The five members of the WACO school board each showed positive support earlier this week in dropping the district’s football classification starting next school year. A vote of 5-0 approved WACO’s move from Class A 11-man football to 8-man football beginning the 2016-17 school year.

Warrior head football coach Chad Edeker said the team averaged 15 to 16 players during August camp, concerning the entire coaching staff about their future in 11-man football. “As we are going through these practices the first couple weeks of the season, as coaches we are saying, ‘oh boy we are going to have to start looking at 8 man (football)’.” Edeker said, “I mean we can’t run an 11-man football program with only 15 or 16 kids at practice every night.”

Once the school year began,WACO football roster increased to 25. However, as the season went along, the Warriors were forced to play underclassman on the varsity team due to injuries. “We had to play freshman and sophomores that were not physically ready to play varsity football in varsity games against juniors and seniors from other towns.” Edeker said, “As coaches we would get together on Sunday nights to do our game planning and the more we met, the more we realized 8-man was really a viable option here.”

Edeker added the move to 8-man football will help the Warriors develop their underclassman by being able to field a full junior varsity football team, and also opens the opportunity for the Warriors’ to play some familiar regional foes. “There’s a lot of schools we use to play in Class A that made the switch four to six years ago.” Edeker said, “H.L.V, English Valley, and Tri County are the three closest schools that use to be in our district and could be in our district in the future.”

The most notable changes the Warriors will see at their new level of football is three less players for each team, and the playing field shrinks from 100 yards to 80. Joining the Warriors in 8-man football next season will be the Lone Tree Lions, whose school board agreed to the move last week.