PEORIA (25News Now) – Day one of the ICC Summer Volleyball League featured some great highlights. Bloomington’s hall of fame football coach and athletic director Terry McCombs passes away at the age of 78. Pekin’s DA Points returns to his hometown for a big AJGA Tournament.

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The Leetonia school district’s July 1 meeting to reassure the public that a football season would go forward is something that would be unheard of 20 years ago. It was taken for granted that at least 20-something kids would come out for the football team. Coaches might say we’re a little thin or inexperienced back then but there was rarely an instance where a school would not at least start the season fully intending to play a full slate of games.

But a new era is upon us. The shrinking of the footprint of high school football is getting more apparent by the year and more programs will struggle with finding enough numbers to fill teams in the future. It just won’t be Leetonia.

I think we’ve heard all the reasons before about why this is happening. Some say the kids aren’t tough enough anymore. Some say developmental programs aren’t like they used to be. Some say communities aren’t as attached to the romance of ‘Friday Night Lights’ anymore as the social aspect has been replaced by that phone you carry in your hand.

I think though it might be a death by a thousand cuts for small districts fielding football teams. There is no centralized reason why some football traditions are just hanging on by a thread.

On paper, it’s the numbers game. Smaller enrollments mean there are smaller pools of potential players. There’s only a certain percentage of the student body who can perform as athletes just like there’s only a certain portion that can be musicians. And when those margins shrink the challenge to round up everyone who can possibly play just to field a team — let alone field a winning team — is daunting.

If you look back on the era in which the current high school athletes were born, the country was in the midst of a significant economic downturn from 2007-2010. It was challenging to begin raising a family then when nationwide unemployment soared to 10 percent.

Then there’s what is motivating children to play football. We are now several years removed from cable television’s heyday. If you were from a previous generation the fantasy that you wanted to be your college or NFL hero started by watching them on TV. Children of today’s era might not have access to expensive streaming plans or know how to work an antenna. Netflix has some sports content, but you are looking at a generation raised on YouTube. Sports highlights are something that are seen on TikTok or Instagram. Live event observation is something older generations revel in.

And when you have access to literally any interest in the world, it’s easy to see how attentions become divided. Kids get attracted to playing different sports. Some get interested in cars, construction or cooking. Some get plugged into video games which are more complex and all consuming than they have ever been.

Educational patterns have also shifted. I remember covering Crestview’s run to the 2021 state championship game in boys soccer. There were a lot of kids on that team who were not on a traditional education path. They would take on educational programs attached to the trades and a lot of those had significant work requirements. Sports were not a top priority, rather an escape. And the program had to make room for those kids to miss practice or training every once in a while.

As football is more regimented and asks of more time, does that become a reason why students decide to skip and instead focus more on a career path that will set them up for future success?

The safety concerns over head trauma and concussions may have quieted but they have not gone away. Some parents don’t want to deal with the risk and some kids are happy to go play another sport that offers the same life lessons without the baggage of possible serious head injuries.

I think too that specialization in sports plays a role. Football needs athletes who play in multiple disciplines to be successful. Take West Branch’s program for example. A lot of the players on the 2024 state championship baseball team were also key members of the football team. That’s not always the case anymore in many communities. If a kid is specializing in a sport like baseball or basketball wherein the parents are paying thousands of dollars to attend travel events and get private instruction, the focus gets a lot more narrow of the athlete. They have specific investments behind them and the goals tend to be squarely placed on making it to the next level in that sport.

Make no mistake about it, if programs do begin to fold there are ripple effects. It might start with league membership. It would certainly wipe out marching band or cheerleading programs in some places. Community identity might begin to wither away. And what do you do with stadiums, some of which have been recently upgraded?

There are solutions that are being bantered about of course. Eight-man football is one that has popped up as a possibility. Sebring took that route. But area coaches who have worked their whole lives in 11-man environments would much rather transition to other 11-man programs than to have to deal with learning how that works. Plus the eight-man experiment in Ohio is far from being widely adopted. For it to become viable, it would need dozens of struggling schools to all meet and agree to go in that direction at once. And that is not happening.

The most obvious solution that is already is there is if a school does not offer football, any student is welcome to join a neighboring school district’s team. Heck, last year Columbiana’s leading rusher was a student at Heartland Christian. Of course, there are transportation and social challenges that come with being plopped into a new environment for any kid but at least it the dream of playing 11-man football alive for any student in Ohio.

Perhaps the Ohio High School Athletic Association can take some of its war chest in funds and study why kids are shying away from football. Maybe even allow struggling programs to break off and run a rehabilitation division where programs don’t have to worry about computer points and playoffs. Perhaps those games could be more run like scrimmages to allow for more teaching moments.

There is precedent for getting teams back on square footing even in this area. I remember when the Inter-Tri County League came into existence. A lot of the teams that went into the lower tier of that league had been through a lot of hard times. But teams like Western Reserve or Southern started to flourish when they were given a chance to breathe.

I don’t believe anyone quite has the answers that would fix this but it would be best to start looking beyond the stereotypical excuses given.

If you’re looking for the best documentaries in 2024, as well as this year, DocPlay is the ultimate destination of factual content, with the best in the world curated to deliver thought-provoking and poignant titles straight to your screens. 

DocPlay is a documentary-dedicated streaming service, offering almost 2,000 titles you can stream instantly. With several exclusives getting added each week, there’s always something new to watch on the service. Even better, you don’t need to subscribe to explore its library—simply go to the DocPlay website and scroll through categories. 

However, if you watch documentaries on a regular basis, getting a DocPlay plan, which you can try for 14 days, is bound to be worthwhile. If you’re a Prime customer, DocPlay is available as an add-on via Prime Video channels in Australia. 

For Foxtel users, the media giant launched DocPlay as a channel, allowing you to watch DocPlay content without the need for an additional subscription—available for all Foxtel customers. 

To get started, here’s a list of top docos to watch, including some of the best documentaries 2024 and 2025 have to offer. 

What are the Top 10 documentaries on DocPlay?

We’ve picked the Top 10 documentaries on DocPlay based on critics and audience ratings, as well as their enduring popularity on the service. Some newly released and acclaimed documentaries also made our Top 10 list. If you’re searching for the best documentaries of 2024 and 2025, you can find some of those films below.

1

Rank: #225

Nang Nak

Drama
•Documentary
•Crime

Overview

In a rural village in Thailand, Mak is sent to fight in a war and leaves his pregnant wife, Nak. Mak is injured and barely survives. He returns home to his doting wife and child, or so he thinks.

Director

Nonzee Nimibutr

Cast

Inthira Charoenpura, Winai Kraibutr, Manit Meekaewjaroen, Pramote Suksatit

Duration

100 minutes

1

Rank: #225

2

Rank: #248

The Act of Killing

Documentary
•Crime
•History
•War

Overview

In this chilling and groundbreaking documentary, former Indonesian death squad leaders reenact their real-life mass killings in the style of various film genres, from gangster epics to musicals. As they recreate their past atrocities, the line between reality and performance blurs, exposing the lingering impact of Indonesia’s 1965-66 anti-communist purge and the unsettling psychology of its perpetrators.”

Director

Joshua Oppenheimer

Cast

Anwar Congo, Herman Koto, Syamsul Arifin, Ibrahim Sinik, Yapto Soerjosoemarno

Duration

159 minutes

2

Rank: #248

3

Rank: #319

蒸発

Documentary

Overview

In Japan, thousands of people disappear voluntarily every year. And there are companies ready to help those who want to disappear without a trace and start a new life somewhere else. Meet some of them in a film that soberly examines a modern phenomenon.

Director

Andreas Hartmann

Duration

86 minutes

3

Rank: #319

4

Rank: #459

Becoming Led Zeppelin

Documentary
•Music
•Musical

Overview

The individual journeys of the four members of the band, as they move through the music scene of the 1960s, playing small clubs throughout Britain and performing some of the biggest hits of the era, until their meeting in the summer of 1968 for a rehearsal that changes their lives forever.

Director

Bernard MacMahon

Cast

Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones, John Bonham, Robert Plant

Duration

122 minutes

4

Rank: #459

5

Rank: #463

Supersonic

Music
•Documentary
•Musical
•History

Overview

Supersonic charts the meteoric rise of Oasis from the council estates of Manchester to some of the biggest concerts of all time in just three short years. This palpable, raw and moving film shines a light on one of the most genre and generation-defining British bands that has ever existed and features candid new interviews with Noel and Liam Gallagher, their mother, and members of the band and road crew.

Director

Mat Whitecross

Cast

Noel Gallagher, Liam Gallagher, Paul Arthurs, Paul Gallagher, Peggy Gallagher

Duration

113 minutes

5

Rank: #463

6

Rank: #668

No Other Land

Documentary

Overview

This film made by a Palestinian-Israeli collective shows the destruction of the occupied West Bank’s Masafer Yatta by Israeli soldiers and the alliance which develops between the Palestinian activist Basel and Israeli journalist Yuval.

Director

Rachel Szor

Cast

Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Farisa Abu Aram, Nasser Adra, Harun Abu Aram

Duration

96 minutes

6

Rank: #668

7

Rank: #763

Tickled

Documentary
•Crime

Overview

Journalist David Farrier stumbles upon a mysterious tickling competition online. As he delves deeper he comes up against fierce resistance, but that doesn’t stop him getting to the bottom of a story stranger than fiction.

Director

Dylan Reeve

Cast

David Farrier, Dylan Reeve, David Starr, Hal Karp, Marko Realmonte

Duration

92 minutes

7

Rank: #763

8

Rank: #816

AUM: The Cult at the End of the World

Mystery
•Thriller
•History
•Documentary
•Crime
•Horror

Overview

The shocking story of Aum Shinrikyo, the doomsday cult that unleashed a deadly nerve gas in Tokyo’s subway system in 1995. Founded by disillusioned yoga teacher Shoko Asahara, Aum transformed into a terrorist organization while Japan’s police and media turned a blind eye. Featuring rare archival footage and an interview with one of Asahara’s former high-ranking disciples. A Sundance premiere.

Director

Ben Braun

Duration

106 minutes

8

Rank: #816

9

Rank: #929

Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker’s Apocalypse

Documentary

Overview

A chronicle of the production problems — including bad weather, actors’ health, war near the filming locations, and more — which plagued the filming of Apocalypse Now, increasing costs and nearly destroying the life and career of Francis Ford Coppola.

Director

Fax Bahr, George Hickenlooper, Eleanor Coppola

Cast

Francis Ford Coppola, Eleanor Coppola, Orson Welles, John Milius

Duration

96 minutes

9

Rank: #929

10

Rank: #1270

The September Issue

Documentary

Overview

A documentary chronicling Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour’s preparations for the 2007 fall-fashion issue.

Director

R.J. Cutler

Cast

Anna Wintour, Grace Coddington, André Leon Talley, Hamish Bowles, Tonne Goodman

Duration

90 minutes

10

Rank: #1270

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Check out more documentaries on DocPlay

DocPlay’s content library combines Australian originals and international documentaries to stream, which makes the service a haven for doco buffs. Last year was also a great time for factual content with several documentaries released to widespread acclaim. 

Some of the best documentaries in 2024 include the Academy Award-winning piece No Other Land, as well as other nominees Porcelain War, Black Box Diaries, Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat, and Sugarcane. 

The Fish Thief: A Great Lakes MysteryDocumentary

AUM: The Cult at the End of the WorldCrime, Documentary, History, Horror, Mystery, Thriller

Liza: A Truly Terrific Absolutely True StoryDocumentary, Music, Musical

Becoming Led ZeppelinDocumentary, Music

#UNTRUTH: The Psychology of TrumpismCrime, Documentary

Soundtrack to a Coup d’EtatDocumentary, History

The PoolDocumentary

Blur: Live at Wembley StadiumDocumentary, Music, Musical

The Blind SeaDocumentary

Trilogy: New WaveDocumentary

No Other LandDocumentary

Maurice And IDocumentary

Space: The Longest GoodbyeDocumentary

Aquarius

The Bibi FilesDocumentary

Ange & The Boss – Puskas in AustraliaDocumentary

Blur: To the EndDocumentary, Music, Musical

Ice MaidenDocumentary

蒸発Documentary

Black Box DiariesDocumentary

Frequently asked questions

AI-assisted summaryVote for the Ponce Law 2025 Preseason Top Defensive Back at the bottom of the page.Players listed are from the 2025-26 school year and ordered alphabetically by school.The Tennessean ranked the top 20 Nashville area high school defensive backs returning for the 2025 TSSAA football season.

Now, you get to choose the best. 

Vote for the Ponce Law 2025 Preseason Top Defensive Back. Voting will close Thursday at noon. 

Rankings were based on 2024 statistics, strength of schedule, observations, recruiting interest, and coach feedback. Players below are listed by their grade for the 2025-26 school year and in order of their schools alphabetically. 

Jaden Lark, Blackman, Sr.: Lark, who has an offer from TSU, had three interceptions, seven pass breakups, one forced fumble and 32 tackles.

Easton Jointer, Brentwood Academy, Sr.: Jointer is a three-star prospect and the No. 36 player in Tennessee from the 2026 class, according to the 247Sports Composite. His offers include Miami (Ohio), South Florida, TSU and Eastern Kentucky. 

Troy Porties, Brentwood Academy, Jr.: Porties had 32.5 tackles, 24 solo, four pass breakups and a forced fumble. His offers include Southern Miss and Miami (Ohio).Dominic Davis, Donelson Christian Academy, So.: Davis had five interceptions as a freshman, to go with 26 tackles.Kevontae Pitts, East Nashville, So.: Pitts had a big freshman season with four interceptions and 41 tackles.Justin Hopkins, Ensworth, Sr.: Hopkins is a four-star prospect, the No. 35 safety nationally and the No. 11 player from the 2026 class in Tennessee, according to the 247Sports Composite. He committed to Minnesota over Tennessee, USC and Georgia Tech. He had two interceptions, seven pass breakups, 16 tackles, two tackles for loss, one quarterback hurry and a defensive touchdown for Ensworth last season. He also had 42 catches, 705 yards, seven TDs and a 90-yard kickoff return for a score.Bishop Starling, Ensworth, Sr.: Starling’s offers include Syracuse, Marshall, Tennessee Tech and Colgate. He had two interceptions returned for touchdowns last season, including one for 99 yards, and finished with four picks. He had 17 tackles, one TFL, two QB pressures and two fumble recoveries.Omarii Sanders, Franklin Road Academy, Jr.: Sanders is being recruited as a linebacker but lines up at safety for the Panthers. He’s a four-star prospect and the No. 3 prospect from the 2027 class in Tennessee, according to the 247Sports Composite. He’s the No. 4 linebacker and No. 58 overall player nationally. His offers include Georgia, Tennessee, Ohio State, Michigan, Miami, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Vanderbilt, Arkansas, Auburn and Florida State, among others. He had five interceptions, three tackles for loss and 74 total stops.Will Butler, Green Hill, Jr.: Butler had three interceptions, six pass breakups, three forced fumbles, five fumble recoveries and 52 tackles.Graham Geshke, Montgomery Bell Academy, Sr.: Geshke, an all-region selection in 2024, had two interceptions and 46 tackles last season.Payton Niehaus, Mt. Pleasant, Sr.: Niehaus, last season’s Region 5-2A Defensive Back of the Year, had six interceptions, eight pass breakups and 35 tackles at Summertown last fall.Kyrie Gainor, Oakland, Sr.: Gainor had four interceptions and 67 tackles during Oakland’s run to the Class 6A state title. Craig Tutt, Oakland, Sr.: Tutt is a four-star prospect, the No. 22 safety nationally and the No. 6 player in Tennessee from the 2026 class, according to the 247Sports Composite. His 18 Power 4 offers include Tennessee and Ole Miss. The 2024 Mr. Football finalist also rushed for 1,232 yards and 18 touchdowns. He caught 21 passes for 417 yards and three touchdowns.Knight Wilson, Page, Sr.: Wilson, an Air Force commitment, recorded four interceptions and 60 tackles for the Class 5A state runner-up Patriots.Anthony Carnahan, Pearl-Cohn, Jr.: Carnahan, who has a TSU offer, had two interceptions, two tackles for loss and 59 tackles.Jaylen Pollard, Ravenwood, Sr.: Pollard had four interceptions, three defensive touchdowns and four forced fumbles. His offers include Austin Peay, Western Kentucky, Eastern Kentucky, Tulane, Miami (Ohio), Yale and Bowling Green.Hudson Fuqua, Riverdale, Jr.: Fuqua’s offers include Ole Miss, Arkansas, Mississippi State, Indiana, Maryland, Vanderbilt, Virginia Tech and Missouri. The 3-6A co-defensive back of the year and all-area performer had 78 tackles, three pass deflections and a caused fumble.Jermaine Cobbins, Springfield, So.: Cobbins created a buzz his freshman season, gaining offers from Tennessee, Maryland, Kentucky, Virginia Tech and Austin Peay. He had four interceptions, two tackles for loss, five pass breakups and 48 tackles.Omari Bledsoe, Stewarts Creek, Sr.: Bledsoe’s offers include Michigan State, West Virginia, TCU, Miami and Kansas. He transferred from Lipscomb Academy and sat out much of last season for the Mustangs. He had two pass breakups.Elom Ametitovi, Webb School – Bell Buckle, Sr.: Ametitovi had five interceptions, one defensive touchdown, five TFLs, one fumble recovery and 27 tackles.Tyler Palmateer covers high school sports for The Tennessean. Have a story idea for him? Reach Tyler at tpalmateer@tennessean.com and on the X platform, @tpalmateer83.He also writes The Tennessean’s high school sports newsletter, The Bootleg. Subscribe to the newsletter here.