High school football seasons are kicking off across Alabama, Ohio, Texas, Illinois, and Missouri — and nowhere in the coverage will you find a diversity metric, an equity audit, or a consultant's invoice. Just coaches voting on who earned it, towns rallying around who showed up, and players ranked by what they did on the field.
This is the machinery the education bureaucracy can't capture. AL.com surveyed all 28 Alabama Independent School Association football coaches to compile preseason positional rankings — quarterbacks through kickers — based entirely on coach responses, not compliance officers. Cleveland.com put the question of best receiver in Ohio's Division IV and V to the public, listing 70 candidates highlighted by coaches and returning all-state selections. The Dallas Morning News laid out district predictions for Dallas-area 4A teams with cold records: Springtown went 12–1, returns quarterback Kaine Hill; Sunnyvale's Cayson Maupin threw for 2,819 yards and 30 touchdowns last year. No curve, no adjustment, no identity weighting — just production.
The Peoria Journal Star printed the full Week 1 slate for central Illinois: Richwoods vs. Peoria High at Peoria Stadium, Manual at Lincoln, Metamora at Sterling, and small-town matchups like Farmington at Havana and Elmwood/Brimfield at Annawan/Wethersfield. The Springfield News-Leader ran the jamboree schedule for every southwest Missouri team — Carthage, Webb City, Lamar, Bolivar, and dozens more. Branson, Monett, and Ava opted for intra-squad scrimmages instead. Their call. Their town.
Notice what's absent from all five outlets: any mention of DEI, any grievance framework, any institutional middleman explaining why the results need recalibration. The AISA coaches picked their best players. Ohio fans will vote on their receivers. Texas programs rise and fall on wins and returning starters. Illinois and Missouri towns know the kickoff times and they show up.
This is what the academy fears. Universities charge six figures to teach students that merit is a myth and identity is destiny. Meanwhile, in towns across the country, 15-year-olds earn their starting spots and communities build their Friday nights around it. No grant required. No syllabus needed. The stands fill because the scoreboard doesn't lie.
The question isn't whether high school football survives the education establishment's long march. It's why every other corner of American education surrendered so easily.
