High Point Central will not play high school football on the varsity level in North Carolina next season. The Bison were so bad in 2025 that the administration decided to suspend its football program for 2026.
The junior varsity team is going to continue.
Although it is not that uncommon for high school football programs that struggle with success to hit pause amid a disastrous losing streak, this latest instance might be the worst. The Bison are horrible.
High Point Central is located in North Carolina.
High Point Central High School is located in High Point, North Carolina. The city sits about halfway between Greensboro and Winston-Salem, to the south, with a total population of more than 100,000.
The high school was founded in 1927. It enrolls approximately 1,200 students in Grades 9-12.
All of this goes to say that we’re not talking about a small-town high school here. This is a pretty sizable learning institution in a well-populated region of the Old North State. There are more than enough athletes in the area. The Bison are not struggling to fill out their rosters for athletics.
In fact, some of the school’s most notable alumni are athlete! That list includes Super Bowl champion defensive end Tim Ward, former MLB shortstop Dick Culler, Olympics bronze medalist speed skater Heather Bergsma, former NFL running back James Betterson, world champion sprinter Tamara Clark, PGA Tour golfer Drew Weaver and former pro soccer player Corbin Waller.
And yet…
The high school football team is terrible.
High Point Central did not win a single game during the 2025 high school football season in North Carolina. The Bison failed to score a single point.
They lost every single game by a combined total of 523-0. Their two closest losses were by 42. Every single game triggered a running clock. Every single opponent scored at least six touchdowns.
Going back even further, High Point Central won a total of only two games in the last four years. It also lost all 10 regular season games in 2024 and finished with only one win in both 2022 and 2023.
The Bison have not had a winning season since 2014— more than a decade ago.
With that in mind, the administration recently decided to pull the plug on 2026. The varsity football program will be suspended for next season. The junior varsity team will be a crucial part of the rebuild.
“We are taking a one-year pause and will be rebuilding with our junior varsity team,” said principal Mike Hettenbach.
High Point Central did not announce a change at head coach in addition to its pause. As of right now, Brent David will return to his role in 2027. That could change. We’ll see.
What we do know for certain is that the Bison will not field a varsity high school football program in 2026.