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8 Man Expansion...Conference Shuffle to Follow?

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PanthersWildcats86

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Oct 12, 2017
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Per the News Gazette this afternoon, Champaign St. Thomas More (actual enrollment 281, weighted 463.65) has decided to go with 8 man football for this fall. As recently as January 3, STM told the News Gazette that they were not planning to go 8 man, despite having problems getting 30 players over the last few years. The STM last playoff team, in 2016, went to the quarters with only 27 players.

Per the News Gazette article, the 8 Man Association has gone from 16 schools for 2019 to 23 for 2020.

I'm not sure how stable the Illini Prairie is, or was, or will continue to be. Obviously 9 schools is a problem for scheduling. Travel isn't ideal. The merger of the two crumbling 5 team conferences several years ago continues to look questionable...but where do they go from here?
 
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Penlight

All-Conference
May 29, 2001
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More small school teams will go to 8 Man Football or drop the sport.
The median age of Illinois residents is climbing while the population is declining.
The rate of death in rural areas has been outpacing the birth rate for decades.
If one thinks our 8 Class playoff system is silly today, imagine what it will look like in 2030.
 
A

Anon1754760634

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May 29, 2001
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penlight said:
More small school teams will go to 8 Man Football or drop the sport.
The median age of Illinois residents is climbing while the population is declining.
The rate of death in rural areas has been outpacing the birth rate for decades.
If one thinks our 8 Class playoff system is silly today, imagine what it will look like in 2030.
Click to expand...

That's a heck of a point on what things could look like in 2030...
 
F

FCHS2019

Sophomore
Dec 23, 2019
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Well this is the only name I use now....

I think eventually the conference wants to get back to 12, in current set up some schools have a very small chance of winning the conference title in many sports... and the two schools I mentioned would be solid additions with decent travel..
 
C

ClownBaby

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Oct 26, 2006
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EdgyTim said:
Example 219 why this board will be shuttered sooner rather than later....
Click to expand...

Some people thrive on being that guy

Back to the subject at hand, when will the IHSA bring in 8 man football to the state championships? Or when will they adjust and have 8 man football plus only 7 classes?
 
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mc140

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Getting closer to an official 8-man title every year.

Also getting real close to 4-5 getting in.
 
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FCHS2019

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ClownBaby said:
Some people thrive on being that guy

Back to the subject at hand, when will the IHSA bring in 8 man football to the state championships? Or when will they adjust and have 8 man football plus only 7 classes?
Click to expand...

When they hit about 40 schools or too many 4-5 schools get in using the current set up
 
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i011763

Freshman
Nov 12, 2001
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FCHS2019 said:
When they hit about 40 schools or too many 4-5 schools get in using the current set up
Click to expand...
In the past the number that the IHSA used as a guideline was 10% of the member schools having a sport before adding a State Series. I think that they may have gone with a lesser percentage when lacrosse was added 2 years

Michigan and Iowa have 8 man State Championships
 
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PanthersWildcats86

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Current 8 Man Association members from their website (STM will make 24, Carlyle 25)...I've tried clumping them together somewhat geographically like conferences or districts...some of these groupings might be more logical than some of the districts we were looking at a year ago...

Alden-Hebron
Rockford Christian Life
Elgin Westminister Christian
Polo
Pawnee
South Beloit
Hiawiatha

Cuba (North Fulton)
Peoria Heights
Lowpoint-Washburn
(Hanover) River RIdge
Flanagan-Cornell-Woodland

West Central
Metro East Lutheran
Bunker Hill
Jacksonville ISD
Kinkaid South Fork
Decatur Christian
Carlyle

Champaign St. Thomas More
Champaign Judah Christian
Danville Schlarman
Milford-Cissna Park
Martinsville
Blue Ridge
 
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HT345

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Jul 22, 2014
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Expect the growth of 8-man football to continue throughout the country for, well, a long, long, time.

Fertility rates in the U.S. have been steadily declining for years now, and 2019's U.S. total fertility rate was 1.73 per woman. For reference, replacement rate is 2.1. The only thing that has even kept the country's population growing was immigration. Last year, the U.S. only permitted ~600,000 immigrants into the country, and that number has declined yearly under this administration, with yearly numbers under previous administrations being closer to ~1,000,000. When you factor in yesterday's SCOTUS decision permitting more immigration restrictions to be put into place, I'd expect that 600,000 number to possibly decline further. The U.S. is at the precipice of population decline, with a rapidly aging population.

Add in the other elephant in the room, that is overall declining numbers in football, and I wouldn't be shocked to start seeing massive declines in the numbers of school playing football within ~10 years. This will be a phenomenon in the vast majority of states in this country.
 
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Kevin JCHS 81

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One thing I don't get about the expansion of 8-man football and/or 8-man football becoming an IHSA championship event:

- there are now around 20+ (small) schools playing 8-man and this number is expected to increase.

- what happens when the very 1st Big school either converts to 8-man football (or) just adds 8-man football as an additional sports option (not a replacement)?

- Are these tiny schools going to compete with a say LWE 8-man football team?

- Can 8-man football ever be considered for an IHSA sanctioned sport before their are enough teams to make 4-5 classes of assorted enrollment?
 
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C

ClownBaby

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Kevin JCHS 81 said:
One thing I don't get about the expansion of 8-man football and/or 8-man football becoming an IHSA championship event:

- there are now around 20+ (small) schools playing 8-man and this number is expected to increase.

- what happens when the very 1st Big school either converts to 8-man football (or) just adds 8-man football as an additional sports option (not a replacement)?

- Are these tiny schools going to compete with a say LWE 8-man football team?

- Can 8-man football ever be considered for an IHSA sanctioned sport before their are enough teams to make 4-5 classes of assorted enrollment?
Click to expand...

With tight budgets and lack of field space what does a large school like LWE gain by adding an 8 man program to go along with their regular team?
 
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FCHS2019

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Dec 23, 2019
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Illinois School for the Deaf is not going to be in the league, might be looking to play a game or two against league teams.. last year they only had 8 kids..
 
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godfthr53

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PanthersWildcats86 said:
Current 8 Man Association members from their website (STM will make 24, Carlyle 25)...I've tried clumping them together somewhat geographically like conferences or districts...some of these groupings might be more logical than some of the districts we were looking at a year ago...

Alden-Hebron
Rockford Christian Life
Elgin Westminister Christian
Polo
Pawnee
South Beloit
Hiawiatha

Cuba (North Fulton)
Peoria Heights
Lowpoint-Washburn
(Hanover) River RIdge
Flanagan-Cornell-Woodland

West Central
Metro East Lutheran
Bunker Hill
Jacksonville ISD
Kinkaid South Fork
Decatur Christian
Carlyle

Champaign St. Thomas More
Champaign Judah Christian
Danville Schlarman
Milford-Cissna Park
Martinsville
Blue Ridge
Click to expand...
Were any of these teams playoff qualifiers last year?
 
K

Kevin JCHS 81

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ClownBaby said:
With tight budgets and lack of field space what does a large school like LWE gain by adding an 8 man program to go along with their regular team?
Click to expand...
Trophies?

Maybe LWE was a bad example. So imagine some other 5A - 8A school who is typically decent but has very little playoff success.
 
M

mc140

All-Conference
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Kevin JCHS 81 said:
One thing I don't get about the expansion of 8-man football and/or 8-man football becoming an IHSA championship event:

- there are now around 20+ (small) schools playing 8-man and this number is expected to increase.

- what happens when the very 1st Big school either converts to 8-man football (or) just adds 8-man football as an additional sports option (not a replacement)?

- Are these tiny schools going to compete with a say LWE 8-man football team?

- Can 8-man football ever be considered for an IHSA sanctioned sport before their are enough teams to make 4-5 classes of assorted enrollment?
Click to expand...

Any big school that went to 8 man would also see a severe cut in stipends.
 
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PanthersWildcats86

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godfthr53 said:
Were any of these teams playoff qualifiers last year?
Click to expand...

The 8 man playoffs had 14 teams in the field last year. Milford-Cissna Park, the #1 seed and defending champ, lost in the final to Polo, the #2 seed.

But I'll assume you are asking if any made the regular football playoffs. Some of these schools have great football histories...

Aldean-Hebron...12 1A playoffs between 2003-15, 11-1 '06, 8-3 '10
Rockford Christian Life...7 playoffs between '01-'15; 10-1 '14
Elgin Westminster Christian...6-4 in '15 & '16; no team in 18
Polo...22 playoffs...8-3 '14, 11-1 '15, 6-4 '16, 5-4 '17, 5-5 '18
Pawnee...14 playoffs...10-1 '76, '84; 8-4 '08; 7 playoffs '08-'16
South Beloit...5 playoffs...last trip 1A State Champs '02 13-1
Hiawathia...'16 7-3, '17 5-4, '18 6-4; 2 other playoffs '84 & '87
Cuba North Fulton...10 playoffs...10-1 '00 & '01; 10-3 '07, 6-4 '17, 5-4 '18
Peoria Heights...last playoff 5-5 '15; 5 total best 7-5 in '82, 8-1 miss '81
Lowpoint-Washburn...no football history
Hanover River Ridge...best seasons 4-5 in '13, '18
Flanagan-Cornell-Woodland...Flanagan 12-0 1A Champs '74, 13 playoffs between '01-'14...
West Central...last playoff '12 5-5; prior district '81 2A runner up
Metro East Lutheran...'03 6-4 last playoff, couple 5=4 misses
Bunker HIll...'07 6-4, '17 5-5
Jacksonville ISD...last playoff '98 6-4
Kincaid South Fork...last playoff '94 8-2, 5-4 misses '16 & '17
Decatur Christian...no history
Carlyle...'17 7-4, '13 9-2, '11 7-4, 2A Champ '88, 13 playoffs
St. Thomas More...'16 8-4, 7 straight playoffs '07-'13, 10-1 '09
Judah Christian...no football history
Schlarman...5=5 '01-'04; 9-3 '88; 2A Champ '80, '81
Milford-CP...'14 7-3, '13 5-5, '12 6-4, '09 8-2, 8 trips '88-'97 (2 10-1)
Martinsville...last trip '03 7-4; 11 total playoffs
Blue Ridge...last playoffs '01 6-4, 6-4 '95, 7-3 '92 - 3 total playoffs

So there are schools with titles playing 8 man now...
 
F

FCHS2019

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Dec 23, 2019
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ClownBaby said:
You are like AIDS you kill every thread you touch, I would tell you not to be that guy but at this point it’s probably a lost cause.
Click to expand...

I posted a comment that was related to the topic.. Caravan was the one that took it down another avenue, not me... if you have a beef, look in his direction..
 
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PanthersWildcats86

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Oct 12, 2017
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Hey, one of my stepson's teammates has two team state medals...football title and wrestling runner-up. His sister is a two time state cheerleading champion...captain the second time. Don't laugh, she has more state titles than he does...
 
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