Sherrard High School has announced it will cancel the remainder of its varsity football season, following the conclusion of its next game against Orion scheduled for Friday.
The school district made the announcement on Tuesday evening after the football program held a meeting with all of its coaches, players and parents, citing a limited number of varsity-ready players available.
The Tigers’ roster lists 30 players, with just 13 juniors and seniors. Sherrard lost its season opener to Newman 47-0 on Saturday while missing numerous players who were unable to travel due to mononucleosis. The team did not expect those players to return for several weeks, including multiple players who had been listed as starters along the offensive and defensive lines earlier in the week.
Sherrard will play a JV-only schedule for the remainder of the season. The Tigers’ remaining varsity opponents will receive a forfeit win in their scheduled game with Sherrard, or they could fill the date with a non-conference opponent if possible.
“This is an incredibly tough decision but one that we know is the right one to make at this time for our players and program. We are heavily focused on building the Sherrard Football program up from the top down and know that this tough decision will help us develop our team,” said head football coach Zach Weigel. “While we are heartbroken for the 5 seniors we have, we are confident that this decision will benefit our program for years to come.”
Locally, Alleman High School has canceled three of its last four full varsity football seasons. In 2025, the school played varsity football until Week 6, before forfeiting its remaining three games. Riverdale High School opted to play a JV-only schedule in 2022.
Sherrard’s remaining varsity schedule:
Aug. 28 – vs Orion
Sept. 4 – @ Rockridge
Sept. 11 – vs Kewanee
Sept. 18 – @ Princeton
Sept. 25 – vs Hall
Oct. 2 – @ Monmouth-Roseville
Oct. 9 – vs Mendota
Oct. 16 – vs Mercer County