Subiaco Academy revitalizes program

Seven months ago, Subiaco Academy took a bold step and became the first Class 4A school in Arkansas to declare for 8-man football.

Reasons for the move were plentiful, but none were more striking than the Trojans’ record as an 11man football program.

“We’re 69-217 in the last 30 years,” Subiaco Academy athletic director and football coach Mike Berry said shortly after announcing the move in April. “We were at the point where the situation was not doing us or the teams in our conference any good.”

From 2-8 as a 4A-4 Conference member in 2019, Subiaco is 6-1 in 8-man football, which has doubled in size with 16 teams and playoffs starting at the end of October. But 8-man football is more than just about winning. It’s an opportunity to bring fans together and support programs that often struggled to even field a team for 11-man football.

“Best move we ever made,” Berry said last week of Subiaco Academy’s transition from 11-man to 8-man football. “It’s all positive and that belief is across the board, from our fans, our administration, players, and coaches. The games are very exciting. Our kids love it.”

Subiaco Academy differs from private schools in Arkansas like Pulaski Academy and Shiloh Christian, which produce successful football teams nearly every year. Subiaco Academy is a college preparatory, Roman Catholic boarding and day school with a student body comprised of boys from across the region and, in some cases, other countries. A standout athlete for the Trojans one year may not be back the next.

“Our kids like to play football, but it’s not their life,” said Berry, who is also the academy’s assistant headmaster. “They come here for the college preparatory education.”

Junior quarterback Wesley Schlutermann has emerged as one of the stars this season for the Trojans, who won 60-13 over Decatur on Friday. Subiaco Academy followed a 34-28 loss to Little Rock Episcopal with a 34-22 win against Marshall.

“Wesley is having a great year,” Berry said of Schlutermann, who has thrown for over 500 yards. “He didn’t have enough time to throw when we were playing 11-man (football).”

Subiaco Academy has been more fortunate than the large numbers of football teams in Arkansas who’s had to cancel games because of covid-19 concerns. Subiaco Academy has played seven games and the Trojans were able to find a replacement when one team forfeited because it didn’t have enough players. Teams in 8-man football follow all the guidelines from the Arkansas Activities Association about wearing masks, social distancing, and washing hands to contain the spread of covid-19.

Subiaco Academy plays in the West Conference along with Abundant Life, Decatur, Little Rock Episcopal, Marshall, Spring Hill, Trinity Christian (Texarkana) and Western Yell County. Western Yell County and Decatur previously were members of the 2A-4 Conference along with Hartford. Over the past few years, all three schools have left the conference, and now Hartford is fully consolidated with Hackett. Those schools often struggled to complete seasons with enough players, and forfeits were common when numbers were too low to safely continue.

Eight-man football in Arkansas does not get anywhere close to the same coverage by the sports media that 11-man teams receive. That’s because 8-man football is still a club sport instead of a sanctioned sport in Arkansas. But there’s the strong likelihood the AAA will sanction 8-man football in the next reclassification cycle in 2022.

That’s when many more sports fans will be introduced to a brand of football that is fast-paced, exciting, and an outlet for athletes from small schools who just want an opportunity to play.