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This Week in HS Sports - November
18, 2009
Interesting weekend starts the
playoffs right
It was an interesting first
weekend of playoff football in the Houston area.
Some games went exactly as expected; others were complete
surprises. Several teams that were expected to win did so,
but got much more of a run for their money than they
would’ve liked in the first round. So, who fared best over
the weekend? And which team might have raised some
questioning eyebrows in the course of moving on?
First of all (since I saw this one first-hand), Klein
Collins only elevated their stature as a contender for the
Region II/Division 2 crown in my mind. Their 44-7 win over
Oak Ridge was a textbook example of the two huge strengths
that this team has: a punishing defense and an offense that
does not make mistakes to beat themselves.
Before the game, Coach Drew Svoboda refused to single out
any one or two players on defense who are THE
difference-makers, instead saying that he wouldn’t trade any
one of his eleven for any other group of kids. In the
aftermath, it was easy to understand why.
The Lamar Redskins and North Shore Mustangs were impressive
in victory, not simply because they defeated Eisenhower and
Pearland, respectively, but because of the manner in which
they thoroughly controlled their games against opponents
that were expected to be a little more evenly matched to
them.
Last week, we wrote that we expected The Woodlands to be
given a big test right out of the gate by Klein Forest. We
expected a TWHS win, but a very close game. But, the game
was even closer than expected, coming down to missed PAT in
overtime by the Golden Eagles, which gave the Highlanders a
32-31 win.
Finally, here’s a short multiple-choice quiz:
At some point in their playoff opener, Cypress Ridge looked
like they would [a] blow out Cedar Park by halftime, [b]
live through the rest of the school year with the pain of a
huge blown lead, [c] win a gritty overtime thriller, or [d]
all of the above.
If you can’t figure out the answer, find a
box score of the game.
* * * * *
I wanted to rant about this issue last week, but got
consumed with playoff predictions instead…
Do you know which Dallas-Fort Worth area venue has hosted
the most playoff games to this point? It’s that high school
Mecca, Cowboys Stadium in Arlington.
And do you know why they’ve hosted more games than any other
venue? It’s because they’ve hosted a
Thursday night doubleheader, a Friday night doubleheader and
a Saturday quadrupleheader. It'll happen again this
weekend too.
If you’re thinking my rant is about the greed of Jerry Jones
and the Cowboys, then you’ll be sadly disappointed. I’m a
lot like Gordon Gekko in the movie Wall Street:
“Greed
is good.”
Jones and the Cowboys are in business to make money (as well
as pay off the debt they incurred to build that edifice).
My rant is instead directed toward the coaches and
administrators of the teams and schools who, for the
‘prestige’ of being able to say they played a game in
Cowboys Stadium, are willing to sacrifice their team’s best
interest and agree to be a part of a hurry-in, hurry-out
format of either two or four games in a single day.
The Thursday night twinbill started at 5:00 PM. The teams in
the early game at least get the benefit of a solid hour or
more on the field before game time. But parents must choose
to sacrifice work time to make it to the game on time,
arrive late or not go at all, which seems unlikely.
The parents fare better for a Thursday 8:00 PM start, but
then the teams suffer because the pre-game on-field time is
cut down due to waiting on the early contest to wrap up.
Undoubtedly, the ticket prices at that venue are higher than
other locales. In every game, the game officials will be
‘encouraged’ to run a tightly-timed event. Quarter changes
and halftimes will be sliced and diced. And I can envision
guys with walkie-talkies out on the field after each game to
run off both teams who just finished and run the next
contestants onto the field…
Assembly-line playoffs.
Friday night doubleheaders start an hour later, because
there is no school on Saturday and you can ‘legitimately’
start a second game at 9:00 PM. But imagine trying to keep a
group of restless high school kids focused until that hour.
Then, there are the Saturday marathons: 11:00 AM, 2:00 PM,
5:00 PM and 8:00 PM kickoff times.
If I were a coach of a team whose administration was
considering being a part of that scenario, I’d take a stand
for my team and refuse to play under those terms and
conditions. I think, in situations where more than one game
at a given site are necessary or expedient, there should be
a minimum of five hours in between kickoff times for each
game.
If a site can’t or won’t do that, then the coach has the
obligation to the best interests of his team to turn down
the opportunity to play there—no matter how grand a stage it
may be.
(Yes, I know that currently the Alamodome in San Antonio
hosts Saturday tripleheaders with four hours in between
kickoff times; that’s better, but still pushing the envelope
a little, in my estimation.)
I think this is just a North Texas/DFW phenomenon. And this
isn't the first year this has happened in that region of the
state. The same practice was in place for years at Texas
Stadium in Irving.
You haven’t seen those kinds of scenarios here, even back in
the day when the Astrodome hosted high school playoffs.
Saturday day/night doubleheaders are generally no problem,
but four games at one site seem ridiculous.
But apparently certain coaches in North Texas—much like the
general population of that area—are more concerned with
style over substance and where they are seen rather than how
much of a chance to succeed they give themselves.
I guess if you are resigned to the fact that, ultimately,
you’re not going to make it through the bracket to play on a
major stage at the end of the season, it really isn’t a big
deal.
* * * * *
Speaking of North Texas matchups, I feel lonely out on this
limb: I’ve picked De Soto to end Dallas Skyline’s season.
I’m either the smartest prognosticator in the world…or the
dumbest.
I also think Converse Judson will take out Austin Westlake
in Region IV this Friday night. That seems to put me in the
minority as well, but the Rockets play this game at home (at
D.W. Rutledge Stadium) and I think this team is going to
play for a while.
Many would say it isn’t wise to trumpet unpopular picks
immediately after lampooning others, but I’ve never been
accused of being a wise man. Only a wise...well, you know.
Previous stories
:
August 15, 2009
August
20, 2009
August
26, 2009
August
31, 2009
September 8, 2009
September 16, 2009
September 18, 2009
September 25, 2009
September 28, 2009
October 5, 2009
October 7, 2009
October 15, 2009
October 19, 2009
October 23, 2009
October 25, 2009
November 2, 2009
November 9, 2009
November 11, 2009 |
