Fleming 6-man football will attempt to do something that no 6-man team has done since 1988. It is something that seven teams before them have had the opportunity to do, but came up short.
The Fleming Wildcats are looking to become back-to-back-to-back football state champions in 2021.
When Fleming kicks off its season Thursday night, Aug. 26, at home against Arickaree/Woodlin, they begin their quest for a third-straight 6-man title. That is something that hasn’t been done since, coincidentally, Arickaree did when they won three-straight from 1986-88.
Head Coach John King isn’t going into the season thinking about the past.
“To a certain extent it doesn’t matter what you do in the past, it’s more about what you can prove this year,” King said at CHSAA Media Day, Aug. 16. “The previous two seasons definitely carry over, there will probably be some games decided before the kickoff because of our reputation, but that only goes so far. Ultimately it’s going to come down to what we do on the field this year.”
The team that King is bringing to the field is young, but has plenty of depth. The Wildcats have a roster of 21 players, which is a boon for a 6-man squad. However, the team is relatively young, with just four seniors.
Include that with the fact that the team lost five seniors off of last season’s championship team, and the Wildcats enter 2021 in a relatively new position than the last couple years. As underdogs.
Fleming was ranked third in the CHSAA football preseason coaches poll, behind Granada and Cheyenne Wells. The somewhat lack of preseason hype is something the players are okay with.
“There’s been a lot of rankings in the past where we’re number one, and now we’re not this year and I kind of like that,” senior Joel Muller expressed. “I like having the target off of our back and I like being the underdog. People think that because we’re six-man and we lose five seniors that we’re not going to be good, but I know we’re going to be good and I can’t wait to battle it out with this team.”
Another factor there for the Wildcats is the return to a more traditional schedule, and the return of “Friday Night Lights.” Or in this case, Thursday night lights. Which in a small town like Fleming, means everything.
“We’re really looking forward to that, we have a town of about 400, and Thursday or Friday night lights just brings the community all together,” Muller exclaimed. “Last year we got hardly any night games, and I’m just really looking forward to it this year.”
All of those factors combine to make one compelling story for Fleming in 2021, as they attempt, like seven teams before them, to make some history.