Saratoga’s football coach has resigned and its 2018 season is in question due to a lack of players.
Saratoga activities director Greg Bartlett said via email Tuesday that if a full 11-man squad can’t be fielded, the Panthers would field a six-man team and try to secure games against nearby junior varsity squads. A final decision on Saratoga’s 2018 season will likely be made in the second week of July, Bartlett said.
Meanwhile, coach Kegan Willford, the Panthers’ coach the past two seasons, said via email early this week that he is no longer the head coach at Saratoga. It was unclear whether Willford resigned or was let go from the position; Willford did not respond to follow-up emails.
Saratoga went 3-7 last season and lost to eventual Class 1A 11-man champion Pine Bluffs 58-0 in the first round of the playoffs.
Saratoga played in the Class 1A six-man division for one season, in 2013. The Panthers have fielded a team every season since 1955, occasionally fielding eight-man or nine-man teams.
Of the 21 players listed on the Saratoga roster from last season, seven were seniors.
–patrick