Some teams are yo-yoing from 11- to 9-man football

YOKOTA AIR BASE, Japan – A couple of DODEA-Pacific Division II football teams are forced to play nine-man format each week, simply because they don’t have enough players on their rosters to field 11-man teams.

But schools that have enough to field traditional 11-man teams at times find themselves having to shift between formats from week to week, depending on who they play. And it can be quite a chore, coaches say.

Take two-time defending D-II champion Yokota, for example. Three weeks ago, they visited Osan, which has a small enrollment and plays nine-man format every week. The Panthers won 53-22.

The last two weeks, the Panthers shifted to 11-man, at Zama, where they lost 43-7, and at home against Matthew C. Perry, whom they beat 40-6 – and now, Yokota must go back to nine-man at 6 p.m. Friday against undermanned Robert D. Edgren.

“It’s extremely difficult” having to change, Panthers coach Michael Woodworth said. “It’s a difficult transition. But we have to get the kids ready to play football, whether nine- or 11-man.”

In this weekend’s other D-II game, Osan visits Perry in a nine-man contest at 9 a.m. Saturday.

“It’s hard to prepare for,” said Cougars coach Tyler Greve, an Arkansas native who said he had never heard of nine-man before last season, when the Cougars began playing that format.

By DODEA rules, in nine-man, team rosters are capped at 18 players. If teams have more than that, they must go 11-man. Injuries at times force teams that normally go 11-man to opt for nine-man, an intent that must be declared early in the week leading up to a game.

“As a team, we don’t have a lot of room now for error as well as a ‘cushion’ for those who get injured or tired,” Eagles coach Mark Ganeb said. “It’s really assessing (which players) are truly capable of accomplishing their mission and enduring the quarters.”

All DODEA-Pacific football field dimensions are 100 yards by 50. Playing nine-man means much more open space, thus final scores can be much higher than in 11-man.

“It opens up the field more, so our defense needs to stay disciplined in containment,” Samurai coach A.J. Edwards said.

Nine-man format on a regulation field “opens up the field and playbook for the offense,” Edwards said. “It’s all about knowing the plays, knowing assignments and capitalizing on every opportunity.”

“There’s a lot more grass,” Greve said of the open spaces in nine-man, “which I have struggled with. Especially defensively.”

The challenge in switching formats week to week can mean little things like having enough players on the field for each play, Woodworth said.

“So many times at Zama, the players on the field kept saying we need one more, we need two more,” Woodworth said. “Making sure the numbers are right. Having to do all that is difficult.”

As a result, both the Osan-Perry and Yokota-Edgren games might result in high-scoring shootouts.

“Offensively, with fewer players, moving the ball and quick passes are paramount,” Ganeb said. “Defensively, players must communicate more than ever.”

Despite losing handily to Yokota, “having our first game under our belts will be good for us as well,” Edwards said. “The players are excited to get back out there and give it their all.”

Elsewhere

What had been expected to be the second end of a home-and-home between Division I American School In Japan at Nile C. Kinnick will not happen.

Citing injuries in last Saturday’s 62-27 loss at home to the Red Devils, coach John Stanton said his Mustangs didn’t have enough players to field a team safely and would forfeit Friday’s game at Kinnick.

DODEA-Pacific athletics coordinator Tom McKinney said the game would not be rescheduled and would count as a loss for ASIJ (1-2). Kinnick improved to 3-0.

In a D-I first, Humphreys visits Kubasaki in a game being played at 6 p.m. Saturday at Camp Hansen.

Humphreys’ girls volleyball team heads to Okinawa this weekend. the Blackhawks play at Kadena on Friday, Kubasaki on Saturday and in an Okinawa-American friendship tournament on Sunday at Kubasaki.

In Korea on Friday, Osan’s volleyball team visits Asia-Pacific and tennis travels to Yongsan International-Seoul. Korea Kent Foreign volleyball goes to Daegu and Warriors tennis visits Gyeonggi Suwon. Osan hosts a cross country meet Saturday.

In Japan, E.J. King’s tennis and volleyball teams travel to Perry for Friday and Saturday matches.

Edgren’s volleyball and tennis teams play off base at a Japanese school Saturday. Yokota’s volleyball team hosts Sacred Heart on Friday.

Cross country teams from throughout Japan travel to Tama Hills Recreation Center for a Saturday meet. The forecast calls for rain.