OKPreps Mailbox: When Football Dies, Does the Town Die Too?

This is Panther Field. I took that picture in 2021—goalposts standing tall, bleachers on both sides, the kind of place that’s supposed to roar on a Friday night. Today, it’s quiet. And after the Porum school board’s vote on August 11th, it may stay that way for good.

There’s a saying in small-town Oklahoma: when football dies, the town dies. That’s the fear, anyway. For generations, the game was more than X’s and O’s. It was a meeting place. Moms ran the concession stand, dads worked the chain crew, kids chased each other under the bleachers while grandparents huddled in blankets. Losing that tradition feels like losing the heartbeat of the town.

But the reality is different. Porum football hasn’t been alive for a while. The Panthers didn’t field a high school team in 2024, only junior high. Now the board has pulled the plug indefinitely. Look at the record and the writing’s been on the wall: 89–277 all-time, three playoff trips, zero wins.

There were flickers of hope. In 2005, Porum made the playoffs for the first time in school history. Another spark came in 2018, when the Panthers returned to the postseason — only to be blanked 46–0 by Weleetka. Their last playoff appearance came in 2020, ending in a 48–0 loss to Arkoma. In 2022, a 4–6 record hinted at better days ahead, but the momentum never stuck. Nobody realized that a 50–0 win over Midway in Week 10 of 2023 would be Porum’s last victory — and the final game in program history. The following fall, only the junior-high fielded a team, while the high school roster simply didn’t exist. By 2024, Porum was technically slotted into Class B-I under OSSAA’s new divisional format, but the Panthers never made it to kickoff.

Even when I was in high school — I graduated in 2018 — the struggles were obvious. Wins were rare, rosters were thin, and the energy was fading. Looking back, it’s no surprise the program couldn’t sustain itself.

The Facebook comments told the story as well as the scoreboard ever could. Some clung to nostalgia, insisting football kept kids in school and should’ve been saved. Others pushed back: the numbers just weren’t there — only three players showed up to summer workouts. And then, as always, the thread unraveled into personal shots and old grudges. Strip away the noise, and the truth is simple: interest hasn’t been there for years.

Porum isn’t alone. Wellston cut football after the 2021–22 school year, and since then only little league has kept the field alive—though even that has been shaky with talk of the district selling off facilities. Communities cling to those lights, even when it’s 5th graders under them instead of high school seniors.

So is the town dead? No. Panther Field will still host little league games this fall. The high school is in its second season of fall baseball, while the junior high is playing its first. Baseball, basketball, and softball now carry the torch. The lights might not shine on football, but the community hasn’t disappeared.

When football dies, it hurts. But it doesn’t erase tradition — it reshapes it. The same stands that once filled on Friday nights may be just as loud on a winter evening in the gym or during a spring doubleheader. The field is still there, waiting for kids to make their own memories.

Maybe one day Porum brings football back. Maybe not. What matters more is that the town will keep finding reasons to gather, cheer, and believe together. Panther pride doesn’t end under the lights — it just finds new places to shine.

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📊 By the Numbers: Porum Football

• All-Time Record (1974–2023): 89–277
• Playoff Appearances: 3 (2005, 2018, 2020)
• Playoff Record: 0–3
• First Playoff Appearance: 2005 (lost to Foyil, 42–8)
• Last Playoff Appearance: 2020 (lost to Arkoma, 48–0)
• Last Win: Oct. 27, 2023 — 50–0 over Midway (Week 10)
• Final Season Played: 2023 (3–7 record)
• Coaching Turnover: 10+ head coaches since 2000
• Longest Continuous Stretch: 2000–2023 (24 seasons, after revival)

📅 Era Breakdown

• 1974–1986: 27–102 (program folded after one winning season, no playoffs)
• 2000–2005: 21–39 (first playoff berth in 2005)
• 2006–2010 (11-man era): 5–43 (no playoff appearances, momentum collapsed)
• 2011–2023 (8-man return): 36–93 (two playoff berths in 2018 & 2020, both first-round exits)

Hunter Sheppard covers high school sports across Oklahoma — from football and softball to basketball and beyond. He’s the voice behind OKPreps Mailbox and a regular presence at state championship events each season.
Follow him on Twitter @thecooldude52