CHEBOYGAN — It didn't really hit Landon Gahn too hard when he heard the news.
After Gahn and his Cheboygan football teammates were informed their season would be cancelled because of low numbers and student safety concerns, he was fine because he knew there was a possibility that it could happen.
What really struck Gahn were the moments following the meeting, as he cleaned out his locker, took his chair out and exited Cheboygan's fieldhouse. Emotionally, it was incredibly painful for Gahn, someone who gave it everything on the field in the years leading up to what he hoped would be an exciting senior season.
Then, it was all gone.
"We've played all our lives, and you dream about your senior year and Friday night lights, so something like this, it's not easy to deal with, but we've got each other, and we just try to get through it," Gahn said.
Gahn's way of doing things coincided with other Cheboygan seniors who are doing everything they can to move on from a situation that's been hard to take for the program and community.
There's senior Jerzi Mix, who developed into one of Cheboygan's better players in 2025. While not having that chance to thrive again stings, he believes the right decision was made.
"It was disappointing, but at the same time, player safety goes above everything," Mix said. "You can't just have a football season with the number of guys that we had. I agree with the decision to do it because everyone is safe. Only having 13 guys can be pretty scary, especially for 11-man football."
Senior Nolan Schley, someone who attended several camps leading up to the start of his final season in the program, is continuing to look at his football options, but he's not sure what's next. However, he did have a message for those in the lower ranks of the program who might have been discouraged by the news.
"Stick with it, just keep playing," Schley said. "You can only play in high school for so many years. Some people go on, but for most people, it's just high school. Just stick it out for the last couple of years."
There's senior Christian Uselman, who admitted he was in tears last week.
"It was just a very heartfelt moment," Uselman said. "My teammates are like family. It's like losing a part of yourself, not just the team. Hopefully, my teammates can get it back next year and do what we came to accomplish."
What many of those Cheboygan players won't be doing is sitting around. With guys like Gahn, Mix, Schley and Uselman, they'll find ways to keep active, whether it's preparing for an upcoming sport, consistently going to the gym, or helping the Cheboygan football program at other levels.
It might be as dire of a situation as Cheboygan football has ever experienced, but Gahn understands there's light at the end of the tunnel. Going by their head coach's slogan — Growth requires challenge — they're in this together.
"I don't think you can even argue that this is the biggest challenge we've faced as a team and individually for myself, and the good to come out of it, there's not even much, but you've got to find it, and it's being able to get in the gym more, and check on your teammates more," Gahn said. "You care about them because you don't know what they could be going through because they're missing out on their senior season."
With no football at Western Avenue Field on Friday nights this fall, it's going to be a somber couple of months for a community that loves the sport.
As for Gahn, he delivered a message he hopes resonates with everyone.
"My message to the entire community of Cheboygan is that pointing fingers and trying to find someone to blame for the cause of this isn't going to help, even if we were to find one person to put the blame on, because in a moment like this we need to have strength in numbers, pick each other up, and the whole community needs to be there for each other," Gahn said. "When people are trying to blame each other, there's no positive effects out of that."
Contact sports editor Jared Greenleaf at jgreenleaf@gannett.com. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter @sportsCDT
This article originally appeared on Cheboygan Daily Tribune: Cheboygan senior football players react to cancelled football season
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