ZUVIE'S VIEWS: Shorthorns embrace potential switch to six-man

Marfa’s football team is trying to make history this fall, and it’s also looking to the future.

The Shorthorns, 1-1 in District 5-1A Division II with two regular-season games remaining, are in contention for a second consecutive playoff berth and still have a chance to win their first district championship since 1984. If they reach the postseason and win a game, it’ll be the first time they’ve done so since 1949.

Marfa also has an eye fixed on February 2, 2012. That’s when the University Interscholastic League releases its biennial realignment, and when there could be a major shift in the Shorthorns’ athletic program.

Every year since 2004, public high schools in Texas with enrollments of less than 100 have had the option to play six-man football or the traditional 11-man game. Marfa submitted an enrollment figure of 98 on Oct. 13, and also told the UIL it wanted to become a six-man school if the cutoff number doesn’t change before February.

“It’s in the best interest of all our sports programs, and not just football,” said Jeff Jones, Marfa’s head football coach and athletic director. “It’s kind of a no-brainer.”

Marfa would remain a Class 1A school in every sport except football, in which falling to the six-man ranks can carry a stigma. Some schools are reluctant to make the move and in some cases they suffer from their stubbornness.

Jones said he didn’t want Marfa to follow that path — the Shorthorns have only 25 players this season and will graduate 11 — and his alma mater was in a similar situation within the last decade. Jones said Rankin could have become a six-man school in 2004 but stuck with the 11-man game, and the Red Devils went from 6-5 with a playoff appearance in 2004 to a 1-9 record in 2005.

Then, after adopting the six-man game in 2006, Rankin went 19-4 during the next two years. Now the Red Devils are among the top six-man programs in the state.

“They had a very proud football tradition, and they still do,” Jones said. “They’ve had some real good success since then.”

Jones, whose Shorthorns run the same pass-heavy offense employed by former Texas Tech coach Mike Leach, said he’s long been interested in the six-man game and is excited about the chance to learn its rules and nuances and then pass that along to his players. He said not all of the current Shorthorns are thrilled about the switch, but most are open to it.

“Looking at the team we’ll have, I think it’s an awesome idea,” said Marfa junior Robert Morales, who has played running back and quarterback this year. “We have a lot of fast players coming back next year, and I think we’re going to have a good team. We’ll learn all the rules and everything, and it should be fun. We’re all excited.”

Marfa principal Graydon Hicks III, while conceding that some of the school’s alumni have expressed disappointment about the potential switch, said the response from within the school and community has mostly been positive. Hicks said parents, students and staff members were surveyed at an open-house night at the school on Oct. 4, and there were about 30 who supported a move to six-man and only two who did not.

Hicks said he and Jones also consulted with Marfa ISD superintendent Teloa Swinnea, who then took an informal poll of the school board. Hicks said he would have liked the issue to come before the school board at its monthly meeting on Oct. 17, but there wasn’t time for that to happen.

Hicks said Marfa was notified by the UIL on Oct. 1 that it had to determine its enrollment, and decide whether to compete in six-man or 11-man football, by Oct. 13.

“We really struggled with the timing, with the level of involvement, with the feedback,” Hicks said. “We wanted to make it as much of a community decision as we could. We just were not allowed the time.”

As a six-man team, Marfa would have to forgo its long-standing football rivalry with Alpine. But the Shorthorns would gain a natural rival in nearby Fort Davis.

Hicks said there are more six-man schools than 11-man teams in Marfa’s surrounding region, which could cut down on travel costs and make scheduling easier. The Shorthorns couldn’t quite fill this year’s schedule, which includes only nine games.

Jones and Hicks said some of Marfa’s other athletic programs — namely basketball and track and field — also would benefit from a change in classification. Marfa currently competes in Class 1A Division I in those sports, and by declaring six-man status it would compete with similarly sized schools in Class 1A Division II.

“It’s just a matter of what’s best for the kids,” Hicks said. “That was the only consideration in any discussions we had, whether it was between myself and coach Jones or us and the superintendent or the superintendent and the school board.”

Jones said the six-man game would be a good fit for his personnel. The Shorthorns would just need to adjust to some rule and schematic changes, and maybe work on their open-field tackling.

For now, though, they’re working on being the best 11-man team they can be. Jones said he and Marfa’s underclassmen owe it to the seniors to put all their energy into the last two regular-season games, and possibly the playoffs, instead of worrying about next year.

“We’re focused on this year and we’re going to finish this year strong,” Morales said. “Whenever it’s over, then we’re going to start looking to next year and getting ready for that.”

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