Northern Valley provides blueprint for incoming 6-man football teams

Everett

GRAINFIELD, Kansas (Catch it Kansas) – In 2019, the Almena-Northern Valley soccer team went through many of the same battles other small schools have faced. Northern Valley finished 2-7 with three competitive losses, the program’s fewest wins in 10 years. However, NV had 12 players in the squad. The huskies suffered some injuries. In week 7 the huskies traveled to Osborne, who later became the eight-man national champion of Division II.

Northern Valley had eight healthy players, including two who had never played football up until this year. Northern Valley lineman Kai ` described the night as “scary”.

“It’s like we’ve hit rock bottom,” said `.

The huskies were able to finish the game. Osborne won 48-0. For the Huskies, a traditional eight-man power, a future move to six-man was emerging.

“It really wasn’t fair, I wasn’t thinking of anyone,” said Northern Valley coach Marvin Gebhard on Friday afternoon. “That solidified it for us as if we had to do that.”

Last year, Northern Valley joined the growing list of schools playing six-a-side football. This fall, 14 teams have an official college schedule and Ransom Western Plains is playing a part-schedule.

Northern Valley defeated Rolla 69-6 at Wheatland-Grinnell High School in Grainfield on Friday, September 24, 2021. (Everett Royer, KSportsImages.com)
(Everett J. Royer)

On September 16, the KSHSAA unanimously voted to make teams of six an official KSHSAA sport from 2022. Twenty-four teams are required to become a KSHSAA sport.

“You have no choice,” said `. “You have to fight. Luckily no one was injured in that game, but it’s sad to see a team of just eight players. At least they are hard working people and they wanted to be a part of it, but now that we have a real team, it’s so much better. “

In 2014, Weskan, which is just a few miles from the Colorado Line, faced low numbers. The Coyotes were the first Kansas team to play with six players since 2003. For the next six years, Six-Man resided primarily in northwest and southwest Kansas. Burrton was the school furthest east.

On Friday morning, KSHSAA officially named schools being converted to 6-man schools, many of them from the east: Altoona-Midway, Chase, Chetopa, Ingalls, Southern Coffey County, Center, Peabody-Burns, Southern Cloud, Tescott, Waverly , Wetmore and Trilains-Brewster. On Friday night that fall, those squads were a combined 6:32 in eight-man football.

This fall, Chase and Chetopa have already given up due to low numbers. Center was unable to set up an eight-man team and will play a few six-man games. Peabody-Burns was exploring a six-man move this summer.

“As long as I can play football, that’s fine,” said `. “I know KSHSAA didn’t want much to do with it originally. … It’s kind of nice to actually be noticed and to recognize that we are a sport. “

Northern Valley defeated Rolla 69-6 at Wheatland-Grinnell High School in Grainfield on Friday, September 24, 2021. (Everett Royer, KSportsImages.com)
(Everett J. Royer)

This summer, several coaches told CIK that the six was close to reaching the required 24 teams. Two weeks ago, Western Plains athletic Dana Shay showed “a lot of interest” in raising six males. Six-man coaches would often schedule games on neutral playing fields in order to have games.

“We all understand how difficult it is to keep football in our communities and to have a unique mutual respect,” Weskan coach Brett Clow told CIK this summer.

According to KSHSAA, 26 teams will play in a six-team game in 2022-23. The enrollments for these teams for the ninth, tenth and eleventh grades range from 19 to 55 students. Northern Valley is in the middle at 36.

The 6-man association has helped with fixtures and playoffs, including the Wild West Bowl championship in Dodge City. The Wild West Bowl champions include Weskan, Moscow and Cheylin, who are the best soccer results in school history. Last fall, Cheylin won the Wild West Bowl, the first athletic title in a sport in program annals.

Ashland, currently No. 1 in grade six, currently has great sophomore and freshmen classes. Then they will probably only have one to three football-playing boys in the three following classes.

KSHSAA sanctions will also aid planning. A full KSHSAA schedule includes nine soccer games. Last year Northern Valley only played seven, a trend for six-man teams. Six-man squads played an average of 6.2 games on the field in 2020.

“It was great,” said Gebhard. “First of all, we now have a full schedule, like before the 6-man association, we didn’t get this full schedule. So now we’re getting a busy schedule. We’re getting the state KSHSAA championship, and we’re also fortunate to have a good group at the moment that we hope to be able to play in these games at the end. “

Northern Valley defeated Rolla 69-6 at Wheatland-Grinnell High School in Grainfield on Friday, September 24, 2021. (Everett Royer, KSportsImages.com)
(Everett J. Royer)

Plus, many of the top six-man schools, including Ashland, Cheylin, and Northern Valley, rely heavily on second and junior high schools. Northern Valley has 16 players, only three of whom are seniors, including running back Bailey Sides. Because of his brother’s wedding, he missed Friday’s 69-6 win over Rolla, a competition held in Grainfield, a neutral venue. NV had big appearances from backs Jeremiah Hansen, Gabriel Rudd and Foster Brands.

` is the youngest of four boys. His father Brad played and trained for NV. Gebhard and Brad ` were longtime assistants to Chuck Fessenden, who trained the huskies for 43 years. 19 Gebhard became head coach. In the six man, all players can get the ball.

“Originally I wasn’t excited,” said Kai. “I am like my father. I like old Smashmouth football. He played for Chuck Fessenden, who loved grinding and hammering. It was a bit weird because switching to six people it’s almost a track meeting. But when I was put in the spotlight, I realized it wasn’t that bad.

“I mean, everyone is entitled to a pass, and that’s my favorite thing to do,” he added. “I love to catch. But it’s really fun because everyone has the opportunity to be the star. But everyone also has the opportunity to be the team player, that’s what I love about it. “