​Aug. 28—Troy will not field a varsity football team in the 2026 season. While rumors have circulated for some time, school officials made the difficult choice to not field a varsity football team while opting to have a junior varsity squad. Many factors led to the decision, which was announced Tuesday on the school district’s Facebook page. Trojans head coach Justin Young spoke Wednesday morning with The Western News about the situation. “Early on we said, ‘let’s see what happens,'” Young said. “As things progressed, we made the tough decision, but we think this is the best path forward for the program,” Young said. “The first week of practice has been a real rollercoaster. We started with 14 players, then lost two after the first practice. Then we had two more join before losing a junior and a senior. Then we lost a freshman and a senior, one kid was ineligible the first two weeks and one of the kids could only play half the season.” That left the Trojans, who play 8-man football, with 12 players, including eight freshman, two sophomore and two seniors. “As a person, I’m very competitive and I always want to go against the best,” Young said. “But since I’ve been the coach, we’ve dealt with low numbers and we think this is best for the kids.” Troy athletic director Denikka Miller was able to schedule five junior varsity games for this fall. The Trojans open the season at 1 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 5 at St. Regis. The next game is at 4 p.m. Monday, Sept. 28 at Clark Fork, Idaho. That is followed by a 4 p.m. Monday, Oct. 5 game at home vs. Seeley. Then comes a 6 p.m. game Friday, Oct. 9 at Mission. Troy will host homecoming and senior night Friday, Oct. 16, at 7 p.m. vs. Clark Fork, Idaho. Young said he is hopeful for 2027. “It’s too early to say, but we’ve got freshmen and sophomores who are very disciplined and passionate about football,” Young said. “A year of getting older and stronger could make a big difference.” The entire situation has been difficult for Young and the community. “It’s frustrating when you have a 15-year-old with great technique and he has to go up against an 18-year-old young man who is just stronger physically and that makes all the difference in the result of a play,” Young said. There’s been a lot of talk about a possible co-op with Libby for various sports. Loggers athletic director Nik Rewerts said there has been discussions between both schools about co-ops in multiple sports. They already have co-ops in wrestling and soccer. “Not combining the programs will hurt our young players, but it’s something we hope can work in the future,” Rewerts said. “We’re both having troubles with low numbers and we think it would be beneficial for everybody.” Currently, the Loggers have 24 players on the varsity football team, a low number for a Class A team. Rewerts said the Troy School Board voted to approve a co-op for varsity baseball this spring. The Trojans decided to field a varsity squad in 2024. They played through the 2025 seas