I don't know if any of you saw the SC Featured on ESPN last Sunday night about 6-man football in Texas but essentially 6-man (and the much more popular 8-man) football are ways that schools in very small towns can keep playing as their student population drops. In Texas the 6-man cutoff is 105 students co-ed 9-12. There are now over 1,700 teams playing 6-, 8- or 9-man football nationwide.
I've long thought that Maryland (and PA , VA and WV) would benefit from adopting one of these variations of reduced numbers football, especially as rural populations continue to dwindle. It would also give the smaller private schools an avenue to field a football team or bring football back.
I wanted to get your thoughts on this because this board has the most well-versed posters in small school football in the areas where this sort of sport might be adopted. If it came down to consolidation or 6/8-man football, what would you prefer? What do you think the enrollment cutoff should be?
I'm thinking specifically of schools like Hancock (112 enrollment at the last MPSSAA count) who may not be able to field a team if their enrollment continues to drop and schools like Bishop Walsh who dropped football due to low numbers. I know there are a lot of small PA and WV schools without football as well that could benefit from the 6- or 8-man game. I know there's nothing that brings a town together like football. Maybe Paw Paw could even put their undefeated record on the line on a 6-man field.
I've long thought that Maryland (and PA , VA and WV) would benefit from adopting one of these variations of reduced numbers football, especially as rural populations continue to dwindle. It would also give the smaller private schools an avenue to field a football team or bring football back.
I wanted to get your thoughts on this because this board has the most well-versed posters in small school football in the areas where this sort of sport might be adopted. If it came down to consolidation or 6/8-man football, what would you prefer? What do you think the enrollment cutoff should be?
I'm thinking specifically of schools like Hancock (112 enrollment at the last MPSSAA count) who may not be able to field a team if their enrollment continues to drop and schools like Bishop Walsh who dropped football due to low numbers. I know there are a lot of small PA and WV schools without football as well that could benefit from the 6- or 8-man game. I know there's nothing that brings a town together like football. Maybe Paw Paw could even put their undefeated record on the line on a 6-man field.
