It’s the numbers game and it’s another entirely different game played within the game of football. A few area teams are struggling with the numbers crunch of too few players to go around.

No matter what form of football is being played – be that 6-Man, 8-Man or 11-Man, and all three are being played by teams within this reading area – good roster numbers usually translate into the makings of good football teams.

On that score, a few of our local teams are struggling mightily with numbers of participating players. With football being largely a sport of attrition, as injuries seem to be another normal part of the game any season, teams cannot afford to lose a few good men or, in this case even one good man.

For the Plains Horsemen, coach Mike Tatum reports that only 10 players comprise the current roster for the Western 8-Man conference they are playing in. For the Hot Springs Savage Heat, eight players are out for coach Jim Lawson in the 6-Man game they are assigned to.

Tatum doesn’t even seem to care which sex players are as long as they want to play football. “We are looking for a few more good men or women for that matter to help fill our roster,” he said in holding out hope that his program will be able to attract a few more players from the halls of PHS in the coming weeks. “There are a couple of potential players on the horizon that look promising.”

Without the additional wanted personnel, Tatum is upbeat about the kids he does have coming back from the 2024 season. “We did lose some key seniors from last year’s squad,” he said, “but have a good core returning this year that gained a lot of experience last year.”

Coach Tatum listed returning juniors Greg Tatum (QB/LB) and Cody West, and senior Kylan Bostick (OL/DL) as players to watch. Seniors Beau Crabb and Atlas Owens, junior Matthew Thurston, sophomores Eddie Siebert, Jeff Siebert and Grayson Ridders and freshman Gary Rehbein are the current few and proud gridders for Plains.

For his part, Lawson is also upbeat, if undermanned, with his Savage Heat. “We have pretty low numbers, it’s kind of a weird cycle in Hot Springs right now,” he said. “But the kids we do have out are excited and working hard.”

Lawson has seen the highs and lows of participation with Savage Heat football. With relatively large 6-Man rosters in the early 2010s and teens, Hot Springs rose to the apex of the 6-Man game, claiming State C championships in 2012 and 2016 and advancing deep into the playoffs many other times.

Just last year, with a good core of seniors to lean on, the Heat fell in the State semifinals in a shootout of a game with Box Elder, and Box Elder went on to win the State title last year.

Box Elder seems to be on the other side of the numbers game for their part. As a reward for winning the 6-Man title, the Bears are now playing 8-Man football this season.