I used to argue this with one of my best friends (now deceased). He agreed with you. My response was that if there was a limit on roster size, coaches would simply cut kids to get to the limit. The enrollment model works better, I think. Either way, the decision should be left to local communities, not somebody in a Columbia office.
I'm sure you're right ... but, I'm also not sure what good it does to have a large roster with 8 man. You're just giving more kids unis and dragging them to games so you can get away with playing down. You can only field 8 at a time. (( psa: I have zero experience with 8 man ... I'm open to being wrong! ))
Where it does help is that you only have to find 8 good players. You’re chances of finding 8 players is better with 32 than with 15. Same as any level, the more kids available, the better chance of fielding good players across the board.
Not everyone who has gone 8-man has been successful. There is still a winner and loser in every game and the average record is .500. You are still competing against schools at a similar level.
There is for sure an adjustment period. Look at Osceola and Greenfields first years.
Which schools are you talking about? It is Stansberry, North Andrew, Worth County, and Mound City almost every single year. No WEMO schools to my knowledge have transitioned to 8 man and played for a state title.
FWIW I like Mound City in 8-man this year. This Friday will tell if that could happen............
Did not prove any rule - just answered the question.
I agree with there and thought about posting this earlier. What do you do about having 25 kids with 6 legitimate lineman? (Trust me, weightroom is not always the answer to beat genetics) I am not talking about having 6 kids that are 220 lbs plus and 5 others that are 180 to 220. I am talking about having 6 kids that are 165 plus and 19 kids below that mark. 8 man is great for schools that cannot field lineman because they just don't have the size and don't reach over 85 or so boys in the school. No one wins when an un-athletic 5'10, 155 lb kid is blocking for a kid that his 5'11, 160 lbs that is a great athlete. It is not safe and keeps kids from playing the game.
So if I am following you correct then if any school has limitation on personnel whether it be linemen or skill players they should be allowed to go 8 man? That is awesome, so rather than teach players to overcome adversity we just circumnavigate our schedules to accommodate the talent we have. What's next 6 man football for those schools who only have 2 lineman and 25 skill players? Should we just have Class 1 and 2 Athletic Directors make up 11 man schedules the week before each game since apparently the word of many schools does not matter. By the way 165 lb kid who plays his heart out can be one heck of an offensive linemen, welcome to 1A football.
Thats kind of like saying, "there is a brick wall in my way, I'll try to run through it!" when the sidewalk goes right around it.
How in the world did you read that into the post? Wow
If you are eligible to play 8man, and it would put you in the best position for success, wouldn't that be putting yourself in the best position to overcome the adversity a struggling program faces?
The issue is not schools who have been historically 8 man, especially the Northwest Teams who have been doing it for decades. The problem is when Osceola, Appleton City, Liberal, Drexel, Rich Hill, Northwest-Hughesville, Sacred Heart, and others who make 11 man commitments to play other 1A schools and then back out in the middle of contract years or a month before the season starts leaving everyone holding the bag. Then you see them on film playing 8 man with 24-30 players dressed out.
I get your frustrations with broken contracts, but that's a problem with MSHSAA switching to 1 year cycles, and it's at all levels because we have lost 8 man games too. That's why I jumped in this thread to begin with so I can see how many games I'm going to lose out of the conference shift. I have seen Osceola, Hughesville, and SH on film the last 2 years and none had 24-30 kids, SH didn't even have a team this year, and were under 20 last year. Can't speak for the others since next year will be their first year of 8.
