BOX ELDER – The Box Elder Bears football team will forfeit this weekend’s scheduled game with Great Falls Central due to a lack of players Bears athletic director Neal Rosette Jr. confirmed in a release Wednesday.
“The Bears roster of 11 athletes was reduced this week due to injuries sustained at the previous game,” Rosette said. “The Box Elder football program made every effort to field a team this upcoming Saturday, but in order to keep out student athletes’ safety as our number one priority the coaching staff, administration and school board have made the decision to cancel the game.”
Box Elder is 1-2 entering this week, coming off a 62-38 win over Hays-Lodge Pole on Saturday but will fall to 1-3 overall. Great Falls Central leads the 8-Man North Subdivision A standings with a 4-0 record and will improve to 5-0 with a forfeit win.
Rosette apologized to the Mustangs and the Box Elder fans in the release, and added that the Bears hope to get back on the field again this season.
“We do not plan to forfeit the season and we do plan to be back out on the field as soon as our participation numbers allow,” he said.
Box Elder’s forfeit follows a worrying trend across small town high school football this season. Augusta was forced to cancel its entire varsity season before Week 1, and North Star and Fromberg have been forced to cancel 6-Man games due to lack of numbers.
