Once a traditional high school football power, now the program won't put a varsity team on the field in 2025.
Oakland-Craig, after 17 consecutive playoff appearances and the 2019 Class C-2 title, announced Tuesday it was canceling its varsity season due to low participation numbers.
The Knights had 14 players attend the first day of practice Monday. District officials hoped for at least 18 players, the number the district said was necessary to support an 11-man team.
"After months of monitoring player interest and turnout, the district has made the decision to forgo a a varsity 11-man season and instead pursue a junior varsity schedule in the 8-man format," Oakland-Craig superintendent Jess Bland wrote in a press release.
Oakland-Craig went 6-4 last season, with all of its losses coming to ranked teams.
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But graduation hit the Knights hard, and football participation saw a steep dropoff this fall.
"Current male enrollment in grades 9 through 11 is 46, compared to a seven-year average of 52," Bland wrote. "While this difference may seem small, only 30% of male students are participating in football this fall, which is well below the seven-year overage of 67%."
Because of Oakland-Craig's season cancellation, Yutan, North Bend, Tekamah-Herman, Malcolm, Battle Creek, Ponca, Norfolk Catholic, Hartington Cedar Catholic and West-Point Beemer will each be short one game in 2025.
Oakland-Craig is working to schedule junior varsity games with nearby eight-man programs this fall, and in 2026 — the first year of the new scheduling cycle — will attempt to play an eight-man varsity schedule. The Nebraska School Activities Association will add a third class of eight-man football next year coinciding with the next two-year scheduling cycle.
Oakland-Craig will also transition its youth football program to the eight-man format "to ensure consistency and long-term development," Bland wrote. The school will keep its junior high 11-man co-op with Lyons-Decatur for 2025 because of previous schedule commitments.
The district is optimistic about the future, Bland wrote, because of "encouraging" football participation from younger students.
Oakland-Craig's 2024 season ended with a 22-16 loss to Hartington CC in the first round of the playoffs — the second time in the past seven seasons the Knights didn't advance past the first round. They won the 2019 C2 championship and finished second in 2015. They also won a state title in 1995.
Oakland-Craig missed the playoffs last in 2007 and has missed the postseason four times overall since 1992.
