A Welcome Addition : Going From Eight-Man Football to the Traditional Game Works Out Well for Schools That Have Made the Switch

When the St. Margaret’s and Capistrano Valley Christian football teams line up against each other at Dana Hills High Saturday night, some folks might wonder if there aren’t too many players on the field.

Rest assured, the number--22, not 16--will be correct.

Both schools elected to switch from eight-man football to 11-man this fall, and although the results have been mixed, coaches and players from both sides say the change is for the better.

Russ Henning, 17, a senior tackle and linebacker at St. Margaret’s, is playing 11-man for the first time, and is enjoying the change.

“I was excited [about the switch] because it means more coverage and playing more teams at our level,” Henning said. “And it’s real football.”

Capistrano Valley Christian tight end Matt Keller, who is also experiencing 11-man for the first time, said the first game “felt really different,” but after that things fell into place.

“I’m enjoying it,” he said. “On defense you get to hit more people, and on offense you have more protection. It’s also nice to get some recognition with everyone else instead of being sentenced under ‘eight-man’ football.”

Saturday’s game has the added spice of rivalry. These private institutions are the only two high schools in San Juan Capistrano, and the game represents an unofficial city championship. (Depending on where they live in the city, those students in public high school attend either Capistrano Valley in Mission Viejo, Dana Hills in Dana Point or San Clemente.)

“It’s a civil rivalry,” Capistrano Valley Christian Coach Marty Martin said. “But [St. Margaret’s Coach] Brady Lock and I have talked about getting a trophy of some kind that the winning team can keep for a year.”

When Capistrano Valley Christian opened in 1973, it played 11-man football as a member of the Academy League. But in 1989, after spending time in the Olympic League, the school decided to go to eight-man. “We were tired of getting pummeled by bigger schools,” Athletic Director Terry Gaunt said.

Last fall, Gaunt talked with the athletic directors at Bloomington Christian and Fontana Ambassador Christian about the formation of another league with schools closer to their enrollment size.

They eventually found enough eight-man schools that wanted to move up to 11-man to form two leagues--the Freedom and Victory, which became members of the Southern Section Division XI. St. Margaret’s plays in the Freedom League, and Capistrano Valley Christian in the Victory.

In fact, Gaunt said, this could be the last season of eight-man football for the remaining county schools that play it; Heritage Christian, Huntington Beach Claremont and Liberty Christian are considering switching to 11-man next season.

Martin was ecstatic. He had come to Capistrano Valley Christian from San Diego St. Augustine, where he coached an 11-man team. Martin was convinced the 11-man game would make the school more attractive to opponents and boosters.

“It gives your program more credibility--you can get your kids into college easier, and now your stats are mentioned with everybody else’s,” Martin said. “I’ve already talked to more people this year than I have the past three years.

“I didn’t know if it would be hard to sell our kids on 11-man, but they were excited, and it shows in our numbers; we had 15 more kids come out for football than we did last year.”

Last season, only 18 players turned out for football at Capistrano Valley Christian. Gaunt had to cancel the junior varsity schedule because there weren’t enough bodies to go around. This season, the Eagles are playing both varsity and junior varsity football again.

Capistrano Valley Christian’s first game this year was against Los Angeles Brentwood, which has an eight-man team but added three players that day because school officials were considering a move in that direction. Capistrano Valley Christian lost, 18-8.

“We had some guys still making their moves and cuts like they were on the eight-man field,” Martin said. But Capistrano Valley Christian has won its last two. The Eagles are led by running back Bryant Wolfsberger, who leads the county in rushing with 601 yards in 54 carries.

On the other hand, St. Margaret’s is still suffering hard times. After winning their opener at Bloomington Christian, 40-20, the Tartans have been shut out the last two weeks.

Lock, whose teams have played eight-man since the school opened in 1983, said he is still wrestling a bit with playing extra people.

“That’s been the most difficult thing--filling the other three spots,” Lock said. “In eight-man, you’re concerned more with the backfield. In 11-man, you need more linemen.

“Our kids aren’t that big--only one is over 200 pounds--and you’re not going to turn receivers into tackles.”

But Lock, who wanted to play the 11-man game “if we ever got the numbers,” firmly believes St. Margaret’s made the right decision.

“This is more like a traditional football atmosphere,” Lock said. “I’m a little discouraged in that we haven’t won [lately]. But we are playing good football. At first I was unsure whether we could compete, but for the most part we’ve been hanging in there.”

To ease the transition, both coaches said they have kept intact their offenses and most of their defenses. That was beneficial to the seniors, who did not have to learn a new system in their final season.

“The biggest adjustment is going against a defense you haven’t seen,” said St. Margaret’s senior quarterback, Mike Heydenrych. “We didn’t think it would be easy, but it’s still exciting. Even if it turns into a difficult year, it will be worthwhile.”