Yet another high school football team is set to end its season before it begins. Central High School in Missouri faces an uncertain fate with just a few weeks until its first game.
The Bulldogs are likely going to announce the official cancellation in coming days.
This, unfortunately, has become a common trend for smaller high school football programs in recent years. A severe lack of player participation becomes a safety issue.
Central High School did not play last season.
Established in 1893, Central High School is located in Springfield, Missouri. It enrolls approximately 1,300 students in Grades 9-12. That is not a small number.
And yet, the Bulldogs did not have enough players to play the high school football season in 2025. Only 25 athletes participated in the preseason— nine of them freshmen. Never before had they started below 40.
As a result of the small roster, Central’s administration ultimately decided to cancel the team’s varsity games on August 15. That was two weeks before the scheduled start of the season. Athletic director Josh Scott said the decision was made for the safety of the student-athletes. The program wouldn’t’ve been able to compete against more complete rosters.
Some of the better players tried to transfer to nearby programs. Others were forced to sit out the entire season and/or play junior varsity as an upperclassman.
The cancellation also had an impact on other campus groups like the marching band and cheer team. They did not have the opportunity to showcase their talents without Friday night football. It was a huge bummer for everybody involved.
The Bulldogs are also going to cancel the 2026 high school football season.
Springfield Central announced in January that it was going to return in 2026 with a new head coach. Scott confirmed the new hire and said the district expected to field a team this season.
That no longer appears to be the case.
According to Ryan Collingwood, at least five teams on Central’s high school football schedule are no longer set to play the Bulldogs. East Newton, Moberly, Cassville and Seneca posted opening for games that were originally scheduled against Central. The August 28th season-opener against crosstown rival Hillcrest has also been vacated.
Although we can probably read between the lines based on the current trend, Seneca athletic director Rich Adkins actually confirmed that Central is not going to play a varsity schedule this season. The Bulldogs have yet to make a formal announcement.