The Lions haltingly played on last season, through their grief and fears. Ultimately, they gained a measure of satisfaction by persevering, honoring Lewellen’s memory and reaching the playoffs for an eighth consecutive season.

This season was supposed to be a step toward normalcy. But participation plummeted so sharply that the junior varsity team was dropped, while the aversion to contact in a sport that demands it has remained, as has a heightened awareness of injuries. The Lions are 0-8, and none of their games have been close.

Four players have been held out of games after sustaining concussions, and Friday ended a streak of three consecutive weeks that a player went to the emergency room for an injury. Earlier in the season, another player was transported from practice to a hospital by ambulance when he complained of a tingling pain in his neck and shoulder area after a collision. The injury was diagnosed as a stinger.

“The cloud has affected us way more than any of us thought it would,” said Eric Seckinger, in his 21st season as an assistant coach. “You need to block and tackle to play football, and I think we’re afraid to hurt somebody. Even though what happened with Tyler was an anomaly, I think we’re all a little gun-shy.”

Measured by participation, football remains the most popular high school sport in the United States by a large margin. Last fall, more than 1.1 million boys played high school football, according to the National Federation of State High School Associations.

But the number has dropped slightly in recent years, while participation in other high school sports has grown. From 2008 to 2013, the number of boys playing football fell by about 17,000, while the amount of boys participating in other school-sanctioned sports rose by about 122,000, the national federation said.