8-player: Algoma adjusts to new alignment
ALGOMA – Wade Vandervest set up his tripod and camera along the right-field line.
On this particular day, the line also served as the back of the end zone.
The Algoma football coach was scouting a game to help prepare his team for what it would see in the near future.
Vandervest wasn’t really looking to scout either team playing as an opponent for an upcoming game.
The veteran coach was simply conducting research to learn as much about 8-player football in anticipation of his team making the transition for the following year.
“I thought at some point we would have to make this transition,” Vandervest said.
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Algoma is one of a growing number of small schools making the switch to 8-player football.
The Wolves are aiming to produce a winning season in their first year of the reduced-player option.
“It’s still blocking,” Vandervest said. “It’s still tackling, still running, still throwing. All the same things are still happening. It’s just that you have three less people. If you don’t really pay attention, you would never know that.”
Algoma has 24 players on its roster this year. They had similar numbers last season when they went 3-6, which included taking Packerland Conference champion Kewaunee to the wire in a 26-21 loss in Week 3.
The Wolves simply lacked enough depth in the end to pull off that upset. The next day Vandervest made the trek to Green Bay to watch N.E.W. Lutheran host Gibraltar in an 8-player game on a Saturday afternoon.
Vandervest started looking into the 8-player game a couple years ago since the forecasted enrollment totals for his school showed some rather small classes coming up.
This year’s junior class at Algoma has about 40 students. The school’s total enrollment is 224.
Only a couple of boys from the class of 2021 are out for football this year, meaning a majority of the Wolves’ roster consists of underclassmen to go along with the team’s eight seniors.
“The hardest part for us was we couldn’t have a JV team,” Vandervest said. “It’s hard to develop if you don’t have a JV. This year, we’re going to try to play a couple JV games just so we can get those guys some experience because otherwise they’ll go a year or two without having any experience on a football field in a game. It’s hard to replicate the game experience no matter what you’re doing.”
The WIAA introduced a reduced-player option in 2012 after the state had gone several decades since it fielded 8-player teams.
Three schools from the Packerland Conference (N.E.W. Lutheran, Gibraltar, Sevastopol) transitioned to it early on and have enjoyed a lot of success.
N.E.W. Lutheran went undefeated in 2013, while Sevastopol won the state title last year in the WIAA’s first year of sponsoring a playoff tournament for 8-player teams.
Only teams with a three-year enrollment average of 200 students or less are eligible for the 8-player postseason.
There are 50 teams fielding 8-player teams this year in the state. Algoma is one of nine that are ineligible for the postseason due to having an enrollment average above 200 students.
“I think there are going to be a lot more schools making that transition in the next couple of years,” Vandervest said.
Sturgeon Bay opted to make the switch to 8-player football when it had a low number of players come out for the start of preseason practices a couple of weeks ago. Sturgeon Bay is the largest school in the Packerland Conference with 405 students.
Since Algoma had a game on its scheduled canceled due to Madison Assumption cancelling its season, the Wolves were able to fill the hole in its schedule by adding a game with Sturgeon Bay on Sept. 27.
Algoma is playing as an independent this year, while N.E.W. Lutheran, Gibraltar and Sevastopol play in the MONLPC.
The WIAA announced that next year it will split the 8-player teams in the states into districts for scheduling purposes. The alignment could serve as a testing ground for what it could opt to do for 11-player teams given the difficulty it has faced with football realignment in recent years.
As for this season, Vandervest is excited about the prospects for his team.
The Wolves return seniors Jordon Deringer and Elijah Ritchie, both of whom earned first team all-MONLPC Large honors last year on defense.
Deringer was second on the team with 71 tackles and 434 rushing yards. Ritchie was third on the team with 66 tackles and is an anchor on the offensive line.
The 6-foot-4, 312-pounder admits to being hesitant at first about 8-player football, but became sold on it when he learned that a tackle on the offensive line can be eligible to catch a pass in certain alignments.
It’s an added boost to the traditional things Ritchie loves about the game.
“You still hit people,” Ritchie said. “That’s why we’re out here, to hit people and win games.”
Local 8-player teams at a glance
Algoma
Coach: Wade Vandervest
Last year: 3-6 (11-player)
The Wolves will play an independent schedule and have plans to host a Jamboree at the end of the season for teams with an enrollment average over 200 that are ineligible for the playoffs.
Gibraltar
Coach: Mike Peck
Last year: 7-3
The Vikings are looking to build off a playoff appearance last year. They return junior Alex Laughlin, who led the team with 605 rushing yards and 1,193 receiving yards to go along with a combined 24 touchdowns.
N.E.W. Lutheran/Oneida Nation/Providence Academy co-op
Coach: Dick Hasseler
Last year: 4-4 (N.E.W. Lutheran)
N.E.W. Lutheran’s roster dropped down to 11 players last year, leading to a co-op with Oneida Nation and Providence Academy. The co-op, however, also brings the program’s three-year enrollment total over 200, so the squad will be ineligible for the postseason.
Sevastopol
Coach: Ron Frank
Last year: 11-1
After being the underdogs last year, the Pioneers will have a target on their backs as they attempt repeat as the state champions. Quarterback Nathan Stenzel and linebacker Jeremy Jorns will have to be replaced.
Sturgeon Bay
Coach: Jim Adams
Last year: 0-8 (11-player)
The Clippers opted to transition to 8-player at the start of preseason practices due to low numbers. Due to the late decision, the program is trying to piece together as many games as possible.