Midland experiences strong start in return to 11-Player high school football

WYOMING – Midland Coach Ryan Streets was finally adapting to 8-Player football as last season closed.

Then, he got news the program was getting bumped into the 11-Player game for the first time since 2009. Rip up the old play book and start from scratch.

“Last year, I had never coached 8-(Player) before,” said Streets, who is in his second year as head coach of his alma mater. “That wasn't much fun either. I had to figure that out. So, I'm the one trying to figure out 8-(Player), and it took me probably all eight games and I watched film of one year to figure out what's going on.

“And now, I'm doing 11-(Player) and you're trying to get everybody else to figure out what's going on. It's a lot more fun when they know what they're doing, you go and practice. You say like one word and everybody knows their job is and teach. So, it's been tough, but the leadership this year has been outstanding.”

The Eagles have adjusted to the new style of football, posting their first 3-0 start since 2011. Midland faces its toughest test with a trip to No. 8 Wapsie Valley at Fairbank. The two programs are tied with No. 7 North Linn for the Class A District 4 lead.

“When you come in, you never know until you really start to see if they really want to work,” Streets said. “This group wants to work. These guys are working a hard at it and the leadership's good, they care, and then you can start to see stuff come together.”

Midland was 1-7 last season and only surpassed 30 points in just two games. Another back and two more linemen have the Eagles averaging 31 points a game, while allowing 12.3. Senior Anthony Harrington credited the coaches for early success.

"It's been pretty smooth offensively, for sure,” Harrington said. “Defensively, I think we've done a pretty good job. They done a good job, transitioning from 8-(Player) to 11-(Player). We're just trying to keep it simple. At the end of the day, it is just football but it's definitely a change. I think we’ve adapted pretty well.”

Streets said Midland petitioned to stay in 8-Player. The program was 11-player by the slimmest of margins and with a small seventh-grade class, the Eagles will likely return to 8-Player in two seasons. He said they received the final ruling in January.

Midlands varsity is the only level that competes and practices in 11-Player football. The practice field is split – 11-Player on one side and 8-Player on the other. Junior varsity and junior high teams play 8-Player.

“When those young kids get up here, they're not going to be playing 11,” Streets said. “It is a difficult ship to run, but the kids are doing a great job. It takes a lot of organization; I'll just tell you that. But that's what we got in, and we had tried to explain that to them (Iowa High School Athletic Association).”

Streets said 29 players are out for football, but nine are freshmen and eight are sophomores. Some of them aren’t physical ready to play varsity. He said they will have between 14 to 16 players in practice, forcing the Eagles to take reps focused on one side of the ball. They are making the most of the situation.

“We don’t even have enough kids for a scout defense,” said Harrington, noting he was fine with the change and was frustrated with the 8-Player isn’t real football stigma. “It’s just trusting the process and buying into what Streets is teaching us.”

Harrington added, “I'm pretty happy with what we’ve been able to do, so far.”

One of the toughest changes is the field size. The 11-Player field is 20 yards longer between goal lines and swells from 40 to 53.3 yards wide.

“Football's got a lot of angles in it,” Streets said. “You got to make sure that you are in a position where you can succeed by your alignment and the field size is the hardest thing, going back and forth.

“The amount of kids and all the other stuff isn't that big of a deal. That was really a surprise and a challenge, I thought, for me, getting used to the field size.”

Streets said Eagles had athleticism and speed, contributing to nine state track qualifying events in the spring. Lane Thomsen, 6-foot-2, 154-pound receiver, has been a key weapon, 216 yards and three touchdowns. Tyler Gaunt leads the team with four interceptions and Dane Ballou has a team-best 17.5 tackles.

Harrington has been a jack-of-all-trades, overcoming an offseason knee injury that limited him the first two weeks. He has 300 yards rushing with four touchdowns, two catches for 43 yards and a score and 108 passing yards with a TD.

Harrington had 305 offensive yards and three TDs total. He also had four tackles from his outside linebacker position.

“The last game against East Buchanan was the first game I would say I was full 100 percent,” Harrington said. “Through the first three games, it's kind of been a little bit of a blessing because I've been able to play basically everything. I've been the quarterback, the running back, a wide receiver and I've kind of had a little bit of freedom on offense.”

Midland’s toughest test of the season comes this week. Wapsie Valley is a perennial playoff program and has outscored foes, 142-42. Streets said the Warriors are fundamentally sound and limit mistakes, making them successful annually. The Eagles will need to mimic those traits Friday and they are ready for the challenge.

“Obviously, they're excited because they’ve been winning,” Streets said. “You just keep thinking it's going to happen.”

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