No varsity football at West Caldwell this season

This season, no Friday Night Lights will shine on the West Caldwell Warriors. That’s because the school will not field a varsity football program for the 2026 campaign. Low participation numbers among upperclassmen was the driving force behind the decision.

“We did not have enough upperclassmen return to safely field a varsity team,” West Caldwell athletic director Aaron Annas said. “We are using this season to reset the program and bring the varsity team back stronger.”

Based on West Caldwell’s 2025 MaxPreps roster, there were 16 players off of last year’s team eligible to return, nine of whom would have been seniors during the 2026 season. According to West Caldwell’s official Facebook page, however, there were still too many young players on the squad to face varsity competition.

“We cannot send young players into games against fully grown athletes when we know it isn’t safe for them. Their health and well-being come first — even when the answer is hard. It isn’t the plan any of us hoped for, but it is the plan that’s best for our student athletes.”

This decision comes as West Caldwell appeared to have things heading in the right direction. The Warriors snapped a 42-game losing streak with a 26-20 win over Avery and finished 2025 with a 2-8 record.

The Warriors were to have been under the leadership of first-year coach George Saffos who replaced Tony Pyland in the offseason. The school announced Saffos hiring on April 14 and he is remaining at the school.

The 2026 season schedule had already been released, leaving those teams on the Warriors 2026 slate scrambling to find replacement opponents before the season starts on August 21. The West Caldwell game will not count as a forfeit win for the opponents they were scheduled to play.

Despite not fielding a varsity team in 2026, West Caldwell will have a JV program and the school is encouraging fans to support the team via its Facebook post.

“Football isn’t going anywhere at West Caldwell. Stick with it this year. Fill the stands for our JV. Let’s build the future of Warrior football together.”