The high school football season is just around the corner and today pre-season workouts begin across the state. New for this season, a sixth state championship to be contested as eight-man football has its own playoff this Fall. It started out as an experiment two years ago but Rick Wulkow of the Iowa High School Athletic Association says this season, 26-schools will offer the eight-man version. He says there were six schools playing in 1999.Wulkow says eight-man football has allowed a number of schools to still maintain their identity in the sport, as opposed to being part of a shared program with another school. He says the football season is important to communities.Wulkow says eight-man football has allowed some schools to offer the sport, who might not be able to otherwise. He says schools have to have numbers to play football. Wulkow says eight-man football will have its own playoff for the first time this season. The playoff will be outside the regular playoff to give the eight schools more attention. Three district champions will qualify and there will be on at-large.
