Re: 8-man football
Posted by fan4life
on December 5, 2015, 9:51 pm, in reply to "
8-man football"
Edited by fan4life on December 5, 2015, 9:53 pm
Tallulah was classified AA by ONE student last year and since then their enrollment has declined. Of the players on the sidelines, only about 12 would have played on an 11 man team. Many of the players on the field were playing football for the first time this year. The players dressed out on the sidelines included 8th and 9th graders. Having success in 8-man makes kids want to go out. You are correct that 8 man is not the same as 11 man. Size is an important factor. Smaller, younger players can be competitive in 8 man as it requires fewer linemen. Tallulah is playing schools around them that are of similar size, the same schools they have been playing for decades. It's easy to sit back and throw stones and say they took the easy way out, when there really wasn't a choice. Nobody wants to have to go to 8 man, but when you are faced with the choice of losing your football program, you do what you have to do. It's a double edged sword, cuts you either way. If you are a successful 8 man team, more people want to come out and you are criticized for it. If you move up to 11 man, you can't finish the season because you don't have enough to play. Last year, kids who had not won a homecoming game in 5 years, had the chance to have a winning season. School morale increased and it has been a good thing for the school and community.
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