Clinton began the high school football season in Illinois as scheduled. However, the Maroons will play only four games in 2026.
The administration decided to cancel the remainder of season due to safety concerns.
This latest cancellation continues an unfortunate trend for high school football in The Prairie State and across the United States. More and more teams are unable to field a full roster.
The Clinton high school football team has lost 17 games in a row.
Clinton Community High School enrolls approximately 500 students in Grades 9-12. Founded in 1909, students who attend the public secondary school live in Clinton and surrounding areas like Wapella, Kenney, Hallsville and Lane, Illinois.
The Maroons participate in 16 varsity sports as members of the Heart of Central Illinois Conference. The varsity and junior varsity football programs compete in Class 2A of the Illinois High School Association.
Clinton has not been very good in recent seasons. It has only finished above .500 one time since 2020 and lost its last 17 games dating back to 2024. The Maroons started at 4-0 in 2024. They lost their next five games. They finished at 0-9 in 2025.
2026 is not any better. Clinton began this current season with a 34-14 loss to Dakota. It lost 58-6 to Heyworth in Week 2. It most recently failed to score during a 53-0 loss to Warrensburg-Latham last Friday. The Maroons have not won a game since Sept. 2020, 2024.
The remaining varsity season will be canceled after this weekend due to safety concerns.
On the heels of 17-straight losses, Clinton High School has decided to cancel the remainder of the 2026 season— after this week. The Maroons will play their final varsity game of the season on Friday. They will not play again until 2027.
Clinton is currently scheduled to play on the road against the co-op team from Ridgeview/Lexington at 7:00 p.m. on Sept. 11. It will be the program’s last opportunity for victory until next season.
Head coach Ron Bass sent the following email to families:
I first want to thank you for your support and speaking your voice tonight at our parent meeting. You know these are not easy decisions. This is the plan moving forward:
We will play varsity this Friday night against Ridgeview. We will then cancel the rest of our varsity schedule and go to a JV schedule. Mr. Koeppel will begin calling schools tomorrow morning to find schools that will allow our seniors to play in the JV games. More information to come. If you have questions or complaints, please contact Mr. Koeppel as I have been instructed to not take any messages or calls about the situation. All parties in the decision feel for our seniors and are going to do their best to make sure you can keep playing football.
Players- We will have a meeting tomorrow before practice.
— Clinton high school football coach Ron Bass
The decision to cancel is two-, really three-fold. Not only did the Maroons have a small turnout during training camp, they are dealing with injuries that limit their roster size. They do not have enough players to safely field a team for the entire nine-game schedule. And they don’t want to keep losing in blowout fashion.
Athletic director Matt Koeppel told WCIA that there are multiple positions which are “one injury away from not having any left.” It was too dangerous to send freshmen and sophomores against juniors and seniors at other schools.
“You’re talking 14, 15-year-olds playing 18 and 19-year-olds. I mean, I think that’s… from a physicality standpoint, you can run into that. And there just comes a time where you have to judge as an administrator and as an adult, is it safe to keep putting them out there?”
Interim superintendent Dr. Chuck Nagel released the following statement:
Clinton is working with other Illinois high school football opponents to figure out its next move. The Maroons are hoping that other schools will allow their seniors to play on Junior Varsity. They are planning to continue the JV season as scheduled. The remainder of the varsity season is canceled, effective Saturday.