North Carolina high school football team won’t field varsity for 2026

A North Carolina high school football team publicly announced over the weekend that they will only field a junior varsity team for the 2026 season. [ $19.99 gets you a FULL year of On3 | Rivals national coverage ] Lenoir (N.C.) West Caldwell High School announced on their official Facebook page that they have decided to move forward only with a junior varsity team for the 2026 campaign due to the lack of upperclassmen. The Warriors own a 2-47 record over the past five seasons, with four of those campaigns finishing with a winless mark. Here is the full message that was released by West Caldwell High School regarding their decision to suspended the varsity program for the 2026 campaign: A message about Warrior football. Friday nights mean something here. Football has been part of who West Caldwell is from the beginning. And that’s exactly why we owe our community a straightforward explanation about the upcoming season. This fall, West Caldwell will have a JV football team. We will not field a varsity team. We don’t have enough of our upperclassmen returning to safely field a varsity team. And moving underclassmen up just to make a full roster isn’t the best decision. We cannot send young players into games against fully grown athletes when we know it isn’t safe for them. Their health and well-being come first — even when the answer is hard. It isn’t the plan any of us hoped for, but it is the plan that’s best for our student athletes. This year will be a reset for West Caldwell football. A chance to steady the program, keep our kids safe, and return stronger. JV football keeps going strong this fall. Varsity will look to next year. This decision wasn’t made lightly or without feedback. Our district, our school, and our athletic department made it together. It grew out of conversations many community members started with us. The community asked us to protect the Warriors and think about the long run, and that’s what we’re doing. It’s important that we mention how proud we are of our varsity football players. This news was tough to hear, but they have displayed a strength and maturity that only Warriors can. They are an important part of West Caldwell’s ongoing athletic strategy, and they can be proud of that forever. Football isn’t going anywhere at West Caldwell. Stick with it this year. Fill the stands for our JV. Let’s build the future of Warrior football together. The Warriors finished with a 2-8 record last season as won their first game since the 2020 campaign when West Caldwell went 3-4. The program last had a winning record in 2016 when the Warriors went 10-3 under Chip English, who is now the current head coach of the Hoover Buccaneers of Alabama. For North Carolina high school football fans looking to keep up with scores around the Volunteer State, staying updated on the action is now easier than ever with the Rivals High School Scoreboard. This comprehensive resource provides real-time updates and final scores from across the state, ensuring you never miss a moment of the Friday night frenzy. From nail-biting finishes to dominant performances, the Rivals High School Scoreboard is your one-stop destination for tracking all the Tennessee high school football excitement across the state.