Cheboygan High School Varsity Football Season Canceled

It is with great disappointment that Cheboygan Area Schools announces the cancellation of the 2026 Cheboygan High School varsity football season.

After carefully evaluating player numbers and the health and safety of our student-athletes, the decision was made to cancel the varsity season. Due to injuries, the varsity roster had been reduced to just 13 players, making it unsafe to field an 11-player varsity football team for a full season.

Our players were informed of the decision at 3:00 p.m. on Thursday, August 13. At that time, all of our scheduled varsity opponents were also notified that Cheboygan would be forfeiting the 2026 varsity football season.

This was an extremely difficult decision, particularly for our seniors, our players, and our coaching staff. Our football program had worked hard throughout the offseason and recently completed a productive three-day team camp at Lake Louise focused on football development, teamwork, and building relationships.

While we are disappointed that our varsity players will not have the opportunity to compete under the Friday night lights this fall, the health, safety, and well-being of our students must always come first.

Cheboygan will continue to offer a JV football program this fall, providing an opportunity for our younger athletes to continue developing their skills and competing as members of the Chiefs football program. Varsity players will also have opportunities to support the JV program, participate in other activities and athletics, and remain connected to their teammates and the Cheboygan football community.

We recognize the tremendous disappointment this decision creates, especially for our senior athletes who had hoped to play their final season together. We are proud of the way our players and coaches have handled this difficult situation and the challenges they have faced.

We appreciate the support of our students, families, coaches, opposing schools, and community as we move forward. The Chiefs will continue to support our student-athletes and look for opportunities for them to grow, compete, and remain connected throughout the school year.

We wish our JV football team the best of luck this fall and thank everyone who continues to support Cheboygan Athletics.

SB