BY MARK MORING, Eastern Shore Post —
Back in 2003, Sports Illustrated ran an article about the wonders of eight-man football in the rural hamlets of Kansas, where the high schools were so small, it would be almost impossible to field a typical 11-man team.
The story captured the vibe nicely:
“Eight-man football is a small-town phenomenon, and Kansas, with scores of tank towns spread across a 410-mile-wide swath of gently rolling hills, is a small-town state. Drive into a Kansas farm town on a fall day, and you’ll see lampposts wrapped in gaudy colors, shop windows covered with authorized graffiti, and pickup trucks decorated like parade floats. ‘This is our social event of the weekend,’ says Steve Riedy, athletic director in the central-Kansas town of Hope (pop. 450). ‘Everybody in town identifies with the high school.’”
Here on the Shore, we’re not in Kansas anymore, but that buzz and atmosphere are alive and well at Broadwater Academy and Chincoteague High, two of the 15 schools in Virginia that play the eight-man game.
The Vikings and Ponies met last Saturday, Aug. 24, on a beautiful afternoon in Exmore, with Chincoteague holding off the home team for a 22-20 victory behind the strong running of Camaury Davis. It was the season opener for both teams.
The bright sunshine highlighted the colorful day — Broadwater’s vivid green and gold and Chincoteague’s striking blue, gold, and white, with those sleek pony logos emblazoned on their helmets. Fans on both sides of the field were decked out in school colors, shouting encouragement to their boys and other things to the referees.
At a glance, it looks like any other high school football game — until you look a little closer. One difference is that the field is narrower — 40 yards wide instead of the standard 50. But it’s still 100 yards from goal line to goal line.
Another difference is that when teams are at the scrimmage line, it looks like some players are missing — because they are, compared to the 11-man game.
“You’re basically missing two linemen and a back on offense,” says Chincoteague coach Wyle Maddox. “And on defense, you lose two linemen and a linebacker. But some people don’t notice when they come to the games, because it just looks like football.”
“I don’t see much difference between 11-man and eight-man,” adds Broadwater coach Eddie Spencer. “We’re running similar offense to what we ran when we were 11-man.”
The Vikings and Ponies both played 11-man football until 2019, when both schools made the switch to eight-man. Small enrollment — Broadwater has less than 100 students in grades 9-12, and Chincoteague has about 125 — and declining football participation are big factors.
Both teams play in the Virginia Independent Schools Football League (VISFL), which features 15 teams broken down into two divisions. Chincoteague is in the eight-team Division I, which has 65 or more boys in grades 9-12, and Broadwater is in the seven-team Division II, with 64 boys or less.
The VISFL is not part of the Virginia High School League, which oversees all sports at almost all state schools. Mike McCall, the VHSL’s director of communications, says he doesn’t think the VISFL will merge with the VHSL any time soon, simply because there aren’t enough teams.
“So far, there doesn’t seem to be [enough] interest for eight-man football,” he says. “But with more schools finding it difficult to field a team, it might circle back for discussion.” McCall also notes that for many schools, it’s less a matter of enrollment than a lack of participation. “We have a few bigger schools facing the same issues,” he says.
Arcadia High School has even considered making the switch to eight-man in recent years due to declining participation. But for now, the Firebirds are still playing 11-man.
Players from Broadwater and Chincoteague say they love the eight-man game.
“I like it because the field is less crowded,” says Viking quarterback Cohen Kellam. “The defense is easier to read and it’s easier for receivers to get through their routes since there’s less traffic than in 11-man. The passing game opens up with less defenders.”
“It’s easier to make big plays,” adds Broadwater running back Jacob Seltzer. “And it gives small schools like ours an opportunity to compete. And most of our players get meaningful playing time.”
Chincoteague running back Garrett Daisey says with fewer players to face on defense, “if you can get to the outside, you’re going somewhere.”
Kent Reed, the Ponies’ quarterback, likes that too. “There’s more open field to work with. It’s much faster-paced than 11-man.”
Neither Daisey nor Reed has ever played 11-man football. And that’s fine with them.
“This is what we do,” says Reed. “And we love it.”
