SMCC to host first 8-man football game at Strobel Field on Saturday

On Saturday morning, St. Mary Central Catholic coach Toby Notestine will wake up and, like so many Saturdays before, he'll drive to Strobel Field and coach a football game.This game will be a bit different, though. For starters, he'll come prepared with a game plan for eight, not 11. The sidelines will be hemmed in to cut the field from 53- to 44-yards wide. They won't even be sidelines, really. They'll be flat, yellow cones instead of the typical white lines. And the hashmarks will line up with the goalposts to adhere to the smaller field dimensions.This is a small taste of the work the Panthers put in to play a home football game this season. They haven't done so since Oct. 13 of last season, when they hosted Tiffin Calvert.Since that game, the Panthers have overcome many obstacles to keep their football program: The participation drop, the threat of forfeiting the season, the ensuing meetings, learning a new format for an old sport.This Saturday's game against Ashtabula St. John (2 p.m. start time) is the culmination of that perseverance. Notestine never envisioned his players competing between yellow cones, but given the alternative, he's proud they'll be competing at all."There's just a lot of satisfaction in the fact that, you know what, we're playing football," Notestine said. "It's always good to be back home."That's especially the case if you've traveled over 500 miles to and from road games like the Panthers have this year, yet another reality they've learned to accept in order to keep their program alive.Some road trips have been smoother than others. A player left his knee pads in Sandusky on one trip. On another, somebody thought they lost their helmet until Notestine found it on top of the player's locker.Notestine attributes these mistakes to youth — 12 of his 20 players are underclassmen. That, along with the fact that no one at SMCC has experience with 8-man, helps explain the Panthers' 0-3 record.The biggest challenge, Notestine said, has been defense. And he's not the only one.Each time Notestine talks to an opposing coach, he commiserates with them over how to defend 44 yards with eight players."I wish I had an answer for you because maybe I'd figure out a way to not give up as many points," Notestine said when asked if he's found any solutions. "(Coaches) hate trying to defend eight-man football."The Panthers have allowed 59 points per game and been outscored by an average of 33. But St. John (0-3), which has been outscored by 38 points per game, presents more of an even matchup than SMCC's previous opponents.They share the same youth and size challenges as the Panthers. And with SMCC's homecoming preparation beginning Sunday, it'd be nice for the Panthers to walk out of Strobel with a win on Saturday.Then again, Saturday's game represents much more than a chance to win their first game. It represents tradition, which, fittingly, is the virtue the Panthers are highlighting in their sports leadership program this week.This year marks the 96th year of SMCC football. Notestine has thought a lot about that this week as Saturday's game approaches. He's also thought about how close his team came to ending that tradition.So, of course, the Panthers would love to win on Saturday. But again, the fact that they're playing is enough reason to celebrate."It'll be good to be back at Stroebel," Notestine said. "It's just good to be home."St. Mary Central Catholic coach Toby Notestine