[Beetle01]

Can someone give me a run down of this year's Freshman team? Their remaining schedule, and their record so far and who they have played.

Scores would be nice also if possible.

Well I found the schedule.
http://www.russell-ind.k12.ky.us/reddevi...hedule.htm

Can someone give me a run down on top performers and what they have looked liked so far this season.

[DEVILOLOGIST]

Freshman team is small in numbers but have some really good athletes. They should do well this year.. They play Coal Grove tonight at home..

[Beetle01]

Yeah I think the lower numbers is the penalty you pay for having combined teams, compared to when there used to be 4 JFL teams. I remember having almost 50 players on my freshman team. That was basically everyone in my grade.

However, combining the teams earlier has its benefits, such as players get into their positions earlier and learn those positions @ a younger age. Where used to you might have 7 or 8 backs in a class from JFL, but realistically 4 of them might see time. So those other players have to learn new positions and it sets them back a year imo.

[FBALL]

Yeah I think the lower numbers is the penalty you pay for having combined teams, compared to when there used to be 4 JFL teams. I remember having almost 50 players on my freshman team. That was basically everyone in my grade.

However, combining the teams earlier has its benefits, such as players get into their positions earlier and learn those positions @ a younger age. Where used to you might have 7 or 8 backs in a class from JFL, but realistically 4 of them might see time. So those other players have to learn new positions and it sets them back a year imo.

I think you hit the nail on the head in this one.

It has dropped the numbers. One of the things I think that has kept Russell as a traditional power is those numbers. For a school Russell's size they have usually had more quality players and more depth than most schools their size. This was a direct result of alot of kids getting alot of playing time in JFL.

Right now not as many kids are playing and it is begining to be felt at the high school level. The JFL needs reevaluate what it is there for and go back to four teams with more players learning and being developed. They may not all be starters or even play much but it does provide alot of depth for special teams and backups later on down the road.

[Beetle01]

I think you hit the nail on the head in this one.

It has dropped the numbers. One of the things I think that has kept Russell as a traditional power is those numbers. For a school Russell's size they have usually had more quality players and more depth than most schools their size. This was a direct result of alot of kids getting alot of playing time in JFL.

Right now not as many kids are playing and it is begining to be felt at the high school level. The JFL needs reevaluate what it is there for and go back to four teams with more players learning and being developed. They may not all be starters or even play much but it does provide alot of depth for special teams and backups later on down the road.

I'm not so sure about back to 4 teams. I don't think they even have the numbers for that. I could see 2 teams from each grade possibly. I think that would maybe be the best fit, keep numbers up, they can all still practice together, but they play different schedules. Or maybe just numbers are low, times have changed. It is a lot easier to stay home and play xbox than goto football practice every day. As far as talent goes, I think the number of talented players will stay the same, the bench will be shorter. The talented athletic kids will still be out there.

[DEVILOLOGIST]

Our low numbers are not a result of changing football,, changing football is a result of low numbers!!!!
When I graduated there were 1200 kids in the high school... Now there are 650. HALF !!!!! almost.... Now if you look at the number of kids that are out then cut those by half. If yo uhad 50 kids on a 9th grade team you now have 25 max. Now we did not have Soccer, fall baseball, or academic team when I went to school,, So that limited the extra activities that a kid could choose. Other than the band the next big thing was ROTC, we did not have guys in the flag corp, on the cheer squad or anything like that.( I aint knocking our male cheerleader, he is a better tumbler that all the girls put together). What I am saying is that you can not blame the low turn out on the current football set up..
The 6th grade had 30 kids out,
The 7th grade had 32 kids last year as 6th grade, I dont know how many now but they have alot.
The 8th grade has quite a few also.. The 6th grade is the smallest SPORTS class in a 5 year span. I still have 28 kids on the roster, every kid gets to play every game and I would say that since I have scheduled double games with some teams every kid will get to play at least 6 complete games plus more. So I know that kids at some level do not get to play the complete game.. So what do you propose..

1. If you combine all the the kids in 6-8th grade you are looking at 75 kids roughly, if you divide them by you get about 19 kids on a team...... Now if you have 19 kids on a team, 11 start, 8 will not.. of those 8 that dont -ALL of those will be 6th graders most likely.. Now you get in the same situation you are in now. NO PLAYING TIME..but only for the 6th graders.. Now you bring up another issue.. How many 6th graders could play agains the 8th graders.. You have 5-7 8th graders playing freshman ball now and the size of those boys are fantastic. Now do you think a 6th grader would want to go against them???? I think not,,, so then yo uhave to HIDE your smaller player,, Nose tackle, or where ever. I dont see that splitting the 6-8 grade teams will solve anything. If it did anything it would drive the 6th graders totally out of football for one year...

2. This has been a conversation for the last 5 years in the JFL,, no one has an answer and no one wants to take responsibility for the outcome. We vote every year on this same freakin issue and it stays the same..... I personally think it is working but of course my kid gets PT. if he did not I would prolly look at it different.. But the changing of the program will not make kids play better, they will mature at differnet rates and play at different levels....... I feel that there is no ANSWER to the problem but willing to listen from others........

The only thing I dont like to hear is that the reason our program is going down hill is because of playing time, or kids dont get the opportunity to play other positions......


Here is one thought:
1. Redraft the entire league each year, Maroon pants and a Maroon practice jersey and a white practice jersey. Number the kids from 1-99 and they keep the number from the time they start to the time they leave..

2. Each kid will have the opportunity to play for a variety of coaches and you never have to buy another uniform as long as you ar ei the league.. If you outgrow the uni, trade up of down depending on what you can not wear.. Everyone around you will be wearing the same exact thing and it would not be hard to find gear.......

3. Each team will have 2 practice jerseys, one for home and then away,, Maroon or white..... Each year the kids will already have the uni. One purchase- one price, good for 4 years. This way no matter what team you get picked for you are already outfitted....

THOUGHTS !!!???????????

[Beetle01]

I haven't heard anyone say the program has gone downhill because of the way the JFL/MS teams are set up. I think some people including me think it may dwindle numbers some, but thats not for certain, numbers have been dwindling anyways, so maybe the younger grades will have a surge sometime. If not Russell will be 2A very soon. I graduated in 01, there were about 800 kids then. Now there's only 650. Thats a big drop in a 6-7yr span.

I think I understand your idea. Say 80 kids come out 6-8th not including those on the freshman who are actually in MS.
Those are about the same numbers as when I was there, 11-13yo's 4 teams, probably about a 17 kid per team avg.
You label the teams A,B,C,D or however to be politically correct.
A team is the top team, their coach picks whoever he thinks is the best 11 players for his team and are physically capable, they will play 8th grade teams only, filling positions as needed. Then B picks 11, then C, and finally D.

After that you take however many kids are left, dive by 4, D team gets the extra pick. A team will pick their next 6 kids, then B and so on.

This ensures everyone stable playing time, also, if there is an 8th grader who would do nothing but ride the pine on the 8th team, he plays down, not much of an issue I don't think, since I remember MS teams having kids up to the age of 15 sometimes 16. Also if there are stellar 6th grade kids who can play up, then they should play against the better competition, it will only make them better.
I know you have some stellar kids on your team Devil, I think they would benefit form playing up with the 7th, maybe even 8th.
I think doing it this way ensures cohesion between the grades, because once in HS you got soph's playing with seniors and juniors. Also more kids will come out I think if they know for sure they will get to play.
I know of plenty of guys who wouldn't have got in the game if it wasn't for the 2nd quarter rule. They ended up being pretty decent HS players.

So your A team plays only 8th
B plays only 7th, maybe an 8th if they need to fill in schedule
C and D play 7th and 8th

Try and schedule 15 games per team per season, or as many as possible imo. I loved to play and the more games you play I think that will draw out more kids. Even if your playing every Tues. and Sat. for the whole season.

[DEVILOLOGIST]

Here is one thought:
1. Redraft the entire league each year, Maroon pants and a Maroon practice jersey and a white practice jersey. Number the kids from 1-99 and they keep the number from the time they start to the time they leave..

2. Each kid will have the opportunity to play for a variety of coaches and you never have to buy another uniform as long as you ar ei the league.. If you outgrow the uni, trade up of down depending on what you can not wear.. Everyone around you will be wearing the same exact thing and it would not be hard to find gear.......

3. Each team will have 2 practice jerseys, one for home and then away,, Maroon or white..... Each year the kids will already have the uni. One purchase- one price, good for 4 years. This way no matter what team you get picked for you are already outfitted....

This is just for the younger kids and the JFL pee wee division.... That way they get to learn from different people, coaches have their strengths and weaknesses,, could help alot.. This would also keep the anger and hatred between parents to a minimum.. It happens......

The older teams of 6-8th would still play each other and NOT play outside the school.... This was way to increase all kids PT just like the old way in the Junior league of JFL..... BUT we dont have those numbers anymore and that is what some people dont understand....

It appears to some people that the numbers are down becasue kids dont get to play the entire game when you have a game....

Playing together early prepares a team for togetherness... Another issue is as you grow up you may not play the position you played last year.... You may be a QB this year and next year a guard... or the opposite... Which usually happens......

The arguement before was that if you had 4 teams that played each other then you had 4 QBs who learn the position, and 12 backs to learn the assignments.. I just have them learn 4 different positions at least, and if they pat attention to the teaching sessions,, any kids should be be able to play every position.... WEll maybe not throw the ball but they should know the back and hole numbers and where the play is going... Now if you teach the DOWN
Anyway, There are some athletic kids onthe 6th grade team YES but I dont see them playing up on the 8th grade at this level.. They know the plays,, they know the defenseive calls and the blocking assignments but the simple size differemce is daunting enough........

[Beetle01]

I'mnot as much of a fan as the 4 teams of players mixed evenly and only play eachother for the middle school.

I think that hurts the 6th graders or 11's. As for the most part they will only see 1 quarter of action per game. Sure there might be a couple kids who play the whole game or 2nd, 3rd, and 4th quarters.
However, the 6th has 19 games this year with tons of PT for all. Which is awesome and I think they gain more from that.

However, if a 6th was to play up, maybe not with the 8th, but with the 7th, the size difference there is not as drastic.

Does a kid gain more by running for a TD every time they get the ball, or playing with kids who may be older and equal or close ability. Making them have to fight for every yard. I would think they gain more by playing up. There will be few of those kids, but they come through and I think they should be able to play up, if the parents and kids want them to. If you just have 4 JFL teams who play eachother, they may be playing against 8th graders anyways.

[Beetle01]

Also, most kids know what positions they will play in HS. you know who the linemen are and the backs are. Sure maybe a QB becomes a TB, or vice versa, but for the most part those kids on the 8th grade or freshman team will likely play the same positions in HS.

Anything below that is still mainly in a fundamental stage and learning to play the game properly, so positions not quite as important. Except for backs, you learn things as a back @ that young age, reading blocks, looking for holes, knowing when to cut. Those are things that are really gained in that young age.

Proper tackling also, I see poor tackling, not just @ Russell but @ almost every HS the last few years.

[DEVILOLOGIST]

The way we were taught is illegal now, facemask on the numbers,, this now called leading with the head and it is a safety issue. No longer legal...
Also a full back is on the one yard line and plunges in for the score.. leading with the head also but you never see this called..

[Beetle01]

Yeah I probably would be detremental to my team on D. Every time I made a tackle it would be a penalty.

[DEVILOLOGIST]

I remember the first year my sonplayd ball and they taught to block with the double chicken wing,,, old school block...I just looked on in amazement.. I still get kids that want to run into people with the doubel chicken wing,, I almost have to bite my tongues before I yell out.... NO DO NOT BLOCK LIKE THAT !!!!!!!!!!!


Sorry had a mind cramp for a minute... But if you teach the proper technique early then those who do understand will improve.. The others will have to work on the technique.

[FBALL]

The 6th grade had 30 kids out,
The 7th grade had 32 kids last year as 6th grade, I dont know how many now but they have alot.
The 8th grade has quite a few also.. The 6th grade is the smallest SPORTS class in a 5 year span. I still have 28 kids on the roster, every kid gets to play every game and I would say that since I have scheduled double games with some teams every kid will get to play at least 6 complete games plus more. So I know that kids at some level do not get to play the complete game.. So what do you propose..

The 8th grade has about 30 kids.

7th grade is down from 32 last year to 19. Thats not alot.

You know the situation with the 6th grade.

[DEVILOLOGIST]

So that would be 79 kids devided by and that is roughly 20 on a team, 11 starters and then that leaves 8....

[Devilsmama]

I like the thought of going back to the "Feeder program", where you have the 6th, 7th, & 8th. I think this gives kids the opportunity to practice and play with each other all the way to the top. Its really not as bad having your 6th go against your 8th because these are technically the same group they played against in there first or second year. Most of these kids are still friends with each other. I think it would be a good idea to go back to old school, if you have the right coaches, not the ones that have some glory to gain or are in it for the wrong reasons, but to teach and help these boys advance further in there athletic stents.

[FBALL]

I like the thought of going back to the "Feeder program", where you have the 6th, 7th, & 8th. I think this gives kids the opportunity to practice and play with each other all the way to the top. Its really not as bad having your 6th go against your 8th because these are technically the same group they played against in there first or second year. Most of these kids are still friends with each other. I think it would be a good idea to go back to old school, if you have the right coaches, not the ones that have some glory to gain or are in it for the wrong reasons, but to teach and help these boys advance further in there athletic stents.

AMEN