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Iowa High School Football Team considering suspension of 2026 season

Lawrence Andrew Fernandezby: Lawrence Fernandez03/27/26lawandfern

Players of an Iowa high school football team could face the possibility of not competing in 2026. A report from the KCCI 8 Des Moines website revealed that the Central Decatur Community School District is reviewing its options for the upcoming football season.

According to school board documents, recent survey results showed a majority in support of cancelling the Cardinals’ 2026 football season. While the exact reasons for calling a cancellation are unknown, low participation and safety concerns are among the potential reasons. Unfortunately, those recurring concerns have hounded other Iowa high school football programs over the last year.

In another KCCI report last September, the Iowa High School Athletic Association identified seven schools that had cancelled or paused their high school football seasons. In one of those schools, Highland, the head coach resigned to force the school to cancel the season. Highland competed in Class A, the lowest classification for 11-man football in the Hawkeye State.

Meanwhile, as the Central Decatur varsity football program faces a potential halt, it doesn’t mean that no Cardinals will be playing football this fall. Instead, the district is considering having an eight-man junior varsity season.

Central Decatur finished the 2025 Iowa high school football season at 2-6. After splitting their first four games, they suffered a four-game losing streak in which they scored only 18 points. The Cardinals forfeited one of those games due to injuries to their players. After going 6-4 in 2023, Central Decatur won only four games in the last two seasons.

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