Oxbridge players, coaches tried to save program before it was shut down

Five days before Oxbridge Academy officially shut down its football program, several players and coaches met with school administration members in a last-ditch effort to save the team.

On Wednesday, the school announced its decision to suspend play, citing it “no longer had an adequate number of football players to sustain a safe football program.” The Class 3A state runner-up, the ThunderWolves graduated 15 of their 41 players from last season and saw eight players transfer out in the spring.

During a meeting on June 15, several players pleaded with administration members to bring more players into the West Palm Beach private school to bolster the team’s rapidly dwindling roster, according to multiple sources.

The last-minute push was unsuccessful as less than a week later, the school announced its decision to shut down the program.

In the aftermath of the decision, Oxbridge Academy parents launched an online petition, titled ‘Save Oxbridge Football,’ which has received over 1,190 signatures. The school will hold a meeting with parents Monday night to discuss its decision to shut down the program.

After starting their team in 2012, the ThunderWolves quickly emerged as one of the state’s top small-school programs. Over the past three seasons, the West Palm Beach private school finished 30-6, making two regional finals and the state title game this past season. Oxbridge Academy fell to Chaminade-Madonna in December, 31-28, on a lastsecond field goal.