St. John Paul II Football Team Forfeits Playoff Opener With Only 16 Players Available
The football team at St. John Paul II Catholic High School in Huntsville, Madison County, Alabama, confirmed on November 3 that it will forfeit its first-round playoff game and end its season early. The school said the decision was made to protect the safety and health of its players.
The team finished the regular season 0-10, closing with a 21-17 loss to Danville. According to the school's statement, it entered the finale with just 22 players, six more were injured during the game, and only 16 players would have been available for the playoff opener. St. John Paul II was scheduled to face Briarwood Christian School of the Birmingham area in the first round; with the forfeit, Briarwood advances directly to the second round against the winner of Randolph and John Carroll.
The team allowed an average of 44 points per game this season, outscored 440-84 over 10 games, with the finale its only single-digit loss. It is the school's second winless season since 2021, and its last winning season was in 2019. The school said it deeply wished to take the field but could not do so at the cost of its young players' health.
(Source: USA TODAY)
Source: USA TODAY
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Photo: 图：阿拉巴马州亨茨维尔市中心。（照片：Anivron，CC BY-SA 3.0，经 Wikimedia Commons） / Photo: Downtown Huntsville, Alabama. (Photo: Anivron, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons)
