Why the Lexington High School varsity football season ended early

Lexington High School’s varsity football team forfeited the remainder of its season after its game on Oct. 15. The team had 11 senior players on its roster this year. After several walked away from the sport due to injuries, the school thought it would be safer to end the varsity season, rather than leaving younger players to compete against more experienced teams. “With a sport like football, matching athletes and allowing a healthy, safe environment is really important,” Naomi Martin, Lexington Public Schools’ director of athletics, told the Observer. “We got to a point where based on the number of junior and senior players left in the program, we couldn’t compete at the varsity level.” Asked how many players left the sport during this season, Martin would not specify. “We haven’t shared specific numbers publicly out of privacy for players’ and families’ decisions to stop playing football,” she told the Observer.

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