fajitapete
Six-man fan
I saw a comment on the realignment page asking if a school would even field a team. That got me to thinking as to why a school couldn’t field a team.
I don’t think it starts with winning. Winning is just the fuel that feeds the fire.
Think of it like a boiler: you feed the fire, build up steam, and that steam powers the engine. A winning team brings attention. The community starts showing up. Attendance rises. Praise and admiration get poured onto the players. Suddenly, they’re the center of town conversation.
And in the 6-man football world, when a team gets rolling, the whole town climbs on the bandwagon.
That excitement doesn’t stop at Friday night either. Elementary and junior high kids see what’s happening, and they want to be part of it. They want to be the next football hero. That’s how a pipeline is born—young athletes working toward a dream because they can see it’s real.
Now here’s the tough part: schools that struggle to field a team often don’t have a “player problem”… they have a support problem. If the community truly rallied behind those programs, the desire to be part of that team would grow naturally. Some schools have even had to include a girl or two just to make numbers, while still having enough male students in the building to fill a full squad—those kids just aren’t buying in.
And let’s be honest: winning makes recruiting players a whole lot easier. A bigger roster means you can run separate offense and defense. You can rotate players. You can give kids a chance to catch their breath. We’ve all seen teams forced to play with five players, and the fact that they stay out there and keep fighting says everything about their commitment.
So instead of obsessing over the word “powerhouse,” the better question is: how do you create that powerhouse environment?
I know a coach who focuses on one word: family. The team becomes a family that looks out for each other. That kind of culture is contagious. Players want to belong to something bigger than themselves.
But coaches can’t do it alone. Booster clubs and parents have to promote the program. Schools have to promote the games. There’s no reason a town can’t pack the stands for a local Friday night game—students, teachers, families, and the community should all be there. Merchants should be involved. The town should wear the colors with pride.
Because when you elevate your athletes—when you treat them like winners—they start believing they are winners.
It starts small, but once success comes, it spreads like wildfire. And once that culture is established, momentum carries the program even through the lean years.
That’s how powerhouse programs are built. Not just with wins… but with belief.
I don’t think it starts with winning. Winning is just the fuel that feeds the fire.
Think of it like a boiler: you feed the fire, build up steam, and that steam powers the engine. A winning team brings attention. The community starts showing up. Attendance rises. Praise and admiration get poured onto the players. Suddenly, they’re the center of town conversation.
And in the 6-man football world, when a team gets rolling, the whole town climbs on the bandwagon.
That excitement doesn’t stop at Friday night either. Elementary and junior high kids see what’s happening, and they want to be part of it. They want to be the next football hero. That’s how a pipeline is born—young athletes working toward a dream because they can see it’s real.
Now here’s the tough part: schools that struggle to field a team often don’t have a “player problem”… they have a support problem. If the community truly rallied behind those programs, the desire to be part of that team would grow naturally. Some schools have even had to include a girl or two just to make numbers, while still having enough male students in the building to fill a full squad—those kids just aren’t buying in.
And let’s be honest: winning makes recruiting players a whole lot easier. A bigger roster means you can run separate offense and defense. You can rotate players. You can give kids a chance to catch their breath. We’ve all seen teams forced to play with five players, and the fact that they stay out there and keep fighting says everything about their commitment.
So instead of obsessing over the word “powerhouse,” the better question is: how do you create that powerhouse environment?
I know a coach who focuses on one word: family. The team becomes a family that looks out for each other. That kind of culture is contagious. Players want to belong to something bigger than themselves.
But coaches can’t do it alone. Booster clubs and parents have to promote the program. Schools have to promote the games. There’s no reason a town can’t pack the stands for a local Friday night game—students, teachers, families, and the community should all be there. Merchants should be involved. The town should wear the colors with pride.
Because when you elevate your athletes—when you treat them like winners—they start believing they are winners.
It starts small, but once success comes, it spreads like wildfire. And once that culture is established, momentum carries the program even through the lean years.
That’s how powerhouse programs are built. Not just with wins… but with belief.
