It is an odd sight at first, there is something missing, but at the end of the day, it is still football.
The Brownsville Jubilee Titans throw their names in to the Texas high school football world in 2022 by bringing six-man football to the Rio Grande Valley.
“It has been something coming,” Brownsville Jubilee athletic director and head coach Sam Martinez said. “We talked about a vision when I got here in regard to what I wanted to change and the culture. Not having the opportunity to do football here is evident. At other campuses that I have been at, you can see the intensity and the structure from football starts off the beginning of the year.”
Brownsville Jubilee has four coaches for the 25-man roster and only one player on the team, Alan Barron, comes with any organized football experience.
“We are in the baby stages of it,” Martinez said. “We are changing the culture here, having the kids excited about being here, them being excited about passing their classes and everything that comes with it. It has just been amazing so far.”
In six-man football, the dimensions of the field are smaller because of the five absent players on both sides of the ball. The width of the field is 40 yards, down from 53 yards in 11-man football, and the length is only 80 yards, a 40-yard difference compared to regular football.
The Titans will play away all season and practice at their school on a patchy field with overgrown weeds.
They do not care; they get to play football.
“At first I was skeptical because it was my first time playing,” senior Nathaniel Hernandez said. “I am just excited to play and take it week by week.”
The bus rides are something the team looks forward to. It’s about being able to leave the Valley and make memories with friends, seniors Ricardo Castillo and Mikey Vasquez said.
Going home on the bus after performing and singing their hearts out is what they did after an impressive showing in a scrimmage against San Antonio’s Jubilee school, a playoff team from last season.
The Titans said their favorite song to sing is “Party in the USA” by Miley Cyrus.
Being able to bond over the sport is what the seniors are most appreciative about. Hopefully they will not experience bonding in silence, the type of bonding that happens after a big loss and more Miley Cyrus.
The game itself is wide open — players can easily use skill to outmaneuver the opposing defense — and high-scoring games are common. The offensive team cannot run the ball past the line of scrimmage until two ball exchanges happen.
The center to quarterback is one exchange. The quarterback to ball carrier is the other one. If the quarterback were to run the ball, the ball would need to be pitched or handed to him.
“It is tough,” quarterback Martin Sanchez said. “I cannot run if I am in trouble, I got to take the sack or throw it out. It is really hard.”
The Titans head to Corpus Christi to face the Wings at 7 p.m. Friday at the Bill Witt Complex for their first official game.
