I was covering a game in Rogers last year when a fan of the home team complained they had difficultly competing because they were the smallest school in the league.
Those are Class 7A teams where the enrollment is at least 1,400 for most schools. They'll receive no sympathy from fans at smaller schools, especially those in Class 2A, where even fielding a team is difficult.
It happened last week at Mountain Pine, which canceled its second consecutive game after its roster of 12 dropped to eight because of illness or injuries. Hartford dropped football after years of struggling to field a team but the few who still want to play can travel 20 miles up the road and play for Hackett. Decatur seriously considered dropping varsity football this year before coach Shane Holland and Decatur athletic director John Unger rounded up enough students that the roster grew from nine to 21 players by the start of fall classes.
The recruiting effort included determined players like senior quarterback Leng Lee.
"I went and got a couple of guys, and I told my brother to get his guys, coach got some guys and we got some new guys to our school," said Lee, whose team has been outscored 104-6 in two defeats.
Union Christian in Fort Smith also struggled with fielding a team before making the decision this year to play 8-man football. The moved forced the school to leave the Arkansas Activities Association, which doesn't have 8-man football, and join the Oklahoma Christian School Athletic Association for the 2016-2017 school year.
The transition from 11-man to 8-man football has been good for the Eagles, who are 3-1 after quarterback Christian Snipes threw for five touchdowns in a recent 48-0 win over Gans, Okla.
"At first, the reaction was mixed because our players and fans didn't really know what to expect," said David Peach, the athletic director and football coach at Union Christian. "Since then, it's been very positive. The boys like playing it and there's plenty of scoring, which the fans like."
Dropping football was a last resort for Union Christian, which has a strong commitment to sports. Auburn football coach Gus Malzahn and former major league baseball player Craig Gentry played at Fort Smith Christian, which combined with two other schools 11 years ago to form Union Christian. Jim Files, who played four years in the NFL with the New York Giants, worked as coach at the school for many years.
Had Union Christian remained a member of the AAA, the Eagles likely would've been assigned to the 2A-4 Conference along with larger schools like Hackett and Danville, which has 42 players on its roster.
"We've got 15, 16 kids," Peach said. "Not only is it unfair, it's dangerous to be that outnumbered."
Eight-man football is prevalent in other states, led by Nebraska, where there are 113 teams. Oklahoma has 88 teams and Missouri 26 in 8-man football.
The field dimensions are smaller in 8-man football, but Union Christian still plays on a 100-yard field for its home games at Ramsey Junior High in Fort Smith. Rosters are capped at 20 and offensive tackles are eligible. A mercy rule that shortens the game begins when one team gets 45 points ahead.
"There's a lot of scoring, but you're forced to play much more fundamentally sound defense," Peach said. "If you miss a tackle, they're going to go the distance."
Union Christian is committed in all sports for two years with the Oklahoma Christian School Athletic Association. The Eagles would consider reapplying for AAA membership if Arkansas adopts 8-man football, but that seems unlikely.
So, teams at the lowest enrollment end in Arkansas will continue to struggle to field teams without 8-man football or consider moves like the one Union Christian has made.
"There are schools in Arkansas barely surviving in football," Peach said. "So, it's hard to justify not having it."
Sports on 09/11/2016