RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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Jefferson County has pulled the plug on its 2026 football season before it ever got started.
The middle and senior high school, which is located in the Florida panhandle just 26 miles east of Tallahassee, announced that they had scrapped their 2026 seasons on both the varsity and junior varsity levels due to low participation. The decision came after 10 players attended practice .
Jefferson County's cancellation is the second Florida high school program to announce on Wednesday, Aug. 12. Sarasota Booker, which has advanced to three straight Final Fours (2023, 2024, 2025), announced they'd only be fielding a junior varsity program this fall .
Earlier in the year, Jefferson County made the move to the Sunshine State Athletic Conference, which is an athletic association that has seen a handful of smaller schools join in recent years. The school will field a middle school program, which does have north of 20 kids.
The program has had its fair share of struggles. Jefferson County finished 2-9 last season under first-year coach Eric Bright and was scheduled to open the 2026 season against Cottondale on Aug. 14.
The Tigers have won six state championships, the most recent coming in 2011. Jack Youngblood, a Hall of Fame defensive end with the Los Angeles Rams, attended school at Jefferson County before attending Florida.
Follow Sports Reporter Alex Martin on X at @NP_AlexMartin or via email: [email protected]. For additional high school sports coverage, be sure to follow @usatodayhss on Instagram and X.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Florida program with six state titles opts to cancel varsity, JV seasons
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