8-Man - Lets Revisit This Topic Again Because...Why Not

[Nsider]

Who where the last teams in Texas playing 8 man? I know Fort Worth Calvary Christian and that private school in Granbury (OakTrail)? where still trying in the 90's but who else?

 

[Wildcats5421]

I love the idea of being 8man back. NM, & OK play 8man. NM plays both 6 & 8man... 6man is getting "too soft" with the splits, 8man would solve it imo.

Every classification splits D1 and D2 I still do not see why people cry so much about two divisions.

 

[Old Bearkat]

Who where the last teams in Texas playing 8 man? I know Fort Worth Calvary Christian and that private school in Granbury (OakTrail)? where still trying in the 90's but who else?

A few other private schools, but no government schools. Yes it was Oak Trail Shores in Granbury. I went to a couple of games they played back in the mid 1980's.

 

[kdstew3]

Every classification splits D1 and D2 I still do not see why people cry so much about two divisions.

For reference, here are the number of teams for each classification:

- 1A1 - 75
- 1A2 - 72
- 2A1 - 105
- 2A2 - 102
- 3A1 - 104
- 3A2 - 103
- 4A1 - 99
- 4A2 - 93
- 5A1 - 132
- 5A2 - 119
- 6A-- - 249

 

[justlookin']

8man wont come back...if you can play 6man you should...but schools like Ft Hancock and coach Duncans here it seems are the ones falling behind and that are in that 106-115 range... what needs to be done IMO is raise the 1a cut off to 115 and get them off that bubble bc there arent enough schools in that zone to warrant bring 8man back and gutting 6man. We are talking about less than 25 schools?

What would the number be if the enrollments were say 105 to 135?

 

[Leman Saunders]

Also remember that only a handful would even play 8man bc those 11man schools like playing 11man. So if you had an 8man class a majority of those on the bottom end coming out of 6man wouldnt like it or want to play (Jonesboro for example) and many out of the top end playing 11man wouldnt want to "drop down" bc "it isnt real football" (D'Hanis for example)...so the small number who want it isnt/wouldnt be enough to make it happen...a few schools tried this a few years back and it didnt work.

Westmeinster is a school that played outlaw 8man for a while

 

[justlookin']

Also remember that only a handful would even play 8man bc those 11man schools like playing 11man. So if you had an 8man class a majority of those on the bottom end coming out of 6man wouldnt like it or want to play (Jonesboro for example) and many out of the top end playing 11man wouldnt want to "drop down" bc "it isnt real football" (D'Hanis for example)...so the small number who want it isnt/wouldnt be enough to make it happen...a few schools tried this a few years back and it didnt work.

Westmeinster is a school that played outlaw 8man for a while

I would say this: a coach or school board member who would stubbornly hold on to the notion that they could compete with schools 2-3 times their size is not only absurd, but definitely not acting in their students' best interests, which of course should be job #1 for each. I know it's happening. I've watched it for years. Baird as an example held on forever. I do agree this is a non-issue issue as you stated as there is little to no interest. The real question would be should there be.

 

[DOWNBOX]

I would say this: a coach or school board member who would stubbornly hold on to the notion that they could compete with schools 2-3 times their size is not only absurd, but definitely not acting in their students' best interests, which of course should be job #1 for each. I know it's happening. I've watched it for years. Baird as an example held on forever. I do agree this is a non-issue issue as you stated as there is little to no interest. The real question would be should there be

Back in the 90's I heard Rising Star talked about doing away with their football program instead of moving from 11man to 6man, no facts to that statement, just hearsay.

 

[Stargirl13]

Also remember that only a handful would even play 8man bc those 11man schools like playing 11man. So if you had an 8man class a majority of those on the bottom end coming out of 6man wouldnt like it or want to play (Jonesboro for example) and many out of the top end playing 11man wouldnt want to "drop down" bc "it isnt real football" (D'Hanis for example)...so the small number who want it isnt/wouldnt be enough to make it happen...a few schools tried this a few years back and it didnt work.

Westmeinster is a school that played outlaw 8man for a while

Menard is a perfect example for this topic. From what I've heard, prior to finally going 6man... they had trouble with 11man numbers. Switch to 6man, bring in Coach Oliver, they had how many out this year? Almost 40 correct? So they apparently didnt like 11man but 6man gave them basically 6-7, 6man teams on their own.

 

[Leman Saunders]

Or Menard had that many out for football bc the move to 6man help renew interest in the program with the possibility of winning games instead of getting crushed in 11man for another decade...kids got excited and showed up

I will say this until I die...the time for a school to move to 6man is 2 years BEFORE you can with your JRHS and run a JV if you can and then 1 year before with an Outlaw Varsity team...you arent doing the kids that are seniors any good staying in 11man and going 0-10 in that final year of 11man. This blue print will build the program and get kids and community adapted to it and help make you more able to compete in your very first year of UIL 6man.

 

[Old Bearkat]

Menard is a perfect example for this topic. From what I've heard, prior to finally going 6man... they had trouble with 11man numbers. Switch to 6man, bring in Coach Oliver, they had how many out this year? Almost 40 correct? So they apparently didnt like 11man but 6man gave them basically 6-7, 6man teams on their own.

The same thing happened to Garden City their first 2-3 years back in 6 man. They had enough kids out to make a varsity squad and 2 JV squads. Their last year in 11 man they barely had enough for a 11 man varsity squad.

 

[sberry2023]

The same thing happened to Garden City their first 2-3 years back in 6 man. They had enough kids out to make a varsity squad and 2 JV squads. Their last year in 11 man they barely had enough for a 11 man varsity squad.

This is not the story at Menard.

They had a HUGE number of kids in the 8th grade the last year of 11 man. Mashed every team in that district. Especially when they called ahead and asked to play Christoval and Eldo's 7th grade team. Frankly, it was mis-managed.

27 out in HS the last year of 11 man, with only a few Seniors. Add the big group of 8th graders and it looks like "WOW! Six man really got them out!" This is disingenuous at worst and wishful (seeing it how we want to) at best.

 

[Oliver]

This is not the story at Menard.

They had a HUGE number of kids in the 8th grade the last year of 11 man. Mashed every team in that district. Especially when they called ahead and asked to play Christoval and Eldo's 7th grade team. Frankly, it was mis-managed.

27 out in HS the last year of 11 man, with only a few Seniors. Add the big group of 8th graders and it looks like "WOW! Six man really got them out!" This is disingenuous at worst and wishful (seeing it how we want to) at best.

Love it and your enthusiasm, but incorrect.

Menard ended their final 11-man season with about 22 kids total. From there, they graduated a big senior class filled with athletes. And then, they brought up 8 freshman, and because of math, it canceled out and they were still sitting around 22/24. BUT, the move to six man swayed 7 kids who did not play the last couple seasons of 11-man, one of which was selected as the Newcomer of the Year in a district with Irion County and Robert Lee. Had 32 out for football this year.

Six man has changed this community more than you will ever imagine. These kids walk differently in the hallways now. And the community would back that 100%. So yes, six man really did "get them out".

It's okay to be positive in this world sometimes.

 

[Dogface]

Actually,
Here's a VERY SMALL bit of 8man trivia...
Bob Gimlin...best known for the Patterson/Gimlin film of that bigfoot walking away and looking back, played 8man in Washington state in the 50's where his school went 2 yrs undefeated because they were also...Un-scored upon. That was before they had state playoffs.
Gimlin now owns a 6man champion shirt from a Texas team that you may see him wearing in some random photo someday.
Whenever you can combine bigfoot and 6man in a story ... you prolly should.
Jus sayin'.