High school football talk in April? Don't mind if I do
Lead Summary
By
Stephen Forsha-sforsha@gmail.com
Before we get started on this weekly journey, I know it is spring sports season, but with all the rain postponements, I thought this was a good time to do some research on high school football.
You know, to get a conversation started.
Plus, since we might not have an NFL season and it looks as though everyone's (not mine) Ohio State Buckeyes will have a rough go of it at the start of the 2011 season without their head coach and five top players, this is as good a time as any to get the ol' think tank churning about football, especially since we have been rained out of spring sports early in the week.
We will get back to spring sports next week (I promise), as I have a few things in mind to talk about, but did you know there are only 132 days (as of Saturday, April 16) until the first week of Friday night football?
But I will, without a doubt, enjoy the summer months with lots and lots of baseball, though football will still be in the back of my mind.
The main reason I want to talk about the upcoming football season is the fact there was some news this week.
As I briefly spoke on in my Monday Not off the Press column, only on the Highland County Press website, the Ohio High School Athletic Association (OHSAA) Board of Directors voted unanimously against a proposal from the football coaches association to allow a two-week period of skill instruction in May.
Their reasons cited concerns over the impact it would have on spring sports as well as the requests that would come from other sports.
I think that is a terrible reason because it seems basketball gets open gyms or some type of scrimmages during the spring, summer and fall seasons.
Why not allow football teams some extra time to get some coaching in before the June practices?
I don't support this ruling, but maybe it is for the fact I can't get enough football.
What can an extra 10 days of instruction hurt?
Allowing kids 10 days to get football on their mind before school lets out can't hurt anything. Especially in towns like Hillsboro and Greenfield, where it could possibly spark interest in kids who actually want to get a head start on the sport. Who knows, May practices could get kids who have never played an opportunity to gain some interest in football and go out for the team during the summer months.
I might be wrong (let me know if I am), but doesn't basketball get summer scrimmages?
I'm 99-percent sure that during the summer, which in my opinion should be time for fall sport teams to prepare for their season, there is a basketball scrimmage involving all five high schools in Highland County.
So, how can an extra 10 days in May hurt anything? Couldn't the OHSAA at least make the rule read: for kids who are participating in a spring sport, they aren't able to attend. I'm sure there are kids who play football that aren't involved with a spring sport that would love something like this to get an early start on the season.
One positive is the commissioner and board president of the OHSAA are looking into the possibility of expanding the 10 days of coaching that is already permitted during the summer from June 1 to July 31 in all team sports.
In comparison to Ohio rules, Kentucky high school football has in their bylaws: "Each football school may conduct 10 practice periods of not more than two hours in length and not more than one practice per day over 10 days during the three calendar school weeks following the school's elimination from postseason play in basketball."
The rule also states: "All equipment authorized by the football playing rules may be used during this period. There shall be no inter-school competition during this period."
So, they can practice in full pads, against each other, but Ohio won't even allow teams to have 10 days of football instruction in May?
Ohio needs to get with the program and start letting kids who want to practice and scrimmage in May an opportunity to prepare for a football season.
Take out the hitting practices to prevent unnecessary injuries in May if it would pass the rule … but some film study and practicing a playbook with a helmet and shorts can do nothing but improve teams once the actual two-a-day practices begin.
It would make the overall product better on Friday nights, right?
- - - -
Important rule changes for high school football
Since we are talking football, earlier this year the National Federation of State High School Associations made some rule modifications for the 2011 high school football season, including one on the definition of a chop block.
This information will be very useful once the season begins (also, it seems blocking techniques will have to change), plus it will make the game safer at the high school level.
This was from the press release: "The new language defines a chop block as a combination block by two or more teammates against an opponent other than the runner, with or without delay, where one of the blocks is low (at the knee or below) and one of the blocks is high (above the knee)."
The previous language defined a chop block as "a delayed block at the knees or below against an opponent who is in contact with a teammate of the blocker in the free-blocking zone."
The press release also states a low-low combination block is no longer a chop block.
This rule change should prevent many unnecessary injuries to defenseless players.
- - - -
New teams on the schedules
I took a quick glance at the 2011 Hillsboro and McClain football schedules this week (see what happens when it rains all the time), and new to the Indians' schedule in the upcoming season will be the Chillicothe Cavaliers, who will be replacing Zanesville in Week 6 (Sept. 30).
New to the Tigers' schedule will be two teams. In Week 3, MHS will host future South Central Ohio League rival East Clinton on Sept. 9. EC, who finished 8-3 last season, losing in the first round of the playoffs, will be replacing the Paint Valley Bearcats on the Tigers' 2011 schedule. The second opponent new to the MHS schedule will be Greenville (3-7) on Oct. 21 (Week 9). The Tigers will be replacing the Jonathan Alder game with Greenville.
I'll miss the MHS-PV game, but that is OK, sometimes change is a good thing for both schools involved. Maybe the game will return one day, but don't worry, the Highland County Press will still have coverage of the Bearcats in 2011 and beyond as long as I am the sports editor.
It will be neat to see the Astros and Tigers play football once as non-league opponents before they take on each other in SCOL play in 2012.
The annual Rotary Bowl game will be played on Oct. 28 at McClain Field this season in its usual spot of Week 10.
So, there we go. I hope this fix of football helps everyone get through this rain we've been having lately. Let's enjoy the upcoming summer months because before we know it, it will be time for all the summer offseason programs and 7-on-7 scrimmages.
But remember, there is always time for a little football talk.
For more on high school football read this coming Monday's (April 18) Not off the Press column.
Stephen Forsha is the sports editor of The Highland County Press. He can be reached at sforsha@gmail.com.
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You know, to get a conversation started.
Plus, since we might not have an NFL season and it looks as though everyone's (not mine) Ohio State Buckeyes will have a rough go of it at the start of the 2011 season without their head coach and five top players, this is as good a time as any to get the ol' think tank churning about football, especially since we have been rained out of spring sports early in the week.
We will get back to spring sports next week (I promise), as I have a few things in mind to talk about, but did you know there are only 132 days (as of Saturday, April 16) until the first week of Friday night football?
But I will, without a doubt, enjoy the summer months with lots and lots of baseball, though football will still be in the back of my mind.
The main reason I want to talk about the upcoming football season is the fact there was some news this week.
As I briefly spoke on in my Monday Not off the Press column, only on the Highland County Press website, the Ohio High School Athletic Association (OHSAA) Board of Directors voted unanimously against a proposal from the football coaches association to allow a two-week period of skill instruction in May.
Their reasons cited concerns over the impact it would have on spring sports as well as the requests that would come from other sports.
I think that is a terrible reason because it seems basketball gets open gyms or some type of scrimmages during the spring, summer and fall seasons.
Why not allow football teams some extra time to get some coaching in before the June practices?
I don't support this ruling, but maybe it is for the fact I can't get enough football.
What can an extra 10 days of instruction hurt?
Allowing kids 10 days to get football on their mind before school lets out can't hurt anything. Especially in towns like Hillsboro and Greenfield, where it could possibly spark interest in kids who actually want to get a head start on the sport. Who knows, May practices could get kids who have never played an opportunity to gain some interest in football and go out for the team during the summer months.
I might be wrong (let me know if I am), but doesn't basketball get summer scrimmages?
I'm 99-percent sure that during the summer, which in my opinion should be time for fall sport teams to prepare for their season, there is a basketball scrimmage involving all five high schools in Highland County.
So, how can an extra 10 days in May hurt anything? Couldn't the OHSAA at least make the rule read: for kids who are participating in a spring sport, they aren't able to attend. I'm sure there are kids who play football that aren't involved with a spring sport that would love something like this to get an early start on the season.
One positive is the commissioner and board president of the OHSAA are looking into the possibility of expanding the 10 days of coaching that is already permitted during the summer from June 1 to July 31 in all team sports.
In comparison to Ohio rules, Kentucky high school football has in their bylaws: "Each football school may conduct 10 practice periods of not more than two hours in length and not more than one practice per day over 10 days during the three calendar school weeks following the school's elimination from postseason play in basketball."
The rule also states: "All equipment authorized by the football playing rules may be used during this period. There shall be no inter-school competition during this period."
So, they can practice in full pads, against each other, but Ohio won't even allow teams to have 10 days of football instruction in May?
Ohio needs to get with the program and start letting kids who want to practice and scrimmage in May an opportunity to prepare for a football season.
Take out the hitting practices to prevent unnecessary injuries in May if it would pass the rule … but some film study and practicing a playbook with a helmet and shorts can do nothing but improve teams once the actual two-a-day practices begin.
It would make the overall product better on Friday nights, right?
- - - -
Important rule changes for high school football
Since we are talking football, earlier this year the National Federation of State High School Associations made some rule modifications for the 2011 high school football season, including one on the definition of a chop block.
This information will be very useful once the season begins (also, it seems blocking techniques will have to change), plus it will make the game safer at the high school level.
This was from the press release: "The new language defines a chop block as a combination block by two or more teammates against an opponent other than the runner, with or without delay, where one of the blocks is low (at the knee or below) and one of the blocks is high (above the knee)."
The previous language defined a chop block as "a delayed block at the knees or below against an opponent who is in contact with a teammate of the blocker in the free-blocking zone."
The press release also states a low-low combination block is no longer a chop block.
This rule change should prevent many unnecessary injuries to defenseless players.
- - - -
New teams on the schedules
I took a quick glance at the 2011 Hillsboro and McClain football schedules this week (see what happens when it rains all the time), and new to the Indians' schedule in the upcoming season will be the Chillicothe Cavaliers, who will be replacing Zanesville in Week 6 (Sept. 30).
New to the Tigers' schedule will be two teams. In Week 3, MHS will host future South Central Ohio League rival East Clinton on Sept. 9. EC, who finished 8-3 last season, losing in the first round of the playoffs, will be replacing the Paint Valley Bearcats on the Tigers' 2011 schedule. The second opponent new to the MHS schedule will be Greenville (3-7) on Oct. 21 (Week 9). The Tigers will be replacing the Jonathan Alder game with Greenville.
I'll miss the MHS-PV game, but that is OK, sometimes change is a good thing for both schools involved. Maybe the game will return one day, but don't worry, the Highland County Press will still have coverage of the Bearcats in 2011 and beyond as long as I am the sports editor.
It will be neat to see the Astros and Tigers play football once as non-league opponents before they take on each other in SCOL play in 2012.
The annual Rotary Bowl game will be played on Oct. 28 at McClain Field this season in its usual spot of Week 10.
So, there we go. I hope this fix of football helps everyone get through this rain we've been having lately. Let's enjoy the upcoming summer months because before we know it, it will be time for all the summer offseason programs and 7-on-7 scrimmages.
But remember, there is always time for a little football talk.
For more on high school football read this coming Monday's (April 18) Not off the Press column.
Stephen Forsha is the sports editor of The Highland County Press. He can be reached at sforsha@gmail.com.
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