Portland St. Patrick came very close to winning the state title in eight-player football in its very first season in the sport. It lost in the semifinals 36-30 to Deckerville, which went on to a 14-12 triumph over Bellaire in the 2012 championship game.
Last year, St. Patrick played four opponents twice each and faced Waldron once. This year, the third for eight-player football in Michigan, the Shamrocks were able to line up nine eight-player opponents.
Their longest road trip is to Engadine in the south central Upper Peninsula, about 52 miles west of Mackinac Bridge. But that game is August 29 and occurs over Labor Day weekend before school is in session, so parents, players, and friends have the opportunity to travel to the game and have an enjoyable venture. Portland St. Patrick also has trips to Waldron, Burr Oak, and Webberville. Michigan Lutheran, Tekonsha, Litchfield, St. Philip Catholic, and Carsonville-Port Sanilac are the opponents it will face at home.
Many schools have stayed away from eight-man ball for fear of longer travel. But coach Patrick Russman has been impressed with how his team’s schedule has panned out.
“I didn’t know going into it and making contacts with some of the guys and knowing where some of the programs were headed…we were fortunate to get in with some of the southern teams,” he said. “Going to Engadine is a little different. The other ones, for a football schedule, aren’t that bad to travel. The travel time is to some schools that we would have played any time in our history.”
Only Class D schools are eligible for the 8-man option, but “[s]ome of the schools are borderline Class C schools,” Russman said. “I wouldn’t be surprised to see more teams in it.”
Schools in the state currently playing eight-man football are Akron-Fairgrove, St Philip Catholic, Bellaire, Brimley, Burr Oak, Caseville, Carsonville-Port Sanilac, Cedarville (co-op with DeTour), Deckerville, Engadine, Ewen-Trout Creek (co-op with Watersmeet), Kingston, Lawrence, Litchfield, Cardinal Mooney Catholic, Michigan School for the Deaf, Merritt Academy, North Huron (co-op with Port Hope), Owendale-Gagetown, Peck, Portland St. Patrick, Posen, Rapid River, Mid Peninsula, Superior Central, Michigan Lutheran, Tekonsha (co-op with Marshall Academy), Waldron, and Webberville.
When the nine-game schedule ends, 16 teams will be picked from the playoff point system to make the playoffs, which last four weeks.
Russman found the eight-man competition to be impressive and does not expect that to change this year. “I don’t know what Cedarville lost, but I expect Deckervile to be sound. St. Philip returns most of their kids. I expect them to be strong.”
Portland St. Patrick returns four players on offense and four on defense. Jake Schneider is a two-year starter on offense who will be quarterback and who will also start as a defensive back. Paul Carley is a third year starter on offense who will be a running back and also a linebacker. Nate Kramer is a wide receiver and defensive back, while Connor Hengesbach, at 6’1″ and 230 pounds, will be a starter both ways on the line. Russman said his team’s strengths are “great work ethic, improving line play, and good team chemistry.”
Russman added that junior wide receiver-running back Joe Mackowiak “runs good routes, has good hands, and is an athletic player, while senior offensive lineman Daniel Wohlscheid “is working hard on his technique.”
“We are working to improve our offensive tempo, and we are working to improve our defensive secondary,” Russman said. “I expect us to compete in every game and represent St. Patrick.”
Going from 11-man to eight-man football “has been very positive” in terms of reaction from fans and individuals, Russman said. “It’s a fast-paced game. They’re looking at more opportunities for kids to play. Defensively, if you want to play good defense, you have to be a great defender because you’re covering more space. There are some things that I think are tougher. You get some opportunities to get out there and be creative.”
Russman has been trying to find schools to give his junior varsity team four or five scrimmages in either 8-man or 11-man format.
“You’re not limited to playing eight-man JV,” he said. “Scrimmages are practically practices. We’ve got three dates right now.”
Eight-man ball compared to 11-man basically involves two fewer linemen and one less running back.
“You pull a traditional fullback out and pull the tackles out,” he said. “Typically, you see a 4-4 defense. An odd-man version would be a 3-2 compared to a 5-2.”
The only change to the field for eight-man football is the width, which is 40 yards.