RECTOR -- For the first time in more than 30 years, there will be no stadium lights shining brightly on autumn Friday nights in Rector.
With only 10 players remaining on the senior high roster, Rector officials were forced to cancel the 2004 season, head coach Wade Williams said on Friday.
It will be the first time since the early 1970s that Rector hasn't had a high school football squad.
With no senior high team to coach, Williams will move to junior high head coach while the junior high coach, Nathan Henderson, will be Williams' assistant.
Williams said the senior high squad had as many as 26 players participate in spring workouts, but a combination of things caused those numbers to dwindle by the start of the 2004-05 school year.
"We had a few move off. Grades got us, injuries," said Williams, who is 7-23 in three years as Rector's head coach. "It was just this and that. It ended up being a culmination of various things. A school this small, you don't have that many kids and it adds up in a hurry."
Rector is the third school from the 3AA conference to cancel football for the upcoming season. Turrell and Parkin each decided not to field a team in recent months.
That leaves just Cross County, East Poinsett County, Earle, Piggott, Marked Tree, Salem and Walnut Ridge in the conference lineup.
"Our enrollment is down some and that was a contributing factor," Rector Superintendent Rob Louder said. "We had a couple of kids ineligible academically. It worked out to where we didn't have enough to complete the season.
"We always struggle with numbers at Rector, but I think it will only be one year (out of football). We've got good numbers in junior high and the pee-wee program seems to be doing well."
Marked Tree coach Tim Branum, who spent one season at Palestine-Wheatley has now lost four games. The Patriots are former members of the 3AA Conference.
"We lost McCrory on the opening date when they dropped football, then the three conference games," Branum said.
The Indians have been able to find replacements for the first three teams, and Branum has hopes of still filling the Rector slot.
"You'll have an outside chance to fill the other, maybe with a team from another conference that's lost a team," he said.
The Forrest City Mustangs are one of four teams involved in a preseason jamboree Tuesday, Aug. 24, at Little Rock Fair.
The Mustangs will scrimmage against Fair and Little Rock Hall. West Helena is the other team involved, but will not play Forrest City Tuesday, since the two teams are scheduled for a nonconference game on Sept. 10.
West Helena replaces Marianna on Forrest City's schedule this season.
The Palestine-Wheatley Patriots will scrimmage Thursday at Mountain View and Hughes will scrimmage at Trumann.