Both of Wednesday afternoon's 6-Man football games have been forfeited, schools announced on Wednesday morning. Box Elder's game at Hobson-Moore-Judith Gap was forfeited due to low numbers after injuries, while Reed Point-Rapelje's game at Plenty Coups is also off, according to the administration at Plenty Coups.
Box Elder athletic director Neal Rosette says the Bears suffered recent injuries, dropping their roster of nine to only "four healthy bodies."
"The Box Elder football program has made every effort to field a team this week, but in order to keep our student-athletes' safety as our No. 1 priority, the activities director and the administration has made the decision to cancel the game," Rosette said in a press release, which went on to apologize to both Hobson-Moore-Judith Gap and Box Elder fans.
Low participation numbers continue to be an issue for many of Montana's rural programs, though schools as high as Class A have also been affected. Park High in Livingston canceled its varsity season, stating "current injuries, inexperience, and the low number of upperclassmen" led to the decision.
In early October, Glendive canceled its nonconference game at Havre due to depth issues.
The remainder of this week's 6-Man football schedule, which includes subdivision playoffs in the North and South, is listed below. To view the live high school football scoreboard page, please click here.
Thursday, Oct. 17
Heart Butte at Sunburst, 6 p.m.
Friday, Oct. 18
Bainville at Jordan, 7 p.m.
Valley Christian at Noxon, 7 p.m.
White Sulphur Springs at Hot Springs, 7 p.m.
Wibaux at Westby-Grenora, 7 p.m.
Saturday, Oct. 19
Geraldine-Highwood at North Star, 1 p.m.
Harlowton-Ryegate at Custer-Hysham, 1 p.m.
Richey-Lambert at Froid-Medicine Lake, 1 p.m.
Sheridan at Gardiner, 1 p.m.
Valier at Denton-Geyser-Stanford, 1 p.m.
Fromberg at Roy-Winifred, 2 p.m.
