“Football is to Texas what religion is to a priest”.
That quote from the late, great, Tom Landry reflects the attitude of every town in Texas and their love for high school football. For many, that love revolves around the game played by 11 players on each side of the ball.
For 146 towns, the love for Six-Man football reigns supreme. However, that love is not always shared by many. Statewide publications often ignore or poorly report on the smallest towns in Texas while others simply don’t like the game or see it as “football”.
That take on the game is why many towns avoid making the switch despite enrollment numbers that suggest they make the move. In Booker, the community resisted the chance to play Six-Man, but that resistance was met with reality and on May 19, the Kiowa faithful officially moved to the Six-Man ranks.
How the town of Booker reached this decision you must first understand where they have been. If you peruse the state record books a couple of names appear near
the top that likely leaves most fans scratching their heads.
In career passing yards, the top 10 includes, Graham Harrell, Garrett Gilbert and former Levelland great Nick Gerber, but all alone in second is former gunslinger Hunter Lile of Booker. His teammate, Jared Reagan, is in lofty company as well in career receiving yards. Marvin Mims, Jordan Shipley and Jaxon Smith-Njigba are the three highly recognizable names in front of him in the record books.
Most high school fans have no clue that the dynamic duo of Lile and Reagan sit where they are but the folks in Booker will never forget. From 2011-2014 Lile and Reagan led the Kiowas to a 38-10 record and four straight playoff appearances despite enrollment numbers that would have allowed the Kiowas to play at the Six-Man level.
Since that run Booker has struggled to eight straight losing seasons and a 14-60 record with enrollment numbers that had them teetering that Class 2A-1A cut line. That led the school board to discuss the idea of a making the move to Six-Man about five years ago.
“Parents voiced their opinions,” Booker athletic director and head football coach David Biddler said. “Along with the players stating they would work hard to remain in 11-man. The vote to change at that time was shot down as only one board member voted for the move.”
“This time no one voiced a dissenting viewpoint nor came to the meeting,” Biddler said. “That allowed us to change and pass to make the move.”
Over the years, Biddler says many Booker players said they wouldn’t play Six-Man. They didn’t want it to be an option, but the first week of practice reflects a different attitude.
“We’ve probably had more kids out this year than we’ve had in a decade,” Biddler said. “Last year’s team may have been a big reason in the change. We had nine seniors who had all played together and started since they were freshman. We were 4-5 overall but we didn’t win a district game. Now we can be competitive with larger numbers that allows us to field a JV team that was never possible before.”
Biddler talks to players who graduated years before who say they blew it by not wanting to change. Those former Kiowas feel like they would have been really good in Six-Man. Booker has had success in Class 1A basketball over the years and that may have translated well to the field.
“I’m not saying we would have been great,” Biddler said. “But I do think we would have had a good shot at the playoffs.”
That shot at the playoffs would be a rarity for the town that was started in La Kemp, Okla., but picked up and moved seven miles south into Texas to be closer to the railroad in 1919. Since 1964, the Kiowas have only had two outright district titles
(1980, 2014) and were a tri-champ team in 2011.
Booker has an overall record of 258-325-8 during that time which has a population of 1,437 residents clamoring for a taste of success.
Although only one lineman returns from last year, Biddler feels like they have the athletes to match up and his players have enjoyed going out on pass routes as all players are eligible to receive the ball in Six-Man.
As this year’s squad begins to learn the nuance of a new type of game they will also look forward to realignment in February as the UIL will place the Maroon and Black in a district for the 2024-2026 timeframe.
Booker makes its Six-Man debut when the Kiowas play at Anton on Friday, Aug. 25, at 7 p.m.