One Charlotte high school will not play varsity football this year. Here’s why.
Garinger High School will not have a varsity football team this season, Wildcats first-year coach Shon Galloway told The Observer Tuesday.
Galloway said the school made the decision Monday night. Galloway said when he took the job in May, the Wildcats had 28 players that would’ve been eligible to play this fall. He said only three decided to return to the field.
Galloway, who came to Garinger from Mallard Creek, said he and his staff called 458 incoming freshmen and sophomores to inquire about them playing football.
As of Monday, Garinger, located in Northeast Charlotte, had 28 football players and just two seniors. The team has 11 freshmen and 10 sophomores. Galloway said if the Wildcats had to play a game this week, he would start six freshmen on defense.
“We wanted to play varsity,” Galloway said, “but our kids are so far behind because we haven’t been in a weight lifting program. We’re trying to build a program here. If not, we’ll be right back in the same situation, where we’re getting beat 70-0 or 80-0.”
Garinger plays in the Southwestern 4A conference and each team will now have one fewer conference game. Conference secretary Steve Robinson, the athletic director at Rocky River High, said the Garinger game will not count as a forfeit and that some teams are already working to find replacement games.
Garinger is at least one of two N.C. teams to not play varsity this season. In Orange County, Cedar Ridge High announced this week that it will not field a varsity team. Cedar Ridge was 0-6 last spring and lost several returning players to transfer, leaving numbers thin.
At Garinger, the Wildcats have two seniors and Galloway said the school got permission from the N.C. High School Athletic Association for those seniors to play JV this season.
Galloway is trying to rebuild a program that has struggled for decades. Garinger was 0-7 last spring and was outscored 309-14.
Galloway is Garinger’s 12th coach since 2011. The Wildcats have not had a winning season since 2010 and just two of them since 1995.
“When I came in, on my first day of work, we only four or five people in the weight room,” Galloway said. “I started thinking then (about not playing varsity this season). Then we went for two weeks and the most kids I had was nine. I realized we needed to change. Now, this gives us a chance to build.”
Galloway said Garinger would field a varsity team in 2022.
“My goal,” he said, “is improvement and getting better. We’ve got to get some confidence in the kids and show them they can win, and get to fielding a team of kids that want to play for Garinger. Our goal is to get 35 to 40 kids, get some victories, and it’s building from there. Next year, those ninth and 10th graders (will be back). I think we’ll be ready to go.”
Garinger schedule
Garinger will not play a varsity schedule this season. This was the Wildcats schedule:
- Aug. 20 Harding
- Aug. 27 North Mecklenburg
- Sept. 3 at Berry
- Sept. 10 West Charlotte
- Sept. 17 at Butler
- Sept. 24 East Mecklenburg
- Oct. 1 at Independence
- Oct. 8 Charlotte Catholic
- Oct. 15 BYE
- Oct. 22 Providence
- Oct. 29 at Rocky River
