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MCDADE — A lack of available athletes has forced McDade High School leaders to cancel the rest of its varsity football season.
The Bulldogs, who went winless through their first three games, announced Sept. 24 they would pull the plug on the final seven contests of their District 13-2A Division II schedule. Head coach Jonathan Wells said just 13 healthy players remained on the roster, including nine freshmen.
“My job is to sell the program and convince kids that we can be successful,” Wells said.
McDade was outscored 201-6 in its three losses this season — 63-6 to Austin St. Stephen’s, 70-0 to Hubbard and 68-0 to Keene. It was announced Sept. 25 that district mate Snook made the decision to play a junior varsity schedule for the remainder of the season.
Burton was slated to host the Bulldogs Sept. 26. Instead, Burton and the district’s other five teams — Bartlett, Granger, Iola, Milano and Somerville — will be awarded forfeit wins against McDade and Snook.
Though the Bulldogs won’t compete in district play, Wells said the team hopes to salvage the year by playing as an independent six-man program.
“We want to keep football going,” he said. “We don’t want to travel too far for a game, but anything within two hours or playing someone else at a neutral site would work.”
While the numbers are thin at the high school level, the future of McDade football looks promising. The district’s junior high program currently hosts 21 young athletes, including nine eighth-graders set to enter high school next year.
“We’re going to build this program,” Wells said.
With only one senior on this year’s varsity team, the Bulldogs could return 12 lettermen and nine freshmen for 2026.
