Iowa High School BEDS count 24-25

[Kinch]

Players vote with their feet. In the early 1970s, Newton played in the Big 8 conference with the Waterloo schools, Cedar Falls, Ames, Fort Dodge. Jerry Moses’ team killed Newton 98-6 and next year they struggled getting kids out for football. They changed to the CIC, I think, and within a few years won a state championship.

 

[Gunnerclone]

Sure, it affects them, kids want a chance to win, and are not going to play when they know that they are going to not only lose but be destroyed in these games. You are always going to get kids that will play no matter what, but you need those other kids that will play because the team is winning. If the team is not winning, those other kids are not going to go out. It's easy to go out a Valley or SEP, all your friends are on the team, and you are going to win games, that is not the case at East or Roosevelt. The kids know they have no chance and are not going to put in the time because they see it as a lost cause.

Then that’s a failure of adults that happened a long time ago. Like I said, there shouldn’t be any illusions as to the reality of the situation and no one is forcing anyone to do anything.

 

[SEIOWA CLONE]

Then that’s a failure of adults that happened a long time ago. Like I said, there shouldn’t be any illusions as to the reality of the situation and no one is forcing anyone to do anything.

No one is forcing anyone to go out, when you can compete and win games, they want to be part of the success. The opposite is also true, when they are losing game after game, year after year. Kids want no part of it, because they see no chance of success. So instead of playing football they will choose a sport that the team is winning in. Hell, I credit those 25 kids at North or Roosevelt a lot more than those 80 kids playing at SEP or Valley. Because those 25 kids want to play football and know they are going to lose most of the games, but still are showing up for practice and doing the things needed to win, just because they want to be on the team that hopefully does turn it around.