As I have roamed the fields over the years, I have had discussions with board members, coaches, and community members about possibly going six-man and the most common response was "We would stop playing football before we would play six-man." I asked them why the response and they would reply "Six-man football ISN'T football." I would reply "yeah its not 11 man, but are you tired of your kids getting the crap kicked out of them every week and not being able to establish a positive culture where the kids could possibly experience success on a friday night? Six-man provides an opportunity to have success on the field even when you may not have the kids or talent for 11 man. With a head shaking and a few moments of silence, they would generally agree with me and say "The community wouldn't go for it." I would reply "Go ask communities with schools like Crowell, Throckmorton, Paducah, Rankin, Garden City, May and other former 11 man schools that have experienced good success since dropping down. Remember, you can always go back up if you want, but don't knock six-man until you experience six-man."What is the reasoning for opting up for most of these schools? Travel? Unwilling to give up "traditional" 11 man football?
As I roam the fields, I would like all schools, athletes, and communities to experience success on Friday nights as it brings everybody together. Football is football at any level but may have a few different rules.