By BY BRUCE HIXON – SPORTS EDITOR
The middle school football season for both Brewton and W.S. Neal will probably be reduced by one or two games next fall.
Both schools played eight games last fall. Both played each other twice along with single games against Monroe County, Escambia County, Carver, Fla., Excel, Flomaton and Jay, Fla.
Three of those schools, Jay, Excel and Flomaton, have pulled out of the unofficial league. Each of those schools is switching to eighth- and ninth-grade play instead of the seventh- and eighth-grade player format the remaining schools use.
Ernest-Ward, Fla., has agreed to fill one of the spots vacated by Jay, Flomaton and Excel. Right now Brewton and W.S. Neal both have six games scheduled for next season, with two against each other and one each against Escambia County, Monroe County, Carver and Ernest Ward.
Riggs said while there is a chance BMS could pick up a seventh game for next year, he said it was highly unlikely he would find an eighth game to match last season's schedule.
the problem of trying to work
it into everybody's schedule,” Riggs said. &#8220Escambia County contacted us about playing a second game, but the only week we had where we could play them was the week after we were already playing
them. We don't want to play somebody in back-to-back weeks.”
Riggs said finding schools outside the unofficial league is an option.
W.S. Neal has already picked up Andalusia from an unofficial standpoint. Those teams will play an exhibition game at W.S. Neal Aug. 23 prior to the high school varsity exhibition game those schools will play later that evening.
Riggs said finding another possibility for the group is much more difficult.
While location is actually better, Riggs said finding an additional school or schools from Florida is not a good option either.
W.S. Neal athletic director Blaine Hathcock said he is concerned some of the remaining schools will switch to eighth and ninth grade play as well.
While Hathcock is not necessarily opposed to eighth and ninth grade play, he said it is not good a good fit for his school and program.