VANLUE, Ohio — Vanlue Local School District has under 130 kids total, kindergarten through 12th grade.

The school’s high school football team also has one of the smallest rosters in the state, made up of just 16 kids. The team didn’t win a game all season and therefore didn’t make the playoffs, but their record didn’t stop them from taking the football field on Friday nights.

Head coach, John Kloepfer, said football is a tradition in their community. 

“My 16 kids are here, they are here every day. I mean, you know, it’s not about wins and losses, you know for us it’s just the opportunity to play the game,” Kloepfer said. 

Kloepfer said that the small roster size isn’t something new. One year, they played with just 11 kids. The team is eligible to play a modified 8 v. 8 version of the game, but they choose not to. 

“11 on 11 is always what we’ve done,” Kloepfer said.

The size of the roster required players to play all three phases of the game, but for players like Jack Saltzman, it’s worth it.

“You only got four years to play, small school, but it’s actually kind of fun when you get to know everyone on your team and you get to play all basically four quarters,” Jack Saltzman said.

Senior Landon Saltzman said he loves the memories he made with his teammates on the field. He said he’s had the opportunity to play at bigger schools, but he wouldn’t trade his time playing for Vanlue for anything.

“It’s a very small school, so you know everyone very well. We’re all pretty much family,” Landon Saltzman said.

Kloepfer said that the community comes out to support them, win or lose, and that he knows the kids are learning more than just the game of football.

“I think we develop men and they know how to persevere because they have to,” Kloepfer said.