Raiders prepare for inaugural six-man football game
Six players on offense, six players on defense, 80 yards of grass, and absolutely nowhere to hide.
As the Raiders prepare for Friday night's historic kickoff, players and coaches are learning that survival in six-man football requires adjusting what they always knew about the traditional game. It is a track meet in pads, where a single missed tackle means a touchdown, every lineman is an eligible receiver, and 15-minute conditioning drills feel like a marathon.
Head coach Brandon Mills and his team have been doing their homework assignments and studying for the test. They are ready to be out on the field and experience the six-man test for the first time.
“You can do all the homework assignments, take all the notes, and do all the prep, but until you take the test, you don’t know how well you'll do,” Mills said. “That is where we are right now; we need to go out and do it.”
The Raiders consist of four seniors; three are captains. The boys are ready to be out on the field and play the game they have been preparing for all summer.
“We went to two camps,” senior Wyatt Engel said. “Those camps were really helpful because we can rep plays at practice all we want, but until we get a live look against other teams, we aren’t sure how it is gonna look.”
Preparation for the game has been a team effort throughout the summer season, according to Mills.
“I learned through our camps that it can get very chaotic very fast,” senior Abram Lee said. “We all have to be locked in and make sure to do our assignments.”
Six-man differs from eight-man in a variety of ways. It takes 15 yards to gain a first down, the quarterback can’t run the ball and the quarters are 10 minutes.
“I have talked to some of the best six-man coaches to get their advice on what to do,” Mills said. “I have drawn up plays and helped the team replicate them in practice.”
The transition from eight-man to six-man can be challenging, but the boys have handled it well, according to Mills.
“At first they were nervous, but they are all amazing athletes and will do whatever it takes to get out on the field and help the team,” Mills said.
Some players feel like they have had to change the way they play, while others feel like it was just a few small tweaks.
“It is a whole different game than eight-man, so I have changed a lot,” Engel said. “Adapting to the rule changes and different strategies that need tweaking has been interesting.”
Lee added, “I haven’t really had to change the way I play; there is just more ground open and different rules.”
Challenges come along with making the schedule and trying to line up transportation.
“The biggest challenge in transportation is the four o’clock games,” athletic director Terry Hickman said. “Who can drive the bus since our normal drivers aren’t available at the earlier times?”
Even though the players have only played eight-man, the boys said they are ready to adjust to the change and play their first six-man game.
“I am super excited,” Lee said. “I think with our guys we can be good and it'll be really fun.”
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