Wednesday, October 14, 2026
By Outer Banks Voice on September 18, 2026
First Flight High School announced on Friday, Sept. 18 that it has cancelled the remainder of the varsity football season “due to safety concerns related to the team’s current roster and available healthy players.” This year’s team was winless in four games this season before the announcement.
Here is the announcement.
First Flight High School Principal Joseph Bell Tyson has made the difficult decision to cancel the remainder of the First Flight High School varsity football season due to safety concerns related to the team’s current roster and available healthy players. The decision was made with guided input from the football coaching staff, athletic director, and athletic trainer.
At this time, the overall depth of the varsity roster is extremely limited, leaving very few available players to rotate into positions or replace starters if injuries or fatigue occur. In several position groups, the depth chart is at or near its minimum, making it difficult to safely sustain the demands of varsity competition. Simply put, we do not have enough varsity players or adequate depth across the roster to safely continue the season.
After careful consideration, Principal Tyson determined that continuing the varsity season under the current circumstances would present significant safety concerns for our student-athletes. The health and safety of our students will always remain our highest priority.
A meeting was held Thursday, September 17, at 4 p.m. in the First Flight High School cafeteria. Principal Tyson met with football players, parents, coaches, and staff to communicate the decision and explain the circumstances surrounding it. Tyson also addressed and answered questions brought forward by those in attendance.
“We recognize the tremendous commitment and effort our football players, coaches, and families have made this season,” said Principal Tyson. “We understand how difficult this decision is, particularly for our seniors. However, our responsibility is to make decisions that protect the health and safety of our students. We simply do not have enough varsity players or the depth necessary to safely continue competing at the varsity level.”
The school has worked with the NCHSAA Commissioner, and permission has been granted for First Flight players, including seniors, to participate with the junior varsity team for the remainder of the season if they choose and are approved by the opponent. This provides an opportunity for student-athletes to continue practicing and competing while addressing the safety concerns surrounding the varsity roster.
First Flight High School appreciates the dedication of its football players, coaches, families, and supporters. While this is not the outcome anyone hoped for, the school remains proud of the commitment these student-athletes have demonstrated throughout the season and will continue to support them and the First Flight football program.
First Flight High School remains committed to putting the health, safety, and well-being of its students first.
*****
Comments
Stephanie
Please share comments of support and recognition for these seniors. They didnt even get a senior night. They collectively agreed to support the team and help with practices. They decided not to play JV since it would be unfair to the other JV teams , due to thier size and know how advantage and would take away from underclassmen field times for JV. Good group of young men!
Ed
This has been happening across the country for a while, but this season in particular it seems like a wave of programs have made this announcement.
Is that evident or is it just a guess on my part?
It makes me think that decisions made by a bunch of parents many years ago all caught up right about now.
KDH Resident
So sad for the players. Prince left the program in a good place. Obviously whomever didn’t do so well. Perhaps rethinking current sports offerings should be evaluated. Time to do some eliminating sports that make sense. Oh yeah. Pay the coaches.
Rosie
Perhaps kids are just losing interest in football. Maybe money would be better spent on supporting sports that kids can learn and continue into adulthood. I see lots and lots of young people playing pickleball and organizing games on their own.
FFHS parent
I understand the school saying this decision is about roster depth and having enough healthy players to safely rotate positions. What I don’t understand is how we got to the point of saying there aren’t enough players when kids who actually WANTED to play were turned away.
My son personally went to the coach asking for an opportunity to play and was rejected without anyone asking about his experience, evaluating his ability, or even giving him the chance to show what he could contribute.
Football is a contact sport. These kids understand that when they put on the pads. They know there is risk involved, and they still choose to step onto that field because they want to play.
And for these varsity players especially the seniors this is an opportunity they will never get back. You can’t recreate a high school football season later.
If the program truly reached the point where there wasn’t enough depth to continue, then I believe the coaching staff and the way this program has been managed need to be evaluated too not just the players and the roster numbers.
If willing athletes were asking for an opportunity and were turned away, while the program was supposedly struggling for numbers, that deserves a real explanation
Really Rosie?
Perhaps the majority of pickleball players could spend some of their retirement check on pickleball?
KDH Resident
FFHS Parent. You hit it head on. There are so many kids that want to play football but lacrosse coach told them they can’t. In addition it’s my understanding from the current football players that practice was very limited during the summer because the coach was looking to move on from FFHS. Those higher ups need to do some soul searching so the program can return in 2027.
Reality Check
Where to begin…Sedentary Lifestyle, E bikes, Technology, Remote Learning, Organized Sports, Chauffeured everywhere, Helicopter parents. Riding a pedal powered bike is becoming a rarity as one encounters young people on e bikes, texting & riding against traffic on the wrong side of the road ((Helmets optional).
Shame on the parents. Take some responsibility. The Coach was being kind. Your kids are out of shape. It starts at home. The Coach is not the problem folks. He only has your children under his watch for a minuscule amount of time. This is a serious problem that needs to be addressed ASAP!
Go to the supermarket or any retail store and you will see 75+ year olds working long hours standing all day. They have tremor, wear braces on their wrists & elbows and bandages on wounds that won’t heal. Where are the young workers? You never see them mowing lawns or offering to help to earn their own money.
Keep indulging them, give them money they could earn themselves & defend them to avoid offending them. You will pay the price eventually & your children will pay an even greater price.
Pickleball? Seriously?
Kudos to the parents that have done the hard work of motivating their children to be physically active and healthy. I know there are many awesome young people out there, but there are too many that have lost the drive. When you rest you rust!
Everyone Likes HS Football
This is outrageous and a slap in the face to these student athletes and student body. The school football coach and principal that allowed this situation to develop and take place should resign now! If they didn’t see this on the horizon I would question what else they are fumbling! Think about this, Manteo High School has a football team and they have 1/3 the population of students that First Flight has. It appears they know what they’re hey are doing at Manteo High School.
I commend these students for coming out and doing the best they could and would never ask them to play if it was unsafe but I have no positive comments for the coaching staff or principal and the decision they made to eliminate the football season at the drop of a hat! Sounds like the issue is the coaching staff and principal aren’t interested in Football. What a shame! Students should be enjoying football season at their own school.
Wondering
What does the lacrosse coach have to do with it? @KDHResident
Really, Pickleball?
My, my ? How did we ever get by all those years ago? What has happened to our American youth athletics programs?
Next they will all playing flag football?
High school football made you tough and you learned about disciplined teamwork! It was never played for a participation trophy!
Pickleball is for gramps and granny!
W3
The article does not state how players on the team. Do you have 15 who play and 30 standing on the sidelines the whole game? If so, put those kids on the field and let them play. You might be surprised.
W3
The article does not state how many players on the team. Do you have 15 who actually play and 30 standing on the sideline the entire game? Put those kids on the field and let them play. You might be surprised.
Mark A Williamson
Wow, We played both ways, and special teams, never got off the field. Never thought it was a safety issue. And held down a full time job for summer practice! Before Gatorade was invented even, lol
ECW
Why not bring up some of the JV players?! Thats what a JV team is for. You don’t send down varsity players to the JV team. Crazy.
Currituck Buckeye
I agree with the decision to shut it down for the year. I know the ol’ “Back In My Day” thing and all, but playing tired and hurt is only going to hurt you worse. And fielding a team that is potentially undersized and/or less capable is going to (again) hurt you even worse. CTE is a real thing… even in youth sports. And there are other, safer, less injury-prone ways to build discipline, exhibit leadership and fund college aspirations.
Dumb Decision
This country has become a pathetic bunch of whiners!
Yes, to bring up JV players would have been the solution. It’s a shame to destroy the Seniors once in a lifetime chance at playing one last season. And they could have, under the circumstances checked to see if maybe they could have made the Manteo team?
Like in years past? But no, let’s just call it quits?
Who made this decision anyway?
Was it that bunch of No kings Protesters?
Cheetah OBX
Question:
Are these kids given the opportunity to at least play at another school???
They can’t redshirt…..
Niche decision(rolling eyes!)….