Could 8- man football grow to 50 teams by 2030? The past 4 years 2015-2018 there have had 5 teams joined 8-man and 2 coming in this year
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Could 8-Man football have 50+ teams by 2030
- Thread starter HBL Pirates fan_1990
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Nothing wrong with 8 man football would you rather those kids in smaller schools not be able to participate in football at all? Very short-sighted if you ask me
If anything it allows you to be more successful, unless you are scared of jumping a class? Hmmm.
They shouldn’t get rid of 8 man but they should cap the enrollment at a lower number. There’s no reason schools with close to 200 kids not fielding an 11 man team.
The only motivation for this is: someone sad about losing their old 11 man conferences with the same old communities...or someone that is jumping to class 2.
People who talk like this obviously have not been in one of these small schools. Try having a class that has only one boy and that kid doesn't do sports. If there wasn't co-ops some of these schools wouldn't even have 8 man. Usually, a school gets a good run when kids get older then numbers drop and they lose. Take Mound City, they were a power house then went through several years of not doing well, then this year they make it back to state.
FWIW - I think any school under 200 should be able to go 8-man. I do think the state should go back to the two-year cycles that most schools base their scheduling on. If a school decides to go 8-man in the middle of a cycle they can (or go from 8-man to 11-man), but are not eligible for the playoffs the second year of the cycle. The class/district they're in the first year may have a bye in it the second year. When schools switch in the middle of a cycle it really makes it difficult to plan a schedule...
It was stupid what I said about mshssa should dropped 8-Man. I went to a class 1 school that i can see declining numbers from my school and other schools. My school enrollment for 9-11 grade was 215 when I graduated and now it's enrollment is around 150. We average 40 players the year I graduated and the past 2 years have been averaging 24 players. The middle school football team this year had 13 players between 7th and 8th grade. My youngest nephew plays youth football and the 5/6 grade teams had around 15 or less kids playing.
Does total school enrollment guarantee a certain amount of boys will play football? I’ve seen schools with 150 total kids have 55 boys out for football. I’ve also seen a similar size enrollment with 25 out for football.
Football participation numbers are dropping. Almost every small school is a bad season or two away from having to drop 11-man football. When you win, you have numbers - when you lose, you may not have the numbers to compete. I'd rather have the small schools at least have the chance to play 8-man than to drop the sport entirely.
Both are plenty enough to field an 11 man team. Hardin Central won the title with less than that on their roster.
What class were they when they won their title? I’m talking Class 2 schools.
Yep, you’re correct. I had their basketball classifications in mind when I said Class 2. Thanks for cleaning me up.
There are 4 new 8-man teams this year (Liberal, Rich Hill, Appleton City and Drexel) and possibly LeBlond. Also SJC may be moving up to 11-man.
Slater and Polo are rumored to go 8-man in the near future. Greenfield may possibly go back to 8-man. Also Sacred Heart is expected to field a team again by 2020. I think there will be over 30 in 2020.
Will there be 50 by 2030. I think for it to happen, a lot of the schools in NE Missouri will need to adopt football and drop fall baseball. There will be more schools that drop from 11-man to 8-man, but there will also be some 8-man schools that combine in co-ops.
Mshssa should adopt a rule that any team that has enrollment of 200 or less have a choice to either play 8-Man or 11-Man. I hate to see 11-Man teams dropped but it might help with the Class 4 differential.if a NE Missouri team drops 8-Man soon I say it would be Louisiana.
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In order to play 8 man your enrollment must be below 200. If you coop then the total of the schools must be below 200.
Oh good lord I hope not! Unless people are needing to take a good nap!
Louisiana, Paris, Schuyler, MMA, and Harrisburg have all had numbers in the teens or very low 20s in recent years and I think would each benefit from the move. There are a couple of teams across the river in western IL wanting to make the move too, but are waiting on some other local schools to move too so their travel won't be as bad. Unfortunately too many ignorant, ill-informed stigmas about 8 man are still out there and seem to be keeping teams from pulling the trigger.
Yes, too many people see it as an insult or as a sign of defeat rather than as simply a safety and classification issue and are only hurting the kids by doing so.
vandyfan can attest that 8-man football is just as fun to play and coach as 11-man. There are slight rule changes but overall it is still about blocking and tackling. I’ve coached both and can tell you the 8-man game is a blast. You still see spread, splitback veer, flexbone, and wing-t...they are just slightly modified. Other than difference in a paycheck, I actually enjoyed coaching the 8-man game more.
Guesses at Districts based on teams currently in 8-man. This still assumes SJC is in 8-man next year, which could change.
District 1
Albany
East Atchison
Northwest Nodaway
Platte Valley
Rock Port
Stanberry
Worth County
District 2
Bishop LeBlond
DeKalb
Mound City
North Andrew
South Holt Nodaway-Holt
St. Joseph Christian
Stewartsville
District 3
Braymer
King City
Norborne Hardin-Central
North Shelby
Orrick
Pattonsburg
Southwest Livingston
District 4
Appleton City
Chilhowee
Drexel
Liberal
Northwest (Hugesville)
Osceola
Rich Hill
District 1
Albany
East Atchison
Northwest Nodaway
Platte Valley
Rock Port
Stanberry
Worth County
District 2
Bishop LeBlond
DeKalb
Mound City
North Andrew
South Holt Nodaway-Holt
St. Joseph Christian
Stewartsville
District 3
Braymer
King City
Norborne Hardin-Central
North Shelby
Orrick
Pattonsburg
Southwest Livingston
District 4
Appleton City
Chilhowee
Drexel
Liberal
Northwest (Hugesville)
Osceola
Rich Hill
Other schools to watch out for:
Slater - They looked into 8-man, but decided not to pull the trigger yet. Rumors are that they eventually will
Polo - There has been some rumblings about them going to 8-man
Sacred Heart - They are expected to field a team again in 2020 and will most likely be 8-man
Greenfield - Will they be able to continue to field an 11-man team or will they have to drop back down?
St. Joseph Christian - Will they co-op with Northland Christian? If so, when will it start?
Any others that people are hearing about?
Slater - They looked into 8-man, but decided not to pull the trigger yet. Rumors are that they eventually will
Polo - There has been some rumblings about them going to 8-man
Sacred Heart - They are expected to field a team again in 2020 and will most likely be 8-man
Greenfield - Will they be able to continue to field an 11-man team or will they have to drop back down?
St. Joseph Christian - Will they co-op with Northland Christian? If so, when will it start?
Any others that people are hearing about?
Just for fun, class 1 teams that could play 8-man if the enrollment cap for 3 classes is under 150:
Crystal City High School 122
Hayti High School 130
Valle Catholic High School 140
Miller High School 137
Adrian High School 145
Greenfield High School 111
Jasper High School 110
Lockwood High School 87
Archie High School 134
Crest Ridge High School 126
Lincoln High School 107
Midway High School 106
Concordia High School 91
Fayette High School 132
Harrisburg High School 121
Salisbury High School 122
Santa Fe High School 81
Slater High School 92
Sweet Springs High School 103
Knox County High School 108
Paris High School 104
Schuyler County High School 119
Scotland County High School 129
Westran High School 140
North Platte High School 132
Polo High School 132
Wellington-Napoleon High School 84
West Platte High School 133
Gallatin High School 128
Marceline High School 132
Maysville High School 123
Milan High School 142
Princeton High School 102
Crystal City High School 122
Hayti High School 130
Valle Catholic High School 140
Miller High School 137
Adrian High School 145
Greenfield High School 111
Jasper High School 110
Lockwood High School 87
Archie High School 134
Crest Ridge High School 126
Lincoln High School 107
Midway High School 106
Concordia High School 91
Fayette High School 132
Harrisburg High School 121
Salisbury High School 122
Santa Fe High School 81
Slater High School 92
Sweet Springs High School 103
Knox County High School 108
Paris High School 104
Schuyler County High School 119
Scotland County High School 129
Westran High School 140
North Platte High School 132
Polo High School 132
Wellington-Napoleon High School 84
West Platte High School 133
Gallatin High School 128
Marceline High School 132
Maysville High School 123
Milan High School 142
Princeton High School 102
I haven't heard none, but I have a gut feeling Louisiana, and Missouri Military Academy might be heading to 8-Man.
I forgot that MMA is too big but Louisiana could be because they're enrollment is lower that Bishop LeBlond. I know Louisiana had only 7 returning players this year, and they had to find some that has never played before.
Some of these schools are powerhouses. It’s a sad day when mshsaa would allow programs with plenty of kids walking the hallways to drop to 8-man.
I don't think it's a matter of mshsaa letting schools go to 8-man. Small schools have to do what's best for them. Again, I think it's better to go 8-man than to totally drop football. I do think that it's unfair when schools drop in the middle of two year contracts.
