From Coach Joe Wieland:
As some of you know, the 5th grade team is low on numbers, about 15-20 players. According to AAYFL rules, a 6th grade player may play down with the 5th grade team if they are under 80 pounds.
I am asking any of the 6th grade team members if they would like to play with the 5th grade team. The advantage will be that they will receive a lot of playing time that will not be available due to the number of players and competition level on the 6th grade team.
I will be very honest with you, if my son Bailey was under 80 pounds, I would have him play with the 5th grade team. He would get to play on offense and defense and play a lot. As many of you know my philosphy from the 7v7 league, playing will make a player better.
The problem for this year's 6th grade team is that with 40 players, the players at the end of the bench will not get many plays.That means that some players may play a series or two, which equates to between 3-8 plays a game. This is the raw truth.
Please pose this question to your sons: " Do you want to play 8 plays with the 6th grade or play a lot of the game during the 5th grade game?" Many teams that the 5th graders will be playing against will be made up of 5th AND 6th graders.
If you do not know which is the better decision for you son, please contact me and we can talk about his situation.
Thanks, Joe
