Longtime 8-Man Power Morrison Switching To 11-Man Football

Friday, June 8th 2007, 1:46 pm

By: News On 6

MORRISON, Okla. (AP) _ Morrison High School, which has dominated Oklahoma 8-man prep football during the last two decades and once held the national record for consecutive wins, soon will switch to playing the 11-man version of the game.

The Noble County school, which has played 8-man since starting its program in 1973, will begin playing 11-man football starting with the 2008 season, coach Cory Bales said, ``unless something weird happens.'' The move will become official in late July, when redistricting for state prep football teams occurs.

The Wildcats, who have won the last two Class B titles, will play 8-man during the coming season.

Morrison's name has become synonymous with dominance in the 8-man game. Since 1984, the Wildcats have won 12 Class B titles, including a state-record seven in a row from 1988 to 1994. No other team in any class has won more than six straight state football championships.

Morrison's fame even spread outside Oklahoma: under coaches Dennis Casey and Joe Sindelar, the Wildcats won 90 straight games between 1989 and 1995, setting a national record that since has been surpassed by two schools, De La Salle of Concord, Calif., and Independence of Charlotte, N.C.

The change is being made because the Oklahoma Secondary School Activities Association caps at 72 the number of state schools that can play 8-man football. Two schools, Seiling and Copan, plan to switch from 11-man to 8-man, while Agra will start an 8-man program and a new OSSAA member, Oklahoma Christian Academy of Edmond, already has an 8-man program.

The combination of factors will bump Morrison into Class A 11-man football.

``I'm excited about it,'' Bales said. ``Our whole town would be excited about it. We've been talking about it for a while.

``Obviously, leaving 8-man, with the history that we've got in it, is tough, but we're looking forward to moving up.''