Another Ohio High School Won't Field Varsity Football Team in 2026

Lockland High School, which has not posted a winning season since 2019, will not field a varsity football team after only 15 players committed to play this fall.

Lockland High School in Ohio will not play varsity football in 2026. | Lockland Local Schools/Facebook

Another high school football program has been forced to cancel its varsity season because of low participation, as Ohio's Lockland High School announced it will not field a team in 2026 after only 15 players signed up to play.

Bob Longworth, the superintendent of the Lockland Local School District, cited the low numbers in announcing the decision made to cancel the 2026 season.

“Unfortunately, Lockland High School will be canceling the 2026 football season due to a lack of interest and the necessary number of student-athletes needed to field a team this season,” Longworth said in a statement posted on social media. “We anticipated that our numbers would be lean again this year, but we remained hopeful that we would have enough to take the field this fall.

“After a team meeting held last night, it became evident that this would not be the case this year.”

Only 15 Players Signed Up to Play

Just how small was the number of student-athletes for the Lockland football team? Athletic Director Jon Payne told The Enquirer that only 15 players had made the decision to come out for football.

The Panthers are part of the Miami Valley Conference and compete under the Ohio High School Athletic Association Division VII, which is the smallest division of high school football within the state. Lockland went 0-8 this past season and finished with just two wins in 2024.

Lockland last posted a winning season in 2019, when the Panthers finished 6-4. Their best season since then came in 2023, when they won five games.

Lockland Had Two Close Games, Several Blowout Losses In 2025

Among the 2025 games, Lockland lost by eight to Gamble Montessori and fell 24-14 in the regular season finale to New Miami. The other six losses came by at least 21 points, including three times they did not score.

Lockland was shut out three times and scored just six total points in four other losses, with a season-high 14 points coming against New Miami.

Lockland was scheduled to begin the 2026 campaign against Finneytown on the road. Teams that were scheduled to play the Panthers can search for a new opponent to fill the opening on their respective schedules.

High Schools Football Continues to Face Participation Challenges

There has been a concerning rise in the number of high school programs around the country canceling their entire seasons. Iowa high school football has experienced it, with two already deciding not to field varsity programs.

An Illinois high school football team will not compete at the varsity level, instead opting to field a junior varsity team for 2026. In recent days, High School On SI has reported on similar situations at the conjoined Cambridge-Salem program in New York and Central High in Missouri.