I saw a teaser for this story by Sikids.com in Sports Illustrated... and man, I thought Chewelah was a small town but boy was I wrong.
The town of Arthur, Nebraska has 145 citizens; 34 attend Arthur County High, of whom 19 are boys. Of those, 16 are on the roster of the Arthur County High Wolves' six-man football team. Six-man football is far removed from the world of the NFL. The dimmensions of the field are 40 yards by 80 yards, and the rules are different, too. Field goals are worth four points and a team must gain 15 yards for a first down. But that doesn't change the players' passion for the game. In Arthur County, putting on the pads is all about a love for the game and a love for the community.
If you're wondering how 6-man football is player, here's a link to the Wiki article. And of course, there's a video story by SI on the Arthur, Nebraska team.
Hey, Whats up. My name is Blake Hampton. And I am a former player at Arthur. I graduated in 2000. I love that SI is recognizing small schools now. I have seen alot of talent that could of played at the D1 level but got overlooked just because they played 6man. But to tell you the truth I think that 6man requires some of the most fundamentally sound, best, well rounded athletes athletes that football has to offer. I actually wanted to try and walk on at the University of Wyoming, but a daughter and a deployment changed that. I think that colleges should definately pay more attention to these schools cuz there are definately diamonds in the rough. I honestly cant hardly watch 11man HS football because 6man is my love.
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