High school football coach resigns, hoping to force the cancellation of the season

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (KCRG/Gray News) - A high school football coach in eastern Iowa has resigned, saying he hopes the move forces the school to cancel the football season.

Coach Cory Quail posted to Facebook Wednesday night to confirm he had resigned as head coach of the Highland football team, doing so for player safety.

“I tendered my resignation with the hope that it would force the decision to not play another football game this season for player protection,” Quail wrote. “Participation numbers are low, and injuries have accrued. It was not safe to be out on that field last Friday night, and anyone who saw us trying to put receivers in lineman jerseys would agree. That scenario will not change over the course of this year. I will not put our kids in an unsafe place to selfishly build an ego for competition.”

Highland announced this week it had cancelled its next two football games, citing player safety.

Highland Superintendent Spencer Lueders said the district is using those two weeks to evaluate what is best for the student athletes, both for their safety and in trying to provide an opportunity for the high school football experience.

Lueders said the decision was tough, but he was proud to see the response to support the student’s safety and the resiliency of the football players.

According to Lueders, several players opted to help out with junior high practices this week after learning their upcoming games would be cancelled.

Lueders said all options are on the table as they assess if players can be healthy enough and safe enough to continue the season. That includes cancelling the season or possibly having Highland kids play with another district’s team.

School district leaders hope to make a decision sometime next week.

Highland’s team is currently down to just 13 active players after a spate of injuries in last week’s 40-7 loss to Wapello.

Highland does not have an interim coach for the football team following Quail’s resignation, relying on existing staff to run things day-to-day for now.

Quail went on in his post to say he is not “quitting on Highland”, saying he is staying as a high school physical education teacher and working with strength and conditioning programs.

“To say that I’ve quit on our kids would be wildly inaccurate,” Quail wrote. “We are not going to let this one unfortunate situation define Highland. We will continue to show up and do work for the betterment of our kids.”

Highland is not the only school to cancel games this season, citing a lack of players and player safety. Siouxland Christian cancelled its football season after its opening game.