Post by Sly Fox on Aug 14, 2005 8:06:52 GMT -5
Here's a quick story I stumbled across down here of Texas on a former LU player who has discovered the joys of 6-man football down here in Lone Star State:
www.courier-gazette.com/articles/2005/08/13/sports/sports02.txt
And I know there are going to be inevitable questions about what six-man football is from those of you not exposed to where the state where football is truly revered. For small schools (primarily in West Texas) where enrollment is not large enought o field an 11-man football team, a new version of the game was created over a half-century ago with just six players on the field on each side of the ball. They play on a 60-yard field and use many rule adjustments. But they run & pass with a few blockers. A number of small Christian schools have started playing it in recent years in order to get some football into their curriculum (something necessary if you want to attract students down here).
Deep Six: Mustangs ready to run wild in '05
By Pat Turner McKinney Courier-Gazette
Earl Hammons was blown away the first time he heard about six-man football.
It was a different type of game than the 11-man brand he played at Ocala (Fla.) Christian Academy and Liberty University.
Quarters were 10 minutes. The field was 80 yards and teams had to go 15 yards for a first down.
Linemen were eligible to catch passes. Running a PAT was one point, while kicking rewarded a team two points and teams scored more points than some basketball teams. For a person who played defense his entire career, that was a bit frightening.
While coaching at Richardson Canyon Creek (1993-95), Hammons fell in love with the game. Now, he's hoping to find additional reasons to enjoy it during his role as McKinney Christian Academy's new head coach.
"It's an amazing game," said Hammons, who replaced Rene Aja as coach at MCA. "I found out real quick it's not as easy as it sounds. Just when you think you have a game under control, it busts wide open. It can happen right now. The hardest thing you have to do is accepting the fact the other team is probably going to score. You're going to give up points. That's hard for a defensive person.
"What I like about it is coaching a smaller team allows you to become more personal and interactive with the players. If you're six-man, you're small. A large six-man team may have 25 kids. With only 25 kids, coaches can get up close and personal. That's what excites me about six-man."
For the most part, it's been a smooth transition for Hammons, who also pastors New Point Church in Plano. However, the Mustangs suffered a setback this past week when quarterback Josh Yates broke a finger on his right hand during a tackling drill. The 6-foot-3, 200 pound-senior will be out six weeks. In the meantime, Daniel Ryan will handle the duties.
Despite losing Yates, Hammons is confident Ryan can handle the job. The Mustangs ' quarterback had a chance to show his skills during Saturday's scrimmage with The Hill.
"We're having to overcome adversity," said Hammons, who is assisted by Jeff Anderson (offensive coordinator), Matt Dowling (defensive coordinator) and Matt Rogers (assistant offensive coordinator). "His backup is learning quick. He has good feet. Now, we're working on his arm (throwing). He was second string last year and saw some action. The other thing you have to get used to in six-man is the quarterback has to be a running athlete. There's a lot of focus on the QB. Teams that are successful have quarterbacks who have the ability to tuck and run."
Overall, Hammons is excited about the season.
He realizes MCA, which finished 8-3 a year ago, competes in a district, which includes 2004 Six-Man Division II champion Greenville Christian and runner-up Calvary Christian. But the first-year coach believes his Mustangs have plenty of tools to have a successful season.
A major part of MCA's strength comes from running back-linebacker Corbin Purdum, center Taylor Woodruff, linemen-receiver Andy Tucker, newcomer running back-receiver Cody Hickman and fullback-defensive tackle Reed Almond.
"We have a lot of athletes," Hammons said. "We have a lot of skilled positions, which we're very fortunate to have. With the exception of Cody, we have the same existing offense as we had last year. We're able to build on what was established year. Coach Anderson is going to make us look real good."
Hammons likes the Mustangs' offensive potential. With his special love for defense, the MCA coach looks for the same success on the side of the football.
The Mustangs are going with a 2-3-1 look this season. It fits their personnel and the defense is good at stopping the dump pass, which can be a deadly weapon in six-man.
If all goes as planned, Hammons will get to see his favorite type play in six-man.
"I love the open field tackle," Hammons said. "There's nothing like a good open field wrap-up. That's what gets my blood boiling when a guy can break down and make a tackle in the open field, because there's so much open field."
By Pat Turner McKinney Courier-Gazette
Earl Hammons was blown away the first time he heard about six-man football.
It was a different type of game than the 11-man brand he played at Ocala (Fla.) Christian Academy and Liberty University.
Quarters were 10 minutes. The field was 80 yards and teams had to go 15 yards for a first down.
Linemen were eligible to catch passes. Running a PAT was one point, while kicking rewarded a team two points and teams scored more points than some basketball teams. For a person who played defense his entire career, that was a bit frightening.
While coaching at Richardson Canyon Creek (1993-95), Hammons fell in love with the game. Now, he's hoping to find additional reasons to enjoy it during his role as McKinney Christian Academy's new head coach.
"It's an amazing game," said Hammons, who replaced Rene Aja as coach at MCA. "I found out real quick it's not as easy as it sounds. Just when you think you have a game under control, it busts wide open. It can happen right now. The hardest thing you have to do is accepting the fact the other team is probably going to score. You're going to give up points. That's hard for a defensive person.
"What I like about it is coaching a smaller team allows you to become more personal and interactive with the players. If you're six-man, you're small. A large six-man team may have 25 kids. With only 25 kids, coaches can get up close and personal. That's what excites me about six-man."
For the most part, it's been a smooth transition for Hammons, who also pastors New Point Church in Plano. However, the Mustangs suffered a setback this past week when quarterback Josh Yates broke a finger on his right hand during a tackling drill. The 6-foot-3, 200 pound-senior will be out six weeks. In the meantime, Daniel Ryan will handle the duties.
Despite losing Yates, Hammons is confident Ryan can handle the job. The Mustangs ' quarterback had a chance to show his skills during Saturday's scrimmage with The Hill.
"We're having to overcome adversity," said Hammons, who is assisted by Jeff Anderson (offensive coordinator), Matt Dowling (defensive coordinator) and Matt Rogers (assistant offensive coordinator). "His backup is learning quick. He has good feet. Now, we're working on his arm (throwing). He was second string last year and saw some action. The other thing you have to get used to in six-man is the quarterback has to be a running athlete. There's a lot of focus on the QB. Teams that are successful have quarterbacks who have the ability to tuck and run."
Overall, Hammons is excited about the season.
He realizes MCA, which finished 8-3 a year ago, competes in a district, which includes 2004 Six-Man Division II champion Greenville Christian and runner-up Calvary Christian. But the first-year coach believes his Mustangs have plenty of tools to have a successful season.
A major part of MCA's strength comes from running back-linebacker Corbin Purdum, center Taylor Woodruff, linemen-receiver Andy Tucker, newcomer running back-receiver Cody Hickman and fullback-defensive tackle Reed Almond.
"We have a lot of athletes," Hammons said. "We have a lot of skilled positions, which we're very fortunate to have. With the exception of Cody, we have the same existing offense as we had last year. We're able to build on what was established year. Coach Anderson is going to make us look real good."
Hammons likes the Mustangs' offensive potential. With his special love for defense, the MCA coach looks for the same success on the side of the football.
The Mustangs are going with a 2-3-1 look this season. It fits their personnel and the defense is good at stopping the dump pass, which can be a deadly weapon in six-man.
If all goes as planned, Hammons will get to see his favorite type play in six-man.
"I love the open field tackle," Hammons said. "There's nothing like a good open field wrap-up. That's what gets my blood boiling when a guy can break down and make a tackle in the open field, because there's so much open field."
www.courier-gazette.com/articles/2005/08/13/sports/sports02.txt
And I know there are going to be inevitable questions about what six-man football is from those of you not exposed to where the state where football is truly revered. For small schools (primarily in West Texas) where enrollment is not large enought o field an 11-man football team, a new version of the game was created over a half-century ago with just six players on the field on each side of the ball. They play on a 60-yard field and use many rule adjustments. But they run & pass with a few blockers. A number of small Christian schools have started playing it in recent years in order to get some football into their curriculum (something necessary if you want to attract students down here).
