High School team forfeits due to size discrepancy

Submitted by UMfan21 on

As both an undersized Hs football player, and now a parent I found this interesting.  What is the collective MGOBlog take on this story?

I know, when I played, we always felt it was unfair going against the likes of the private schools who had 300 pound men that were recruited from around the area.  I got my butt handed to me plenty of times since I was a scrawny DE.  But, we played them.  Forfeiture was not an option.  Then again, concussions, etc were not much of a discussion when I played either.

Is this a valid concern by the parents, or is this something this kids should "suck up" and confront?

http://www.king5.com/sports/high-school/granite-falls-becomes-third-tea…

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JonnyHintz

October 6th, 2016 at 2:10 PM ^

That's a terrible comparison. It is not akin to playing against an NFL DLine. For starters, they said there's a big size discrepancy. They didn't say a monumental talent gap (as there would be if you went against an NFL DLine. Then there's the fact that a high school kid who is pushing 300 lbs, is likely due to being fat. That's a bit different than the 300 lbs of solid muscle you're getting from a JJ Watt or Ndamukong Suh. So those kids playing against that team would be like us playing against...that team. Maybe against a higher division high school team.

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ska4punkkid

October 6th, 2016 at 3:09 PM ^

I get it lots of people disagree with me and that's fine. But a school that recruits the best players in the city/county with a line full of guys pushing 6'5 300+ is a pretty good comparison to us playing against NFL players. Bigger, stronger, and a large talent gap. Whether it's fat or muscle, 300 lbs hitting you and falling on you when your 185lbs is dangerous. Just ask that UCF player that got out of Khalid Hills way (haha that was awesome). Go blue!

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JonnyHintz

October 6th, 2016 at 5:17 PM ^

No. no it isn't a good comparison. A team made up of MGoBloggers would probably be in a competitive game with that team that forfeit. The vast majority of us haven't played football, and the ones that did played at small high schools like this one. Now put that big high school. Team against an NFL line. See? Not even close to being the same thing. COLLEGE players are the top 2% of all high school football players. Now the NFL is the top 5% of the BEST college football players. It is not the same comparison. Stop trying to make it. If you go to watch college football, you have 170 lb players going against 300 lb linemen. If you go to the NFL, you have 170 lb players going against 300 lb linemen. It's football. It's part of the game. You don't like it, you dont play football. You don't forfeit the game, YOU QUIT PLAYING THE SPORT. It's a terrible mindset and a terrible life lesson. Youre facing a challenge. One that doesn't set up in your favor. So you just give up. That's what this coach is telling his players. You don't want to get hit by players bigger than you? You should probably take off the shoulder pads and helmet and pick up a tennis racket or something non-contact. You're not just wrong, but views like yours are what is leading to these new rules like "targeting," that take away football plays instead of allowing the kids to play the damn game. 3/4 of all the targeting calls I've seen have been complete BS. You don't want to be hit, don't play.

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ska4punkkid

October 6th, 2016 at 1:50 PM ^

I would think it would increase the risk of concussion and/or injury, especially with the size discrepencies stated in the article. But maybe I'm wrong who knows.

It would just make sense to me that if 2 objects are launching against each other for 60 min, the one that is much smaller would have an increase risk than if they were the (somewhat) same size

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CarsonWolfe

October 6th, 2016 at 2:56 PM ^

Did you notice the team behind the kid that said " we choose to not play the game as a team"

looked like a bunch of 200+ pound kids .I think these schools are protesting to get this dominate schools moves up a class level. Thus the forfeits

by the way the kid in the speech looked like he was 6'0  230

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Venom7541

October 6th, 2016 at 1:56 PM ^

As 160lbs sophomore, I played linebacker for the largest school in the state of South Carolina in the biggest division. I had a much better career after the switch to running back the next year. But, I never backed down to much bigger guys. Yes, I got blasted several times based on the size difference. But, I still made plays too. In a scrimmage, I even jumped down and played nose tackle just because I didn't want to come out. I was an ok linebacker backup, but when I was in, I never let a fifty or 100 lbs advantage scare me off the field.

My point, I can't imagine any player I've ever played with being ok with forfeiting, especially asking to. Maybe it's different world now and people don't attempt to take on big risks, but the competitive edge that is part of football would have just said go out there and give it hell.

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Rabbit21

October 6th, 2016 at 2:53 PM ^

I always liked the 300 lb. linemen because it usually meant they couldn't move.  Depending on the level of competition the 300 lb. thing is just about the last thing that raised my antenna. The 170-0 score from three games sure did though.

I am not a fan of the forfeit, but given this  is Seattle I guess I should be happy they're still even allowing high school football to be played.

Joined: 11/12/2009

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Venom7541

October 11th, 2016 at 2:06 PM ^

We had a few good players down in South Carolina. AJ Green is from my school, although well after me. Kevin Long was my center and was a starting center for the Titans for a while. Keith Jennings was before my time.

As for the state during that time, Stephen Davis was first team All State. Bobby Ingram who went to Penn State, and Wally Richardson who never really lived up to his potential. We had him on the run and I watched him throw a 40 yard bomb across his body for a touchdown against us. Sumter was the only school to ever beat a twice in a season.

I don't know about the rest of you, but, man I miss playing HS football.

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UM Fan from Sydney

October 6th, 2016 at 1:29 PM ^

I'd love to know how a kid from Washington is an OSU fan, other than being on their bandwagon.

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markp

October 6th, 2016 at 2:00 PM ^

Nothing wrong with bandwagon fans in my opinion.  I'm a 4th-gen Michigan fan, but I don't look down my nose at people who think something like "I like what Harbaugh and Michigan are doing lately... Michigan is pretty cool."

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CarsonWolfe

October 6th, 2016 at 3:04 PM ^

Dont sign your kid up for" FOOTBALL" if the other guy is too big,too fast or too strong.

99% of all football games have miss match sizes all over the place .

You dont get hurt by playing bigger kids,you get hurt from helmet to helmet or foot caught in the ground .

These schools that forfiet need to drop their football programs ,what a total disgrace to sports in general .

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Snake Eyes

October 6th, 2016 at 3:36 PM ^

You know you can also get hurt by being repeatedly pancaked by the offensive lineman across from you or getting blasted by a d-lineman as you try to pass right?

This is not a "disgrace to sports in general", it seems to be a pretty reasonable response taken by both the players and their coaches/ADs to avoid potential injuries due to a clear mismatch.  This is a game.  A high school football game.  This is not the Super Bowl.  Coach didn't have it out for you. You couldn't really chuck that pigskin over those mountains.

Lastly, FYI, the proprietor of this blog has officially declared avatars such as yours verboten.

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FA_Wolverine

October 6th, 2016 at 1:30 PM ^

When I played in leagues, before JV and HS, there were multiple ages groups and weight limits. Also, we had a no weight limit league.



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ska4punkkid

October 6th, 2016 at 1:31 PM ^

I have absolutely no problem with this. My son is in 3rd grade and playing on a 3rd/4th grade tackle football team. Mostly everyone on the team is in 4th grade. While he is big for his age (69 lbs) and on the Oline/Dline for his team, most of the other teams have 4th graders who are over 100lbs on the line. 

I am not worried now since the sport is not very violent at this age, but as a parent I would probably be in favor of a forfeit in the case of this High School. I think safety is more important than a lesson in effort and adversity in this case

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Brick in The Wave

October 6th, 2016 at 1:32 PM ^

In my experience making public schools play private schools usually is not a fair contest.  I guess in the regular season it is ok but when it comes down to playoffs and post-season it really isnt.

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MGoStu

October 6th, 2016 at 1:54 PM ^

I think the problem is that the private schools aren't as prominent here as other places. Kings is really good, but 1A and almost in Seattle. There's one north in Lynden, but it's only 1A and not great at football. And then some 4A schools in Seattle. Competition is limited so they're in a league with public schools, and the rest of the league isn't good at football.

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StephenRKass

October 6th, 2016 at 1:33 PM ^

I completely understand. My son is currently playing TE and DE on his sophomore team. He isn't small, but he isn't big, weighing in around 160. Of course, he'll gain weight with strength training, and be bigger the next couple years. But he has said it isn't fun playing against the Varsity team (in practice, etc.,) and going against guys that are well over 300 pounds. We all love aggressive, dominant pancake blocks from the OL. But most of this board has never played ball. We've never experienced being buried by a guy with aggression who is that much bigger than us. There's something out of kilter with some of the highest ranked private Catholic teams, here in Illinois and elsewhere. I fully support the forfeit.

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The Reeve

October 6th, 2016 at 2:06 PM ^

They shouldn't be on the schedule. I coached a lacrosse feeder team for St. Ignatius here in Cleveland, and I sent 14 of my 19 kids there (one to St. Edward). The local high school got a couple guys.

My sons played lacrosse for St. Ignatius (same situation as football), and they do not play any of the local high schools except the one or two mega-public high schools. Our teams travel to Birmingham Brother Rice, Country Day, Culver Academey, Shadyside, Moeller, Xavier, Hill Academy (Canada), etc. 

The AD is not scheduling correctly. The private schools have no desire to play the local high school and win by 70.

And 99% does not involve recruiting, it involves pulling from a massive geography and parents of talented kids leveraging that talent for a premium education. My sons were instructed by almost all masters level teachers and the curriculum is insanely hard. If you can get that sort of college prep, you reach out and get a needs based scholarship.

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StephenRKass

October 6th, 2016 at 3:32 PM ^

That's very cool. My nephew is currently the coach at Benedictine, and was a starting RB at St. Ignatius several years back. They have an awesome team at Ignatius, but you are completely right:  it doesn't make sense for them to play a school like Brush who they would just demolish. It is a lot more fun for the kids when schools are evenly matched. And as I think about it, part of it isn't the size of players. Obviously, linemen can be huge, and double the size of a CB or WR. But when a team dominates at every position, and just kills a smaller team, what is the point of it all?

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The Reeve

October 6th, 2016 at 4:53 PM ^

The St. Ignatius freshman lacrosse team would schedule public varsity teams in the area, but there would be cancelations every year due to those teams not wanting to lose to a freshman team. 

The cool thing is that it makes for a series of cool road trips and marquee games at the varsity level. Iggy had a home and home with Gilman and Paramus Catholic (when Peppers was there). The AD has to schedule the right teams.

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harmon40

October 6th, 2016 at 2:46 PM ^

when my wife and I were in the office of the headmaster at my daughter's school. He had an autographed photo of Ray Nitschke on the wall. As it turns it, he had played against him in high school.

The headmaster couldn't have been more than 5'8" or so, and definitely did not have the look of someone who should have been playing against someone like Ray Nitschke.

"What was that like?" I asked him.

"It's a lot more fun to remember than it was to live through," he said.

I tried to imagine what that might be like, playing a violent hitting game and being absolutely overmatched, knowing that you're going to be destroyed on every play, offense and defense, and there's nothing you can do about it.

Gave a little prayer of thanks that I was in the marching band in HS

 

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Sac Fly

October 6th, 2016 at 1:39 PM ^

If that's the message you want to send, that you're too scared to play, just forfeit the season. For all this talk about football makes boys into men and how you learn such valuable life lessons from playing, it's a shame that these coaches are telling the kids to not ever try because it's too tough.

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