CHERRY (AP) - A northern Minnesota high school football team has forfeited the remainder of its season due to a dwindling number of players.

The nine-man Cherry High School varsity football team was reduced to 11 players due to injuries at the beginning of the season. School officials decided to forfeit the team's final two games so it can focus on next year.

Coach Justin Bakkethun says the team ran into a lot of injuries, including a couple of concussions and a broken collar bone. He says the decision to forfeit was for player safety because he didn't want smaller freshmen going up against bigger seniors.

The high school will celebrate homecoming next week with a flag football game, featuring the current varsity football team versus former players.

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