A numbers game

ARCADIA -- Derek Kidwell has played and coached for some big programs. As a quarterback, Kidwell led Fostoria to a state championship in 1991, when he was named Mr. Football. He then went on to play three seasons at Division I Bowling Green State University. As a coach, Kidwell has led four programs, including the relatively large Fremont Ross. But for Kidwell, nothing quite matches small school teams battling it out on a Friday night. "It's the purest form of football when you go to some Division VII, Division VI schools and watch 25 kids, 14-15 of them don't come off the field ever," Kidwell said. "Those kids are not playing for a scholarship… they're just playing for pride and the love of the game." Now, Kidwell is in his third season as head coach of Arcadia. When Kidwell took over the Redskins in 2024, the program had just 16 kids on its roster. In 2026, that number has increased to 20. It's still not that many players for 11-man football. That's an issue many coaches and programs are facing. "We have 33 kids on the roster," said Arlington coach Nick Inbody. "Of course, I'd want more, but I'd feel OK with that, hearing some other numbers around the area." The number of players on rosters is dropping, and it's been noticeable this fall. Cory-Rawson has 20 players, while McComb – perennially one of the strongest teams in the BVC—has just 26. But those schools will have a season. For others, that was far from certain. Oberlin High School cancelled its season due to low numbers. Oberlin's players were given the chance to play with neighboring Wellington High School this fall. Vanlue – which earlier this month had only 12 players – held a meeting about the status of its program last week. But Vanlue's players – who are used to low numbers – opted to give it a go. Some say the fluctuating numbers are natural. Bluffton High School coach Jeff Richards has 42 players, a decent number. Bluffton, which has made deep playoff runs in recent years, was bumped up to a Division V school for this season, meaning it will be competing against bigger schools for playoff spots. "We always try to get 10 per class," Richards said. "Forty is kind of the magic number for us. I'd love to be back in the 50s, that'd be amazing, but a lot of it comes down to class sizes, it comes down to participation in other things, and it just comes down to patterns, the ebb and flows. "It kind of goes up and down," Richards said. "We've got some big junior high classes that will be coming up." Kidwell was asked why he thinks football -- still the most popular sport in the country – is having trouble attracting players. "I think it's a hard sport to commit to during the offseason, because you have to lift, you have to get bigger and stronger," Kidwell said. "Then, when we start practice in June and July… a lot of what you do in practice is not simulated in a game. You've got to work on a lot of individual fundamental stuff. "The skills, the drills you do, it's not like playing basketball or swinging a golf club or anything like that," Kidwell continued. "It's different, and kids have to understand mentally that, 'Why are we doing this?' Because it translates to the skills that you're gonna have to do on Friday nights or Saturday nights. I think that's part of it." Kidwell – who has also been a head coach at Fostoria and Hopewell-Loudon – said players may also back out of football for personal reasons. "I think video games, technology, we've lost some kids there," he said. "I also think some kids get burned out or treated differently or wrong in some (youth) programs, and then they just lose interest, or say they lose interest because they've had bad experiences, and they don't want to come back." One thing was clear, however: The players that are coming out to play football remain enthusiastic about it. "I think we're in the same boat with a lot of teams, where depth is a little shaky at times," Inbody said. "But the kids that are out are working hard."