Image provided by: University of Nebraska-Lincoln Libraries, Lincoln, NE
About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 28, 1992)
Six pack j High schools turn to 6-man football to keep programs alive § Fans come from across town to watch their sons, neighbors, grand sons and nephews play football. They watch from either the small set of bleachers, painted in school colors, or the back of their pickups parked next to the field — a field surrounded by com, .V a silo, chickens and JSr Ai houscs /^m\ Four cheerlead ers lead the pep (squad, which has fewer members _ than an English class at the Univer sity'of Ncbraska-Lincoln, in a round of cheers. The teams are suited up, the coin is tossed and the starling six — that’s right, six — players are announced to the crowd. For four years, six-man f(X)tball hasbccncommonplaceinRisingCity. In Nebraska, itsa piece of history. In 1934, Stephen Eplc"r, a coach in Chester, designed six-man football for a graduate studies project at NU. The game caught on and in the early 1950s, six-man football reached its peak. More than 180 high schools played the game — almost half of all the football teams in the stale. As school enrollment began to in crease during the baby boom, many schools found themselves too large to participate in the sport. By the mid 1960s, six-man had died in Nebraska and was close to extinction every where else. Six-man returned to Nebraska about a decade ago, after the farm crisis drained the population of many rural areas and school enrollments began to decline. Rising City’s team, an eight-man squad for more than 30 years, switched to six-man four years ago because of dwindling school enrollment. ^ This year, Rising City, 20 miles southeast of Columbus, is one of 28 high schools in the slate competing in six-man. Four other states also par ticipate in six-man: Texas, Colorado, Montana dnd New Mexico. In six-man, the field is shorter, the game is faster, the rules are different and the scores often run high. Many of the rules differ from 11 man football: • All players arc eligible for a pass. • The quarterback can only run with the ball after it has been pitched once. • A team scores two points for extra-point kicks and one for runs or passes. I • A field goal is worth lour points. — • The field is 80 yards by 40 yards. • It takes 15 yards To make a first down. • The game ends if one team leads by 45 points. To prevent a premature ending to a game, a team must work together. 1 “You have to have a lot tighter I team,” said Jason Si firing, a junior on ry Rising City’steam. “No one can let up H or ihc other team will win. ■ “You have to learn to work to- ■ gethcr, to work as a team.” I Offense is the key to the game. A fl good athlete can shine because he B stands out among the small number of U players on the field. PI “You get to see a really talented H athlete in action in six-man because Pj one man can really dominate the pro cess,” said Rising City coach Joe wA Krysl. “One excellent athlete on a B team can make the difference.” 5 “Whoever has the quickest, slron- B gest guys is going to come out ahead,” yj said assistant coach Bob Drews. B Six-man lets boys in almost every B high school in the slate play thegamc. B “One good thing about six-man fl football is that everyone gets to play,” B Siflring said. B iClockwise from upper left) Using City team members dress in the shop classroom because of the lack of locker room space. The volleyball team uses the locker rooms when there is a game before the football game. Fans sit in the back of their pickups to watch the first football game. Rising City coach Joe Krysl reacts to a bad play during the first game. Assistant coach Bob Drews, left, and coach Joe Krysl sit among pads and jerseys while figuring stats after a game. Tradition is to partially undress in the gym before going into the locker room. Rising City cheerleaders and pep club cheer after the team scores a touch down. The 13 members of the Rising City foot ball team make the one-block trek from the school to the football field. mmm Story and photos by Kiley Timperley