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Air Academy cancelled a game vs. Lutheran due to a lack of coaches.
Air Academy High School in Colorado will not play a Homecoming football game against Lutheran on Friday night. The Kadets have forfeited the contest due to a lack of coaches.
Staff members refuse to coach. Their mysterious absence could be linked to serious allegations surrounding the opponent.
Dear Air Academy High School Community,
We are writing to share an important change to Friday night’s Homecoming events. Air Academy High School does not have a full coaching staff that would allow us to safely field a varsity football contest. As a result, Air Academy will forfeit the game scheduled for Friday, Oct. 9.
-Statement from Assistant Principal and AD Kali Maxwell
Air Academy had a number of Homecoming events scheduled alongside the football game. Included were a special flyover and parachute onto the field. Those festivities will now be accompanied by a Friday night flag football game.
Colorado high school football team forfeits Homecoming.
As a result of a coaching shortage, the school says it can’t “safely field a varsity football team.”
We’ve seen instances in the past where safety protocols linked to the roster force forfeitures. Programs have cancelled games due to injuries or a lack of players.
I’ve not seen a game scrapped due to coach availability.
That is the reason given in the Air Academy vs. Lutheran game. The Kadets won’t play a Homecoming contest. The program will seemingly move to 3-4 on the year.
Air Academy is located on the US Air Force Academy in the Colorado Springs metro area. It is the oldest school in Academy School District 20, built in 1957. It is also the only high school in the U.S. built on a military academy.
Google Maps
A map of Colorado showing Air Academy High School.
The school’s enrollment was listed just north of 1,300 students in 2024. It serves grades 9-12, and is best-known for its engineering coursework.
On the football field, the Kadets compete at the 4A level in Colorado. They won a state championship in 1962 but have seen middling results on the field of late.
Air Academy is 45-50 over the last decade. That includes this year’s 3-3 start. The Kadets won each of their first three games in 2026 before dropping three straight to league opponents. They’ll record another league loss with the upcoming forfeiture.
The timing of the cancellation is interesting. The matchup vs. Lutheran is squeezed between contests with Sand Creek and Rampart. Both of those teams recently faced Lutheran. Their experiences weren’t positive.
Why aren’t Air Academy coaches available?
No reason has been given as to why the coaches aren’t available. There’s been no update as to their whereabouts. There is no news on staff changes.
KRDO believes it to be a voluntary protest. The forfeiture comes amid accusations of racism by Lutheran in their previous two contests. Air Academy is doing this as a way of punishing the Lions.
The forfeiture comes on the heels of allegations of racism by Lutheran High School against Sand Creek High School and Rampart High School.
Academy School District 20’s statement doesn’t clarify why Air Academy doesn’t have enough coaches for Friday’s game, but KRDO13 spoke to multiple people directly connected to the team who asked to remain anonymous.
They say that the Air Academy coaching staff chose to forfeit the game rather than subject their players to potential racism. According to those people connected to the team, on Monday, the Air Academy football team decided they would not play against Lutheran… They felt the Lutheran team was not facing any accountability for the previous incidents.
The site also says coaches previously approached the district about a cancellation due to those concerns but that the initial request was denied. After the entire staff refused to coach, the forfeiture was accepted.
The staff was reportedly brought into conversations with Lutheran in hopes of avoiding the cancellation, but no resolution could be reached.
Lutheran is 2-1 in league play with blowout wins over Sand Creek and Rampart. They will not get a chance to face Air Academy.
KRDO has reached out to both sides for more clarity. It has not yet received word if the coaching shortage will continue into next week, or if Lutheran was given any other reason for the cancellation outside of staff unavailability.