The Larned High School football team has forfeited its first-round playoff matchup Friday night against Andale, citing low roster numbers.
“After careful consideration, we have made the difficult decision to forfeit our upcoming football game with Andale on Friday, Oct. 30,” said Fort Larned USD 495 officials on the school’s social media pages. “With our current low roster numbers due to injury, we believe that competing would place our student-athletes at an increased risk of injury.
“The safety and well-being of our students must remain our top priority, and we feel this is the most responsible decision under the circumstances. While this is a difficult decision for our players, coaches, and school community, we believe it is necessary to prioritize the health and safety of our student-athletes.”
Top-seeded Andale (9-0) advances to Round 2 of the Kansas Class 3A state football playoffs and will host the winner of Friday night’s Cheney vs. Pratt first-round game, which will be played at Cheney.
No. 9 Cheney is 6-2 and No. 8 Pratt is 4-4.
Larned finished the season with a 1-8 record.
