The Cave City School District has announced it will be unable to participate in sanctioned 11-man high school football for the 2025 season.
In an Aug. 15 letter (below) to Lance Taylor, executive director of the Arkansas Activities Association (AAA), Superintendent Steven Green said the district held a community meeting and consulted players before concluding it could not fulfill its obligation to field an 11-man junior and senior high program. He added that Cave City would notify all schools affected by the decision and apologized for the inconvenience.
Cave City plans instead to pursue an eight-man football program. The letter acknowledged that such a format would be unsanctioned under AAA rules.
The AAA serves as the principal sanctioning body for high school athletics statewide and oversees classifications, season scheduling, and eligibility regulations.
According to Jonesboro media outlet KAIT, Cave City notified the other schools in Conference 4A-3 about the change to eight-man football due to low participation levels.
Eight-man football—a variation of the traditional game featuring fewer players—is typically adopted by schools facing roster shortages.
While several states and schools in Arkansas have embraced eight-man formats, it remains governed differently in terms of sanctioning and playoff eligibility.
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