Elmore City-Pernell will be playing eight-man football in Class B-1 starting in 2026.
According to Superintendent Sheila Riddle, the key factor in the decision has been a drop in participation. At the beginning of the 2025 season, about 30 athletes joined the team, but that number dropped to 22 by the end of the season.
“Our concern was being able to keep that sport going,” Riddle said. “We didn’t want our kids unable to play because we couldn’t offer that sport.”
The change also includes a new head coach. The school board hired Reade Box at a special meeting on Feb. 3.
“He brings a strong resume with him,” Riddle said. “He has a lot of success behind him. He will bring a lot of energy and knowledge to our program.”
Box has most recently been the head coach at Allen, which plays 11-man. However, he coached at Hollis when they transitioned from 11-man to eightman, where they won the state championship in 2013.
The new coach also met with the current players, where Riddle says he was met with excitement.
Badger football has had some challenging seasons, having gone 1-9 the past two years.
“Moving to eight-man will enable us to compete and be successful,” Riddle said. “Eight-man will allow us to rebuild our program and compete again.”
ECP is the only Garvin County team to change football classes according to the list provided by OSSAA for the 2026-27 and 2027-28 seasons.
The other football teams remained in the same districts, as follows: 3A - Pauls Valley 2A-1 - Lindsay A-1 - Stratford and Wynnewood C - Maysville and Paoli
