Cross Plains likes to walk a tightrope between 1A and 2A. They absolutely intend to keep playing 2A football. They also absolutely intend to keep playing 1 A in all other sports where they do really well in track. About four or six years ago they did not draw a tough line on moving transfers out before the fall student count. They moved to 2 A for two years and got hammered in basketball and track. They are really careful now about their numbers in high school!
Checking in on 2A
- Thread starter D.F.G.
- Start date
TXForever13
Six-man observer
Cross Plains really hasn't had much success other than track at the 1A division in the last 10 yrs. I don't know that they are fixing numbers before counts, because honestly what would be the point. Cross Plains is definitely a track school before anything and then second being a band school. With their speed and numbers do we think they could be successful in six man or end up just like Baird and Gorman (schools they always played against) and be mediocre at best.
truthhurts17
Six-man fan
I remember reading an article several years back... the newspaper wrote about the success Medina was having after switching to 6man and they interviewed the Rocksprings sup about it asking him if they would consider it. He was quoted as saying "Rocksprings would drop football before it went 6man, thats not real football".....so I dont see them joining anytime soon
Jones26
Six-man pro
I don't see that working at all. Schools with 75 kids can't be absolute certain they would have numbers for 11-man. Even here, most years we have 25-30 players, which (on paper) would be enough to field an 11man team. This season, we have 18. A few injuries and we are cancelling district games if we were in 11man. And I'll bet we wouldn't be the only team with that issue. Honestly, 8-man might be a better option than what you are presenting. My opinion: there is nothing wrong with how it is now. Keep it.
Pdevitt13
Six-man expert
So I was scrolling through the UIL enrollment numbers and grabbed all the 1A schools with enrollments over 60 (just an arbitrary number) as I feel if you have 60+ students you can probably field a six man team.
So the following schools are listed in descending order
Broaddus
Eula
Lasara
Brookeland
Avery
Garner
Moulton
Fayetteville
Dodd City
Neches
Spurger
Martinsville
Zavalla
North Zulch
Sulphur Bluff
Miller Grove
Slocum
McMullen County
Wells
Utopia
Saltillo
Goodrich
Huckaby
Bloomberg
Welder
Ector
Hartley
Kennard
Round Top-Carmine
San Perlita
Richards
So that's a potential 31 additional schools
Bring down the 9 schools that are playing 2A with 1A numbers and we can add another 40 schools to the Sixman game.
So the following schools are listed in descending order
Broaddus
Eula
Lasara
Brookeland
Avery
Garner
Moulton
Fayetteville
Dodd City
Neches
Spurger
Martinsville
Zavalla
North Zulch
Sulphur Bluff
Miller Grove
Slocum
McMullen County
Wells
Utopia
Saltillo
Goodrich
Huckaby
Bloomberg
Welder
Ector
Hartley
Kennard
Round Top-Carmine
San Perlita
Richards
So that's a potential 31 additional schools
Bring down the 9 schools that are playing 2A with 1A numbers and we can add another 40 schools to the Sixman game.
razorback5712
Six-man fan
I don't think D'Hanis will. Rocksprings may just have to.
For what 10-20 schools? That's why UIL eliminated 8man...no need for it...there is a 1A class and it is 6man...if they want to play 1A football they can...if their choice is to play 11man their options are play in 2A or outlaw/independent
sberry2023
Six-man fan
Not sure what the solution is..., but something is wrong with how we do it now.
The splits are too wide, in my opinion. 2A for example 106 kids in a school is not the same as 182 kids in a school. 50/50 split boys and girls that's 53 to choose from vs 91 to choose from. Can the smaller schools compete sometimes? Yes. That is why I even popped in to say anything. Year in and year out, probably not.
TAIO has an interesting take on divisions.
Utopia had a coach a couple of years ago that tried to get 6-man started.
Have any of those in that list played football in RECENT history?
D.F.G.
Six-man pro
That is so stupid and ignorant, might as well say you would kill your school district and your town over football
It seems pointless to me to try and start another division or league to play 8 man football. Realistically how many of the 1A schools that currently choose to either play up so they are 11 man or choose to be without football at all would want to? How many 2A schools that are near the bottom of 2A enrollment would want to go to 8 man? How would the schools that are deeply intrenched in 6 man football sitting at the top of 1A division 1 as far as enrollment goes would want to be told that they are going to play 8 man now? It's something to talk about and think about but not something I see as practical.
zachlumpkin
Six-man fan
Bloomburg played sixman football from the 10-11 season till the 13-14 season, in those years their record was 2-31 overall with the 2 wins coming in the last season.
freeagent
Six-man pro
As a school board member, administrator, coach or other person "in charge," I'm guessing the toughest problem here is being on the line. This year, I'm at 96, Two years from now, I'm 113, Four years, 102, The last thing I want to do is flip back and forth from 6 to 11 man, and since I can control the 11 to 6 man switch (it's our choice to play 11 vs 6, but I can't choose to stay 6 if the numbers are too high and still play for a district), I'd probably lean to staying crowded field football as long as I can put a team on the field.
Although 6 man football is a great game, I can see where small communities can feel a loss having to make the change. Perhaps the bank in town has already closed, the grocery store has been replaced by a convenience store, or if we're lucky, a Dollar General. A couple more of the storefronts on main street are empty, and this seems like the next kick in the rear. When it's time for those towns to make the switch, they'll know.
Although 6 man football is a great game, I can see where small communities can feel a loss having to make the change. Perhaps the bank in town has already closed, the grocery store has been replaced by a convenience store, or if we're lucky, a Dollar General. A couple more of the storefronts on main street are empty, and this seems like the next kick in the rear. When it's time for those towns to make the switch, they'll know.
VI-MAN
Six-man fan
Probably not a popular thought, but i think if you choose to play 2A football with 1A numbers, you should have to be 2A in all sports.
C. LaTransviejo
Six-man fan
Ignorance is what it is. We were totally ignorant of what the 6man game was. We didn’t realize that it was actually “The” game to play. More fun, More exciting, the “Best” game ever invented for tiny schools! We held out for years, playing the crowded field version and hoping that a group would come along to equal the 1954 team. It didn’t happen. Numbers were down, sometimes having to forfeit games, disappointment year after year.That is so stupid and ignorant, might as well say you would kill your school district and your town over football
Nine (9) State Championships later and the fun and excitement is still in the air every fall!
If Sixman football could come up with a PR committee that could do a little traveling from time to time and meet with these hold-out schools to just inform them what they are missing, I believe that some would see the light and join the club!
PS, Now that Chaca has made the spotlight in the 11-man version, and received all of these College offers, any holdouts should be convinced that 6-man is real football, just the “condensed” game!
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SimplyPut
Six-man pro
Water Valley
11-man
1980 to 2001
52-132-2
28.25 winning percentage
6-man
2002-2021
134-80
62.8 winning percentge
2022 & 2023 11-man
5-14
26.32 winning %
I think this may illustrate some of the discussion here. Maybe?
sberry2023
Six-man fan
They might:
Current enrollment numbers don't look good. When those 7th graders are freshmen and they will have 54 in HS.
sb
olderdragon
11-man fan
In the past there was 4A, 3A, 2A, 1A - all 11 man and Class B with 11-man, 8-man and 6-man. Also to make the playoffs you had to WIN District. Lot of changes have been made since those days, some good, some not. The set up now is working very well and there is for sure no need to add another class and call it 1A-11-man. The numbers are what that are and are working. Schools make a choice what they wish to do, either 11-man or 6-man.
For the youngsters back in the day, at least before the mid 70's those 8-man and 6-man only played for a Regional Championship not a STATE Championship.
olderdragon
11-man fan
Not sure of the exact year, probably 1999, Garden City was 0-10 in 11-man with only varsity team and 15-17 players. The next year when they went to 6-man they had something like 42 boys come out for football. All but the freshman boys were in high school the year before. They fielded two JV teams and a varsity and went to the playoffs first year.
I think a lot more teams than 20 would be playing 8man and I personally would like to see 8man come back. Have 1 division in 6man (obviously drop the numbers down to 75-85), have 1 division in 8 man (75-115). Just saying
I was referring to the idea of having a 1A 11man in the current environment and drawing on the 1970s as an example of why it would not work using the 8man or 6man debate from that time period.
Ya there would be a way to bring back 8man like you point out but it doesnt address the issue those schools playing 11man now that have 1A numbers suffer from...which is the belief that 11man is the only real football...if we applied that same logic then those schools playing up now would not play 8man (bc it isnt real football either) and many of those 6man schools wouldnt want to play 8man...so it wouldnt work...imo...maybe about 20 schools would want 8man (thats a high guess) I base this one the fact that this very thing was kicked around a few years ago with schools like Springelake Earth, Electra, and Munday I believe wanting a seperate 1A 11man or 8man and I polled some D1 six-man coaches on it and none wanted it. The coaches association would probably fight it but thats just me betting on how they would take such an idea. I think I made posts about this then if anyone wants to dig up old posts in the search bar
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