Finding enough players to field a varsity high school football team has become an issue in some Michigan districts.
Geoff Kimmerly, communications director for the Michigan High School Athletics Association, says this has led to six football teams cancelling their 2026 season.
For some small Michigan communities, eight-player football is helping keep a decades-old tradition alive as schools face declining enrollment and smaller athletic rosters.
The Michigan High School Athletic Association lists 102 eight-player varsity football teams for the 2026 season, including several schools in and around Mid-Michigan.
Kimmerly said the number of eight-player teams has remained relatively steady in recent years after significant growth more than a decade ago.
“We've been around 100 to 105 teams now for the last several years, but really between let's say 2010 and 2015 is where we saw a significant increase.”
Kimmerly said population and enrollment declines, particularly in rural areas, have contributed to the need for an alternative to traditional 11-player football.
“A big part of this is because we have population decline in our state. We have enrollment decline in our state, at a lot of schools, particularly in our rural areas, we've seen smaller enrollments.”
The MHSAA began offering eight-player football in 2009, with the first playoffs held in 2011, according to Kimmerly.
The option can make the difference between maintaining a football program and eliminating it altogether.
Kimmerly said some schools were getting down to rosters of only 16, 17, 18 or 19 players.
“It allowed a lot of our programs that were maybe getting down to having rosters of only 16, 17, 18, 19 players to still be able to play football, even if not in the 11 player sense.”
Eight-player teams still have the opportunity to compete for a state championship. The 2026 MHSAA tournament will culminate with the eight-player finals at the Superior Dome in Marquette on Nov. 21.
Mid-Michigan schools making the switch
Kimmerly identified several schools in the Lansing area and surrounding communities that have used eight-player football.
They include Potterville, Dansville, Portland St. Patrick, Fulton and Morrice.
The MHSAA's current 2026 list confirms Dansville, Fulton, Morrice, Portland St. Patrick and Potterville among the state's eight-player varsity programs.
Kimmerly said Potterville has gone back and forth between having football, playing 11-player football and playing eight-player football.
He said Dansville is believed to be making the move to eight-player football this season.
Webberville has played eight-player football in the past but does not have enough players for a varsity team this year. Kimmerly said the school is instead playing junior varsity football.
He said smaller schools sometimes face difficult decisions when a large portion of their available players are freshmen and sophomores.
Eight-player football isn't necessarily permanent
Moving to eight-player football does not necessarily mean a school will stay there permanently.
Kimmerly said a handful of schools have eventually returned to 11-player football after several years of playing eight-player.
“Also, because that means that they've been able to, you know, even if their enrollments have declined, they've been able to kind of stoke the program, regenerate some popularity, and maybe they've been very successful in eight player, and so they've they've gotten more students interested, and so they've been able to actually come back out and play 11 player again, which is exciting too.”
One example is Montabella in Montcalm County.
Montabella is listed among the state's 2026 eight-player teams.
Kimmerly said the school played in the MHSAA's Division 1 eight-player championship game last year and defeated the team it lost to in the championship during the opening week of this season.
He said Montabella expects its enrollment to increase next year and plans to return to 11-player football.
College opportunities remain
Kimmerly said playing eight-player football does not eliminate opportunities for athletes who want to play football in college.
He pointed to players from eight-player programs who have gone on to play at Division II and Division III colleges.
One player from Crystal Falls Forest Park is currently at Michigan Tech, he said. Another player from Ewen-Trout Creek went on to Northern Michigan and eventually spent a year on the Indianapolis Colts practice squad.
“if you if you still have the the athleticism and the skills, eight players certainly still gives you the opportunity to display those and have those opportunities.”
Could more schools make the move?
Kimmerly said more schools could turn to eight-player football if enrollment continues to decline, particularly in rural communities.
But he also said the MHSAA may be approaching a point where most of the small schools that need the option are already using it.
“We've had several, you know, probably the great majority of our small schools are playing eight-player football now.”
The MHSAA has also made changes on the 11-player side to help smaller schools remain competitive.
Kimmerly said the association has capped the enrollment of schools eligible for its smallest 11-player division, so schools that remain with 11-player football don't necessarily have to compete against schools with significantly larger enrollments.
The MHSAA has also seen schools add eight-player football when they previously did not have a football program.
Kimmerly cited Bear Lake as one example.
For the MHSAA, the issue isn't simply about keeping a sport on the schedule. Kimmerly said football can be an important gathering point for small communities, where the school may serve as the center of town life.
The 2026 MHSAA eight-player football list includes schools from across Michigan, with the association continuing to offer playoffs and championship competition for the smaller-format programs.