Two for TC

Storied programs often duked it out weekly in the early days of the FVYFL. Jump back a decade ago, when team counts were in the single digits, it was practically impossible to not share the field with one of the cornerstone programs of the time. Fast forward to today and the 8-man division sits at 19 teams and counting. Those traditional teams still remain, but their encounters with one another are now more few and far between.

The 2025 season was pretty wide open for most of the schedule. Some familiar names in Thayer County & Fullerton did battle with Centennial & Shelby-Rising City/Osceola in the playoffs, but only one of those former champions made it out unscathed.

Back to the opener, teams that have been here for a long time still remain, and sometimes, if we're lucky, we get to watch them compete for championships all these years later. Shelby-Rising City/Osceola, or SRCO, is a program that has been about as constant as the FVYFL's green and yellow color scheme. They routinely compete with the best in 8-man and even threatened the 11-man division in their not-so-distant past. Thayer County has a similar track record of historical significance with the added bonus of a recent trip to the top. Thayer toppled Ravenna in what could arguably be stamped as the greatest championship game in league history in 2022.

I must admit that I was not in attendance for the 8-man event. I did however get to watch some of it thanks to the online livestream production. We also welcomed the opportunity to play the game at the exciting new venue of Sutton Public Schools. Per reports from Commissioner Boehr, the game went off without a hitch and the teams gave it their best. While the final score of 52--32 favored the Thunder, SRCO still has a lot to be excited about. To reach the pinnacle of today's league, you must truly be one of the best and that will always be a success in my opinion. Congratulations to both of these programs! Thayer County now sits alone atop the record books. They are the only program with 2 titles in 8-man division history thus far.

We would like to thank Jason Hajny and the Sutton Youth Football family for graciously allowing the league the use of their facilities and for holding a well-run and organized event. We would also like to thank Nathan Ladehoff and some of the SPS student crew for producing the online livestream via Striv.tv. This was an exciting new development and we hope that our fans got to experience gameday in whatever way worked for them.

We appreciate each and every one of you who make our league what it is today. Thank you for supporting not only us but the coaches and players that populate our league with such fire and enthusiasm for the game. They're what it's all about in the end and we're so very glad to be a part of their journey. Thanks again and here is to a safe and relaxing offseason. 2026 will be here before you know it!

Photo Courtesy: Greg Boehr