Reedsburg High School football investigation explains why school canceled games amid investigation into players

High school football begins soon, but the Reedsburg Area High School football team will not be able to play when the other teams in the area begin.

An investigation into the Reedsburg football team has resulted in the school canceling the program’s first two games of the 2024 season. This came after several players on the team received citations for disorderly conduct.

Reedsburg Area High School is a public school located in Reedsburg, Wisconsin. The Beavers finished 1-8 in 2023, including an 0-7 record in the Mississippi Valley Conference.

Learn more about the program and its research here.

Investigation of the Reedsburg High School football team

Reedsburg High School has canceled its football team’s first two games this season after nine players were charged with harassing the area’s Amish community.

“Sauk County Deputies conducted additional patrols in the rural Reedsburg area after receiving multiple reports of harassment toward members of the Amish community,” the sheriff’s department said in an Aug. 25 press release. “Contact was made with a suspect vehicle involved. As a result of the investigation, nine Reedsburg area juveniles were charged with disturbing the peace.”

Sauk County Sheriff Chip Meister said he could confirm that “some” of the teens charged with disturbing the peace were members of the Reedsburg High School football team, but he was not sure if all nine members were.

“We are devastated that many of our student-athletes will be unable to compete. We especially sympathize with our seniors who are facing a shortened season this year,” said Katie Mathews, principal of Reedsburg Area High School. “However, we are first and foremost a teaching and learning institution. While this is undoubtedly a painful learning experience, we will never compromise the integrity of Reedsburg Area High School or its students, staff and families, and we will not allow this to define us.”

Because the incident involved minors, the Sauk County Sheriff’s Department initially declined to release any further information.

According to social media posts speculating about the event, students are said to have vandalized Amish community property, including a school and a barn, and students are said to have thrown firecrackers and paintballs at horses belonging to Amish families.

The team did not play its season opener scheduled for August 23 and will not play the game previously scheduled for August 30. If there are no further schedule changes, Reedsburg will begin its season on September 6 against Central High School at UW-La Crosse.