Season over: Two Elk Grove schools pull plug on varsity football, citing low roster numbers

The varsity football seasons for two Elk Grove Unified School District programs in south Sacramento ended before the first kickoff.

Low roster numbers at Valley and Florin high schools prompted the schools, with the backing of the district, to close the seasons in the past week and just over a week before opening their seasons. Neither school was scheduled to play on Friday, when most others in the capital region started their seasons.

Valley administrators dismissed its head varsity coach several days ago, “due to a personal matter resulting from an investigation”, the district said in a statement, adding that there were no assistant coaches available to take over the program. The goal is to hire a new coach and start varsity football in 2025. Valley also will not field a junior varsity team due to low roster numbers, though Florin will have a JV team.

On Aug. 30, Valley was scheduled to play Western Sierra Academy of Rocklin and Florin was to play El Capitan of Merced. Those opponents gained forfeit victories against Florin and Valley.

Low roster numbers have plagued Florin and Valley for years, reflective of the team’s struggles in games and throughout 10-game seasons in which victories were scarce. Florin’s enrollment is 1,663 students across four grades, and Valley’s is 1,631, making these the two lowest-enrollment schools in the nine-school district that includes Cosumnes Oaks, Franklin, Monterey Trail, Pleasant Grove, Sheldon, Laguna Creek and founding member Elk Grove.

The governing body California Interscholastic Federation does not decide on closing a team down due to roster numbers, Sac-Joaquin Section assistant commissioner Will DeBoard said. Those decisions are made within the district.

The fallout of canceled seasons doesn’t just include players, who can transfer to another school and play football right away under the CIF’s hardship clause of a closed program. Football games also include the backdrop of student activity: cheerleaders, the marching band, the drum line, and freshmen, sophomores, juniors and seniors who dress up in school colors to cheer on their friends and programs.

Canceled seasons mean Senior Night to honor outgoing players will not happen. Neither will homecoming, a highlight for any campus in the fall months.

Opponents in the Greater Sacramento League will gain a forfeit victory over Florin and Valley. Other members of the league include Burbank, Foothill, Johnson, Fairfield and Armijo of Fairfield. Scheduling new opponents to replace Florin and Valley will be a difficult task as schedules are generally secured months, if not years, in advance.

The revenue generated at home games helps fund sports programs across campus. Valley used nearby Cosumnes River College as its home field. Florin played home games at Monterey Trail.

Valley opened in 1977 as the second school in the EGUSD, which is now the largest district by enrollment in Northern California and the fifth largest in the state. The Vikings fielded stellar teams and star players from their inception and into the 2002 campaign. Scores of Valley graduates earned full athletic football scholarships to colleges across the country. Some reached the NFL, including Robert Awalt, Charles Mann and Keith Lewis.

The Valley decline included a significant drop in enrollment as the district around them exploded in growth, and a constant changeover of coaches. Valley has produced one playoff team in the past 22 years.

Florin became the third school in the EGUSD, opening in 1989. The Panthers fielded some competitive teams but have had just one playoff team in school history, enduring the longest losing streaks in the district’s history. Their struggles were also rooted in a changeover in coaches and youth programs that folded or had their players enroll at other high schools in the district.