Good afternoon everyone. It's been quite awhile since I've been active on this board, but have loved continuing to follow the world of 6 man since leaving Blum in 2016! Yes, we are in the process of bringing football to Keene and the decision has been made to begin by playing an outlaw 6 man schedule. I can assure you, this was something that was looked at long and hard and I reached out to numerous coaches at both the 6 man and 11 man levels before we made this call. From the outside looking in, I'd completely agree with all comments being made that we should start with an 11 man JV schedule and build from there. Why in the world would a school with 3A numbers choose to do this? Here's a little insight, and I'll also include my personal contact information at the bottom if you have any questions.
Yes, we are a 3A school in terms of number of students. That being said Keene is a town that was built around the Seventh Day Adventist church and has one of the largest SDA Universities in the country. Along with that, the demographic here at Keene is extremely diverse. The majority of our kids come from Brazil, Puerto Rico, Columbia, Mexico, the Marshall Islands, etc... As a result Friday night lights have never been pushed for. The last couple of years we've seen a small increase in demand, and just recently(going back to last Spring) we have noticed a projection of substantial growth coming within the next 5 years. As a result, we knew that football here at Keene was something we needed to offer in the near future to fit the needs/desires of our soon to be population. Before making the decision we met with our students, both athletes and non athletes, to gauge interest. There was more than we've had in the past, but a total of 4 of those students had ever put on pads before. So we knew once we got started a chunk of those would realize football isn't for them and would back out. As a result we didn't feel confident that we'd be able to fill a JV schedule that we trusted we'd be able to honor all season at the 11 man level. With the difficulties COVID presented for everyone this past season, the last thing we wanted to do was leaving team hanging for something we can control. So.....we made the decision to begin with the AMAZING game of 6 man football to generate excitement for our school, community, staff....but more importantly to give a handful of guys the opportunity to play a sport they love while in HS that they'd otherwise miss out on. I'm aware that some, maybe most, will look at the fact that we are a 3A school and would never agree to play, and that's perfectly okay and I understand. And if things progress sooner in terms of growth, either in the community or with the number of student athletes who come out, then we'll make the move to a JV 11 man schedule sooner.
Coach Jones, I do apologize as "a slap in the face" was never my intended motive. I mean it with all sincerity that 6 man is something that I absolutely fell in love with and when I look back at some of my favorite memories as a coach, the majority have to do with this sport. Even after I left, I attended more 6 man games than 11. I guess I was looking at it as a way to share this game to even more of an audience until our numbers grow.
As I mentioned above, I'll leave my contact information if anyone has any questions, is interested in scheduling a game......or wants to offer any feedback directly to me.
Happy to be back on the sidelines,
John McFarlin
Keene ISD-Athletic Director
[email protected]
(817) 933-8041
