Amityville High School abruptly canceled its varsity football season on Monday, right as school started this week, after multiple preseason injuries sidelined their players. This is a gut punch for the team and community, especially when you consider their football program has been around for over 100 years.
Student Safety Is The Play, But It Hurts
Sean Kreuder, who played for Amityville and graduated just last year in 2025, couldn’t believe it. “I was a little disappointed and shocked, because it wasn’t that long ago that I was playing,” Kreuder said. The school superintendent, Gina Talbert, sent a letter to the community, making it clear this was a “heavy hearts” decision focused entirely on student-athlete safety and the long-term health of the program. She said, “Taking into account numerous player injuries on the varsity level, the program has made the decision to pause varsity competition for the upcoming season and focus all resources on a junior varsity schedule.” Tom Combs, who directs Section XI sports for Suffolk County, confirmed that injuries in recent scrimmages, mostly to 9th and 10th graders, led to the decision to drop varsity and play JV this year to build skills and camaraderie. It’s tough, but “Football is not an easy sport; the practices are hard, games are hard; it’s not for everybody,” Combs added.
The Brutal Reality For The Seniors
This cancellation hits hardest for a few specific guys. The superintendent’s letter explicitly states that three dedicated senior athletes are prohibited from playing at the JV level. That’s rough, man. Imagine practicing all summer, looking forward to your final season, and then it’s just gone. Kreuder summed it up perfectly, “I feel bad they are not going to have a senior season, especially after practicing all summer.” Combs noted that every other student, except for those seniors, can play on the JV team. Amityville is the third school on Long Island this year to cancel varsity football, joining Port Jefferson and Holy Trinity. Kreuder thinks it might be a bigger trend too, saying, “I just think a lot of kids in the high school are not interested in playing anymore, and that’s unfortunate.” For those three seniors, the school is looking for leadership roles to keep them involved, which is something, but it’s definitely not hitting the field.
The Amityville program will now focus solely on their junior varsity schedule this season. It’s about rebuilding, sure, but for those seniors, what’s at stake is their final shot at Friday night lights, which they won’t get.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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