Serving Whitman County since 1877
Serving Whitman County since 1877
Six-man football. I’d never heard of it before mid-August.
When I played football, it was the traditional, 11-man variety. Heck, I didn’t even know there was anything else. Playing for Kiona-Benton, my team always had more than enough players to have mostly different players on offense and defense.
But over the last few years, I’ve learned about – and developed an appreciation for – 8-man football.
Along with it, I’ve gained a lot of respect for the athletes playing both sides of the ball.
As most small town football
fans know, 8-man football is a foot race, from start to finish
on both sides of the ball. It’s not uncommon for teams to score close to 100 points. And in some games, teams combine for more than 150.
It’s certainly exciting.
Now, I’m learning the game of 6-man football, along with 11 boys and one girl on my young Tekoa-Rosalia Middle
School Timberwolves team. There are also teams at Garfield-
Palouse and St. John-Endicott/
LaCrosse. Those teams have more players and can go back-and-forth between 6- and 8-man football.
While I’d like to have more players out, I’m finding a new appreciation for the 6-player game.
The rules are decidedly different, which changes game play substantially. Quarterbacks may not advance the ball on the ground and every
player on the field is an eligible receiver, even the center. When your quarterback is not allowed to rush and every player becomes eligible it sure changes perspective – and with it, playing and coaching.
When the season began, I thought 6-man football
was only being offered in Whitman County’s smallest schools as a means to get middle schoolers
on the field. Little did I realize we have high school teams playing in our state.
Earlier this week, I checked out the “complete”
Evans Rankings for state high school football.
Imagine my surprise to find a 6-man high school division. Lake Quinault, Northwest Christian
(Lacey), Clallam Bay, Washington School for the Deaf, Wishkah Valley and Mary M. Knight have taken to the 6-man version, too.
Interesting … I remember Clallam Bay playing
8-man football just a few years ago. But I guess I shouldn’t be surprised – it’s a small town like many here where community leaders are trying
to keep youth engaged.
With the internet, smartphones, video games and more distractions, there are fewer and fewer aspiring athletes. Kids seem to be more enamored with the animations and silly videos available on electronics.
That’s a shame.
One of my former coaches – the venerable Mac Bledsoe – told me that football was an analogy for life. You play the way you practice, he would say. That holds true on and off the gridiron.
If you take cellphones and video games away from kids for even a little while, they’ll learn they have to work at things to be successful.
While my young team sometimes voices concern
over not enough players on the field, I remind them, win or lose, they are on the field of success.
Without playing, they cannot win. Without losing, they cannot appreciate how far they’ve come and how far they can go. And without running
hard, you cannot win a 6-man football game.
The running part is the work ethic they need to learn to succeed off the field. Parents need to help their children understand success starts with turning off electronics and walking onto the field.
Roger Harnack is the owner/publisher of Free Press Publishing. Email him at roger@cheneyfreepress.com.
Roger Harnack is the owner/publisher of Free Press Publishing. Having grown up Benton City, Roger is an award-winning journalist, photographer, editor and publisher. He's one of only two editorial/commentary writers from Washington state to ever receive the international Golden Quill. Roger is dedicated to the preservation of local media, and the voice it retains for Eastern Washington.
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