OMAHA, Neb. (KMTV) — Benson High School has canceled the last two games of its football season due to low participation numbers and safety concerns. Neighbors and officials share what this means for the community.
- Parents were informed via a letter from Omaha Public Schools and Benson High School.
- Benson High is the first Class A school in Nebraska to forfeit the rest of the season but the third in the state overall.
- The OPS School Board supports the decision, prioritizing student safety.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
Friday night football is really important to our neighborhoods but one school has played their last game and it came as a surprise. The Benson High School football team canceled it's last two games of the season.
"We literally found out last night," said Brandon Fiscus.
Brandon and Stacey Fiscus, presidents of the Benson Booster Club say they wanted more communication before a decision was made.
"When you have things like that are big like this that affect not only student athletes but their parents and then the organizations that, that are represented at those games in the community… If that's something that's that you're thinking that we're gonna pull then meet with some of those people," said Stacey.
Omaha Public Schools and Benson High School sent this letter to parents Monday afternoon saying they "will not proceed as scheduled due to low participation numbers," ending the football season early.
The NSAA tells us while Benson is the first class A school to forfeit the remainder of their season, they are the third in the state to do so, with a handful of other schools forfeiting games for their own reasons.
"They're all unique, but it's disappointing and it's unfortunate that kids lose opportunities to participate in high school athletics," said Nate Neuhaus, NSAA Assistant Director
"There's a lot of conversations among the NSAA and our member schools to address these situations so we can prevent forfeitures from taking place in the future," said Neuhaus.
Ricky Smith on the OPS school board says the coaches did meet with the players before the news was announced to let them know why they had to make this decision.
"I've seen our kids really work hard all season and just to make sure that our kids are safe and we are providing them with good activities. I think it was the best decision made by the principal and other authorities to take our kids out of harm's way," said Smith.
Senior night for the football players graduating was suppose to be at this Thursday nights game. Those seniors will still be recognized during the winter sports season
