Ohio High School Football Program Cancels 2026 Season

An Ohio high school football team that has not had a winning season since 2019 has decided not to field a varsity program this coming fall.

Bob Longworth, the superintendent of the Lockland Local School District, cited low numbers in making 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.”

Less Than 20 Student-Athletes Planned To Play Football At Ohio High School This Fall

Just how small was the number of student-athletes for the Lockland football team? Jon Payne, athletic director of the school, 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 2025.

Back in 2019, the Panthers went 6-4, and they did finish the 2023 season with five wins.

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.

The Panthers had just six points in four other defeats, scoring a season-high 14 vs. 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.

More And More High Schools Canceling Football Seasons Completely

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.

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