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AFM Magazine

AFM Magazine


Letter From AFM

by: John Gallup
Editor and Publisher
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Here at AFM, we do everything we can to stay on top of the high school football scene around the country. But, with over 14,000 teams, occasionally a story slips by unnoticed.


Such was the case with a small school in a small town in the heartland that was racking up win after win and championship after championship but flying under the national radar. Until October, 2007, that is, when they broke the 82-year-old record for most points scored in a quarter by putting up 72 in the first quarter of a game. Even more incredible was that, at that point in the season, the team was 9-0 and had outscored their opponents 640-0. That season, they eventually won their 4th consecutive Kansas 2-1A State Championship, finished with 884 points to their opponents’ 20 and were ranked 35th nationally in one poll. All from a school with about 150 students, total.


The team, of course, was the Smith Center Redmen, coached by Roger Barta.


We took notice, as did the national media. Even the New York Times ran a story. There was so much more to tell about the team, the coach and what they meant to the small town that Times writer Joe Drape actually moved to Smith Center to write what would become a best-selling book about the Redmen, Our Boys.


Of course, there are thousands of small towns around the country where the high school football team means more than just about anything. But how does a team like Smith Center, with an extremely small enrollment and limited resources, manage to build such a consistent winning tradition? To find out, we talked to Roger Barta and other small-school coaches who shared their keys to putting together a winning program in a small town. Part one of the series begins on page 18. If you’ve ever blamed a lack of resources or a small talent pool for a losing record, we think you’ll be inspired by these stories.


This month, we welcome back an old friend who will help us keep track of those 14,000+ high school teams. Jamie DeMoney, a former managing editor of AFM and founder/editor of the PrepNation.com high school spots blog, will be contributing the “Prep Report” with news and information about the nation’s best and most interesting high school coaches and teams. Jamie also manages the National Prep Football Poll, which not only ranks teams nationally, but regionally as well, so he’ll be a great source of information and news from America’s prep battlefields big and small.


We’re also welcoming a new friend with the addition of a monthly article from RivalsHigh.com. Dallas Jackson, Senior Analyst for RivalsHigh.com, spends almost every waking hour immersed in high school football this time of year. He’ll be another great source for AFM and will help us all stay up-to-date with the hottest teams, the best players and the latest developments in the high school game


Finally, we’re pleased to bring back a popular feature from the past, “AFM Subscribers Ask.” On page 42, Texas Division II 5A Champion Abilene High School’s head coach Steve Warren answers questions that you, our subscribers, have posed. We think it’s a great way to foster interaction within the coaching community. If you have a question for legendary coach Bill McGregor of DeMatha High School (MD), please send it to me or Rex Lardner at rlardner@afmmedia.com and we’ll pass it along to Bill.


Thanks for being a subscriber to American Football Monthly. We hope you enjoy this month’s issue.

John Gallup
Editor & Publisher
jgallup@AFMmedia.com






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