Lone Tree will not field a varsity football team this season

LONE TREE — Just two years ago, Lone Tree High School had a playoff football team.

This fall, low numbers will keep the school from fielding a varsity team at all.

Superintendent Tyler Hotz confirmed to The Gazette that Lone Tree will play junior varsity only.

“We knew last spring that we were going to be low; we were shooting for 20 kids,” Hotz said. “Then we thought 18 would be the max.”

Ten showed up for the first day of official practice Monday, including two seniors and no juniors.

“We’re up to 11 today,” Hotz said.

Lone Tree will “attempt to play as many JV games as possible,” Hotz said in an email to schools in which the Lions had been scheduled to play this season.

With the prospect of low participation numbers, Hotz said the school hosted a open-door community meeting last spring, and delivered three options:

* A varsity-only schedule.

* A JV-only schedule.

* A sharing agreement with another school.

“Ultimately, our community decided to take the chance to try and have a varsity football program,” Hotz said in the email.

Lone Tree was 2-6 last season with a roster of 19 players, five of which were seniors. In 2023, it was 6-3 and earned an 8-Player playoffs berth.

Hotz said that the middle-school program is more healthy, with a seventh- and eighth-grade combined roster of 17.

Two of Lone Tree’s opponents already have picked up substitute games for next Friday, known by some as “Week Zero.”

Iowa Valley will play at Springville, and Belle Plaine will travel to Janesville.

Comments: jeff.linder@thegazette.com