Wilcox, Neb. – The 2024 football season will look a little different for the Wilcox-Hildreth Falcons. Fans will not only see a different lineup of teams on the schedule, but they’ll also notice there are more players on the field this time around. The reason for each change is simple; the Falcons have made the move to eight-man football and joined the D2 ranks.
Head coach Luke Glenn is not too worried about how his team will handle the slightly unfamiliar territory. “It’s not like we’re going out with six and they have eight,” Glenn noted. After falling just one game short of last year’s six-man championship, he said his players have handled the unknown before. “Last year, we had kids who hadn’t won a playoff game before…this year we’re going up to eight-man, so it’s just a different type of ‘new’.” The Falcons were 9-2 last season with both losses coming against the 2023 state champions from Sumner-Eddyville-Miller.
This season, Wilcox-Hildreth has nearly 30 players on the roster. Due to a larger group of total boys in the high school, they were given the option of moving up to Class D2 or to continue with a six-man schedule. One decision, moving up, led to some of those “unknowns” while the other decision meant their season would essentially be DOA. That means, the Falcons would play their six-man games and would not be eligible for the postseason. Coach Glenn said he gave his players the final say, and the overwhelming majority chose to play eight-man football.
Coming off of a successful 2023 season, the Falcons look to reload despite the change. They’ll open up their 2024 campaign at Maywood-Hayes Center on Thursday, August 29. Kickoff is set for 6 pm.
