White Deer

[Tigerpower]

Just saw where they are having a town hall meeting to discuss the pros and cons of going sixman. Pro- have a chance to compete. Con - upset some old timers.

 

[Old Bearkat]

They could take a look at Petersburg, another old 11 man power who went to 6 man. I bet there were some really salty conversations there too.

 

[Dogface]

Let's make a T-chart
for the Pros/Cons.

Pros--- Cons

Better chance of finishing season--- ?
Be competitive --- ?
Smaller field, less mowing(?) --- Hafta move goalposts
Same sized trophy --- ?
Boys like it --- 11man traditionalist don't


Your turn.

 

[Dogface]

Hmmm...
doesn't look like the chart I made but
you get the point.

 

[SiXmAnMaDnEsS]

I just heard that apparently White Deer's head coach has coached six man before, have a friend from Memphis who says the kids loved him and he was an awesome coach, and did well at Hedley.

A sign? Maybe. Would love to see Shamrock, White Deer, and Gruver play six man ball.

 

[smokeyjoe53]

This is not a knock on Sixman Football but have you ever thought that the increase in the number of schools in Sixman usually means a decline in the surrounding communities?

 

[Old Bearkat]

This is not a knock on Sixman Football but have you ever thought that the increase in the number of schools in Sixman usually means a decline in the surrounding communities?

Delete the "usually" and substitute "almost always". Tioga is the exception.

 

[sf16]

tioga wont be 6man forever, but will for awhile

 

[Texlonghorn75]

Throckmorton is another example of a 11 man school switching to six man and look how that has worked out for them. We need to encourage any of the small and getting smaller 11 man schools and some of the basketball only schools to give their boys a chance to compete in six man. It is called Opportunity and high school does not last long.

 

[CowboyP]

This is not a knock on Sixman Football but have you ever thought that the increase in the number of schools in Sixman usually means a decline in the surrounding communities?

Delete the "usually" and substitute "almost always". Tioga is the exception.

Gholson is another example. They are too close to Waco to stay sixman for more than a few years.

 

[Old Bearkat]

There are few, if any, schools currently playing 6 man that did not play 11 man at some point. Some, Like Strawn, Gordon, Richland Springs, Hermleigh, Trent, Meadow, Newcastle, Chilicothe, Whitharral (with an 8 man detour), and Cherokee started out playing 11 man and went 6 man as enrollments kept on dropping. Some like Garden City, Dawson, Borden County, and Sterling City were originally 6 man, then detoured to 8 man and 11 man and then went back to 6 man.

The only schools that have been 6 man the whole time they played football I can think of are Aquilla (1968), Gold-Burg (2004), Campbell (2012), Bloomburg (2010), Lingleville (1966/2010), and Veribest (1997), started out in 6 man and stayed there. Even all the schools that formed the original 6 man districts in 1938 all detoured through 8 or 11 man or came in from 11 man football.

 

[speedkills]

I could be mistaken, but I believe Aquilla played 1 year of 11-man in the late 70's (?)

 

[coachbronk]

Has there ever been a study done on the number of concussions from players who play six-man vs players who play 11-man? Would be curious.

 

[westexasflats]

This is not a knock on Sixman Football but have you ever thought that the increase in the number of schools in Sixman usually means a decline in the surrounding communities?

Most always, but what's happening in the Angelo area may change that.

 

[Old Bearkat]

This is not a knock on Sixman Football but have you ever thought that the increase in the number of schools in Sixman usually means a decline in the surrounding communities?

Most always, but what's happening in the Angelo area may change that.

It's been going on around Garden City and Rankin for 3-4 years and has not changed them much. Most of the workers are staying in Midland and Odessa and driving out there. I would expect most of the families that move into the San Angelo area will stay in Angelo and not live in Sterling City, Paint Rock, or Veribest. Water Valley, Mertzon, and Christoval are close enough so they might get some of them.

 

[Knowmystuff]

It is a fallacy to say moving to six-man means a decline in the community and have that statement refer to the whole state...I think it is only true in some geographical locations...but I think most have been stable communities if you look at the history of them, the ones that have closed schools I think are the exceptions and based more on location that anything else...

Anyone else agree?

 

[smokeyjoe53]

Other than Tioga, I can't think of a new school starting up and playing Sixman.

 

[Knowmystuff]

Like OBK has posted...take a look at some of those schools that played 11-man then switched to six-man...Strawn and Cherokee for example (in the 1960s)...then look at what year they made that switch...then look at what the town was like for 5 years leading up to the switch...then look at how those towns hacve been after the switch...I am about to say something that may shock some and I do not remember anyone else ever saying this as a hypothesis...but here it goes...maybe perhaps the rule is a town is in decline and after the move to six-man...for what ever reason...the town levels out and holds realitizly stable over time.

So just maybe a move to six-man helps a town realize they are in decline (for what ever reason) and the move to six-man acts as a catalyst to help those communities make changes within the community that helps stabilize them.

Now some towns it doesn't work for perhaps due to location, and some towns for what ever reason are just in decline and on the verg of closing the school, but like I said I think these are more of the exception instead of the rule.

OBK-
Aquilla played 11-man four years 1980, 81, 82, 83

1984 Aquilla moved back to six-man
(ps: their first district championship was in 1970)

 

[Knowmystuff]

smokeyjoe - Veribest did that in 1996

 

[Knowmystuff]

and Panther Creek in 1986