Valley Christian likes the switch to 8-man

A newness fills the air at Valley Christian High School this year. The Lions have made the change, like a handful of other small school football teams, and have switched to playing 8-man football. For a team that in the recent past has had no more than 25 players on their roster, this helps alleviate some stress on such a small roster, as teams need only 16 starters and not 22, perhaps eliminating a player or two from having to play both offense and defense. The change to 8-man didn't change the number of kids who came out for the team, as head coach Doug Williams has about 20 or 21 players out for practice. "We will have a better scout throughout the season," Williams said. "For guys whose dream isn't to play both ways, there's a little more room for them to take a break and it be less detrimental to the team. We've had this roster size for so long that guys really do enjoy being on the field and playing both ways, though." At first glance, Williams likes the change to 8-man football because of the parity it exposes. "The teams that opted into 8-man are teams I would choose to schedule," Williams said. "We don't have a junior program like most high schools, so it works out good for us. "For once we don't know who the champion of the SMAL is going to be because Woodland Christian is not in our league. It also opens up the postseason a bit as there are only about 16 teams in Division VIII." What that means is that Valley Christian could have a legitimate shot at winning the first section championship in football; perhaps not this year, but maybe soon. The team returns two of its three quarterbacks from a season ago: seniors Noah Lutes and Connor Tinker. It appears that Tinker, who was also the team's leading rusher and third leading receiver last year, will be the starter at quarterback. He rushed for a team-high 335 yards and four touchdowns last year, while also passing for 345 yards and a touchdown, all the while holding down the starting spot at middle linebacker. "Connor will be QB1, as Noah has got quite a bit of value on the line," Williams said. "Tinker works his tail off, and he takes football seriously. He's improved his passing and I think he's going to be able to run the ball this year. Last year he was a little hesitant, but he's really ambitious." Tinker is excited for the season. "I'm excited to be playing 8-man," Tinker said. "It's a good opportunity to get a ring and the goal for our team is to win a section and put a banner up on our baseball field. "I'm excited for the opportunity to be the quarterback and to be playing as much as possible. Eight-man provides a higher opportunity to score because it opens the field up, so hopefully we can capitalize on that. Defense will be tougher, but I think we'll be up to the task." Riley Garcia, the team's third senior out of four, looks to have a big season with more room on the field with less players on it. Garcia led the Lions in receiving a year ago with 24 catches for 482 yards and five touchdowns and one would think those numbers would only increase this season. "I'm anticipating Garcia to have a monster year with more space out there," Williams said. Garcia, like Tinker, is excited to play 8-man football. "It's definitely new, but I'm excited for it," Garcia said. "It's a very pass heavy game and I'm a receiver so of course I'm looking forward to it. "I hope to catch a lot of balls this year. Me and Connor will be a good combo this year, that's for sure." Two other standouts for the Lions will be Paxton Pebley, a sophomore lineman, and Ricky Williams, a running back. "Paxton looks like he will be quite impactful, and Ricky will contribute at running back, wide receiver or center on offense and on the defensive line or at linebacker on defense," Williams said. Lutes figures to be a big contributor on the offensive line and at linebacker as well. While playing offense will appear to be fun this season, defense is a whole different animal. "Defense will be an interesting riddle," Williams said. "It will be way more difficult because there will be more real estate to cover, despite the fact that we're playing on a field 40 feet narrower. Offense will come down to executing; I don't know if you need to be as creative." Williams said defensively his team is leaning towards playing a three-man front with two linebackers, two cornerbacks and a safety as their base defense. "I also play safety and there will be a lot more room to cover," Garcia said. "I'm confident in our d-coordinator, though, I think it's going to be a great season for our defense also." As Tinker already mentioned, the Lions are thinking big this season. They want to win a section championship. "The goal, honestly, is a ring," Garcia said. "First, we have to make the playoffs and win our first playoff game and build toward getting the ring. I'm a senior, so obviously that's the big goal. "We're going to have to work as a team to accomplish that goal. We don't have the greatest chemistry on the field right now, so we're going to have to get used to the guys on the field."