Not off the Press: Offseason football numbers; late-inning baseball thrillers
By
Stephen Forsha-sforsha@gmail.com
I wanted to see what was going on with both football programs this offseason in Highland County. McClain head coach Randy Closson and Hillsboro head coach Brian Spicer were both kind enough to entertain me by answering a few questions I had about their offseason programs.
Both coaches also gave me their opinions on the recently defeated 10 days of spring workouts the OHSAA voted against, which was proposed by the football coaches association.
• A numbers game
One off-season topic that is relevant is the overall number of players in the high school football programs in Highland County.
Just from what I've noticed the past couple seasons, compared to other schools in the South Central Ohio League, Highland County is in the middle of the pack, numbers-wise.
My guess is Highland County schools more participants than, say, Madison-Plains, but not as many as the Falcons, who by far have the most players in their program, at least from ninth grade and beyond.
Am I wrong about that assessment? I don't think I am. Just look at the sidelines this fall, and it should be easy to see. When teams have a senior class of less than 15 players, I see that as a problem of sorts.
Counting ninth graders last season, the Indians had 46 football players, and the Tigers had 54. In comparison, Clinton-Massie had 79, and the Washington Blue Lions had 38 players in grades 10-12. Male enrollment at CM is 279. At Hillsboro, male enrollment is 448, and at McClain, it is 378. (Enrollment numbers are from high-schools.com)
"Getting the numbers up … whether in the weight room or for next fall, is a process that takes time," said Spicer when asked what needs to be done to improve numbers. "I obviously would prefer sooner than later, but I see positive things happening and believe we are making progress."
That is a good sign for the Indians because I don't think there are as many seniors returning to the team this upcoming fall as there have been in past years. If I counted correctly (math is a weak area for me), there were seven juniors on the Indians and nine on the Tigers last season.
So, anything that shows a positive sign in terms of numbers increasing for future teams is good news.
Spicer talked about different ways and times of the year that kids can get involved with the football program. He talked about how, as of April, the numbers are a little deceiving due to the fact spring sports are taking place, and for the reason the team lost a lot of seniors from last season.
"We do have a good number of young kids in the weight room. Over 30 middle school kids are in there lifting three days a week. The overall total is like 45-50," Spicer said. "They have really done well at learning the lifts and the routine. When they (the players) get in there, they really get after it. These kids are getting so much stronger and faster, and I am sure they will notice the difference come this fall."
Closson also talked about the Tigers' offseason program as well and how their numbers are looking. Last season, the Tigers were 6-4 overall, gaining SCOL wins against Miami Trace, Madison-Plains and Hillsboro. They began the season 3-0 with non-league wins over Adena, Unioto and Paint Valley of the Scioto Valley Conference.
"Our off-season numbers are low, but (they) usually are because a lot of our kids also run track or play baseball," Closson said. "We talk to kids all the time and encourage them to play, but I think what kids hear from their friends that play matters the most. So we encourage those who play to recruit their friends."
Spicer also said they want players to get their friends involved with football, but he said he tries to get kids who are athletes who may not have much going on in the fall involved with football as well.
"We try to 'scout' the hallways for potential players and encourage them to come out in the summer. Anyone who played in the past and stopped playing at some point, we try to convince to come out again," Spicer said. "Good athletes I see playing basketball or wrestling, or playing baseball or track, that are not doing anything in the fall, they are encouraged to come out and try as well.
"I try to get them (current players) to talk to players already on the team and find out more about what we do, so that some of their possible anxiety about coming out is limited."
I do like the fact both schools are working on improving their numbers because to defeat Clinton-Massie, who has won the outright or part of the SCOL title since 2006, teams are going have to have numbers. In the past decade CM has been a top-tier football program.
CM hasn't lost a league game since 2006, and in their six years in the league, they have won all but two league games. In '10, the Falcons outscored their SCOL counterparts 349-38, a difference of 311 points.
When I talked to some of the Massie senior players last season, they told me football is 'life' in their town. They also said they start at a really young age with their youth football programs … so maybe that is a reason they are so dominant in the fall.
But what I liked about Spicer's outlook is he knows it will take time to build a successful program, and building a program is very important to him. Just by his response and in other conversations building a program from the younger levels to the high school level is a long-term goal of his (more on that later). Spicer spoke about continuing to make changes within the program, especially in the weight room.
"It is mainly about 'changing' habits for the older kids and 'establishing' habits for the younger ones," Spicer said about the offseason weight room work. "A regular workout routine is a habit that an athlete has to commit to. For the young kids, it's a little easier to convince them to get in there … It is always a little tougher to convince the older kids to get in there when they really didn't have the opportunity (the weight room and new equipment) until just a year ago."
Though this discussion is about Highland County, numbers are down at a lot of schools in football.
"I have talked to other coaches in the league, and they have expressed some similar concerns about numbers. It just happens sometimes ... we just need to focus on the development of the athletes who do come out and find ways to make them better."
• Thoughts on spring football practices
Like I stated last week in NOTP and in my print column this week in the Highland County Press, I was not in favor of the ruling by the OHSAA regarding spring football practices in Ohio. The association said no this time around for a variety of reasons, but football hotbeds like Kentucky, Georgia, Texas and Florida have 10 days of practices where they can do a variety of things, including full-contact intra-squad scrimmages. I still believe the overall product on Friday nights would benefit from those 10 extra days in May. In Ohio, coaches can't even do walk-through practices in May, which is ridiculous.
Closson said he gave the proposal some thought.
"We talked a lot about this possibility (spring practices), and (we) really didn't want it to take away from our other programs. We saw it as an opportunity for some who were interested in playing to give it a try," Closson said.
Spicer also talked about the ruling.
"I would like to see Ohio eventually have some sort of 'spring ball' in place. I think it would give 'potential' players a chance to come out and see if they like it," Spicer said. "It also allows returning players to 'mix' with the new ones, and that helps develop team chemistry."
The third-year HHS coach elaborated on his reasoning why spring practices would help football programs. (I must say, I agree with him).
"(In other sports) … many of these guys play together all the time throughout the summer. (Other) sports are allowed the luxury of that (and in many cases are coached by the same coaches), but that is not the case for football.
"It would be nice to be able to get a football out in May and take the players through some drills as a group. We all know other states have figured out how to get spring ball to work at the high school level … I'm sure Ohio could as well and hope to see it soon."
• More about football numbers and some uncertainty from potential players
Looking at numbers one final time, I wanted to know what type of youth football programs each town had. I'll be honest, I don't know if having a good youth football program helps or not, but there is no way it can hurt.
Spicer, who is from a football-hungry area of the state, believes the best way to get kids interested in playing football is to involve them when they are young.
"I believe the biggest area for us to attack is at the lower levels. I want to work more and more at the youth league, and middle school levels, to get proper techniques and fundamentals taught," Spicer said. "I am a big believer in working on skills through multiple drill periods so that each player ... whether a starter or not, gets plenty of repetitions."
After his above response, Spicer asked, "How else is a young kid going to learn?"
Again, I believe the coach is right. Football at the youth level should be more about learning how to play the game the right way, rather than winning a game in fifth grade. Though winning is fun, again this is my opinion, but players should know the proper way to tackle before they reach the high school level … then we can worry about the winning.
Spicer talked more on the youth football topic.
"I would also like to see more playing time on game day (in youth football) for all the players. Let's face it ... 'getting in the game' and getting the chance to make some plays is the ultimate 'fun' for these young players," Spicer said. "I believe that the more fun these guys have playing, then the more likely they will keep playing, and eventually we will see an increase in our numbers."
Closson also said Greenfield has youth football, and it should be about the experience the kids receive when playing at a younger level.
"We do have a fourth, fifth and sixth grade tackle program and a youth flag football program," Closson said. "These programs can be very helpful as long as it's a positive experience for the kids."
Another topic that I didn't realize was uncertainty from potential players, which Spicer said can result from having a new coach in charge of the program. This could be the case at Hillsboro, as he is about to begin his third season as the HHS coach.
"Sometimes it is just the result of 'change," said Spicer on low numbers. "A new coach comes in and changes things around (with) a new system, new workouts, new demands, new coaches, and all of a sudden the 'way things use to be' aren't, and that in itself can cause a temporary drop.
"No one likes uncertainty... but I tell all the potential players (and parents) that they need to get involved in what we are doing before they decide not to play. I tell them to come out to the workouts or go to our summer camp, and then you can make a decision on what's right for you."
• Baseball thrillers
This week I either wrote about or watched at least four games that came down to the final inning.
I covered a Hillsboro baseball loss at Washington where HHS tied the game in the top of the seventh inning and lost it in the bottom of the seventh with two outs.
There was the game Thursday I covered where the Whiteoak Wildcats won 3-2 against Ripley with a trick play in the seventh to end the game. Never seen a game end like that.
A baseball game at McClain Field was won in the seventh inning by the Tigers against MP on Friday.
Then came the game I wished I attended where the Fairfield Lions baseball team scored four runs in the seventh, with two outs, to tie the game at four against first-place Fayetteville. FHS scored the game-winning run in the ninth.
If I would have been able to attend all these games this week, well, I'd probably have to be prescribed some blood pressure medicine.
• 10 thoughts on high school sports
1. This year's Fairfield Lady Lions softball team is the best softball team I've covered since I've become a sports editor in Highland County.
2. Watching Gage Carraher send fastballs to hitters, then strike them out on a breaking pitch while the batter can do nothing but look amazes me. Usually if there are two strikes, batters do one of two things … freeze up like a snowman or swing away and hit nothing but air. By the way, he's only a sophomore.
3. A former player told me he misses playing high school baseball. He's not lying, high school baseball was fun for a lot of us … and I bet a lot of us miss playing it, too.
4. Some states care about high school football way more than other states, but maybe I'm just a football junkie.
5. Friday was a high blood pressure kind of night for three Highland County baseball teams. Three games were decided in the seventh inning or later.
6. I'm still amazed how well the trick play by the Wildcats worked for the final out against Ripley. I've never seen a game end that way … amazing.
7. I kind of agree with the new eye black rule for the upcoming fall sports season, but again, I kind of don't. The new rule is a single black bar across the eye. I like creativity, but sometimes if the entire face is covered in eye black like the pro wrestler Sting wears his face paint … it kind of looks silly. (Maybe I am just getting old, but I doubt that).
8. Though I like the location of the Washington Blue Lions' current baseball field, I still miss the baseball field I "sometimes" played on that is now gone, as the land is a part of their new giant school. There were a lot of fun times on the old field.
9. I'm starting to get the feeling there have been as many rainouts this spring as there have been baseball/softball games.
10. Congratulations to Fairfield seniors Megan Sword and Chris Cox for signing their letters to play college basketball. Best of luck to both of them.
• Non-high school sports thought of the week
Not feeling up to par this past weekend, I watched the spring football games of Michigan, Penn State and parts of Arkansas on Saturday and parts of Indiana on Sunday night. I know it it just a practice game, but they were still nice to watch. Good to see what kind of talent the Big Ten (and Arkansas) will have this season.
• Stat of the Week
Including last season and six games into the current Southern Hills League baseball season, the Lynchburg-Clay Mustangs are 20-1. LC is 7-1 this season in SHL games, playing in Division I. They have five league games remaining.
• Quote of the Week
"There were a couple reasons why we went with that (the trick play). It had been going through my mind the whole time, and I wanted Gage to be confident. He had just tried the pickoff, and that was just the right time to do it. — WHS head coach Chris Veidt following the Wildcats' 3-2 win over Ripley on Thursday.
• One last item of business
The next two weeks should decide the league champions of both the SHL and SCOL in spring sports. The first half of the season has been exciting, full of close games, and if the rest of the regular season is anything like what has already happened, well, sign me up.
Stephen Forsha is the sports editor of The Highland County Press. He can be reached at sforsha@gmail.com. Follow Stephen on Twitter at www.twitter.com/hcpsportseditor.[[In-content Ad]]
Both coaches also gave me their opinions on the recently defeated 10 days of spring workouts the OHSAA voted against, which was proposed by the football coaches association.
• A numbers game
One off-season topic that is relevant is the overall number of players in the high school football programs in Highland County.
Just from what I've noticed the past couple seasons, compared to other schools in the South Central Ohio League, Highland County is in the middle of the pack, numbers-wise.
My guess is Highland County schools more participants than, say, Madison-Plains, but not as many as the Falcons, who by far have the most players in their program, at least from ninth grade and beyond.
Am I wrong about that assessment? I don't think I am. Just look at the sidelines this fall, and it should be easy to see. When teams have a senior class of less than 15 players, I see that as a problem of sorts.
Counting ninth graders last season, the Indians had 46 football players, and the Tigers had 54. In comparison, Clinton-Massie had 79, and the Washington Blue Lions had 38 players in grades 10-12. Male enrollment at CM is 279. At Hillsboro, male enrollment is 448, and at McClain, it is 378. (Enrollment numbers are from high-schools.com)
"Getting the numbers up … whether in the weight room or for next fall, is a process that takes time," said Spicer when asked what needs to be done to improve numbers. "I obviously would prefer sooner than later, but I see positive things happening and believe we are making progress."
That is a good sign for the Indians because I don't think there are as many seniors returning to the team this upcoming fall as there have been in past years. If I counted correctly (math is a weak area for me), there were seven juniors on the Indians and nine on the Tigers last season.
So, anything that shows a positive sign in terms of numbers increasing for future teams is good news.
Spicer talked about different ways and times of the year that kids can get involved with the football program. He talked about how, as of April, the numbers are a little deceiving due to the fact spring sports are taking place, and for the reason the team lost a lot of seniors from last season.
"We do have a good number of young kids in the weight room. Over 30 middle school kids are in there lifting three days a week. The overall total is like 45-50," Spicer said. "They have really done well at learning the lifts and the routine. When they (the players) get in there, they really get after it. These kids are getting so much stronger and faster, and I am sure they will notice the difference come this fall."
Closson also talked about the Tigers' offseason program as well and how their numbers are looking. Last season, the Tigers were 6-4 overall, gaining SCOL wins against Miami Trace, Madison-Plains and Hillsboro. They began the season 3-0 with non-league wins over Adena, Unioto and Paint Valley of the Scioto Valley Conference.
"Our off-season numbers are low, but (they) usually are because a lot of our kids also run track or play baseball," Closson said. "We talk to kids all the time and encourage them to play, but I think what kids hear from their friends that play matters the most. So we encourage those who play to recruit their friends."
Spicer also said they want players to get their friends involved with football, but he said he tries to get kids who are athletes who may not have much going on in the fall involved with football as well.
"We try to 'scout' the hallways for potential players and encourage them to come out in the summer. Anyone who played in the past and stopped playing at some point, we try to convince to come out again," Spicer said. "Good athletes I see playing basketball or wrestling, or playing baseball or track, that are not doing anything in the fall, they are encouraged to come out and try as well.
"I try to get them (current players) to talk to players already on the team and find out more about what we do, so that some of their possible anxiety about coming out is limited."
I do like the fact both schools are working on improving their numbers because to defeat Clinton-Massie, who has won the outright or part of the SCOL title since 2006, teams are going have to have numbers. In the past decade CM has been a top-tier football program.
CM hasn't lost a league game since 2006, and in their six years in the league, they have won all but two league games. In '10, the Falcons outscored their SCOL counterparts 349-38, a difference of 311 points.
When I talked to some of the Massie senior players last season, they told me football is 'life' in their town. They also said they start at a really young age with their youth football programs … so maybe that is a reason they are so dominant in the fall.
But what I liked about Spicer's outlook is he knows it will take time to build a successful program, and building a program is very important to him. Just by his response and in other conversations building a program from the younger levels to the high school level is a long-term goal of his (more on that later). Spicer spoke about continuing to make changes within the program, especially in the weight room.
"It is mainly about 'changing' habits for the older kids and 'establishing' habits for the younger ones," Spicer said about the offseason weight room work. "A regular workout routine is a habit that an athlete has to commit to. For the young kids, it's a little easier to convince them to get in there … It is always a little tougher to convince the older kids to get in there when they really didn't have the opportunity (the weight room and new equipment) until just a year ago."
Though this discussion is about Highland County, numbers are down at a lot of schools in football.
"I have talked to other coaches in the league, and they have expressed some similar concerns about numbers. It just happens sometimes ... we just need to focus on the development of the athletes who do come out and find ways to make them better."
• Thoughts on spring football practices
Like I stated last week in NOTP and in my print column this week in the Highland County Press, I was not in favor of the ruling by the OHSAA regarding spring football practices in Ohio. The association said no this time around for a variety of reasons, but football hotbeds like Kentucky, Georgia, Texas and Florida have 10 days of practices where they can do a variety of things, including full-contact intra-squad scrimmages. I still believe the overall product on Friday nights would benefit from those 10 extra days in May. In Ohio, coaches can't even do walk-through practices in May, which is ridiculous.
Closson said he gave the proposal some thought.
"We talked a lot about this possibility (spring practices), and (we) really didn't want it to take away from our other programs. We saw it as an opportunity for some who were interested in playing to give it a try," Closson said.
Spicer also talked about the ruling.
"I would like to see Ohio eventually have some sort of 'spring ball' in place. I think it would give 'potential' players a chance to come out and see if they like it," Spicer said. "It also allows returning players to 'mix' with the new ones, and that helps develop team chemistry."
The third-year HHS coach elaborated on his reasoning why spring practices would help football programs. (I must say, I agree with him).
"(In other sports) … many of these guys play together all the time throughout the summer. (Other) sports are allowed the luxury of that (and in many cases are coached by the same coaches), but that is not the case for football.
"It would be nice to be able to get a football out in May and take the players through some drills as a group. We all know other states have figured out how to get spring ball to work at the high school level … I'm sure Ohio could as well and hope to see it soon."
• More about football numbers and some uncertainty from potential players
Looking at numbers one final time, I wanted to know what type of youth football programs each town had. I'll be honest, I don't know if having a good youth football program helps or not, but there is no way it can hurt.
Spicer, who is from a football-hungry area of the state, believes the best way to get kids interested in playing football is to involve them when they are young.
"I believe the biggest area for us to attack is at the lower levels. I want to work more and more at the youth league, and middle school levels, to get proper techniques and fundamentals taught," Spicer said. "I am a big believer in working on skills through multiple drill periods so that each player ... whether a starter or not, gets plenty of repetitions."
After his above response, Spicer asked, "How else is a young kid going to learn?"
Again, I believe the coach is right. Football at the youth level should be more about learning how to play the game the right way, rather than winning a game in fifth grade. Though winning is fun, again this is my opinion, but players should know the proper way to tackle before they reach the high school level … then we can worry about the winning.
Spicer talked more on the youth football topic.
"I would also like to see more playing time on game day (in youth football) for all the players. Let's face it ... 'getting in the game' and getting the chance to make some plays is the ultimate 'fun' for these young players," Spicer said. "I believe that the more fun these guys have playing, then the more likely they will keep playing, and eventually we will see an increase in our numbers."
Closson also said Greenfield has youth football, and it should be about the experience the kids receive when playing at a younger level.
"We do have a fourth, fifth and sixth grade tackle program and a youth flag football program," Closson said. "These programs can be very helpful as long as it's a positive experience for the kids."
Another topic that I didn't realize was uncertainty from potential players, which Spicer said can result from having a new coach in charge of the program. This could be the case at Hillsboro, as he is about to begin his third season as the HHS coach.
"Sometimes it is just the result of 'change," said Spicer on low numbers. "A new coach comes in and changes things around (with) a new system, new workouts, new demands, new coaches, and all of a sudden the 'way things use to be' aren't, and that in itself can cause a temporary drop.
"No one likes uncertainty... but I tell all the potential players (and parents) that they need to get involved in what we are doing before they decide not to play. I tell them to come out to the workouts or go to our summer camp, and then you can make a decision on what's right for you."
• Baseball thrillers
This week I either wrote about or watched at least four games that came down to the final inning.
I covered a Hillsboro baseball loss at Washington where HHS tied the game in the top of the seventh inning and lost it in the bottom of the seventh with two outs.
There was the game Thursday I covered where the Whiteoak Wildcats won 3-2 against Ripley with a trick play in the seventh to end the game. Never seen a game end like that.
A baseball game at McClain Field was won in the seventh inning by the Tigers against MP on Friday.
Then came the game I wished I attended where the Fairfield Lions baseball team scored four runs in the seventh, with two outs, to tie the game at four against first-place Fayetteville. FHS scored the game-winning run in the ninth.
If I would have been able to attend all these games this week, well, I'd probably have to be prescribed some blood pressure medicine.
• 10 thoughts on high school sports
1. This year's Fairfield Lady Lions softball team is the best softball team I've covered since I've become a sports editor in Highland County.
2. Watching Gage Carraher send fastballs to hitters, then strike them out on a breaking pitch while the batter can do nothing but look amazes me. Usually if there are two strikes, batters do one of two things … freeze up like a snowman or swing away and hit nothing but air. By the way, he's only a sophomore.
3. A former player told me he misses playing high school baseball. He's not lying, high school baseball was fun for a lot of us … and I bet a lot of us miss playing it, too.
4. Some states care about high school football way more than other states, but maybe I'm just a football junkie.
5. Friday was a high blood pressure kind of night for three Highland County baseball teams. Three games were decided in the seventh inning or later.
6. I'm still amazed how well the trick play by the Wildcats worked for the final out against Ripley. I've never seen a game end that way … amazing.
7. I kind of agree with the new eye black rule for the upcoming fall sports season, but again, I kind of don't. The new rule is a single black bar across the eye. I like creativity, but sometimes if the entire face is covered in eye black like the pro wrestler Sting wears his face paint … it kind of looks silly. (Maybe I am just getting old, but I doubt that).
8. Though I like the location of the Washington Blue Lions' current baseball field, I still miss the baseball field I "sometimes" played on that is now gone, as the land is a part of their new giant school. There were a lot of fun times on the old field.
9. I'm starting to get the feeling there have been as many rainouts this spring as there have been baseball/softball games.
10. Congratulations to Fairfield seniors Megan Sword and Chris Cox for signing their letters to play college basketball. Best of luck to both of them.
• Non-high school sports thought of the week
Not feeling up to par this past weekend, I watched the spring football games of Michigan, Penn State and parts of Arkansas on Saturday and parts of Indiana on Sunday night. I know it it just a practice game, but they were still nice to watch. Good to see what kind of talent the Big Ten (and Arkansas) will have this season.
• Stat of the Week
Including last season and six games into the current Southern Hills League baseball season, the Lynchburg-Clay Mustangs are 20-1. LC is 7-1 this season in SHL games, playing in Division I. They have five league games remaining.
• Quote of the Week
"There were a couple reasons why we went with that (the trick play). It had been going through my mind the whole time, and I wanted Gage to be confident. He had just tried the pickoff, and that was just the right time to do it. — WHS head coach Chris Veidt following the Wildcats' 3-2 win over Ripley on Thursday.
• One last item of business
The next two weeks should decide the league champions of both the SHL and SCOL in spring sports. The first half of the season has been exciting, full of close games, and if the rest of the regular season is anything like what has already happened, well, sign me up.
Stephen Forsha is the sports editor of The Highland County Press. He can be reached at sforsha@gmail.com. Follow Stephen on Twitter at www.twitter.com/hcpsportseditor.[[In-content Ad]]