Groton switches to eight-man football

This season, Groton will become the fourth team in Tompkins County to become a part of the eight-man football circuit, joining Newfield, Lansing and Trumansburg. Groton had been one of just nine Class D schools competing in Section IV as an 11-man team and consistently playing larger schools. Only two of the team’s six scheduled games last season were against fellow Class D schools.

The switch to eight-man football has become an increasingly popular option for schools as participation in football decreases. The transition for Groton began right after the shortened season ended in the spring when the idea was presented to parents.

“We had a half a dozen parents show up on the Zoom meeting, and everyone was really for it,” head coach Joe Manning said. “The competition is right here. Let’s face it. Moravia went, Newfield went, Lansing went, and they’re the teams we usually play. That’s ultimately what made this decision. Playerwise too, we were low on modified last year, so we finally decided to make the change and go from there.”

Another factor that led to the switch was the team’s final game of last season in April. Groton was defeated by Class B Owego 41-12. It signified that a change needed to be made.

“We got banged up pretty good against Owego,” Manning said. “We took that game, and they had 22 seniors. We had maybe 23 kids on the team, and our starting running back was hurt from the Tioga game, so we didn’t have him. They kind of beat up on us, and we just said we’ve got to go back to where the teams we compete with are the same school size. We can’t compete with 23 seniors, honestly. Let’s face it, we’re a Class D school. We had six seniors last year. I think we’ll do alright [in eight-man].”

With Section IV electing to utilize a full-size football field in eight-man competition, cardio is the big focus for Manning and his team heading into their first eight-man season.

“The biggest thing is getting the kids back in shape,” Manning said. “We had a season that ended in April of this year football, but I don’t think we’re in good enough shape to be playing. Especially eight-man, it’s a big field. With six less guys on the field, that’s a lot of field to cover both offensively and defensively. I think the biggest thing is just conditioning and getting our new offense and defense because it’s three less guys.”

This will be Manning’s third year as Groton’s head coach, and he’s had a few months to change the playbook as necessary. To get prepared, he sought out some help from local coaches.

“I called some coaches,” Manning said. “I called Ralph [Boettger] from Dryden. He actually was at Newfield for the last three years. I talked to him and chewed his ear quite a bit. He actually came to a couple of seven-on-seven practices with us and explained to us what we should be looking at doing.”

Part of that preparation is learning how to utilize the open field. The most game-changing opportunities to do so come on special teams, but there is certainly a learning curve to the eight-man variation of kickoffs and punts.

“It’s a mystery,” Manning said. “Coach [Mick] LeVick does our special teams, and he’s working on some stuff. I think there’s going to be quite a few touchdowns scored on special teams. You’re talking about such a wide-open field, and it’s hard to cover a field that big with eight guys coming down through. You’ve got seven blockers up for one running back so it’s dynamic. It’s going to be super dynamic.”

Last season, Spencer-Van Etten/Candor made the switch to eight-man football and quickly became the best team in Section IV, outscoring opponents by over 100 points in an undefeated season. Manning hopes his team can have that kind of success this season.

“When I coach, I want to be undefeated,” he said. “As a coach, I feel winning is everything. That’s what you prepare to do. You don’t prepare to have a .500 season. You prepare to win every single game and you coach to win every game, so I want to win every game.”

That quest begins Sept. 10 when Groton travels to Oxford. They’ll be led by returning players Austin Hunt and Ben DeMatteo, who have battled for the starting quarterback role throughout the preseason. The switch to eight-man football could be just what Groton needs to get back to success on the gridiron.