First In-Season Iowa High School Football Game Forfeited Due To Lack Of Players

Before the Iowa high school football season even kicked off, eight teams announced that they would not be competing at the varsity level for 2026.

Now, there has been a cancellation of a game with the season marching forward.

According to a post on the Meskwaki Warrior Activities/Athletics Facebook page, they announced that the game has been canceled and will not be made up.

“Football update,” the statement read. “Friday, September 4th’s varsity football game vs. Gladbrook-Reinbeck has been CANCELLED and will not be made up.”

Following 50-Point Week 1 Loss, Iowa High School Football Team Cancels Next Game

The Warriors suffered a 64-14 loss in the season opener to HLV-TC. They were down 44-0 at the end of the first quarter to HLV-TC.

Meskwaki Settlement has not won a game since the 2020 season, losing 33 consecutive games dating back to October 2, 2020 when they defeated Twin Cedars, 74-12.

The next scheduled game for the Warriors is on September 11 at Collins-Maxwell. There was no mention in the release of future games being cancelled for the team.

Andre Roberts is listed as the head coach at Meskwaki Settlement with Stacy Youngbear serving as his assistant.

Gladbrook-Reinbeck Left Without A Game This Coming Week

The Gladbrook-Reinbeck Community School District issued a statement of its own.

“We have an update regarding varsity football this Friday, September 4th at Meskwaki Settlement,” the press release read. “Due to low numbers and injury concerns from our opponent, that game has been canceled. This game will not be made up.

“We have attempted to contact a handful of schools that also have an opening this Friday to get another game added, but unfortunately those attempts were unsuccessful. So, we will not have a varsity game this Friday and will not be adding a game to replace it.”

For the Rebels, the game will be marked as a forfeit victory.

Gladbrook-Reinbeck will next compete on Thursday, September 10 when they host Colo-Nesco. The Rebels are ranked sixth by High School On SI Iowa in the eight-player rankings for this week.

Several Other Iowa High School Programs Have Scrapped Plans To Compete In 2026 At The Varsity Level

The news comes on the same day that it was announced that participation numbers in Iowa high school sports, including football, are among the best per state population.

Several other eight-player schools have cancelled their 2026 seasons, including Exira-EHK, Lone Tree, Mormon Trail, Rockford and Siouxland Christian.

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