OXNARD, Calif. – High school football season is well underway throughout Southern California, but this year, fewer kids are suiting up to play the game.

According to a new survey released by the California Interscholastic Federation, for the fourth consecutive year California saw a drop in high school football participation. In 2018, the sport reached a 20-year low statewide, with only 91,305 athletes while more than 12,000 players have left the game over the last five years.

There are a number of reasons for the decline, which has impacted schools, large and small — one of those being Santa Clara High School in Oxnard, CA.

“If we’re looking at numbers going down across the board, smaller schools are definitely going to feel that a little more," said head coach Michael Laubacher.

Because of a strong decline in participation, Santa Clara was forced to move from the 11-man format to an eight-man game. Laubacher and his players cited safety concerns and increased specialization in high school sports as two of the primary reasons they see far less players on the field.

“Ten years ago parents were pushing for their kids to play, but now they have more science behind the reason why football is bad," said senior, Isaac Mejia.

"You’re [also] watching athletes really single in, hone in on one sport," said Laubacher.

But despite the change locally at Santa Clara, Laubacher and his roster are just excited to see the football tradition continue on their campus.

Their ultimate hope is that as more changes are implemented to the game to make it safer, more student athletes will come back to the football field.

While this team will continue pushing forward, the continuous decline overall does beg the question, what does the future hold for high school football?