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Hargis: Howard’s football program could use our prayers

Staff file photo by Matt Hamilton / Howard football coach Dedric Maffett, left, admitted the Hustlin' Tigers' roster numbers are likely to continue to decrease in future seasons whether the program accepts its move up to TSSAA Class 6A next year or plays a nonregion schedule.
Staff file photo by Matt Hamilton / Howard football coach Dedric Maffett, left, admitted the Hustlin' Tigers' roster numbers are likely to continue to decrease in future seasons whether the program accepts its move up to TSSAA Class 6A next year or plays a nonregion schedule. Staff file photo by Matt Hamilton / Howard football coach Dedric Maffett, left, admitted the Hustlin' Tigers' roster numbers are likely to continue to decrease in future seasons whether the program accepts its move up to TSSAA Class 6A next year or plays a nonregion schedule.

By Stephen Hargis 5 min read

The Howard School football program — home of the late Reggie White, the Minister of Defense — could use our prayers.

Things are not well with one of the Scenic City’s most storied and proud programs. And looking into the very near future, there isn’t much hope of it getting any better.

In fact, without some drastic changes, there is an all-too-real possibility that the Hustlin’ Tigers football program could soon cease to exist.

That opinion is not negativism or some baseless worst-case-scenario prediction. It comes from the declining direction the program is taking, due to the fact its football roster numbers do not support the classification it is being assigned to play in.

Earlier this week, the TSSAA’s Board of Control denied Howard’s request not to be moved up to the state’s largest public-school classification — the third time in seven years the school has been moved up due to its fast-rising enrollment.