For the first time in decades, Notre Dame High School will not be fielding a football team. News broke today from WDTV that the Fighting Irish’s 2019 campaign had been scrapped.

 

Coach Scott Werdebaugh, a Bridgeport resident that took over the program this year, confirmed the news to Connect-Bridgeport.

 

“It’s been extremely difficult because you hate to tell a kid they can’t play after everything they’ve given,” said Werdebaugh. “We just didn’t have enough kids to compete a season of football.”

 

Werdebaugh said today marked the 14^th day of practice and there were 14 players available.

 

“To go into a season with 14 kids and with five them being freshmen and some of those 14 simply not physically ready to play practically every play at the varsity level is a problem,” said Werdebaugh. “Anyone that’s been around the game knows injuries are part of football. Even if someone gets the wind knocked out of them you have to have the numbers to give that kid a breather and a we just don’t have that.”

 

The decision didn’t come easy. Werdebaugh said it was made after talking with senior parents last night.

 

“I might have slept about five minutes last night. It was tough because there’s no easy was to tell the kids, particularly a senior kid with a tear in their eye, that their final season is canceled,” said Werdebaugh. “It rips your heart out because these are good kids. They deserve better than this.”

 

Werdebaugh said blame doesn’t lay at the feet of the players, the school administrations or anywhere else. He said it’s as simple as he stated before.

 

“In the end, it was numbers,” said Werdebaugh.