled for Holton’s varsity team. They will face Atherton on September 27 and White Cloud on October 25, where all high school players will be eligible to participate since both opponents have combined JV and varsity teams.

The cancellation of conference games will also impact Homecoming Week events, which have been pushed to September 23-27. Activities during this time will include a Homecoming dance on September 28, a parade, alumni recognition, and more. However, the Powder Puff Football Game, set for September 15, will continue as planned.

School officials hope to strengthen the football program in the future while ensuring the safety and well-being of their athletes.