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ROCK -- After just one game, Mid Peninsula School District made the difficult decision to cancel its varsity football season.
“Unfortunately, due to a combination of low player numbers and injuries, we have reached a point where we can no longer safely field a football team. After careful consideration, we believe continuing the season would place our student-athletes at an unacceptable risk of additional injury,” read a statement from Superintendent Eric VanDamme. “…The safety of our students has to come before wins, losses, schedules, or traditions.”
The announcement came as a disappointment to those who were looking forward to watching the Wolverines play again, but it’s not entirely out of left field. As a small school with lower enrollment -- an average of 17 students per grade at the high school level, according to U.S. News & World Report -- Mid Pen has been forced into this position before.
From 2015 to 2021, the school on St. Nicholas Road went without a football team. After bringing the program back for a few years, they ended up forfeiting the 2025 season.
This year, under coach Chris Reynolds, 12 players were recruited for the Mid Pen team. Five were returning players; seven were freshman.
Just a few months ago, Mid Pen was selected for the Detroit Lions' Touchdown in Your Town program, which provided the school with a $10,000 grant specifically for new football equipment.
The bitter news about the closure of the 2026 season came on Wednesday.
“We know how much Wolverine football means to our students, families, alumni, and community. We also know how hard our players and coaches have worked and how disappointing it is for them to have their season end this way,” stated the school’s press release. “These young men wanted to continue playing and representing Mid Peninsula, and we are proud of the commitment they have shown. …We ask our Wolverine community to support our players and coaches. This is not how any of them wanted their season to end, and they deserve our encouragement and appreciation for representing Mid Peninsula with pride.”