A Missouri high school forfeited its football playoff game over problems with the team’s culture, and it hasn’t said what those problems are

The Principia School in St. Louis forfeited its football playoff game against Crystal City on [date per STLToday], citing problems with the program’s culture rather than injuries or a low number of players. The decision ended the Panthers’ season, and the school has kept the specific nature of those cultural issues private, as reported by STLToday.

Principia athletic director Shawn Brown said the decision was made with the future of the program in mind. “While we’re disappointed with how the season ended, we believe this was a necessary step in moving our program forward,” Brown said.

Crystal City advanced automatically to the Class 1 District 2 championship game because of the forfeit. It is scheduled to face Louisiana on November 13.

Not the usual reason to forfeit a playoff game

The Panthers finished the year with a 2-7 record, which includes the forfeit. Their two wins came in high-scoring games against Confluence Prep Academy and Veritas Christian Academy, but the team had a tough time defensively, with on-field discipline also becoming a talking point in high school sports after an Ohio soccer player was sent off by a referee. Principia gave up 54 points or more in five games, allowed 60 or more in four of them, and lost 77-42 to Salisbury.

The program has had only one winning season since 2010 and has not won more than five games in a single year since 2009, per USA Today. Its last winning season was a 5-4 campaign in 2018.

This is the second season for head coach Maty Mauk, a former Missouri quarterback whom Principia hired in April 2025, as reported by FootballScoop. Mauk took over a program that went 1-9 in 2024.

Mauk set national high school records for completions, attempts, passing yards, touchdowns, and total yards at Kenton High School in Ohio. At Missouri, he earned SEC All-Freshman honors in 2013 and started for the 2014 team that went 11-3, won the SEC East, and played in the Citrus Bowl. Before Principia, he coached at Springfield Glendale High School alongside his father, Mike, and at Monett High School on his brother Ben’s staff.

Principia’s boys basketball program is ranked No. 1 in Missouri and No. 27 nationally in the Massey Rankings, per FootballScoop. The school is a coeducational day and boarding school grounded in the teachings of Christian Science and has operated in St. Louis since 1898, according to its website.

School officials have not shared what steps they plan to take to address the team’s culture before next season begins.