Edinburgh cancels the rest of their season

[ArmyVet80]

Unfortunate way to end the season. Safety is understandable. 

https://fox59.com/news/edinburgh-cancels-football-season-due-to-lack-of-players-some-believe-racial-harassment-played-a-part/

 

[Gipper]

☹️

[Muda69]

That's two for the season. Tri-Central cancelled it's varsity schedule after it's first game.  

Combine this with the volume of non-competitive programs out there and it is not a good look for the overall health of Indiana High School football.

 

[Muda69]

Add Irvington Prep to the list of cancelled season:  

 

 

[tango]

14 hours ago, ArmyVet80 said:

Unfortunate way to end the season. Safety is understandable. 

https://fox59.com/news/edinburgh-cancels-football-season-due-to-lack-of-players-some-believe-racial-harassment-played-a-part/

 

Indeed. 

[Coach Nowlin]

8 man football sounds like a great deal for those communities, see if you can build it back up and transition back into 11 man 

 

[tango]

21 minutes ago, Coach Nowlin said:

8 man football sounds like a great deal for those communities, see if you can build it back up and transition back into 11 man 

 

I hadn't thought of it, but that might also be a potential solution to a couple of the struggling programs down here too. 

[justafootballguy]

57 minutes ago, Coach Nowlin said:

8 man football sounds like a great deal for those communities, see if you can build it back up and transition back into 11 man 

 

This needs to be a real thing in this state. Help save some of these dying football programs! 

[wabashalwaysfights]

1 hour ago, Coach Nowlin said:

8 man football sounds like a great deal for those communities, see if you can build it back up and transition back into 11 man 

 

This is 1000% true.  Do we know currently how many schools are participating in 8 man?

[Trojanmp52]

With the new transfer rules can the kids transfer to a new school and join the that school team if they want to.

[crimsonace1]

This is their superintendent's dream. He believes athletics take too much attention and resources away from academics, and to a lesser degree, performing arts programs. He especially hates football, because of the attention it garners. Honestly, 8-man football would be a great move for Edinburgh, but given his disdain for football, he'll likely use this as an opportunity to kill off the program for good. 

He did everything in his power to de-emphasize football at a previous stop - basically creating a bunch of conditions that only applied to football (which, if followed, would have prevented them from practicing on any day the heat index was above 90 ... or pretty much any day in August) to give him the runway to fire one successful coach, then refusing to allow the school system to create a teaching position for the next one (who was also successful), eliminating assistant coach salaries for a few years and then suggesting "having the parents coach." His plan worked so well that after he left, that school whose program he basically tried to kill off has won four state championships and football has elevated the profile of the community and school system. 

 

[foxbat]

1 hour ago, wabashalwaysfights said:

This is 1000% true.  Do we know currently how many schools are participating in 8 man?

Here's a current list based on MaxPreps.  Faith Cristian played there the last couple of seasons, but started with 11-main last season.  A couple of familiar names on this list that played 11-man ball at one time in IHSAA. 

 

[wabashalwaysfights]

5 minutes ago, foxbat said:

Here's a current list based on MaxPreps.  Faith Cristian played there the last couple of seasons, but started with 11-main last season.  A couple of familiar names on this list that played 11-man ball at one time in IHSAA. 

Thank you.  Travel may be an issue for some schools with as few schools as there are, it seems like most of those are in the southern part of the state, but it seems fairly spread out.

[foxbat]

18 minutes ago, wabashalwaysfights said:

Thank you.  Travel may be an issue for some schools with as few schools as there are, it seems like most of those are in the southern part of the state, but it seems fairly spread out.

That's kind of what I thought ... the issue of travel.  For some of these communities that might benefit from 8-man, the problem that they may have is getting those guys to a season of games where you are traversing the state. 

[crimsonace1]

39 minutes ago, foxbat said:

Here's a current list based on MaxPreps.  Faith Cristian played there the last couple of seasons, but started with 11-main last season.  A couple of familiar names on this list that played 11-man ball at one time in IHSAA. 

 

Wasn't Trinity Lutheran playing 8-man? Are they back to 11-man football now, or did they just end the program? 

[foxbat]

53 minutes ago, crimsonace1 said:

Wasn't Trinity Lutheran playing 8-man? Are they back to 11-man football now, or did they just end the program? 

I don't think Trinity Lutheran did 8-man, but you might be thinking of Traders Point Christian which played back in 2023 and 2024?

[Impartial_Observer]

1 hour ago, crimsonace1 said:

Wasn't Trinity Lutheran playing 8-man? Are they back to 11-man football now, or did they just end the program? 

Trinity has never played 8-Man. This is their third attempt at 11-man and frankly they should have gone the 8-man route. 20 person roster sharing athletes with in some cases two other sports. 
If I recall correctly they combined with Southside Homeschool, the Crimson Knights, got their coach and started the second iteration. 

Edited October 9, 2025 by Impartial_Observer

[Muda69]

4 hours ago, Coach Nowlin said:

8 man football sounds like a great deal for those communities, see if you can build it back up and transition back into 11 man 

 

IMHO a Coop arrangement is a better solution than 8-man "football".

 

[Coach Nowlin]

4 hours ago, justafootballguy said:

This needs to be a real thing in this state. Help save some of these dying football programs! 

"real thing?"    I mean it is already real, been available for a few years, now if youre opinion that more programs should take a real look at this, then I understand that setiment 

 

2 hours ago, foxbat said:

Here's a current list based on MaxPreps.  Faith Cristian played there the last couple of seasons, but started with 11-main last season.  A couple of familiar names on this list that played 11-man ball at one time in IHSAA. 

 

Faith Christian played 1 year of 8 man and went to 11 man 

2 hours ago, wabashalwaysfights said:

Thank you.  Travel may be an issue for some schools with as few schools as there are, it seems like most of those are in the southern part of the state, but it seems fairly spread out.

They do jamberee style, where there will be 4 teams go to one site to play, at least they did last 2 years for some games because of travel 

15 minutes ago, Muda69 said:

IMHO a Coop arrangement is a better solution than 8-man "football".

 

It was discussed last year at IHSAA level, I believe pilot program for baseball/softball, but was shot down if memory serves.....

[Coach Nowlin]

AI Overview

 

 

 

Quote

 

An IHSAA bylaw proposal to allow cooperative sports teams was voted down by the Indiana High School Athletic Association's Board of Directors in May 2025

. The proposal, submitted by Union High School Principal Ryan Chiddister, did not receive enough support to pass. 

What the cooperative proposal involved

• Purpose: The proposal aimed to allow two neighboring member schools to "team up" for athletic purposes. It was intended to create more opportunities for students at smaller schools to participate in sports that their school does not offer.
• Eligibility for cooperation: The agreement would have been limited to team sports and required schools to demonstrate a need, such as:
  • Insufficient enrollment numbers
  • Insufficient staff
  • Lack of a program at one or both schools
  • Lack of proper facilities
• Enrollment restrictions: Only schools with fewer than 300 students would be allowed to form a cooperative agreement. The combined enrollment of the participating schools could not exceed 750 students.
• Implementation timeline: If passed, schools could have applied by September 1, 2025, with reclassifications taking place for the 2026-2027 school year. 

Outcome of the vote

• The proposal was defeated by a 6-12 vote on May 5, 2025.
• The decision means the state will not implement cooperative sports teams for the foreseeable future, despite some other changes to IHSAA rules, such as a new transfer rule, being passed at the same meeting.
• A cooperative sports model is currently used by high school athletic associations in other states, including Illinois. 

 

•  

[Donnie Baker]

1 hour ago, Muda69 said:

IMHO a Coop arrangement is a better solution than 8-man "football".

 

I agree. It’s better for the children 😎. 
If Illinois can do it Indiana can too 

[gonzoron]

Why is everyone avoiding saying the reason Edinburgh doesn't have enough players?

[Sparty]

@gonzoronwhy, because a black kid was bullied and harassed by white kids and Edinburgh suspended too many to field a team?   Am I close?

[justafootballguy]

17 hours ago, Coach Nowlin said:

"real thing?"    I mean it is already real, been available for a few years, now if youre opinion that more programs should take a real look at this, then I understand that setiment 

 

Faith Christian played 1 year of 8 man and went to 11 man 

They do jamberee style, where there will be 4 teams go to one site to play, at least they did last 2 years for some games because of travel 

It was discussed last year at IHSAA level, I believe pilot program for baseball/softball, but was shot down if memory serves.....

Sorry, Yes, I know it is a real thing... I should have said more schools should look into this and take advantage! 

[Coach Nowlin]

can the poopents of Irvine Prep and the opponents of Edinburgh just get together now for weeks 8 and 9?