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WSN15: Football Top Moments #8 - 8-Man Football Makes a Return to Wisconsin

12/04/2017, 8:23am CST
By Travis Wilson

The WSN15 series will celebrate the 15th Anniversary of WisSports.net by looking back at the top players, teams, and moments of the past 15 years (2003-2017). 

We begin our WSN15 series with the Top 15 Moments of the WSN Era.

Top 15 Moments: #8 - 8-Man Football Makes a Return to Wisconsin

Reduced-player football has a rich history in the state of Wisconsin, going back decades. In the 1950's, it was so popular that nearly a quarter of all football teams in the state featured some form of reduced-player option, either eight-man or six-man.

By 1957, a total of 78 teams offered reduced-player football; 72 of them eight-man teams with six that played six-player. However, as small, rural school districts consolidated in the 1960's, the number dwindled, and was gone completely when the first football playoff system was instituted in 1976.

School enrollments, especially in rural areas, declined considerably in the 2000's, and with it brought decreases in football participation as well. As more and more schools struggled to maintain football for a full season, a group of roughly 16 teams chose to go a different, yet familiar course.

In 2012, eight-man football made its return, with half the teams competing as Independents, while the rest participated in the Lakeland-8 Conference. There was no playoff or postseason that first year, though Prairie Farm did go a perfect 8-0. 

Interest continued to grow, and the following year the WIAA introduced an eight-team Jamboree after the regular season. The event, which has been held at D.C. Everest High School, matches teams based on geography and overall record, though it is not an official state championship.

The number of teams playing eight-man football has increased slowly the last few years, and is expected to spike to as many as 33 next year. 

Next year will also mark the first true playoff system in 8-Man Football, as there will be an eight-team bracket. Voted in back in 2016, the measure also provides for a 16-team tournament in the year following that 30 or more schools begin sponsoring 8-Man Football, which could be as early as 2019.

The 8-Man game is often a more wide-open, high-scoring game than traditional 11-Man, despite shorter and narrower field dimensions.

The Luck Cardinals have posted some eye-popping numbers since joining 8-Man, including a 106-0 shutout of Clayton in Week 1 of the 2017 season (despite running just 26 offensive plays). The 2015 Luck team averaged 74 points per game, including games of 90, 92, an 110. That 110-64 win over Abundant Life/St. Ambrose at the 8-Man Jamboree saw the team rush for 927 yards and 14 touchdowns, as Chris Pouliot went for 633 yards and 7 touchdowns on 27 carries.

The 8-Man game appears here to stay, and the number of teams will only increase in the coming years.

For the latest and most up to date football news and recruiting information, follow Travis on Twitter @travisWSN. Email story ideas, recruiting info, etc. to Travis at travis(at)wissports.net.

Tag(s): News Archive  News  Travis Wilson  WSN15