Football is known as a numbers game, and the Cass County Youth Football League is doing what it can to provide a large number of players with a good background in football to the area high school football programs.

The league has continued its growth spurt in recent years. In fact, according to league treasurer Craig Currier, the number of participants has doubled over the last five years. There are now more than 580 kids participating throughout the area. Logansport has six teams, Lewis Cass has four and Pioneer, Caston, Winamac and Carroll have two teams apiece.

According to league president Jon Loposser, the main reason for the rapid spike in participation across the board has been the addition of a junior division. In the previous format, 9 and 10 year olds would go up against 11 and 12 year olds which caused many of the younger kids to either not come out for the teams or quit once they did according to Loposser. A change was made to divide the league into two age groups — the junior division which consists of 9 and 10 year olds and the senior division which consists of 11 and 12 year olds. The 9 and 10 year olds are generally third and fourth graders, and the 11 and 12 year olds are fifth and sixth graders. Once the kids reach the seventh grade they enter their school’s middle school football program.

Rules changes have also made the Cass County Youth Football League more player-friendly and spectator-friendly.

“As the president of the league, I’ve really emphasized weight limit,” said Loposser, who’s in his 11th year as league president. “Three-stripers (kids who weight 135 pounds or more) have to always be in a three-point stance. And we’ve moved the linebackers and safeties back off the ball to make sure the offenses succeed. Our defensive rule is you have to play a 5-2 defense. Our kids used to just pile up with 11 kids in the middle of the line, and no one wanted to be quarterback.

“We’ve also put some limits on the three-stripers. You can’t have more than three on offense and two on defense, and you have to spread them out and put smaller kids in between them. A lot of times a lineman in youth league will be a fullback in the seventh grade.”

The league also has continued to expand its base since it began in 1972. At first, only teams from the Logansport, Lewis Cass and Pioneer school districts participated. Shortly after Caston was added. And recently Winamac and Carroll were added, and other nearby areas are being considered to be added as well.

The overall popularity of football has also contributed to the league’s growth. The NFL, for instance, is widely considered to be the most popular professional sports league in the country. The Indianapolis Colts’ success over the last decade also has likely helped gain interest among kids in the area. The area high school football teams have also had a good run in recent years, and that has no doubt helped as well.

“The high school coaches all take an active role in supporting us,” Currier said. “Most teams, if not all, begin learning the high school offenses. ... All the high school coaches are very supportive.”

Logansport High School coach Bucky Kramer, for one, is appreciative of the league’s efforts.

“The gentlemen who run that league have done a phenomenal job of developing their league over the last 15 years or more,” he said. “The majority of our players now at one point in their career participated in youth league in Logansport and Cass County.

“We have a number of youth league coaches that do a phenomenal job of peaking the kid’s interest and keeping them excited about the game, and they want to develop their skills at a high level. And the offensive and defensive game plans and terminology and fundaments go from the high school level to the youth league level. It’s a developmental process like learning how to read and write.”

Of course, there are parents who are reluctant to put their kids in a collision sport like football. Currier and Loposser both said the league is safe for the kids.

“We buy the best equipment money can buy,” Currier said.

“We make sure the kids have the proper gear,” said Loposser, who added he’s never seen a serious injury to a player in the league. “The biggest thing I’ve seen are injuries to the growth plate areas — the wrists and ankles.”

Beau Wicker can be contacted at (574) 732-5113 or via e-mail at beau.wicker@pharostribune.com