I wasn’t aware!

[Gipper]

[Coach Nowlin]

https://ifca.net/#

 

Check out info here on how it could look 

[justafootballguy]

The fact that this is happening with that low of numbers at SN is absolutely killing me inside....

[Impartial_Observer]

I’ve heard via the grapevine that Trinity Lutheran is switching to 8-man. They were supposed to have been in their second year of playing JV, prior to a V schedule next year. No clue how all that stands now. This is their third attempt at starting a football program. 

[Gipper]

9 hours ago, justafootballguy said:

The fact that this is happening with that low of numbers at SN is absolutely killing me inside....

I know enrollment is down a bit, but don’t know if it necessitates scrapping 11-man.  Frontier, conversely, is smaller and they’re fielding a team.

[Frozen Tundra]

6 hours ago, Impartial_Observer said:

I’ve heard via the grapevine that Trinity Lutheran is switching to 8-man. They were supposed to have been in their second year of playing JV, prior to a V schedule next year. No clue how all that stands now. This is their third attempt at starting a football program. 

I feel like there needs to be a minimum roster limit in order to play 11-man football. I don’t know what that number would be. 30, maybe? But if you don’t have the minimum then you have to play 8-man football for that particular year.

[Donnie Baker]

7 hours ago, Frozen Tundra said:

I feel like there needs to be a minimum roster limit in order to play 11-man football. I don’t know what that number would be. 30, maybe? But if you don’t have the minimum then you have to play 8-man football for that particular year.

30? That would probably eliminate half of 1A. 

[Frozen Tundra]

2 hours ago, Donnie Baker said:

30? That would probably eliminate half of 1A. 

Just throwing out a number. Most of the football teams I see in person are 4A or higher so I have no idea what’s normal for 1A. I just get frustrated hearing about some teams constantly struggling to field teams. Maybe moving to 8-man football would alleviate that a bit. If we get enough 8-man teams then maybe it can be taken more seriously and we can have an IHSAA-sanctioned tournament for it.

[justafootballguy]

10 hours ago, Frozen Tundra said:

I feel like there needs to be a minimum roster limit in order to play 11-man football. I don’t know what that number would be. 30, maybe? But if you don’t have the minimum then you have to play 8-man football for that particular year.

30??? Sir I am not sure you have seen a 1a sideline, but 30 just is not gonna happen at A LOT of schools 

[Frozen Tundra]

7 minutes ago, justafootballguy said:

30??? Sir I am not sure you have seen a 1a sideline, but 30 just is not gonna happen at A LOT of schools 

Apparently you didn’t read my last post before commenting

[justafootballguy]

45 minutes ago, Frozen Tundra said:

Apparently you didn’t read my last post before commenting

I did not see that post when I commented. A lot of 1A schools are trying to hang on to the 11 man as long as they can...sadly a few more need to let it go and jump on the 8 man game plan. It is not a bad thing allowing kids to still play the game.  

[Frozen Tundra]

Just now, justafootballguy said:

I did not see that post when I commented. A lot of 1A schools are trying to hang on to the 11 man as long as they can...sadly a few more need to let it go and jump on the 8 man game plan. It is not a bad thing allowing kids to still play the game.  

Agreed. My hope is that enough schools can drop from 11-man to 8-man that some schools that don’t already have football may have the courage to try having 8-man teams. With the few 8-man teams we currently have, I think there’s a fear from some schools to take it on because of the travel required for it.

[Muda69]

Just now, justafootballguy said:

I did not see that post when I commented. A lot of 1A schools are trying to hang on to the 11 man as long as they can...sadly a few more need to let it go and jump on the 8 man game plan. It is not a bad thing allowing kids to still play the game.  

8-man is just football-lite.  

The real solutions are:

1. Co-op programs.

2. School consolidations. 

 

[justafootballguy]

4 minutes ago, Muda69 said:

8-man is just football-lite.  

The real solutions are:

1. Co-op programs.

2. School consolidations. 

Education

 

 

I think both of those are solid. I do not think the state is willing or wanting to dive into that sadly.

[Coach Nowlin]

23 hours ago, Gipper said:

I know enrollment is down a bit, but don’t know if it necessitates scrapping 11-man.  Frontier, conversely, is smaller and they’re fielding a team.

Frontier geographically has a nice pocket to pull from:   like 10 mins from Harrison (6a) and their QB left from Tri County after his Soph year.   Really no different from my neck of woods, there are families that will choose to go to Boone Grove instead of Crown Point:   Takes 12 mins to get to BGHS, from Lake of 4 Seasons/Winfield area, where it takes 25 good minutes to get to CPHS school of 4000 and still growing 

[First_Backer_Inside]

It is getting more and more difficult for 2A teams to get 30+ guys on their roster, let alone 1A.

[Daniel_Bragg]

1 hour ago, First_Backer_Inside said:

It is getting more and more difficult for 2A teams to get 30+ guys on their roster, let alone 1A.

I think a small part of trouble with roster size is also program.  Sheridan has seen a decline in roster size as well.  It's easy to get kids to come out when your program is a perennial power and constantly competing for titles.  However, if the program has never won anything, or at least has been YEARS since winning anything, the desire to be on that team naturally wanes. 

For instance, when I was growing up in Sheridan, my class witnessed a State title win.  Our parents won titles.  Then, we grew up and won three in a row.  But now, the kids going through the school don't remember a state title.  Sure, Sheridan has been a constant winner of Sectional titles, but in this community, we're a victim of our own success.  Sectionals aren't really celebrated by anyone that isn't a current player or parent of a current player.   Now, take that mindset and apply it to a school like Clinton Central.  Small schools always struggle getting rosters together, but when you have a select few teams always winning, I think that is magnified.

[Coach Nowlin]

We won state title in 2014 ,  Our HC is in the HOF and has earned 200 plus wins and has been here since 1999 as HC,  OC (me) and DC have been with him from jump.   

We have had rosters of 31-33 last few years, (41 this year)     We have lost over 150 students in 10 years.   529 was the number in 2014,   we finished the school year last year at like 404.    That is the issue, not the lack of not winning a sectional in a few years 

[Muda69]

1 hour ago, Coach Nowlin said:

We won state title in 2014 ,  Our HC is in the HOF and has earned 200 plus wins and has been here since 1999 as HC,  OC (me) and DC have been with him from jump.   

We have had rosters of 31-33 last few years, (41 this year)     We have lost over 150 students in 10 years.   529 was the number in 2014,   we finished the school year last year at like 404.    That is the issue, not the lack of not winning a sectional in a few years 

Population loss is truly the issue, and it isn't going to get any better:  https://www.npr.org/2026/04/09/nx-s1-5779627/birthrate-united-states-babies-immigration

 

[Coach Nowlin]

1 hour ago, Muda69 said:

Population loss is truly the issue, and it isn't going to get any better:  https://www.npr.org/2026/04/09/nx-s1-5779627/birthrate-united-states-babies-immigration

 

Correct:    that is my assessment as well. but maybe some industrial things come through our Corridor like it did for Lowell and Whitestown 

I know the big bad boogey man Data Center supposedly coming to Northern Jasper County, perhaps that increases families moving into our communities.  

 

[psaboy]

Plus, add in the decline of masculinity as a factor. JMO,  LOL??????

[wabashalwaysfights]

7 hours ago, Muda69 said:

Population loss is truly the issue, and it isn't going to get any better:  https://www.npr.org/2026/04/09/nx-s1-5779627/birthrate-united-states-babies-immigration

 

 

6 hours ago, Coach Nowlin said:

Correct:    that is my assessment as well. but maybe some industrial things come through our Corridor like it did for Lowell and Whitestown 

I know the big bad boogey man Data Center supposedly coming to Northern Jasper County, perhaps that increases families moving into our communities.  

 

I've made similar observations about our enrollment for years, but there's no doubt that it is directly tied to population dynamics and specifically jobs. I haven't kept up on the job implications of Data Centers, but if it's anything like the wind farms in Benton and Warren counties, they aren't good. I would think Data Centers, regardless of whether one thinks they are a "boogeyman" or not, would offer better job prospects. 

[PHJIrish]

There have been years when mega school Tech didn't dress 30!  I'm not sure their situation now, but it's not enrollment!

[Gipper]

[Gipper]

Down to 13 guys, shocker.  I remember when I first went out in 7th grade, we had well over 40 (for just one class).  It looks like the Rebels will be traveling all over the state and I believe Schlarman Academy is in Danville, IL which is closer to Kentland than those far-flung locales of Greenwood, Indianapolis, Morristown, Waldron, and Wabash.

 

Good luck, SN!