Any current 1A schools thinking about 8-man football?

[Sweet Feet]

Im hoping so. I feel so bad for the kids in small towns and schools that want to play football but can't

[Missco]

It will never happen at these 1A schools because of basketball. The only way any would do it would be if nobody could start bb until football regular season was over.

[jbtiger73]

These are decisions that definitely have to be made at least two years ahead of schedule for the 1A schools especially. Mainly because of their early start to the basketball season that they have. Also, the entire process of finding coaches, and the overall time it takes to train and teach football to kids that have never thought about playing. The majority of them would play all away games, or find a location where you could play multiple games on a Saturday, starting in the morning. Or maybe playing 2 games on a Friday starting at 5. Just random suggestions. But surprisingly, these 1A schools, especially in western and north Arkansas, have great community support, and would definitely get behind it.

[doggieskoot2]

County Line and Scranton have about the same amount of kids as Magazine, and more than Western Yell.  They are hard core basketball and won't even get close to allowing football.

[RATTLER43]

County Line and Scranton have about the same amount of kids as Magazine, and more than Western Yell.  They are hard core basketball and won't even get close to allowing football.

Same with other schools like Acorn and Caddo Hills (used to have football, I believe).   I looked at upcoming conference and previous alignments for enrollment comparison/contrasts:
Hackett 208
Danville 204
Mansfield 191
Lavaca 188
Yellville 180
Quitman 175
Mountainburg 157
Johnson County Westside 152
Bigelow 136
Hector 135
Magazine 131
Acorn 129
Future School 122
Conway Christian 92

Looks like if Magazine, who is near the bottom in enrollment numbers, can compete for conference titles, that the others could do the same or at least do 8-man football.
Magazine, Danville, and Hector have the most conference titles in football over the past 10 years with Mtburg and Hackett being the most consistent teams.
Hackett and Lavaca have been the top basketball schools along with Eureka Springs when they were in the conference (Magazine did win a few conference titles in that 10-year span.).  Hector, Mtburg, Danville, and Westside girls were all great at basketball during the past 10 years.
Magazine, Lavaca, and Hackett have been the best at baseball.
Hackett softball and volleyball.
Magazine has dominated track and cross country.

Acorn, Quitman, and Mansfield have had great girls' track and cross country.
Quitman girls basketball has been stellar.
Conway Christian has been good at football, baseball, and track along with a top-tier cross country runner.
Our conferences have seen good teams from the large to the small.


What I am trying to convey is that you can do it even near the bottom of a classification in enrollment numbers and you can do it successfully.  I wish more of them would pick up football in some fashion, 8-man or 11-man.