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HS football playoff ripoff.

Posted: November 10 08, 11:27 am
by Leroy
My high school football team is undefeated and going into the semi final game tonight. They are playing tonight, because the visiting team was caught in a huge blizzard, and couldn't make it to the regularly scheduled time which was Saturday at 4. So they move the game to tonight. No problem. But here is the rub...the winner of this game will have Tuesday and Wednesday to recover, and would be scheduled to play in the championship Thursday at 11 a.m. That isn't much recovery time. If the last team we played had beaten us (they lost 40-36 in one of the best high school games I've seen), there is no way they would have been ready in two days. Two players were removed with leg injuries and one of their players that finished the game was wearing a sling shortly after. Add to it that the temperature is going to be in the mid 20's.

Now looking at the schedule...the only championship game slated for Saturday is the 11AA in the evening (the bigger schools). Why on earth can't they schedule the 9B for Saturday afternoon? I promise not to stay for the 'real' championship and bother those people. :-s

Re: HS football playoff ripoff.

Posted: November 10 08, 11:47 am
by Freed Roger
Leroy wrote:My high school football team is undefeated and going into the semi final game tonight. They are playing tonight, because the visiting team was caught in a huge blizzard, and couldn't make it to the regularly scheduled time which was Saturday at 4. So they move the game to tonight. No problem. But here is the rub...the winner of this game will have Tuesday and Wednesday to recover, and would be scheduled to play in the championship Thursday at 11 a.m. That isn't much recovery time. If the last team we played had beaten us (they lost 40-36 in one of the best high school games I've seen), there is no way they would have been ready in two days. Two players were removed with leg injuries and one of their players that finished the game was wearing a sling shortly after. Add to it that the temperature is going to be in the mid 20's.

Now looking at the schedule...the only championship game slated for Saturday is the 11AA in the evening (the bigger schools). Why on earth can't they schedule the 9B for Saturday afternoon? I promise not to stay for the 'real' championship and bother those people. :-s
Championship at 11AM on a Thursday?! only two days to prep - what a disappointment for the kids and their fans.

high school sports are great, but then once they get to the championship level, the state bureacrats come in and screw it up. In MO, I can't stand how the championship football games all lumped together and played in the Ed Jones dome. They play the entire season on outdoor surfaces at small outdoor stadiums with festive atmospheres. Then they move the finals into a giant sterile mall which stifles the fan support, and puts the kids on a artificial turf and atmosphere that's foreign to them.

I wouldn't doubt that NCAA draws their brilliant crew of bureaucrats from the ranks of state high school sports associations.

Re: HS football playoff ripoff.

Posted: November 10 08, 11:50 am
by Leroy
They do that very thing here with the playoffs. The championships are held in the Dakota Dome. I can see it here though, kinda, because the weather here is pretty nasty in November. Our last game was played in perfect weather, mid 50's. Tonight, as I said, it will be mid 20's and there is a pretty good chance of snow, though the wind shouldn't blow too hard.

Re: HS football playoff ripoff.

Posted: November 10 08, 1:53 pm
by Sutter'sBeard
Freed Roger wrote:
Leroy wrote:My high school football team is undefeated and going into the semi final game tonight. They are playing tonight, because the visiting team was caught in a huge blizzard, and couldn't make it to the regularly scheduled time which was Saturday at 4. So they move the game to tonight. No problem. But here is the rub...the winner of this game will have Tuesday and Wednesday to recover, and would be scheduled to play in the championship Thursday at 11 a.m. That isn't much recovery time. If the last team we played had beaten us (they lost 40-36 in one of the best high school games I've seen), there is no way they would have been ready in two days. Two players were removed with leg injuries and one of their players that finished the game was wearing a sling shortly after. Add to it that the temperature is going to be in the mid 20's.

Now looking at the schedule...the only championship game slated for Saturday is the 11AA in the evening (the bigger schools). Why on earth can't they schedule the 9B for Saturday afternoon? I promise not to stay for the 'real' championship and bother those people. :-s
We do the same thing with the venue here in Illinois. They play all year on grass and then go to turf for the Championship. The reason given for this is that we have 8 classes in Illinois and 8 games on one grass field in two days would rip the field completely apart.

Championship at 11AM on a Thursday?! only two days to prep - what a disappointment for the kids and their fans.

high school sports are great, but then once they get to the championship level, the state bureacrats come in and screw it up. In MO, I can't stand how the championship football games all lumped together and played in the Ed Jones dome. They play the entire season on outdoor surfaces at small outdoor stadiums with festive atmospheres. Then they move the finals into a giant sterile mall which stifles the fan support, and puts the kids on a artificial turf and atmosphere that's foreign to them.

I wouldn't doubt that NCAA draws their brilliant crew of bureaucrats from the ranks of state high school sports associations.

Re: HS football playoff ripoff.

Posted: November 10 08, 3:13 pm
by mikechamp
Why do they play in the morning on a school day/weekday? I could understand if it was Thanksgiving Day, but last time I checked it's still 2 weeks away.

Re: HS football playoff ripoff.

Posted: November 10 08, 3:17 pm
by Leroy
mikechamp wrote:Why do they play in the morning on a school day/weekday? I could understand if it was Thanksgiving Day, but last time I checked it's still 2 weeks away.
Not really sure. It used to be a Friday / Saturday event, and most schools would just take that Friday off. Now they have 11 and 3 and 7 Thursday (nine man schools), 2 and 7 on Friday (smaller 11 man schools), and 7 on Saturday. They used to have less divisions (5), but I don't see how you can't pack 6 games into 2 days. I'm guessing the hotels and food places are all for three days though. Also, some have said that the big schools don't want smaller school fans taking up their precious space, but tickets are sold on an individual game basis, so I don't see that argument.

Re: HS football playoff ripoff.

Posted: November 10 08, 3:27 pm
by mikechamp
Well, I'm just glad the high school football gurus up there value the "student" portion of "student-athlete" so much.

Re: HS football playoff ripoff.

Posted: November 10 08, 7:39 pm
by Radbird
Leroy wrote:The championships are held in the Dakota Dome.
There's a Dakota Dome???

Re: HS football playoff ripoff.

Posted: November 10 08, 7:41 pm
by Leroy
Radbird wrote:
Leroy wrote:The championships are held in the Dakota Dome.
There's a Dakota Dome???
You bet. It is now a bigger sports venue than the Corn Palace. 26-6 my guys, middle of third.

Re: HS football playoff ripoff.

Posted: November 10 08, 7:44 pm
by Radbird
Well, it's no Corn Palace, but I'm impressed.
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