Oregon High School Football Program Pulls Plug on 2026 Varsity Season After Just One Week of Practice

South Eugene will move to a junior varsity schedule after determining it did not have enough experienced players to safely compete at the Class 5A varsity level.

The South Eugene Axe, after one week of practice, has canceled its 2026 varsity football season due to safety concerns over low participation numbers. | Jay Johnson

South Eugene High School will not field a varsity football team in 2026 after low participation numbers left school officials concerned about player safety.

After spending the first week of practice trying to bolster the roster, South Eugene made the decision to cancel its varsity season and instead pursue opportunities for its players at the junior varsity level.

According to The Register-Guard, South Eugene athletic director Jim Moore said 19 players had registered for football entering the season, but only 13 had previous playing experience.

"We spent the first week of practice really scrambling to see if we could get more kids out, especially kids who had played in the past," Moore told The Register-Guard. "It just didn't come to fruition in time."

KVAL 13 News reported that the school informed parents of the decision Monday and is exploring ways for its committed players to compete this fall, potentially through junior varsity games or matchups against lower-classification varsity programs.

The Axe had been scheduled to compete in Oregon's Class 5A Midwestern League.

Player Safety Drives South Eugene's Decision

For Moore and school officials, the concern went beyond simply having enough players to fill out a lineup. The limited number of experienced football players made competing against established Class 5A programs a potential safety issue.

"The kids' safety is our utmost priority, especially in a sport like football," Moore told The Register-Guard.

Moore said asking players with little or no football experience to immediately compete at the Class 5A varsity level would put them in a difficult position.

The decision continues a challenging stretch for the South Eugene program. The Axe have gone 3-33 over the past four seasons and haven't posted a winning record since 2019. South Eugene also did not field a varsity football team in 2020 or 2021.

South Eugene Has Already Been Playing Down a Classification

South Eugene's enrollment places most of its athletic programs in Oregon's Class 6A, but its football program has been competing at the 5A level.

The Oregon School Activities Association permits struggling football programs to "play down" a classification in an effort to create safer and more competitive matchups. South Eugene was among 28 Oregon programs that used the option in 2025.

Even that move has not solved the Axe's numbers problem.

South Eugene finished 0-9 last season under first-year head coach Eric Scott. Injuries and a depleted roster became particularly problematic after a game against crosstown rival North Eugene, eventually forcing the Axe to forfeit their next scheduled game against Thurston.

Lack of Youth Football Creates Long-Term Challenge

Unlike many established high school football programs, South Eugene does not have a dedicated youth feeder system supplying experienced players to the program. That leaves coaches attempting to persuade students who may never have played organized football to take up the sport once they reach high school.

Moore said he and Scott are developing a plan designed to increase youth football opportunities in the South Eugene area, something they hope can eventually create a stronger pipeline into the high school program.

For 2026, however, the immediate objective is finding appropriate competition for the players who did come out for football.

Instead of taking on a full Class 5A varsity schedule with a small and inexperienced roster, South Eugene will attempt to give those players an opportunity to develop at a level school officials believe is safer and better suited to rebuilding the program.