Riverton announces it will not field a varsity football team in 2024

Riverton High School, a school of 381 students from the Sangamon Conference in the Springfield area, has announced it will not field a varsity football team this fall because of a lack of numbers.

The Hawks will continue to play a F/S schedule with the hopes of building the program back up.

In a press release, Riverton school officials said, “After careful consideration, due to low participation numbers and to ensure the safety of our student-athletes, we have made the difficult decision to cancel the 2024 varsity football schedule in Riverton. Our plan is to continue with the JV season to build the program and return with varsity football in 2025.”

The statement said all schools in the Sangamo Conference and the IHSA have been notified and “are supportive of this decision.”

Athens, where new Hall head coach Logan Larson previously was an assistant coach, is a member of the Sangamo Conference.

The Hawks finished 0-9 in 2023 after going 1-8 in 2022. They were outscored 485 to 73 last fall.