Running up the score vs. poor sportmanship

[Happydays123]

Let me preface this by saying I am a football fan and a parent of athletes who have been on both sides of this controversy. I am also not a lover or a hater of the Dons...

All this talk about "poor sportsmanship and running up the score" by Don Bosco has me wondering if we are confusing the two. In my view, "poor sportsmanship" is taunting, trash talking, & cheap shots. "Running up the score" is keeping your starters in for the duration of a lopsided contest, continuing to pass, blitz, & run trick plays… If the coach puts in the reserves and underclassmen and the team continues to score, that's part of the game. The best coaches and parents encourage their kids to do their best and respect the opponent by putting forth their best effort. Sometimes though, we are completely outmatched… That's not poor sportsmanship...that's good football and that's also real life.

 

[B2B 14]

Thank you very much for making this thread and post. Very respectful and non biased post! 100% true!

 

[high90school]

I am going to say I dont disagree at all with what you just said. It is 100% on the spot BUT I will say at some point in that game, as a coach you have to think what is going too far with the score when it gets to a certain point. Those kids who were on the losing end of that game will forever have that game linger above them no matter what happens. I do not care if a team is "that much" better than another. At some point you have to say we are going to take a knee and not make this any worse than it is. As for the kids thinking what is more embarrasing for them, having a team put in freshman and scoring or having those freshman come in and take knees. I could almost guarantee you at that point when the freshman come in those kids on the losing side are just wanting to get out of there. They are beat, they know they are beat, dont add salt to the wound and keep running plays because they are underclassman and they deserve to run them. The other team deserves a little respect sometimes more than a 3rd or 4th team offense needs to run plays in week 9 of the season. Know how to win games with class as well if you are on the losing side know how to take a loss with class. I am not going to rag on Don Bosco any more than anyone else but their fans come on here and wonder why they dont get the respect across the state they think they deserve with what they have done the last two years after winning a game like that this past week. Come on.

 

[B2B 14]

This is honestly 100% curiosity. Not hostile whatsoever...but what does the TCT game have to do with the teams of 13' and 14'? Are you discrediting their success, or saying DB deserves no respect because of ONE huge marginal game?

 

[high90school]

It hasn't got anything to do with those two teams. Its more their fans coming on and basically coming off that the Dons dont get the respect that they rightfully earned from those two runner up and championship teams. Then a game happens where they run the other team off the field and score 100+ happens and they sit and complain that people are rallying against them and they wonder why. Its all respect for the opponent in my eyes. Win games like you have won before and when you lose a game lose like you have lost before. No way shape or form was it necessary or right to score 102 points on Tri County.

 

[brewcrewman1]

Great Post Happy Days !! Games like the DB game or several other games that have had scores almost similar in nature are tough from a coaching standpoint on both sides of the ball. Let's look at it from the prospective of the team on the short end of the stick. The losing coach is obviously going to be very frustrated but as long as he can see that the winning team playing the tail end of the bench players and just running basic plays and not running any Hayden Fry exotics(for you younger folks you might have to look that up as to what that means) then you just must accept it. All you can do is tell your team to play hard and do not take the final score as an embarrassment. Sometimes games are not fair...guess what life isn't fair either at times. As long as the players on that losing team can look in the mirror and say they did the best they could, that is all that matters. 10 years from now will anyone really care about how this game went. Nope !! The DB players will go their way in life as will the TCT players. My kid played 8 man about 12-14 years ago. Sure they won some very one sided games but they don't dwell on the scores of those games...they just dwell on the experience of playing High School football together as a TEAM. I remember when I was in HS and playing football.(back in the dark ages-pre play-off era) during my soph and junior year we normally were on the losing end of games and some not so close but you know what...today when we talk about those days...scores are a distant past..we were just happy to have the opportunity to play the game. (fortunately we had pretty decent senior season) So try not to be so rough on the winning team. Folks it is a game...it is part of life. To borrow a word from Aaron Rodgers..RELAX

 

[B2B 14]

I'm going to put this out there though. Since it has not been put out there yet. And I'll preface it by saying I am IN NO WAY "blaming" anyone in the scenario. But what if TCT players were 'playing beat.' I have always been a believer in even if you're winning, play like you're losing. So if this team was losing, and played like they were already beat, then that is why it got so out of hand. I believe they are better than they played. If they were honestly playing hard the WHOLE game and this was the outcome, then okay, they were outmatched and outmanned. But if they played like there was no way they could possibly score, that's why it got out of hand. If a team is out there that doesn't want to be, chances are, they don't care about the end score, they just want it to hit 00's and shower up. I'm not saying they quit early, but it may not be far from the truth.

This is the last post I'll be making talking about this game. It's playoff time!
Good luck to all the teams that made it, and remember...anything can happen now!