Venting on injuries

[THAT_GUY_SHELTON]

Just wanted to vent on how bad small schools-homeschools have it!!!! Take Robert Lee and Aggieland Homeschool for example. Both schools having GREAT seasons and recording record stats. Then in one game, a few athletes get injured and their team is done.

Robert Lee undefeated, play a team not in their league.....but have their top two spreadbacks and 2 other athletes go down...lose because of lack of depth.

Aggieland one loss season(by injuries), play a very good team but able to win......top two spreadbacks go down on injury along with fullback......get killed. NO DEPTH( finished game with 5 athletes)

Being apart of 6-man football since the day I could walk, ive seen this so many times. Happening to so many great small town teams forcing them out of the playoffs or losing big games that never should have been lossed. Some will say "its football, injuries happen", and i understand that........but that doesnt make it any easier to accept!!!!

Praying for all of these boys a very speedy recovery and for a great rest of the season!!

 

[smalltown]

Unfortunately that seems to happen to every year. It's hard when all it takes is 2-3 kids get hurt and your season is done.

 

[WV Backer]

Robert Lee undefeated, play a team not in their league.....but have their top two spreadbacks and 2 other athletes go down...lose because of lack of depth.

Robert Lee played Sterling City; they are both in District 6. Your point is well taken though.

 

[Little Doc]

This happens to all six man teams from time to time. You lose the wrong running back or quarterback on a lot of teams and you are never the same. You go from a great team to just an average team. It's always a numbers game or depth issue. Injuries are a part of the game. We can all vent, but they raise their ugly head at the most dreaded time. Hope all the injured heal and can return this year or have another year to play.

 

[tobyvann]

Bad thing for those good small teams is they play against teams with enough players for 11 man but love being the bully. I watched one of those teams for a homecoming game and when the candidates were announced 3/4 were from a 3a town 40 miles away. Sad to say for them a 7 player team beat them by 45.

 

[THAT_GUY_SHELTON]

Bad thing for those good small teams is they play against teams with enough players for 11 man but love being the bully. I watched one of those teams for a homecoming game and when the candidates were announced 3/4 were from a 3a town 40 miles away. Sad to say for them a 7 player team beat them by 45.

Please enlighten me on this game you speak of... .but I do agree in some ways, but do not in so many more!!

 

[THAT_GUY_SHELTON]

Robert Lee undefeated, play a team not in their league.....but have their top two spreadbacks and 2 other athletes go down...lose because of lack of depth.

Robert Lee played Sterling City; they are both in District 6. Your point is well taken though.

By out of their league....I meant skill level as a team.

 

[smokeyjoe53]

So maybe, just maybe, certain schools who shall remain nameless, have considered this and schedule non-district games accordingly. Yet they are criticized for playing
" CUPCAKE " schedules. Non-district is preseason........... it doesn't matter, the real season starts with the playoffs.

 

[ol' gus]

As a novice, I was speaking to one of the other fb daddies about injury prevention through physical conditioning. He claimed he had been a part of 6man since birth also, and he figured if a kid gets hurt, he gets hurt, its inevitable. You cant spend quality hitting time building movement skills in young players. I think it should be opposite. If even a real young kid is in good shape he'll hit hard enough. When I suggested we stress good form tackling instead of just hitting I got laughed at too. Perhaps that's why kids enter HS the way they do? But what do I know.

 

[WV Backer]

So maybe, just maybe, certain schools who shall remain nameless, have considered this and schedule non-district games accordingly. Yet they are criticized for playing
" CUPCAKE " schedules. Non-district is preseason........... it doesn't matter, the real season starts with the playoffs.

I gotta' respectfully disagree with you there Smokey. A kid can get hurt on any play against any team, good or bad. Sometimes it's just a luck of the draw, wrong place/wrong time kind of thing. I don't know if that's something a coach takes into consideration when fleshing out next year's schedule. Maybe the coach tries to schedule tougher teams and no one wants any part of it.

 

[Johnny South]

When I suggested we stress good form tackling instead of just hitting I got laughed at too. Perhaps that's why kids enter HS the way they do? But what do I know.

You stick to teaching technique, such as your tackling skills, stay away from trying to teach the "kill shots", and you will wind up with the better players and better team. The aggressive play will come when they gain confidence. In my opinion.

 

[51eleven]

Venting on Injuries Huh? I think Harry Nowak's passing hand would have been worth at least 11 points to beat Gordon or 13 to beat May. Maybe 24 or more to beat them both. Yeah I know, I'm eatin' sour grapes.

 

[Dale Miller]

FittyOne11....i would tend to agree with you.....

 

[Box Dad]

1 stud makes the difference. I don't wish that on anybody, not my boys team or the opponent, no matter how good. So what to do, but eat sour grapes!

 

[THAT_GUY_SHELTON]

It's a sad month for Aggieland Homeschool, having to cancel the last 2 games before playoffs because of injuries. Praying all the boys heal before playoffs and can save this great season. Prayers are needed and would be appreciated

 

[smalltown]

It seems like more teams have had to forfeit their season this year than normally. I have heard of other schools that have pulled up jv kids to finish the season. It seems like there are alot more knee injuries this year.

 

[freeagent]

Part of this could do with such small districts (4-5 teams). Even some of the private school districts were only 3 teams this year due to programs that couldn't field a team.

You're playing a 6 or 7 game "preseason" with only 3 or 4 games at the end that determine playoffs. We play six-man because we have small numbers; even one or two season ending-injuries or grade issues on key players can turn a very good team into a so-so team. For crowded field, it seems UIL likes larger districts; for example our local 5A school is in a nine-team district (only 2 non district games and a bye during district play).

I'm not sure if I was in one of those smaller districts (4 teams or less), I wouldn't prefer a home-and-home schedule for district play. At least then more than a couple games would "mean something" for playoffs.
You still have at least 4 games for non-district play and you can find opponents that would meet your needs to help you build confidence and strength for the important district games.

 

[Old Bearkat]

Agreed. A round robin district schedule makes sense for the small districts.

 

[Shad Kline]

A round robin would definitely be the way to go. That way teams that lose a game that they wouldn't have normally lost due to injuries, still has a chance. With these small districts, 1 unexpected loss changes everything. Sure, there is the argument that you need to take care of business. Or the argument that the team that pulled the upset deserves it.

But isn't the whole point to get the BEST teams in the playoffs? I could name a few districts that that is not going to be the case. Yeah, they were the best on that particular night, but overall, not the best.

Also, there is the small fact that for a LOT of teams, there is, in reality, ONE game that matters. You have no shot of beating the top team in your district, and the 4th team has no shot at beating you, so the only game that really matters is that one you play that determines the 2nd and 3rd place teams. I have never been a fan of districts that are smaller than 6, it waters down the playoff pool, and does NOT give you the best teams in the playoffs. Not to mention, that if you are playing more games against district teams, the travel time will, in most cases, be cut down. A system that allows a 2-8 team or a 1-9 team in the playoffs is not a good system.

Example: Strawn. Ranked around 10 or 11 in the STATE, and not going to the playoffs. Ranked 3rd in their entire region, but because of a tough district, even though they could have outright won the other 3 districts in the region, and would have possibly won the district they are in had they been healthy, they start basketball early. You make it a round robin, the Strawn may or may not beat May @ May, and has a pretty good shot at beating Gordon @ Strawn, then things get interesting.

 

[smalltown]

I would be happy to see a round robin type schedule for small schools. Bottom line is you must bring it every weekend. Sometimes teams are just young and a couple of older experienced kids get hurt and the season is all but over. The truly great teams seem to have depth every year. I think sometimes coaches lack talent but I also think sometimes coaches pick their 3- 4 players when they are young and only teach them the game. I am getting off on a whole other fiscussion.