JANESVILLE - The state says its smaller schools are losing students, and that trend is only going to continue. When faced with this problem, schools receive less state funding, and have to get creative to stay in the game.

It’s not the typical type of football game. Players hustle across an 80-by-40 yard field, and eight men -- not the usual 11 -- round out the roster.

Janesville High School Head Football Coach Jason Sullivan says, "It's hard to compete in an 11-man game when you have to put freshmen in at the varsity level in order to fill the roster."

Last year, Janesville High School had the smallest football team in the state. That's why the team had to downsize.

Defensive nose guard Justin Nicklaus says, "I think it was better for the school because in years to come, it's going to increasingly get smaller."

Nicklaus's senior class has only 26 students. They barely fill up all the seats in their science class, let alone make up an entire football team. In 100 years as a school, Janesville has never had a team sport go to the state playoffs. Some members of its wrestling program have had some success at state, but even that sport is gone today.

Eliminate extracurriculars or re-create existing ones. Like 55 other Iowa teams, Janesville found eight-man football better met the small school's needs and might help a tiny team come out of a century-old shutout.

Although Justin doesn't want to play college football, his eight-man stint still looks good on a college application.

He says, "If you're out for a sport and still maintain good grades, that looks good."

Two years ago, he moved from a larger school district to Janesville, in part, for more playing time.

Sullivan says, "At the larger level, he wasn't really active in sports, but now he's found his home with the team here."

For Justin and the school, shrinking their size doesn't cheat their chances for success in the future.

For more information visit Janesville Consolidated School District.

http://www.janesville.k12.ia.us

Email Josh Hinkle at Josh.Hinkle@kcrg.com

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Janesville aired 11/22/06

It’s a national trend. Small schools in many places are losing students. As I’ve said before, I graduated with 56 other students. Five years down the road, when my brother graduated from the same small school, there were only 42. With fewer students, the school has no choice but to change.

Sadly, unlike Janesville’s eight-man football program, most activities don’t have a simple and smaller version. A band just can’t have eight members; that’s barely a musical ensemble. A student council with just eight students isn’t a council at all. So sometimes the only solution is to eliminate a certain program altogether. Eventually, declining enrollment can lead to the school’s closure.

Some try to buy time and see if the situation will rebound or adjust to population loss. However, most school officials will tell you there is no quick fix for declining enrollment. Instead, they try to focus on and enhance the one thing for which students go to school – an education.
Email Josh Hinkle with thoughts on this topic at Josh.Hinkle@KCRG.com.

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