Bill Haisten: For overmatched football schools
Jul 26, 2023 15:06:02 GMT -6
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Post by huntersheppard on Jul 26, 2023 15:06:02 GMT -6
Bill Haisten: For overmatched football schools, a City Conference would work
tulsaworld.com/sports/high-school/football/bill-haisten-for-overmatched-football-schools-a-city-conference-would-work/article_34a30712-3c39-11ed-86bd-7b884cf608e6.html
An old article from last season by Bill Haisten but a potential solution for the outmatched teams. Saw a couple talking about this and I figured I would bring this up
tulsaworld.com/sports/high-school/football/bill-haisten-for-overmatched-football-schools-a-city-conference-would-work/article_34a30712-3c39-11ed-86bd-7b884cf608e6.html
An old article from last season by Bill Haisten but a potential solution for the outmatched teams. Saw a couple talking about this and I figured I would bring this up
To realistically strive for postseason success in Oklahoma’s larger classifications, this is what a varsity football team must have: that the 30th-best player on the roster can be trusted with a meaningful role.
There are Tulsa and Oklahoma City public high schools that may not even have 30 varsity players.
As OKC U.S. Grant visited Class 6AII top-ranked Stillwater on Friday, the Generals had fewer than 30 players in uniform. Final score: 85-0, and it was 85-0 in spite of Stillwater’s sportsmanship.
Stillwater quarterback Gage Gundy was on the field for 10 plays. That’s it. Ten plays. With three minutes remaining in the opening period, Stillwater had a 42-0 lead.
It’s a positive that Stillwater backups got three quarters of Friday night experience, but they weren’t able to execute Stillwater’s typical offense because of the potential for a touchdown on every play. The Pioneer play-calls were plain vanilla.
This might be a record: Stillwater scored 85 points on only 25 offensive plays. Five Pioneers scored their first varsity touchdown. Stillwater had three defensive touchdowns, scored on a kickoff return and recorded a safety.
“When one of our kids picks up a fumble, am I supposed to tell him not to score?” Stillwater coach Tucker Barnard said on Saturday. “We had five players who had never scored (a varsity touchdown), but they scored in this game. You can’t tell them not to score, but at the same time you don’t want to embarrass an opponent.
“It’s just a bad situation. If we can have a process for moving a private school to a bigger class because they have resources and support and advantages, and because they win a bunch of games, why can’t we flip that coin and do something to help the schools that are disadvantaged in every way?”
My idea: There would be the OSSAA-sanctioned creation of the City Conference for football. Membership would be voluntary. Schools that have so few players and resources but want a more enjoyable football experience for their athletes — they could join the City Conference.
There wouldn’t be the pursuit of a “state title.” Instead, those schools would compete for their conference championship. Those champions would get rings just like the Bixby, Jenks and Holland Hall kids have received state rings.
Instead of being subjected to gross mismatches, a school like Grant would be matched with an opponent that has similar circumstances.
Grant and OKC John Marshall are winless. They have been outscored by a combined total of 355-37.
In Tulsa, Memorial and Hale are winless. They’ve been outscored 357-94.
City Conference membership wouldn’t be limited to Tulsa and OKC public schools. I would open it to any school that has every-season problems with participation numbers, funding and losing.
Whether the membership amounted to only eight schools or as many as 20, City Conference football would be an exercise in fairness and competitive balance.
In mismatch blowouts, it’s a common practice for there to be a running clock. That practice was activated in Stillwater. Even after a touchdown or during extended-timeout situations — like when groups of students were recognized on the field for their achievements — the game clock continued to roll.
Grant-Stillwater began at 7 p.m. The postgame handshake line happened at 8:35.
One of the good guys in Oklahoma coaching, Barnard was kind to the visitors from OKC — and still there was an 85-point shutout.
“It seems like there should be a solution,” Barnard says, and that solution could and should be a City Conference type of situation for schools that have 28 players and currently compete against district opponents with 90 players.
A league of their own, as it were.
There are Tulsa and Oklahoma City public high schools that may not even have 30 varsity players.
As OKC U.S. Grant visited Class 6AII top-ranked Stillwater on Friday, the Generals had fewer than 30 players in uniform. Final score: 85-0, and it was 85-0 in spite of Stillwater’s sportsmanship.
Stillwater quarterback Gage Gundy was on the field for 10 plays. That’s it. Ten plays. With three minutes remaining in the opening period, Stillwater had a 42-0 lead.
It’s a positive that Stillwater backups got three quarters of Friday night experience, but they weren’t able to execute Stillwater’s typical offense because of the potential for a touchdown on every play. The Pioneer play-calls were plain vanilla.
This might be a record: Stillwater scored 85 points on only 25 offensive plays. Five Pioneers scored their first varsity touchdown. Stillwater had three defensive touchdowns, scored on a kickoff return and recorded a safety.
“When one of our kids picks up a fumble, am I supposed to tell him not to score?” Stillwater coach Tucker Barnard said on Saturday. “We had five players who had never scored (a varsity touchdown), but they scored in this game. You can’t tell them not to score, but at the same time you don’t want to embarrass an opponent.
“It’s just a bad situation. If we can have a process for moving a private school to a bigger class because they have resources and support and advantages, and because they win a bunch of games, why can’t we flip that coin and do something to help the schools that are disadvantaged in every way?”
My idea: There would be the OSSAA-sanctioned creation of the City Conference for football. Membership would be voluntary. Schools that have so few players and resources but want a more enjoyable football experience for their athletes — they could join the City Conference.
There wouldn’t be the pursuit of a “state title.” Instead, those schools would compete for their conference championship. Those champions would get rings just like the Bixby, Jenks and Holland Hall kids have received state rings.
Instead of being subjected to gross mismatches, a school like Grant would be matched with an opponent that has similar circumstances.
Grant and OKC John Marshall are winless. They have been outscored by a combined total of 355-37.
In Tulsa, Memorial and Hale are winless. They’ve been outscored 357-94.
City Conference membership wouldn’t be limited to Tulsa and OKC public schools. I would open it to any school that has every-season problems with participation numbers, funding and losing.
Whether the membership amounted to only eight schools or as many as 20, City Conference football would be an exercise in fairness and competitive balance.
In mismatch blowouts, it’s a common practice for there to be a running clock. That practice was activated in Stillwater. Even after a touchdown or during extended-timeout situations — like when groups of students were recognized on the field for their achievements — the game clock continued to roll.
Grant-Stillwater began at 7 p.m. The postgame handshake line happened at 8:35.
One of the good guys in Oklahoma coaching, Barnard was kind to the visitors from OKC — and still there was an 85-point shutout.
“It seems like there should be a solution,” Barnard says, and that solution could and should be a City Conference type of situation for schools that have 28 players and currently compete against district opponents with 90 players.
A league of their own, as it were.
