Graceville (Florida) football program shuts down a week before season opener

Per a report, Graceville only had 19 players on its roster during the spring

Bozeman's 22 tackles Graceville's 9. Bozeman faced off with Graceville for a football game on Sept. 25, 2020 at Bozeman. Bozeman Vs Graceville Football / [PATTI BLAKE/THE NEWS HERALD] via Imagn Content Services, LLC

Just 10 days before their season opener against Wewahitchka, Graceville High School's varsity football program has decided to close up shop.

According to a report by WMBB News 13's Sam Granville, Graceville has cancelled its varsity football team for the 2024 season. The Tigers will continue with a junior varsity team this fall, however.

Graceville principal Carlan Martin decided on Monday in the interest of player safety in cancelling the season, according to the report.

Due to low player participation is the reason why Graceville will not field a varsity team, as the report stated the Tigers had around 19 players during spring practices but since then lost six due to transfer and three being ineligible.

“We lose nine out of 19,” Graceville head coach Richard Koonce said per the report. “That’s pretty much your whole team. And most of those guys are upperclassmen. So, you know, the decision was made to not put the young guys in harm’s way and allow them to have a football experience where they won’t be beat up like in years past.”

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Koonce was taking over a Graceville program that was on a 19-game losing streak dating back to the 2021 season. 

Graceville’s football program is rich in tradition as the Tigers won Class A state championships back in 1988 and 1993. Now, everything is up in the air if the program will ever be restarted because of cancelling the season.

“I walked by the gym today and they got a picture of the first-ever Graceville football team,” Koonce said in the report. “And I looked at it and I’m like, ‘Wow, that is almost a hundred years worth of history.’ And it just seems like that fire, that edge, that pride that the community had in their team, and Friday nights, it’s kind of dissipated.”

The Tigers have seen a lot of turnover at the head coaching position, seeing six different head coaches at the helm. Koonce was looking to bring some badly needed stability to Graceville in 2024. 

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-- Andy Villamarzo | villamarzo@scorebooklive.com | @sblivefl