Meadowview Christian’s Lebo Jones may be the only head coach in the state that will lead teams in 11-man, 8-man and 6-man football this upcoming season. In fact, he could be one of the only coaches in the country. 

Like many coaches, Jones serves as the head coach for his school’s varsity and junior varsity teams, but his situation is much more complicated than most.  Meadowview’s varsity will play primarily 6-man football this year, but will also play two 8-man games. The junior varsity will play primarily 8-man football, but will also play three 11-man games.

“I told the kids today that we are going to be playing three different types of football and that I might even get confused and they may have to keep me straight,” Jones said.

Games at the 8-man and 11-man level are fairly similar. The scoring is the same and the rules don’t differentiate much.

It’s a completely different story at the 6-man level, where extra points are worth two points, two-point conversions are worth one point, first downs require 15 yards and any player is eligible to catch a pass.

“It gets kind of confusing on offense sometimes as to what plays are called but you just have to adjust to it as it comes,” Jones said.

A couple of times last year Jones did get confused. In one 6-man game last year, he said he called a quarterback draw, but in that version of football quarterbacks aren’t allowed to run. Quarterback Jeremy Lee, now a ninth grader, said he had to tell Jones that wouldn’t work.

“He would call quarterback sneaks and quarterback rollouts, and I’d be like ‘coach this is 6-man, we can’t run that,’” Lee said with a laugh.

Jones wasn’t the only one that got a little confused at times last year. Lee said in a 6-man game against Marion last year, Meadowview fumbled a snap, so he picked it up and went running around right end.

“I took off with it and the ref blew it dead, and I couldn’t figure out why the play stopped,” Lee said.

“They had to tell me I couldn’t run.”

Jones said the three different formats are extremely confusing for Meadowview fans. The scoring — which includes a 4-point field goal — and yard markers often confuse those in the stands who are used to watching traditional football.

“The fans stay confused all year,” Jones said.

If everything goes to planned, this will be one of the last years that Jones coaches all three types of football.

He said numbers are up and the hope is for Meadowview to be back playing 11-man football at all levels within a few years.