Youth Football- HS and Younger (1 Viewer)

[Chadstroma]

I'm pretty turned off by youth sports. It's become such a racket. My daughter played high-level softball. Bats $400. Gloves $300. Hitting lessons $60 an hour. Pitching lessons $110 an hour. Team registration fee $5000. $10000 in travel expenses. Team practice twice a week. Tournaments every weekend from Sept to November and then again from March to August (June to August once you hit high school because you play school ball from March to June). Offseason workouts. Why? So she can go play at Oklahoma and win a National Championship (by the way one of her old teammates just committed there).

Then I go to the fields and see how some of the parents act. Yelling at their kids. Yelling at the umps. Yelling at the coaches. It's disgraceful. I think a lot of parents are living out their dreams through their kids.

I have heard baseball/softball is crazy like that. From what I can tell, it is one of the more expensive sports to play. It also seems to be one of the more toxic ones as well from different things I have heard from friends and their experiences with their kids. It wasn't like that growing up. I remember bats could be expensive but usually a couple kids on the teams got some and everyone used them. I didn't play travel so there wasn't that part of it and it was only seasonal and not nearly year round. But I really don't recall any major issues with parents. Some parents, usually coaches, would be harder on their own kids but I don't remember anything as bad as yelling at coaches. I can only remember arguing calls was the coach and not in a ridiculous way.

My daughter plays school basketball and volleyball as well as club volleyball. Volleyball is usually pretty chill (though there was a minor incident in the fall league a couple of weeks ago). The school sports are all very economical. For the team and uniforms it is something like $70-150 depending on the sport. Club is costly and if she makes it to the higher levels it costs a little more and there is more travel involved. Her basketball games are usually pretty chill too. She is on the B team so maybe it would get more heated on A?

My older son plays football, basketball, and soccer at school and then club swim. Likely will start school track this spring too as he indicated he wanted to when it opened up to him before. Likewise, the school sports are all economical with something like $70-150 area for most sports. Football is a little more expensive, prob about $200 but compared to the local team, we are a couple hundred lower and I heard other club fees being even higher than the one nearest us. Swim is a little more expensive but really not bad. Most travel for swim isn't bad.... 45 min likely being about the longest driving distance and almost all of those are bigger optional meets. My little one is now in swim and doing a little this and that before he gets to 3rd grade for the school sports to start.

Swim is totally chilled out. You just aren't going to have parents yelling at their kids (other than to cheer them on), or officials or coaches. There is some drama but it seems to be mostly "my kid didn't make regionals and it is the coaches fault" type of feedback with some team jumping but I only know that because I talk to the board members often and hear some of that stuff (though to their credit they don't gossip about who said what but more of 'we had a couple of parents concerned about not making times... and their kids were never at practice... sooo.....' type comments). I have also had discussions with other people at other clubs and am in a couple of swim parent groups so I pick up on that seems to be pretty common in swim. This kid left this club because they were too big, this one left that club because they were too small.... or because the club was too competitive or not enough.... too much practice times or not enough... etc. I have become a big fan of swim. I totally had no expectation of getting my kids into it but my son asked to race people swimming as he was close to finishing swim lessons and I was like "uh, ok, let me find a swim place." Like I said, the swim culture is totally chill, very supportive, overall good positive environment. There is no sport better for conditioning that swim and other than some repetitive type injuries, your risk of injury is very low. It provides a good life skill and can be something you do into your elderly years for great health benefits.

For me... I spend a lot of time with sports for my three kids. Today, I got up at 5:30 and took my son to a swim meet. Got home around 11ish and had a little down time before taking my daughter to her basketball game. Come home, watch the first half of the Raider game and then take her to her volleyball game. When we got home, she asked if I could pass the volleyball back and forth with her. So, we did. I really didnt feel like it. I was tired and I was planning on going in and finishing the Raider game but one on one time with my daughter, having her laugh and enjoy some time with me... yea, I am not going to pass that up. Hopefully many years from now, when I am gone, it will be moments like that they she thinks about and smiles when thinking about Daddy. For me, she is already getting so old.... I mean, she is 1 and a half years away from being in High School. These moments are not always going to be there. I think also that my kids, though they may not realize it now, will look back and be thankful for how I was there for so many of their games. I mean, with only a couple of exceptions for when I was out of town, I am always there and if I am not it is because I am at one of the other kids things. That isn't even mentioning the experiences they have with their teammates and the times they have playing... I mean, I still think about my own sports experiences when I was a kid. And there is a lot of life lessons that can be taught through sport. I am not expecting my kids to go pro in any sport, if they do, wow- that will be amazing but I don't expect it. But for me, it is worth it.... for many real reasons. Plus, apparently, since it is what they do on their down time now, if they were active in sport they would be playing video games or zombie'd out in front of youtube. Getting them away from youtube and doing SOMETHING it pretty much worth it by itself. I can certainly understand your frustration and disillusionment in many ways but when you look at the long game for things that really matter in life, to me, it is so very worth it all.

 

[dgreen]

It sounds like, from this thread, that typical schedules vary quite a bit in this country. Where I live, the typical HS schedule is Freshmen and JV play back-to-back Thursday evening and then varsity is Friday evening. We now have quite a few "religious observance days", which aren't school holidays but are days that no tests or extra curricular activities can be scheduled so occasionally games end up being on different days of the week.

What's typical for your HS football games?

 

[Fantasy_Freak]

It sounds like, from this thread, that typical schedules vary quite a bit in this country. Where I live, the typical HS schedule is Freshmen and JV play back-to-back Thursday evening and then varsity is Friday evening. We now have quite a few "religious observance days", which aren't school holidays but are days that no tests or extra curricular activities can be scheduled so occasionally games end up being on different days of the week.

What's typical for your HS football games?

For us (at least at my sons school), varsity football is Friday nights, then the following Monday night is JV/Frosh games. I have a friend who's son plays in a different conference and they have JV/Frosh games on Thursday nights. So I guess it is a conference thing in our state as opposed to an entire state.

 

[Jayrod]

It sounds like, from this thread, that typical schedules vary quite a bit in this country. Where I live, the typical HS schedule is Freshmen and JV play back-to-back Thursday evening and then varsity is Friday evening. We now have quite a few "religious observance days", which aren't school holidays but are days that no tests or extra curricular activities can be scheduled so occasionally games end up being on different days of the week.

What's typical for your HS football games?

Everyone in our area (I think the majority of the state) plays Varsity football on Friday and then JV & Freshman on Monday night. 7th & 8th grade play on either Tuesdays and Thursdays, but that seems to vary with conferences.

 

[Chadstroma]

It sounds like, from this thread, that typical schedules vary quite a bit in this country. Where I live, the typical HS schedule is Freshmen and JV play back-to-back Thursday evening and then varsity is Friday evening. We now have quite a few "religious observance days", which aren't school holidays but are days that no tests or extra curricular activities can be scheduled so occasionally games end up being on different days of the week.

What's typical for your HS football games?

Varsity and JV typically play on Friday nights. I think Freshman typically play Thursday's.

 

[acarey50]

It sounds like, from this thread, that typical schedules vary quite a bit in this country. Where I live, the typical HS schedule is Freshmen and JV play back-to-back Thursday evening and then varsity is Friday evening. We now have quite a few "religious observance days", which aren't school holidays but are days that no tests or extra curricular activities can be scheduled so occasionally games end up being on different days of the week.

What's typical for your HS football games?

For us (at least at my sons school), varsity football is Friday nights, then the following Monday night is JV/Frosh games. I have a friend who's son plays in a different conference and they have JV/Frosh games on Thursday nights. So I guess it is a conference thing in our state as opposed to an entire state.

For most weeks here (Southern California), Freshman and JV games are on Thursday, Varsity are on Friday, but because of field availability, there will always be some varsity games on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. For example, our school district (and the neighboring district as well) has a shared stadium for the four high schools. So if every week at least two have home games, one will be playing on either Thursday night or on Saturday afternoon. Generally, the stadium is also used for varsity boys/girls soccer, varsity boys/girls lacrosse and track meets.

Almost always you will have your freshman/JV games on a different day than your varsity game, as you will dress a number of the freshman/jv players for varsity for the extra depth, and by CIF rule you can not play on multiple levels on the same day.

 

[dgreen]

It sounds like, from this thread, that typical schedules vary quite a bit in this country. Where I live, the typical HS schedule is Freshmen and JV play back-to-back Thursday evening and then varsity is Friday evening. We now have quite a few "religious observance days", which aren't school holidays but are days that no tests or extra curricular activities can be scheduled so occasionally games end up being on different days of the week.

What's typical for your HS football games?

For us (at least at my sons school), varsity football is Friday nights, then the following Monday night is JV/Frosh games. I have a friend who's son plays in a different conference and they have JV/Frosh games on Thursday nights. So I guess it is a conference thing in our state as opposed to an entire state.

For most weeks here (Southern California), Freshman and JV games are on Thursday, Varsity are on Friday, but because of field availability, there will always be some varsity games on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. For example, our school district (and the neighboring district as well) has a shared stadium for the four high schools. So if every week at least two have home games, one will be playing on either Thursday night or on Saturday afternoon. Generally, the stadium is also used for varsity boys/girls soccer, varsity boys/girls lacrosse and track meets.

Almost always you will have your freshman/JV games on a different day than your varsity game, as you will dress a number of the freshman/jv players for varsity for the extra depth, and by CIF rule you can not play on multiple levels on the same day.

Interesting that your high schools share fields. Each HS has its own field here. In fact, many have multiple fields. For example, my kid's HS has a secondary field. It doesn't have much in the way of stands for fans, but it generally considered a practice field and is used by sports like field hockey. Soccer and lacrosse are spring sports for us, so no field conflicts.

 

[acarey50]

What's typical for your HS football games?

For us (at least at my sons school), varsity football is Friday nights, then the following Monday night is JV/Frosh games. I have a friend who's son plays in a different conference and they have JV/Frosh games on Thursday nights. So I guess it is a conference thing in our state as opposed to an entire state.

For most weeks here (Southern California), Freshman and JV games are on Thursday, Varsity are on Friday, but because of field availability, there will always be some varsity games on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. For example, our school district (and the neighboring district as well) has a shared stadium for the four high schools. So if every week at least two have home games, one will be playing on either Thursday night or on Saturday afternoon. Generally, the stadium is also used for varsity boys/girls soccer, varsity boys/girls lacrosse and track meets.

Almost always you will have your freshman/JV games on a different day than your varsity game, as you will dress a number of the freshman/jv players for varsity for the extra depth, and by CIF rule you can not play on multiple levels on the same day.

Interesting that your high schools share fields. Each HS has its own field here. In fact, many have multiple fields. For example, my kid's HS has a secondary field. It doesn't have much in the way of stands for fans, but it generally considered a practice field and is used by sports like field hockey. Soccer and lacrosse are spring sports for us, so no field conflicts.

Most of the high schools have a practice field, that sounds like your "secondary field", no stands though. Perhaps it could just be a symptom of the congestion of Southern California, but there really is just no land/space for every school to also have their own field/stadium with enough stands, etc.

And the more I look at it around here, it's pretty common in many areas for multiple schools to share a stadium. Just here in Orange County, we have a stadium that is shared by the OUSD schools, there a stadium for the Placentia/Yorba Linda schools, two of the Tustin schools share a stadium, the two Newport Beach Schools share a stadium, and several of the Long Beach schools play at the stadium at Long Beach Community College.

For many of the districts, the stadium may be on the campus of one of the schools, but is considered a shared facility. The expense of maintaining them is a large factor.

 

[Fantasy_Freak]

Well, that's a wrap on JV/Frosh football for my son, he had his last game on Monday. Monday night he played offensive right tackle and defensive tackle in the Frosh game. In the JV game he played mostly defense but did get in for offensive line. He had a really good night, again in my biased opinion. In fact after the Frosh game my son was speaking to player on the other team that he played lacrosse with and the coaches came up to speak with the boys. My son told me they told him he had a hell of a game, they told him to get in the weight room and work hard and he will dominate next year. My son told the other coaches we tried to open enroll at their school but were denied, they told him try again this summer you will definitely get in. That ship has sailed. Hockey and lacrosse in the area are now school based sports in high school as opposed to club. The city we live in does not offer lacrosse or hockey for high school students so the only way to play these sports was for my son to go to school in the city next to us where these sports are offered which this school is in.

Tonight he will suit up with varsity for our first round state playoff game, he likely will not get any play time unless we are up big or down big. This is the 5th time in school history that this high school has qualified for state playoffs, in those prior games they have never won a playoff game. They have high hopes they can win tonight to at least get that first playoff win under their belt. If they win we would play the favorite for the state title so it will be extremely tough but would be a great experience for our boys.

My son has been told by the coaches if he does the appropriate work in the off season they feel he is their starter at right tackle next year for varsity. So my wife and I spoke with him and basically said we would support him in getting the appropriate work. We talked about looking into a weight trainer to put the right weight on his body, as well he will do off season work with a place that specializes in offensive line training (technique), Plus he will do weight training with the football team in the offseason after school. I told him he has to show us how bad he wants it, we aren't going to spend money if there is no desire on his behalf. Additionally, since he is talking about doing box lacrosse in December/January which will be good for his footwork. Lastly the high school hockey coach from the team he cant play on said he is more than welcome to join them on the ice at practice to continue to get the footwork in by skating.

My son asked me to help him this weekend to build his highlights from the season, then set-up a twitter page for him to show his highlights. The coach asked the freshman boys to work on that this weekend and he can help them work on it if needed. Apparently this is the new way for colleges to scout players so they can put them on their lists. Additionally, putting work in camps in the offseason gets you on more lists. My son being a freshman has time, before any of that comes to fruition, but it is interesting. If anyone has experienced this I am very interested to read any tips or experiences.

Best of luck to all of you and your boys for whatever is left of your seasons. Also, best of luck to those of you whose kids are moving on to their next sport.

 

[MountainPanda]

I am kind of shocked there isn't a thread about youth football for all the other things discussed in FBG's. So... I am starting one. Talk your kid, someone else's kid, local school, coaching, or whatever else for High School on down. Tackle or Flag.

I’m after thoughts, opinions, as I’m torn on how to handle a situation with my 3rd grade tackle football player.

My boy went in obsessed with football, still is, and has shown substantial talent in his first year. He is small/average, 57lbs, 8 yrs old, but lean, and very strong for his size. He has played RB sometimes WR all season. It’s fairly obvious that he and two other teammates carry the team. The other two, one QB and the other WR sometimes RB.

During a game in late September, their team played a team that totally demolished them. 44-0. I couldn’t make this game, but partner was there, and after seeing my kid in obvious pain/distress, sorta hollered at the coach. I was told by multiple people, my son’s team’s offensive line almost seemed to give up part way into the game, leaving the RB, my son, to get tackled quickly and harshly, usually by multiple players substantially larger than him. Coach did a follow my finger test, and said he was alright. He went back out there and got thrashed for the remained of the game. By the time I got home from work, hours after the game, he is in tears because his head hurts so bad. i could tell it was pretty intense. This story could get lengthy, so to sum it up; he was diagnosed with a mild concussion. School nurse sent him home, we saw urgent care, then his pediatrician, then a brain injury specialist. By the time we saw the specialist, he was good, passing all the tests. This was a 2 week ordeal. He wanted to play bad, so after passing tests with the brain specialist, he returned to play.

Now, we have arrived at playoffs. His team is 2-4. THey are matched up with, you guessed it, that team where the injury occurred, who have finished the season undefeated. (why Do they put the best against the worst performing team in the playoff game?? I’m sure there is reason, but so for it makes no sense to me.)

when my son learn this a couple days ago, he practically went white, and told me, ’I don’t want to go, I don’t want to get hurt’. This is the dilemma. While I’m all about sticking to principles, not giving up, not running, and not letting the team down…from all Iv heard over the past month, I’m concerned. We already decided the after this year, he will wait til 12 years to play again. If he wanted to play, I’d let him. But he is begging me to not make him play. Personally, I feel, ‘of course, given the circumstances, I wouldn’t force my kid to play that game’. But my partner is upset about it, and adamantly insists that he at least suit up and be there on the sideline. Which seems torturous too, I think.
And after hearing one asst coach say to his som/teammate, ‘I don’t care if you are throwing up….you are going to be there’, and that our other talented player (WR/RB) is out with a concussion now, iI think it’s safe to assume there will be a lot of pressure, if not shaming, from Coaches to play.

How would ya’ll handle this??

 

[The Z Machine]

I am kind of shocked there isn't a thread about youth football for all the other things discussed in FBG's. So... I am starting one. Talk your kid, someone else's kid, local school, coaching, or whatever else for High School on down. Tackle or Flag.

I’m after thoughts, opinions, as I’m torn on how to handle a situation with my 3rd grade tackle football player.

My boy went in obsessed with football, still is, and has shown substantial talent in his first year. He is small/average, 57lbs, 8 yrs old, but lean, and very strong for his size. He has played RB sometimes WR all season. It’s fairly obvious that he and two other teammates carry the team. The other two, one QB and the other WR sometimes RB.

During a game in late September, their team played a team that totally demolished them. 44-0. I couldn’t make this game, but partner was there, and after seeing my kid in obvious pain/distress, sorta hollered at the coach. I was told by multiple people, my son’s team’s offensive line almost seemed to give up part way into the game, leaving the RB, my son, to get tackled quickly and harshly, usually by multiple players substantially larger than him. Coach did a follow my finger test, and said he was alright. He went back out there and got thrashed for the remained of the game. By the time I got home from work, hours after the game, he is in tears because his head hurts so bad. i could tell it was pretty intense. This story could get lengthy, so to sum it up; he was diagnosed with a mild concussion. School nurse sent him home, we saw urgent care, then his pediatrician, then a brain injury specialist. By the time we saw the specialist, he was good, passing all the tests. This was a 2 week ordeal. He wanted to play bad, so after passing tests with the brain specialist, he returned to play.

Now, we have arrived at playoffs. His team is 2-4. THey are matched up with, you guessed it, that team where the injury occurred, who have finished the season undefeated. (why Do they put the best against the worst performing team in the playoff game?? I’m sure there is reason, but so for it makes no sense to me.)

when my son learn this a couple days ago, he practically went white, and told me, ’I don’t want to go, I don’t want to get hurt’. This is the dilemma. While I’m all about sticking to principles, not giving up, not running, and not letting the team down…from all Iv heard over the past month, I’m concerned. We already decided the after this year, he will wait til 12 years to play again. If he wanted to play, I’d let him. But he is begging me to not make him play. Personally, I feel, ‘of course, given the circumstances, I wouldn’t force my kid to play that game’. But my partner is upset about it, and adamantly insists that he at least suit up and be there on the sideline. Which seems torturous too, I think.
And after hearing one asst coach say to his som/teammate, ‘I don’t care if you are throwing up….you are going to be there’, and that our other talented player (WR/RB), I think it’s safe to assume there will be a lot of pressure, if not shaming, from Coaches to play.

How would ya’ll handle this??

Last minute trip to see your sick mother out of state.

 

[dgreen]

I am kind of shocked there isn't a thread about youth football for all the other things discussed in FBG's. So... I am starting one. Talk your kid, someone else's kid, local school, coaching, or whatever else for High School on down. Tackle or Flag.

I’m after thoughts, opinions, as I’m torn on how to handle a situation with my 3rd grade tackle football player.

My boy went in obsessed with football, still is, and has shown substantial talent in his first year. He is small/average, 57lbs, 8 yrs old, but lean, and very strong for his size. He has played RB sometimes WR all season. It’s fairly obvious that he and two other teammates carry the team. The other two, one QB and the other WR sometimes RB.

During a game in late September, their team played a team that totally demolished them. 44-0. I couldn’t make this game, but partner was there, and after seeing my kid in obvious pain/distress, sorta hollered at the coach. I was told by multiple people, my son’s team’s offensive line almost seemed to give up part way into the game, leaving the RB, my son, to get tackled quickly and harshly, usually by multiple players substantially larger than him. Coach did a follow my finger test, and said he was alright. He went back out there and got thrashed for the remained of the game. By the time I got home from work, hours after the game, he is in tears because his head hurts so bad. i could tell it was pretty intense. This story could get lengthy, so to sum it up; he was diagnosed with a mild concussion. School nurse sent him home, we saw urgent care, then his pediatrician, then a brain injury specialist. By the time we saw the specialist, he was good, passing all the tests. This was a 2 week ordeal. He wanted to play bad, so after passing tests with the brain specialist, he returned to play.

Now, we have arrived at playoffs. His team is 2-4. THey are matched up with, you guessed it, that team where the injury occurred, who have finished the season undefeated. (why Do they put the best against the worst performing team in the playoff game?? I’m sure there is reason, but so for it makes no sense to me.)

when my son learn this a couple days ago, he practically went white, and told me, ’I don’t want to go, I don’t want to get hurt’. This is the dilemma. While I’m all about sticking to principles, not giving up, not running, and not letting the team down…from all Iv heard over the past month, I’m concerned. We already decided the after this year, he will wait til 12 years to play again. If he wanted to play, I’d let him. But he is begging me to not make him play. Personally, I feel, ‘of course, given the circumstances, I wouldn’t force my kid to play that game’. But my partner is upset about it, and adamantly insists that he at least suit up and be there on the sideline. Which seems torturous too, I think.
And after hearing one asst coach say to his som/teammate, ‘I don’t care if you are throwing up….you are going to be there’, and that our other talented player (WR/RB), I think it’s safe to assume there will be a lot of pressure, if not shaming, from Coaches to play.

How would ya’ll handle this??

It’s 3rd grade football. Don’t overthink it. It’s not nearly as serious as the coaches try to make it.

 

[Chadstroma]

I am kind of shocked there isn't a thread about youth football for all the other things discussed in FBG's. So... I am starting one. Talk your kid, someone else's kid, local school, coaching, or whatever else for High School on down. Tackle or Flag.

I’m after thoughts, opinions, as I’m torn on how to handle a situation with my 3rd grade tackle football player.

My boy went in obsessed with football, still is, and has shown substantial talent in his first year. He is small/average, 57lbs, 8 yrs old, but lean, and very strong for his size. He has played RB sometimes WR all season. It’s fairly obvious that he and two other teammates carry the team. The other two, one QB and the other WR sometimes RB.

During a game in late September, their team played a team that totally demolished them. 44-0. I couldn’t make this game, but partner was there, and after seeing my kid in obvious pain/distress, sorta hollered at the coach. I was told by multiple people, my son’s team’s offensive line almost seemed to give up part way into the game, leaving the RB, my son, to get tackled quickly and harshly, usually by multiple players substantially larger than him. Coach did a follow my finger test, and said he was alright. He went back out there and got thrashed for the remained of the game. By the time I got home from work, hours after the game, he is in tears because his head hurts so bad. i could tell it was pretty intense. This story could get lengthy, so to sum it up; he was diagnosed with a mild concussion. School nurse sent him home, we saw urgent care, then his pediatrician, then a brain injury specialist. By the time we saw the specialist, he was good, passing all the tests. This was a 2 week ordeal. He wanted to play bad, so after passing tests with the brain specialist, he returned to play.

Now, we have arrived at playoffs. His team is 2-4. THey are matched up with, you guessed it, that team where the injury occurred, who have finished the season undefeated. (why Do they put the best against the worst performing team in the playoff game?? I’m sure there is reason, but so for it makes no sense to me.)

when my son learn this a couple days ago, he practically went white, and told me, ’I don’t want to go, I don’t want to get hurt’. This is the dilemma. While I’m all about sticking to principles, not giving up, not running, and not letting the team down…from all Iv heard over the past month, I’m concerned. We already decided the after this year, he will wait til 12 years to play again. If he wanted to play, I’d let him. But he is begging me to not make him play. Personally, I feel, ‘of course, given the circumstances, I wouldn’t force my kid to play that game’. But my partner is upset about it, and adamantly insists that he at least suit up and be there on the sideline. Which seems torturous too, I think.
And after hearing one asst coach say to his som/teammate, ‘I don’t care if you are throwing up….you are going to be there’, and that our other talented player (WR/RB), I think it’s safe to assume there will be a lot of pressure, if not shaming, from Coaches to play.

How would ya’ll handle this??

Not even a decision for me.... "Hey Coach, I just wanted to let you know that our son will not be making the game. We are concerned after his concussion that he received playing that team last time about playing this team again. We have decided that we must do what is best for our son's health. He will also be taking the next few years off from tackle football."

It is 3rd grade football. Letting him not play isn't going to reverse future years of teaching about not giving up, not letting the team down, etc but this isn't that... this is a lesson of making the best decision for your health which is more important than sport, let alone 3rd grade football.

As for your partner... is your son their son as well or is this another relationship after the case? Seems odd to me. My wife and I are usually on the same page or at least close enough to the same page on our thinking that I don't often have to fight about something. Without asking, I know she would agree with me in my thinking on this question. For my son, I would let him decide to be there or not. If he wants to then I would have him dress in his jersey and jeans with no pads. If he didn't want to be there, I would not make him. If something happened and I remarried, there would be a certain point of "Thank you for helping parent but this is my kid" in a more tactful way.

 

[MountainPanda]

I am kind of shocked there isn't a thread about youth football for all the other things discussed in FBG's. So... I am starting one. Talk your kid, someone else's kid, local school, coaching, or whatever else for High School on down. Tackle or Flag.

I’m after thoughts, opinions, as I’m torn on how to handle a situation with my 3rd grade tackle football player.

My boy went in obsessed with football, still is, and has shown substantial talent in his first year. He is small/average, 57lbs, 8 yrs old, but lean, and very strong for his size. He has played RB sometimes WR all season. It’s fairly obvious that he and two other teammates carry the team. The other two, one QB and the other WR sometimes RB.

During a game in late September, their team played a team that totally demolished them. 44-0. I couldn’t make this game, but partner was there, and after seeing my kid in obvious pain/distress, sorta hollered at the coach. I was told by multiple people, my son’s team’s offensive line almost seemed to give up part way into the game, leaving the RB, my son, to get tackled quickly and harshly, usually by multiple players substantially larger than him. Coach did a follow my finger test, and said he was alright. He went back out there and got thrashed for the remained of the game. By the time I got home from work, hours after the game, he is in tears because his head hurts so bad. i could tell it was pretty intense. This story could get lengthy, so to sum it up; he was diagnosed with a mild concussion. School nurse sent him home, we saw urgent care, then his pediatrician, then a brain injury specialist. By the time we saw the specialist, he was good, passing all the tests. This was a 2 week ordeal. He wanted to play bad, so after passing tests with the brain specialist, he returned to play.

Now, we have arrived at playoffs. His team is 2-4. THey are matched up with, you guessed it, that team where the injury occurred, who have finished the season undefeated. (why Do they put the best against the worst performing team in the playoff game?? I’m sure there is reason, but so for it makes no sense to me.)

when my son learn this a couple days ago, he practically went white, and told me, ’I don’t want to go, I don’t want to get hurt’. This is the dilemma. While I’m all about sticking to principles, not giving up, not running, and not letting the team down…from all Iv heard over the past month, I’m concerned. We already decided the after this year, he will wait til 12 years to play again. If he wanted to play, I’d let him. But he is begging me to not make him play. Personally, I feel, ‘of course, given the circumstances, I wouldn’t force my kid to play that game’. But my partner is upset about it, and adamantly insists that he at least suit up and be there on the sideline. Which seems torturous too, I think.
And after hearing one asst coach say to his som/teammate, ‘I don’t care if you are throwing up….you are going to be there’, and that our other talented player (WR/RB), I think it’s safe to assume there will be a lot of pressure, if not shaming, from Coaches to play.

How would ya’ll handle this??

Not even a decision for me.... "Hey Coach, I just wanted to let you know that our son will not be making the game. We are concerned after his concussion that he received playing that team last time about playing this team again. We have decided that we must do what is best for our son's health. He will also be taking the next few years off from tackle football."

It is 3rd grade football. Letting him not play isn't going to reverse future years of teaching about not giving up, not letting the team down, etc but this isn't that... this is a lesson of making the best decision for your health which is more important than sport, let alone 3rd grade football.

As for your partner... is your son their son as well or is this another relationship after the case? Seems odd to me. My wife and I are usually on the same page or at least close enough to the same page on our thinking that I don't often have to fight about something. Without asking, I know she would agree with me in my thinking on this question. For my son, I would let him decide to be there or not. If he wants to then I would have him dress in his jersey and jeans with no pads. If he didn't want to be there, I would not make him. If something happened and I remarried, there would be a certain point of "Thank you for helping parent but this is my kid" in a more tactful way.

Thank you for the confirmation. Well said.
I’m the mom, I apologize if this a guys only place, but I was desperately looks for conversation with some people familiar with youth football, and this is where I landed. It’s his biological father who insists he show up. My ‘partner’ of 18 years, though we are a bit Rocky, and sleep separately within the home. He is a long time drinker, and frankly, even if not ‘drunk’, lacks in communication skills. Currently we are finding he has wrecked his pancreas, leaving him in immense pain, unable to hold much down. . On a good day we could discuss and usually come to an agreement. But on not so good days, discussion quickly becomes an argument no one wins.This popped off yesterday, a day he couldn’t eat or drink. So while not drunk, he was nice and angry at life. Today his mother arrived from out of town, we didn’t get a chance to ‘talk’ more. The game is tomorrow.
After hearing us argue down the hall, my boy agreed to play. I’m pretty sure he is sadly trying to appease his irrational father, so my son and I agreed that he would signal/gesture if he wanted out, then I will pull him off the field myself.

Anyhow, big brother took Dads side, and it just had me wondering if I was wrong in letting him back out. Good to know some other Dads would do the same. I appreciate your responses.

 

[dgreen]

I am kind of shocked there isn't a thread about youth football for all the other things discussed in FBG's. So... I am starting one. Talk your kid, someone else's kid, local school, coaching, or whatever else for High School on down. Tackle or Flag.

I’m after thoughts, opinions, as I’m torn on how to handle a situation with my 3rd grade tackle football player.

My boy went in obsessed with football, still is, and has shown substantial talent in his first year. He is small/average, 57lbs, 8 yrs old, but lean, and very strong for his size. He has played RB sometimes WR all season. It’s fairly obvious that he and two other teammates carry the team. The other two, one QB and the other WR sometimes RB.

During a game in late September, their team played a team that totally demolished them. 44-0. I couldn’t make this game, but partner was there, and after seeing my kid in obvious pain/distress, sorta hollered at the coach. I was told by multiple people, my son’s team’s offensive line almost seemed to give up part way into the game, leaving the RB, my son, to get tackled quickly and harshly, usually by multiple players substantially larger than him. Coach did a follow my finger test, and said he was alright. He went back out there and got thrashed for the remained of the game. By the time I got home from work, hours after the game, he is in tears because his head hurts so bad. i could tell it was pretty intense. This story could get lengthy, so to sum it up; he was diagnosed with a mild concussion. School nurse sent him home, we saw urgent care, then his pediatrician, then a brain injury specialist. By the time we saw the specialist, he was good, passing all the tests. This was a 2 week ordeal. He wanted to play bad, so after passing tests with the brain specialist, he returned to play.

Now, we have arrived at playoffs. His team is 2-4. THey are matched up with, you guessed it, that team where the injury occurred, who have finished the season undefeated. (why Do they put the best against the worst performing team in the playoff game?? I’m sure there is reason, but so for it makes no sense to me.)

when my son learn this a couple days ago, he practically went white, and told me, ’I don’t want to go, I don’t want to get hurt’. This is the dilemma. While I’m all about sticking to principles, not giving up, not running, and not letting the team down…from all Iv heard over the past month, I’m concerned. We already decided the after this year, he will wait til 12 years to play again. If he wanted to play, I’d let him. But he is begging me to not make him play. Personally, I feel, ‘of course, given the circumstances, I wouldn’t force my kid to play that game’. But my partner is upset about it, and adamantly insists that he at least suit up and be there on the sideline. Which seems torturous too, I think.
And after hearing one asst coach say to his som/teammate, ‘I don’t care if you are throwing up….you are going to be there’, and that our other talented player (WR/RB), I think it’s safe to assume there will be a lot of pressure, if not shaming, from Coaches to play.

How would ya’ll handle this??

It’s 3rd grade football. Don’t overthink it. It’s not nearly as serious as the coaches try to make it.

Sorry for the “don’t overthink it” part. It actually sounds like there’s a lot to think about. Sounds like you are in a tough position. Praying.

 

[MountainPanda]

Update. The night before, my husband was feeling better and we were able to talk. He immediately said that while he still wanted our 3rd grader to suit up and sit with the team, he would telling coach immediately upon arrival that since his concussion was still less than 30 days ago, and this was the opponent he was playing when it happened, he wanted him to sit out. This sounded reasonable, and I was relieved.
I showed up halfway through warm ups and asked my husband how it went. He said our kid decided he was going to play. Lol, well it was all about what he wanted to do after all. Well he got out there and gave it about 75%, like the rest of the team. They ended the game a little early when the score reached 35-0. While it was tough to watch, the fact that you could tell they only were giving 75% somehow made it easier for me. At the halftime huddle, I overheard some and what most remember was when coach said, ‘Do you just want to give up?!?’, clearly going for the chorus of loud ‘NO!’s, but all I could hear from 20ft away was one ‘no’, followed by coach, ‘who said said yes?!’. Lol, that poor team had given up in their heads after the opponent scored on kick off the first minute of the game. But God bless them, they went out there and finished it.
And while my son seemed drained after the game, he took no significant hits, (nor did his teammates). Hours later is energy was back, and he was happy.

That team was on another level. The coaches were super hype, and they had ’water boy’. Well it was an adult. They said ‘water!‘ during and an offensive team huddle, and a guy ran out with the little 6-pack caddy of water bottles. We don’t have that. But half a minute later, the sweet boy who was sitting out with a concussion from last week came running on field with one water bottle. Adorable.

Thanks again for your help!

 

[The Z Machine]

Glad it turned out OK.

 

[The Z Machine]

However, I'd you truly think it's unsafe for your child, you can remove the decision making from him and force the issue.

 

[Chadstroma]

Update. The night before, my husband was feeling better and we were able to talk. He immediately said that while he still wanted our 3rd grader to suit up and sit with the team, he would telling coach immediately upon arrival that since his concussion was still less than 30 days ago, and this was the opponent he was playing when it happened, he wanted him to sit out. This sounded reasonable, and I was relieved.
I showed up halfway through warm ups and asked my husband how it went. He said our kid decided he was going to play. Lol, well it was all about what he wanted to do after all. Well he got out there and gave it about 75%, like the rest of the team. They ended the game a little early when the score reached 35-0. While it was tough to watch, the fact that you could tell they only were giving 75% somehow made it easier for me. At the halftime huddle, I overheard some and what most remember was when coach said, ‘Do you just want to give up?!?’, clearly going for the chorus of loud ‘NO!’s, but all I could hear from 20ft away was one ‘no’, followed by coach, ‘who said said yes?!’. Lol, that poor team had given up in their heads after the opponent scored on kick off the first minute of the game. But God bless them, they went out there and finished it.
And while my son seemed drained after the game, he took no significant hits, (nor did his teammates). Hours later is energy was back, and he was happy.

That team was on another level. The coaches were super hype, and they had ’water boy’. Well it was an adult. They said ‘water!‘ during and an offensive team huddle, and a guy ran out with the little 6-pack caddy of water bottles. We don’t have that. But half a minute later, the sweet boy who was sitting out with a concussion from last week came running on field with one water bottle. Adorable.

Thanks again for your help!

I am glad it worked out for you son in ending up deciding he wanted to play and then not getting hurt.

Youth sports can be very hard to navigate. There can be huge disparities in coaching and kids talent. Some kids grow like weeds (I was one of those) and some kids are late bloomers. My son had a winless season this year after the previous year going undefeated. It largely is because the class above them is smaller, so in the years that they are grouped with them, they are just outmanned as that one year difference is huge at these ages. I fully expect them to be the favorite again next year as my sons class is fairly large with a lot of good athletic talent. Likewise, the coaching can be anything from someone who never played the sport and doesn't know much about it or maybe they know the sport a little bit but just don't care to guys that have played at high levels or have coached many years etc. I coach basketball for my son. I am going into my third year. I put a lot of time and effort into being a better coach because I look back at my time playing basketball and my coaching was very subpar though I didn't know it then. Looking back, I see how it held me back greatly and I just hate the idea of being the guy that didn't help these kids reach their full potential. We won the championship but just as noteworthy to me is the several times someone would say that the team is "well coached" or something along those lines.

The biggest thing is to keep your son and his health the number one priority. That should be the priority of the coach but sometimes, sadly, some of these guys are driven to win now at the expense of the kids, their development or even their health. Your job as a parent is to let the coach coach but you are still the final say when it comes to health and you should err on the side of caution if you are going to err.

Oh, you mentioned you didn't understand how the best team gets put against the worse in playoffs. That is standard across all sports. Essentially, it is what makes the regular season important. You want to win your games so you get the highest seed possible. The higher seed you are the lower the seed you play which makes your path to the championship easier. Top seeded teams will often get a bye (not have to play as many games) and get to play on their home court/field etc as well.

You mentioned that you would be pulling your son from tackle football for a couple of years. I would recommend that you find a flag football program around you to get him into instead during those years so he can still develop many parts of the game while not playing tackle football.

Best wishes to you and your son and again, glad it worked out relatively well.

 

[Fantasy_Freak]

Update. The night before, my husband was feeling better and we were able to talk. He immediately said that while he still wanted our 3rd grader to suit up and sit with the team, he would telling coach immediately upon arrival that since his concussion was still less than 30 days ago, and this was the opponent he was playing when it happened, he wanted him to sit out. This sounded reasonable, and I was relieved.
I showed up halfway through warm ups and asked my husband how it went. He said our kid decided he was going to play. Lol, well it was all about what he wanted to do after all. Well he got out there and gave it about 75%, like the rest of the team. They ended the game a little early when the score reached 35-0. While it was tough to watch, the fact that you could tell they only were giving 75% somehow made it easier for me. At the halftime huddle, I overheard some and what most remember was when coach said, ‘Do you just want to give up?!?’, clearly going for the chorus of loud ‘NO!’s, but all I could hear from 20ft away was one ‘no’, followed by coach, ‘who said said yes?!’. Lol, that poor team had given up in their heads after the opponent scored on kick off the first minute of the game. But God bless them, they went out there and finished it.
And while my son seemed drained after the game, he took no significant hits, (nor did his teammates). Hours later is energy was back, and he was happy.

That team was on another level. The coaches were super hype, and they had ’water boy’. Well it was an adult. They said ‘water!‘ during and an offensive team huddle, and a guy ran out with the little 6-pack caddy of water bottles. We don’t have that. But half a minute later, the sweet boy who was sitting out with a concussion from last week came running on field with one water bottle. Adorable.

Thanks again for your help!

I am glad it worked out for you son in ending up deciding he wanted to play and then not getting hurt.

Youth sports can be very hard to navigate. There can be huge disparities in coaching and kids talent. Some kids grow like weeds (I was one of those) and some kids are late bloomers. My son had a winless season this year after the previous year going undefeated. It largely is because the class above them is smaller, so in the years that they are grouped with them, they are just outmanned as that one year difference is huge at these ages. I fully expect them to be the favorite again next year as my sons class is fairly large with a lot of good athletic talent. Likewise, the coaching can be anything from someone who never played the sport and doesn't know much about it or maybe they know the sport a little bit but just don't care to guys that have played at high levels or have coached many years etc. I coach basketball for my son. I am going into my third year. I put a lot of time and effort into being a better coach because I look back at my time playing basketball and my coaching was very subpar though I didn't know it then. Looking back, I see how it held me back greatly and I just hate the idea of being the guy that didn't help these kids reach their full potential. We won the championship but just as noteworthy to me is the several times someone would say that the team is "well coached" or something along those lines.

The biggest thing is to keep your son and his health the number one priority. That should be the priority of the coach but sometimes, sadly, some of these guys are driven to win now at the expense of the kids, their development or even their health. Your job as a parent is to let the coach coach but you are still the final say when it comes to health and you should err on the side of caution if you are going to err.

Oh, you mentioned you didn't understand how the best team gets put against the worse in playoffs. That is standard across all sports. Essentially, it is what makes the regular season important. You want to win your games so you get the highest seed possible. The higher seed you are the lower the seed you play which makes your path to the championship easier. Top seeded teams will often get a bye (not have to play as many games) and get to play on their home court/field etc as well.

You mentioned that you would be pulling your son from tackle football for a couple of years. I would recommend that you find a flag football program around you to get him into instead during those years so he can still develop many parts of the game while not playing tackle football.

Best wishes to you and your son and again, glad it worked out relatively well.

I agree with Chad on the comment of flag football, especially for your son being a running back. He can learn the concepts of play, running with the ball while improving his footwork and hip movement to be shifty as he continues to grow, while not getting demolished by an opponent. I am a big proponent in kids play multi-sports as opposed to specialists. Maybe moving to flag football will give your son the opportunity to try another sport without the conflicts. While each sport each unique they have attributes that can go far in aiding in a different sport. For example my son played hockey as a child, when spring came along we had him play lacrosse, the hand eye techniques in hockey aided in lacrosse as well as the footwork helped between the two sports. Then when my son started football in 7th grade he was able to adapt pretty quickly to the mechanics it was the play calling he struggled with. There could be other sports he could play and enjoy like fall baseball, maybe volleyball, just ideas to get him to try other sports to keep him active.

Best of luck as you move forward. One last little tip, enjoy every bit of it, these kids grow up so fast and in a blink of an eye they are on to adulthood and moving on.

 

[Fantasy_Freak]

My sons high school varsity team won their first round playoffs Friday night. First state playoff win for the school ever, that's like 50 plus years and never won a playoff game. The team we played ran the Wing-T offense, it was so hard to watch. There were 4 different players who could have the ball and trying to figure out who had the ball got to be a little confusing. We won 47-0 with running clock in most of the second half. My son ended up playing in the 4th quarter which was a great experience for him. Our next playoff game is Friday against the top seed who are also the odds on favorite to win the entire state tournament at our division. The game will be a huge challenge for our boys and coaches but it will be a great experience. This team is an ultra focused team, darn near professional. The entire city comes out to watch their games. They are in the process of building an indoor facility for offseason/inclement weather football practices, fully funded by local companies. A few boys my son played hockey with over the years play on the JV team and will be there to watch as well as their parents so it will be fun to see them and watch our team go up against them. If our team can win this one we will play one of two teams from our conference who also are very good teams, one we got beat pretty bad and the other we could have won.

Last night my son was fielding text messages from some of the other freshman in our city that go to different high schools. Apparently, there is an attempt to make an "all-star" team of 9th graders from our city and travel to Knoxville in November for a tournament. They are looking for my son to play offensive line on the team. I don't know much about this tournament, I will try to do some research, plus I need a coach to reach out to me not some players to reach out to my son so I can understand more about the tournament. I did tell my son before any final decision is made he will need to speak to his varsity coach, he needs to be fully aware of the tournament so he knows my son is fully on board with his current team and he will not transfer to another team. I'm sure there will be "poaching" attempts to get my son to go to one of the other teams but he is locked in on his current team, we will not entertain any such move.

 

[Chadstroma]

Update. The night before, my husband was feeling better and we were able to talk. He immediately said that while he still wanted our 3rd grader to suit up and sit with the team, he would telling coach immediately upon arrival that since his concussion was still less than 30 days ago, and this was the opponent he was playing when it happened, he wanted him to sit out. This sounded reasonable, and I was relieved.
I showed up halfway through warm ups and asked my husband how it went. He said our kid decided he was going to play. Lol, well it was all about what he wanted to do after all. Well he got out there and gave it about 75%, like the rest of the team. They ended the game a little early when the score reached 35-0. While it was tough to watch, the fact that you could tell they only were giving 75% somehow made it easier for me. At the halftime huddle, I overheard some and what most remember was when coach said, ‘Do you just want to give up?!?’, clearly going for the chorus of loud ‘NO!’s, but all I could hear from 20ft away was one ‘no’, followed by coach, ‘who said said yes?!’. Lol, that poor team had given up in their heads after the opponent scored on kick off the first minute of the game. But God bless them, they went out there and finished it.
And while my son seemed drained after the game, he took no significant hits, (nor did his teammates). Hours later is energy was back, and he was happy.

That team was on another level. The coaches were super hype, and they had ’water boy’. Well it was an adult. They said ‘water!‘ during and an offensive team huddle, and a guy ran out with the little 6-pack caddy of water bottles. We don’t have that. But half a minute later, the sweet boy who was sitting out with a concussion from last week came running on field with one water bottle. Adorable.

Thanks again for your help!

I am glad it worked out for you son in ending up deciding he wanted to play and then not getting hurt.

Youth sports can be very hard to navigate. There can be huge disparities in coaching and kids talent. Some kids grow like weeds (I was one of those) and some kids are late bloomers. My son had a winless season this year after the previous year going undefeated. It largely is because the class above them is smaller, so in the years that they are grouped with them, they are just outmanned as that one year difference is huge at these ages. I fully expect them to be the favorite again next year as my sons class is fairly large with a lot of good athletic talent. Likewise, the coaching can be anything from someone who never played the sport and doesn't know much about it or maybe they know the sport a little bit but just don't care to guys that have played at high levels or have coached many years etc. I coach basketball for my son. I am going into my third year. I put a lot of time and effort into being a better coach because I look back at my time playing basketball and my coaching was very subpar though I didn't know it then. Looking back, I see how it held me back greatly and I just hate the idea of being the guy that didn't help these kids reach their full potential. We won the championship but just as noteworthy to me is the several times someone would say that the team is "well coached" or something along those lines.

The biggest thing is to keep your son and his health the number one priority. That should be the priority of the coach but sometimes, sadly, some of these guys are driven to win now at the expense of the kids, their development or even their health. Your job as a parent is to let the coach coach but you are still the final say when it comes to health and you should err on the side of caution if you are going to err.

Oh, you mentioned you didn't understand how the best team gets put against the worse in playoffs. That is standard across all sports. Essentially, it is what makes the regular season important. You want to win your games so you get the highest seed possible. The higher seed you are the lower the seed you play which makes your path to the championship easier. Top seeded teams will often get a bye (not have to play as many games) and get to play on their home court/field etc as well.

You mentioned that you would be pulling your son from tackle football for a couple of years. I would recommend that you find a flag football program around you to get him into instead during those years so he can still develop many parts of the game while not playing tackle football.

Best wishes to you and your son and again, glad it worked out relatively well.

I agree with Chad on the comment of flag football, especially for your son being a running back. He can learn the concepts of play, running with the ball while improving his footwork and hip movement to be shifty as he continues to grow, while not getting demolished by an opponent. I am a big proponent in kids play multi-sports as opposed to specialists. Maybe moving to flag football will give your son the opportunity to try another sport without the conflicts. While each sport each unique they have attributes that can go far in aiding in a different sport. For example my son played hockey as a child, when spring came along we had him play lacrosse, the hand eye techniques in hockey aided in lacrosse as well as the footwork helped between the two sports. Then when my son started football in 7th grade he was able to adapt pretty quickly to the mechanics it was the play calling he struggled with. There could be other sports he could play and enjoy like fall baseball, maybe volleyball, just ideas to get him to try other sports to keep him active.

Best of luck as you move forward. One last little tip, enjoy every bit of it, these kids grow up so fast and in a blink of an eye they are on to adulthood and moving on.

Great advice here. I am a huge proponent of multi-sport athletes for younger ages. Kids need to explore different things because their first love sport may not be their sport at all. I was all about baseball as a kid then starting playing basketball and then didn't have much love for baseball. I never played football but it is my favorite sport to watch. Most sports will have transfer of skills or abilities to other sports. We somewhat stumbled into swimming and now I am a huge fan of the sport. There is no other sport better for conditioning/strength, it has extremely low risk of injury, and is great in focusing on control of all your body parts (starts, turns, and each stroke have significant demands of how you do what with your body that takes a lot of control). There is no doubt in my mind it has been a huge plus for my son in playing football, basketball and soccer. Another sport that I know a lot of football people love as a cross training type of sport is wrestling. If your son is doing flag football, doing wrestling could be a great way to help him develop in all the areas flag football won't in translating to tackle football. Overall, if you get him into flag football and into one or two other sports to help him develop athletically, he will be fine coming back into tackle football later.

 

[acarey50]

Ugghh - got MRI results yesterday. Most likely a torn ACL. Weird thing is he passes all the normal stability/physical checks that our doctor, who is a sports specialist and is an Olympic team doctor, was very shocked by the MRI results. Getting in for a second opinion with a pediatric orthopedic specialist to review it all and figure out the next steps, but it is not looking good.

 

[Chadstroma]

Ugghh - got MRI results yesterday. Most likely a torn ACL. Weird thing is he passes all the normal stability/physical checks that our doctor, who is a sports specialist and is an Olympic team doctor, was very shocked by the MRI results. Getting in for a second opinion with a pediatric orthopedic specialist to review it all and figure out the next steps, but it is not looking good.

That is disheartening. Maybe a partial tear if he has stability in the leg?

 

[acarey50]

Ugghh - got MRI results yesterday. Most likely a torn ACL. Weird thing is he passes all the normal stability/physical checks that our doctor, who is a sports specialist and is an Olympic team doctor, was very shocked by the MRI results. Getting in for a second opinion with a pediatric orthopedic specialist to review it all and figure out the next steps, but it is not looking good.

That is disheartening. Maybe a partial tear if he has stability in the leg?

Holding out some hope but two radiologists have now looked at the imaging and diagnosed as a full thickness ACL tear. So, we move on to the next step.

 

[dgreen]

My son had a kickoff return last night! A couple games ago, he started lining up in that row of players just in front of the returners. I was watching the opposing kicker warmup last night and could tell their kicks would be short. Sure enough, opening kickoff went right to him at around the 25 yard line. He returned almost to the 45. Did a good job hitting the first hole but the next level had no blockers. The next kickoff, he told the main returner to scoot up to return it.

He ended with probably 5-6 tackles, including a potential TD-saving tackle on the last play of the first half to keep his team up 14-0.

Another high punt snap. Luckily the punter was able to jump up, catch it, and get the punt off. Every punt makes me nervous now. I thinks it is somewhat in his head now.

Varsity game tonight, one more JV game next week, and a varsity game next week. Not sure if they'll make the playoffs.

 

[Fantasy_Freak]

Well, that's a wrap, our varsity team lost Friday night to the team that is odds on favorite to win the state title. My son dressed but didn't get in to the game, but it was a great experience for him to be on the sidelines and take it all in. All in all a successful season for my son and his school. Now on to offseason workouts which he started Saturday. Best of luck to those whose season are still ongoing.

 

[Chadstroma]

Ugghh - got MRI results yesterday. Most likely a torn ACL. Weird thing is he passes all the normal stability/physical checks that our doctor, who is a sports specialist and is an Olympic team doctor, was very shocked by the MRI results. Getting in for a second opinion with a pediatric orthopedic specialist to review it all and figure out the next steps, but it is not looking good.

That is disheartening. Maybe a partial tear if he has stability in the leg?

Holding out some hope but two radiologists have now looked at the imaging and diagnosed as a full thickness ACL tear. So, we move on to the next step.

Any updates?

 

[acarey50]

Ugghh - got MRI results yesterday. Most likely a torn ACL. Weird thing is he passes all the normal stability/physical checks that our doctor, who is a sports specialist and is an Olympic team doctor, was very shocked by the MRI results. Getting in for a second opinion with a pediatric orthopedic specialist to review it all and figure out the next steps, but it is not looking good.

That is disheartening. Maybe a partial tear if he has stability in the leg?

Holding out some hope but two radiologists have now looked at the imaging and diagnosed as a full thickness ACL tear. So, we move on to the next step.

Any updates?

Appointment is Monday afternoon. For now just doing PT as prep for likely surgery. Will update after that appointment and we hopefully have a better picture.

 

[Fantasy_Freak]

Ugghh - got MRI results yesterday. Most likely a torn ACL. Weird thing is he passes all the normal stability/physical checks that our doctor, who is a sports specialist and is an Olympic team doctor, was very shocked by the MRI results. Getting in for a second opinion with a pediatric orthopedic specialist to review it all and figure out the next steps, but it is not looking good.

That is disheartening. Maybe a partial tear if he has stability in the leg?

Holding out some hope but two radiologists have now looked at the imaging and diagnosed as a full thickness ACL tear. So, we move on to the next step.

Any updates?

Appointment is Monday afternoon. For now just doing PT as prep for likely surgery. Will update after that appointment and we hopefully have a better picture.

Best of luck to your son, hoping for the best outcome. Having a doctor from the Olympic team will hopefully result in a positive outcome. My sons team had a gruesome injury in our last game, we tried the 'tush push' and our center ended up moving in an awkward direction when the players got off the pile his ankle dislocated, foot was pointed in the wrong direction. The host school as paramedics did a great job in my opinion to get our player in the ambulance and headed to the hospital immediately. My son said he will need surgery and have to get a plate and a couple screws in his foot/ankle. Felt terrible for him being that it was his last game.

Best of luck for Mondays appointment.

 

[dgreen]

JV season ended Tuesday night. It was fun watching my son play almost every defensive snap during the season. The only time he missed was a couple drives at the end of a game after being charley horsed in the first half. Safety and long snapper all season. Joined the kickoff and kick return teams the last few games. As the game came to an end, I realized the ride might be over since I assume he'll be a backup on varsity next season. I'm sure he'll get some time, but it just isn't the same as watching your kid play every snap.

Last varsity game is tomorrow night. Last week they were blown out and he got his first varsity snaps which was fun to see. He got in one tackle. They should get blown out again tomorrow night, so he could see the field some in the fourth quarter.

 

[Jayrod]

JV season ended Tuesday night. It was fun watching my son play almost every defensive snap during the season. The only time he missed was a couple drives at the end of a game after being charley horsed in the first half. Safety and long snapper all season. Joined the kickoff and kick return teams the last few games. As the game came to an end, I realized the ride might be over since I assume he'll be a backup on varsity next season. I'm sure he'll get some time, but it just isn't the same as watching your kid play every snap.

Last varsity game is tomorrow night. Last week they were blown out and he got his first varsity snaps which was fun to see. He got in one tackle. They should get blown out again tomorrow night, so he could see the field some in the fourth quarter.

Similar boat in that last JV game was last Monday (10/23). My son finished with around 20 catches, 5x TD's & 2x 2-pt conv's. He was definitely the best WR on the JV team. The Freshman, JV & Varsity all finished the season undefeated.

Varsity got a 1st round bye last week and are playing the same team we crushed in week 9 in the district semi-final. My son got in for a drive at the end of that one and will likely get to do the same Friday. Worst part about being a WR in those situations is that you will never catch a pass. It's turbo clock time and all we do is run.

Looking forward to next year (his senior year), he has a path to some decent varsity playing time and an outside shot to start, but he will have to get faster. The 2 outside WR's are Juniors as well, but the starting slot is a senior. My son has been a late bloomer, so I think there is still plenty of room for growth there. He's already the biggest regular WR on the team (6'-1") and will likely grow another inch or 2. If they decide he needs to be on the field, then they will likely bump one of the outside guys to the slot (both are very fast, so fit that role well). However, the slot on the JV team was pretty good and actually got on the varsity field in 4 WR sets and is also going to be a senior....as you can tell they are pretty loaded at WR. Luckily no studs in the sophomore class and the only Freshman who is a great athlete will be the starting QB (they actually have been using him on varsity at WR at the end of the year, so selfishly glad he will be at QB...kid's 6'4" and can jump).

The team should win their next 2 games and then have a date with the #1 6A team in the state in the Quarterfinal round. If they beat them, they have a good shot to get to the state final, but that is a hell of a team from what I've been reading.

 

[dgreen]

JV season ended Tuesday night. It was fun watching my son play almost every defensive snap during the season. The only time he missed was a couple drives at the end of a game after being charley horsed in the first half. Safety and long snapper all season. Joined the kickoff and kick return teams the last few games. As the game came to an end, I realized the ride might be over since I assume he'll be a backup on varsity next season. I'm sure he'll get some time, but it just isn't the same as watching your kid play every snap.

Last varsity game is tomorrow night. Last week they were blown out and he got his first varsity snaps which was fun to see. He got in one tackle. They should get blown out again tomorrow night, so he could see the field some in the fourth quarter.

Similar boat in that last JV game was last Monday (10/23). My son finished with around 20 catches, 5x TD's & 2x 2-pt conv's. He was definitely the best WR on the JV team. The Freshman, JV & Varsity all finished the season undefeated.

Varsity got a 1st round bye last week and are playing the same team we crushed in week 9 in the district semi-final. My son got in for a drive at the end of that one and will likely get to do the same Friday. Worst part about being a WR in those situations is that you will never catch a pass. It's turbo clock time and all we do is run.

Looking forward to next year (his senior year), he has a path to some decent varsity playing time and an outside shot to start, but he will have to get faster. The 2 outside WR's are Juniors as well, but the starting slot is a senior. My son has been a late bloomer, so I think there is still plenty of room for growth there. He's already the biggest regular WR on the team (6'-1") and will likely grow another inch or 2. If they decide he needs to be on the field, then they will likely bump one of the outside guys to the slot (both are very fast, so fit that role well). However, the slot on the JV team was pretty good and actually got on the varsity field in 4 WR sets and is also going to be a senior....as you can tell they are pretty loaded at WR. Luckily no studs in the sophomore class and the only Freshman who is a great athlete will be the starting QB (they actually have been using him on varsity at WR at the end of the year, so selfishly glad he will be at QB...kid's 6'4" and can jump).

The team should win their next 2 games and then have a date with the #1 6A team in the state in the Quarterfinal round. If they beat them, they have a good shot to get to the state final, but that is a hell of a team from what I've been reading.

Speed is my son's main issue. He knows what to do, gets in good position, and is becoming a decent tackler, but is slow. I asked him what his goal is for his last year. Is it to play as much safety as possible or just to play as much as possible regardless of position? He's going to think about it, but there are just positions that he doesn't want to play even if those positions would mean more playing time. He's almost 6' but not the bulkiest or else I'd suggest a move to DE, maybe try to be a rotational pass rusher. DL rotates some while the safeties never do.

Last couple years when my kids' HS was a lot better, they blow out a lot of teams and get people deep on the roster tons of snaps. They would even still pass some in those situations because they wanted their backup WRs (probably the position with the most kids) to get at least one target. It as always cool to see those kids who just aren't very good but want to be part of the team get a chance to say they had a catch.

 

[Brunell4MVP]

If your name is correct, I'd expect your son to be pretty damn fast

 

[dgreen]

tl;dr - My son was put in late in the first quarter and played the rest of the game!

Long version...

Where do I start? Every training camp/preseason, it seems, my son talks about how the coaches say, "Nobody is playing both ways this season." This has, in the past, got his hopes up that he might see more time. The thinking is that if they aren't going to have players play both offense and defense, then the depth chart is the depth chart and players should expect to move up when there's an injury or really poor performance. But, our experience has been that it never happens. In cases of injury or poor performance, coaches have always gone against their word about playing people both ways and move people around.

So, prior to this season, after the coaches once again claimed they wouldn't play anyone both ways, my son was excited because he was only one of two FS on varsity/JV combined. So, I asked him, "Ok, well, what do you think they'll do if FS1 gets injured? Do you think they'll put you in or do think they'll move people around?" I knew the answer. Part of the reason I knew the answer is because I also knew that early in the season he wasn't ready for varsity opponents. I would be annoyed that the coaches once again lied about not playing guys both ways, but I'd also understand the decision if they took, for example, a WR with better athleticism and more football experience and played them at both WR and FS.

Sure enough, fairly early in the season, one of the safeties was making mistakes. So, they moved him to CB and played a WR at both WR and S. This was the SS, so not my son's position, but it clearly showed the approach the coaches were going with. Again, I understand. It was the right decision at that time.

A few weeks later, the starting FS is injured. My son starts to get some varsity practice reps rather than ending early with the other JV players. However, come game time, they move the WR/SS to WR/FS, keep the SS1 at CB, and promote SS2 to SS1. My son is getting closer to playing, but it's clear they aren't comfortable putting him in. He had been steadily improving on JV. Not dominating or anything like that, but playing solid and gaining confidence each week, so I was kind of hoping he'd get a chance.

Meanwhile, on the offensive side of the ball, QB2 was injured about halfway through the season. Then in last week's game, QB1 goes down with a concussion. Instead of putting in QB3 (the main JV QB), they go with a kid who arrived midseason and had taken a few JV QB snaps. He's someone the school is high on. He looks decent in a couple drives, but then he goes down with a torn ACL. So, now in a game against a top 10 team in the state and in a game they really have no chance of winning, they put a WR at QB instead of promoting QB3, sticking to their clear coaching philosophy with promotions. At first, he looks lost and scared to throw. He mostly just scrambles every pass play. QB3 does get some snaps late in a blowout.

Headed into this final game, QB3 is told to be prepared for all four quarters. However, they go with the WR at QB. This, again, is against a really good team. Not that I think the coaches should enter the game with a "We can't win" attitude, but they really had no chance. So, the WR is playing QB. He looked a little better this week than last, but still looked really unsure at times.

Then I see something that starts to piss me off. This WR (who is a really good WR, btw) who is playing QB is also lining up at FS. As a dad, I'm screaming inside my head, "Are you ****ing kidding me?!?! He's the QB. Why plays their QB both ways? I know my son isn't the athlete this kid is, but I guarantee he knows what to do. Plus, you are going to get crushed this game no matter what. Give my kid a chance!" Then come key back-to-back plays. This WR/QB/FS lets an opposing receiver run right by him for a wide open 50 yard TD. He jumped up to cover a TE who was already being covered rather than go with the slot receiver running a go, which was obviously his assignment. The play was called back for a penalty. On the next play, this kid tried to tackle the wrong person! 15 yards downfield, he goes for a blocker rather than the person with the ball. And that was it, the DB coach put my son in!

My son said after the long TD pass, he heard his DB coach say to another coach, "If he does that again, we may have to put Lil Dgreen in." Then came the next play where he didn't even know who had the ball and my son ran on the field. I don't say any of this to speak badly about this other kid. He's a really good WR. He was just out of position at safety and didn't know the defense well enough. My son said before the game the kid was saying that he didn't want to play safety. And it showed. He really didn't look like he wanted to be out there on defense.

This brings up an interesting question in my mind. As a father of kids with average athleticism (which becomes less athletic when you are on a field with a bunch of really athletic kids) but who are really knowledgeable about the game, I've always valued kids who know what to do over raw athleticism. However, I think most coaches value athleticism. A lot of coaches would rather play a more talented kid out of position than the less talented kid who knows what to do. It's an interesting dilemma. I assume coaches always think they can coach-up a kid on what to do, but you can't coach-up some of the natural athletic abilities.

At first I wondered if my son was just being put in for a play or two while they yelled at the kid, but it ended up being a permanent change. He didn't make any huge, costly mistakes and even made a few good plays. He ended up with five solo tackles and two assists and did a decent job in coverage against WRs who were much faster than he is. The opposing team has lost the state championship the last two years and were one game away the year before that. It's a really good program. Their RB is a junior who has an offer from Boston College and my son tackled him twice and two other times that didn't officially count because of penalties. He had one tackle where he filled a hole and tackled this kid for a short gain. So, fi that kid ever makes it big, my son can say, "I tackled him!"

It was so much fun to watch. In his mind, of course, he probably thinks he's headed for a starting spot next year. Who knows what happens between now and next fall, but I'm hopeful. It stinks that this was the last game of the season. I wish I could see what they'd do with him if they had a game next week. My guess is the coaches will ideally want to find someone else next season, but I think he showed with his improvement on JV and his varsity play this week that he's a capable defender. He's not fast, but he knows the defense, he'll be in the right spot, he gets others in the right spot, and he's getting better and better at tackling.

I was proud of him, but mostly really happy for him that he finally got a chance.

 

[The Z Machine]

Great story @dgreen

 

[Chadstroma]

I was proud of him, but mostly really happy for him that he finally got a chance.

Glad he got in there and got some good playing time to show he can play out there. I would think that would go a long way to the decision making of the coaches for next year but you never know. Hopefully that fuels him to spend more time and effort in this off season to continue to get better.

I have to say though.... I question the coaching staff decision making. Everything else... ok, fine, but playing your QB on defense makes absolutely no sense to me. If they had that kid at WR and then played him at FS, ok fine. But once you put a kid at QB AND you have already gone through two QB's and apparently have no interest in playing the next kid up on the depth chart, why would you risk that? On top of asking a kid to play QB should be a huge mental and intellectual commitment that you don't want them also spending time on their defensive duties. That one thing tells me this coaching staff is a wild card and you have no idea what they will do next season.

LB and S are positions that kids that may not be the best athletes but are superior in knowing the game and the defense can thrive. My nephew is a S for the JV team of the local HS. He was telling me that basically no one knows the plays on offense or defense (he also plays WR) so he is always having to tell them where to go and what to do in game including the QB. For me personally, I will take a kid that is average in athletic talent but superior in effort, knowledge and football IQ at those positions than a kid deficient in those three but the better athlete. In the long run, it would be better for the football program too as the athletic kids realize that they can't just walk on to the field and be the man because of their natural gifts. They have to work at it. But that is just me.

 

[northern exposure]

My youngest son is the starting QB of his Senior HS team. His team won the City Championship last night, 43-7. Now they move on to the Provincial playoffs.

Their team is ranked #2 in the country.

They played the #1 ranked team in Canada (from another province) in the pre-season and the game ended in a tie. They were down late in the game with about 2 minutes on the clock. My son lead the TD drive and threw for the 2 pt conversion with 20 secs on the clock. He gets so nervous before games, but is just clutch once he's on the field.

 

[Chadstroma]

My youngest son is the starting QB of his Senior HS team. His team won the City Championship last night, 43-7. Now they move on to the Provincial playoffs.

Their team is ranked #2 in the country.

They played the #1 ranked team in Canada (from another province) in the pre-season and the game ended in a tie. They were down late in the game with about 2 minutes on the clock. My son lead the TD drive and threw for the 2 pt conversion with 20 secs on the clock. He gets so nervous before games, but is just clutch once he's on the field.

Is it American rules or Canadian at HS level?

 

[northern exposure]

My youngest son is the starting QB of his Senior HS team. His team won the City Championship last night, 43-7. Now they move on to the Provincial playoffs.

Their team is ranked #2 in the country.

They played the #1 ranked team in Canada (from another province) in the pre-season and the game ended in a tie. They were down late in the game with about 2 minutes on the clock. My son lead the TD drive and threw for the 2 pt conversion with 20 secs on the clock. He gets so nervous before games, but is just clutch once he's on the field.

Is it American rules or Canadian at HS level?

We play Canadian rules at HS level. My son is lucky, he has had exposure to both sets of rules. He played on a Provincial team earlier this year and they went to a tournament in San Antonio where they played American rules. There were teams from Canada, the USA and Mexico there.

 

[belljr]

This brings up an interesting question in my mind. As a father of kids with average athleticism (which becomes less athletic when you are on a field with a bunch of really athletic kids) but who are really knowledgeable about the game, I've always valued kids who know what to do over raw athleticism. However, I think most coaches value athleticism. A lot of coaches would rather play a more talented kid out of position than the less talented kid who knows what to do. It's an interesting dilemma. I assume coaches always think they can coach-up a kid on what to do, but you can't coach-up some of the natural athletic abilities.

To this point..... I've had this talk with my BiL who is a scout for baseball....... he sees the same thing with professional coaches..... it drives him nuts when he goes to games and kids don't know where to throw/backup/cover etc etc..... but he says they all can field and hit and coaches figure they can learn the other stuff...... he just says its sloppy play but the skills are there ......... I think its a different mind set nowaday which we don't agree with completely

 

[Chadstroma]

My youngest son is the starting QB of his Senior HS team. His team won the City Championship last night, 43-7. Now they move on to the Provincial playoffs.

Their team is ranked #2 in the country.

They played the #1 ranked team in Canada (from another province) in the pre-season and the game ended in a tie. They were down late in the game with about 2 minutes on the clock. My son lead the TD drive and threw for the 2 pt conversion with 20 secs on the clock. He gets so nervous before games, but is just clutch once he's on the field.

Is it American rules or Canadian at HS level?

We play Canadian rules at HS level. My son is lucky, he has had exposure to both sets of rules. He played on a Provincial team earlier this year and they went to a tournament in San Antonio where they played American rules. There were teams from Canada, the USA and Mexico there.

Let's say that beyond knowing a province is Canada's version of a state and I have no idea what a provincial team is.... you know, not me, but for the sake of others.... what is a provincial team? Is it like a club team?

I don't remember all the rule differences but I do know there are more than a couple. I think one of them is that they can move forward before the snap like in arena if I remember right. Was is a big adjustment for them to go from Canadian rules to American rules?

 

[Chadstroma]

This brings up an interesting question in my mind. As a father of kids with average athleticism (which becomes less athletic when you are on a field with a bunch of really athletic kids) but who are really knowledgeable about the game, I've always valued kids who know what to do over raw athleticism. However, I think most coaches value athleticism. A lot of coaches would rather play a more talented kid out of position than the less talented kid who knows what to do. It's an interesting dilemma. I assume coaches always think they can coach-up a kid on what to do, but you can't coach-up some of the natural athletic abilities.

To this point..... I've had this talk with my BiL who is a scout for baseball....... he sees the same thing with professional coaches..... it drives him nuts when he goes to games and kids don't know where to throw/backup/cover etc etc..... but he says they all can field and hit and coaches figure they can learn the other stuff...... he just says its sloppy play but the skills are there ......... I think its a different mind set nowaday which we don't agree with completely

Coaches, and I don't think it matters what sport or what level, love to think that they can coach anyone and if they can't it is that they just aren't coachable.

 

[northern exposure]

My youngest son is the starting QB of his Senior HS team. His team won the City Championship last night, 43-7. Now they move on to the Provincial playoffs.

Their team is ranked #2 in the country.

They played the #1 ranked team in Canada (from another province) in the pre-season and the game ended in a tie. They were down late in the game with about 2 minutes on the clock. My son lead the TD drive and threw for the 2 pt conversion with 20 secs on the clock. He gets so nervous before games, but is just clutch once he's on the field.

Is it American rules or Canadian at HS level?

We play Canadian rules at HS level. My son is lucky, he has had exposure to both sets of rules. He played on a Provincial team earlier this year and they went to a tournament in San Antonio where they played American rules. There were teams from Canada, the USA and Mexico there.

Let's say that beyond knowing a province is Canada's version of a state and I have no idea what a provincial team is.... you know, not me, but for the sake of others.... what is a provincial team? Is it like a club team?

I don't remember all the rule differences but I do know there are more than a couple. I think one of them is that they can move forward before the snap like in arena if I remember right. Was is a big adjustment for them to go from Canadian rules to American rules?

Yes, in Canada we have provinces instead of states. The Provincial team was made up of players from all over the province that have been selected for the team through a series of tryouts and training camps. Some of the players get recruited to the team because Coaches have seen them play on their High School team. But there are also open tryouts. They started with a large number of players at the start of the training camps and then narrowed it down to the roster that went to the tournament in San Antonio.
There are a lot of differences in rules between the Canadian and US game. Main ones are 12 men on the field instead of 11. 3 downs instead of 4. No fair catch on kicks, but defenders have to give 5 yards to the player receiving the kick to allow him to field it.
Defensive lineman have to lineup 1 yard off the ball. Outside Receivers have to be lined up on the line of scrimmage,but inside Receivers can be lined up behind the QB and get a running start so they hit the line of scrimmage just as the ball is snapped. This is called a waggle.
Kickoffs, punts or missed field goals that travel through the end zone result in a single point for the kicking team. Also if the player receiving the kick doesn't get out of his own end zone, the kicking team gets a single point. This is called a Rouge.

There are more rule differences, but those are the ones that come to mind.
Most of the kids watch NFL football, so they are familiar with the rule differences. They practiced and scrimmaged using US rules, but they got caught a couple of times during the tournament for things they forgot about.

 

[Chadstroma]

My youngest son is the starting QB of his Senior HS team. His team won the City Championship last night, 43-7. Now they move on to the Provincial playoffs.

Their team is ranked #2 in the country.

They played the #1 ranked team in Canada (from another province) in the pre-season and the game ended in a tie. They were down late in the game with about 2 minutes on the clock. My son lead the TD drive and threw for the 2 pt conversion with 20 secs on the clock. He gets so nervous before games, but is just clutch once he's on the field.

Is it American rules or Canadian at HS level?

We play Canadian rules at HS level. My son is lucky, he has had exposure to both sets of rules. He played on a Provincial team earlier this year and they went to a tournament in San Antonio where they played American rules. There were teams from Canada, the USA and Mexico there.

Let's say that beyond knowing a province is Canada's version of a state and I have no idea what a provincial team is.... you know, not me, but for the sake of others.... what is a provincial team? Is it like a club team?

I don't remember all the rule differences but I do know there are more than a couple. I think one of them is that they can move forward before the snap like in arena if I remember right. Was is a big adjustment for them to go from Canadian rules to American rules?

Yes, in Canada we have provinces instead of states. The Provincial team was made up of players from all over the province that have been selected for the team through a series of tryouts and training camps. Some of the players get recruited to the team because Coaches have seen them play on their High School team. But there are also open tryouts. They started with a large number of players at the start of the training camps and then narrowed it down to the roster that went to the tournament in San Antonio.
There are a lot of differences in rules between the Canadian and US game. Main ones are 12 men on the field instead of 11. 3 downs instead of 4. No fair catch on kicks, but defenders have to give 5 yards to the player receiving the kick to allow him to field it.
Defensive lineman have to lineup 1 yard off the ball. Outside Receivers have to be lined up on the line of scrimmage,but inside Receivers can be lined up behind the QB and get a running start so they hit the line of scrimmage just as the ball is snapped. This is called a waggle.
Kickoffs, punts or missed field goals that travel through the end zone result in a single point for the kicking team. Also if the player receiving the kick doesn't get out of his own end zone, the kicking team gets a single point. This is called a Rouge.

There are more rule differences, but those are the ones that come to mind.
Most of the kids watch NFL football, so they are familiar with the rule differences. They practiced and scrimmaged using US rules, but they got caught a couple of times during the tournament for things they forgot about.

It would seem to me that a waggle could hurt you offense. If I was a pass rusher, I am watching the WR coming up to the line because I can then time my get off which is easier than watching the ball.

 

[northern exposure]

My youngest son is the starting QB of his Senior HS team. His team won the City Championship last night, 43-7. Now they move on to the Provincial playoffs.

Their team is ranked #2 in the country.

They played the #1 ranked team in Canada (from another province) in the pre-season and the game ended in a tie. They were down late in the game with about 2 minutes on the clock. My son lead the TD drive and threw for the 2 pt conversion with 20 secs on the clock. He gets so nervous before games, but is just clutch once he's on the field.

Is it American rules or Canadian at HS level?

We play Canadian rules at HS level. My son is lucky, he has had exposure to both sets of rules. He played on a Provincial team earlier this year and they went to a tournament in San Antonio where they played American rules. There were teams from Canada, the USA and Mexico there.

Let's say that beyond knowing a province is Canada's version of a state and I have no idea what a provincial team is.... you know, not me, but for the sake of others.... what is a provincial team? Is it like a club team?

I don't remember all the rule differences but I do know there are more than a couple. I think one of them is that they can move forward before the snap like in arena if I remember right. Was is a big adjustment for them to go from Canadian rules to American rules?

Yes, in Canada we have provinces instead of states. The Provincial team was made up of players from all over the province that have been selected for the team through a series of tryouts and training camps. Some of the players get recruited to the team because Coaches have seen them play on their High School team. But there are also open tryouts. They started with a large number of players at the start of the training camps and then narrowed it down to the roster that went to the tournament in San Antonio.
There are a lot of differences in rules between the Canadian and US game. Main ones are 12 men on the field instead of 11. 3 downs instead of 4. No fair catch on kicks, but defenders have to give 5 yards to the player receiving the kick to allow him to field it.
Defensive lineman have to lineup 1 yard off the ball. Outside Receivers have to be lined up on the line of scrimmage,but inside Receivers can be lined up behind the QB and get a running start so they hit the line of scrimmage just as the ball is snapped. This is called a waggle.
Kickoffs, punts or missed field goals that travel through the end zone result in a single point for the kicking team. Also if the player receiving the kick doesn't get out of his own end zone, the kicking team gets a single point. This is called a Rouge.

There are more rule differences, but those are the ones that come to mind.
Most of the kids watch NFL football, so they are familiar with the rule differences. They practiced and scrimmaged using US rules, but they got caught a couple of times during the tournament for things they forgot about.

It would seem to me that a waggle could hurt you offense. If I was a pass rusher, I am watching the WR coming up to the line because I can then time my get off which is easier than watching the ball.

Double edged sword I guess. If you are a DB you now have a Receiver coming at you with a 10 yard running start. He's had 10 yards to build up his speed and you are standing still. There are also 3 inside Receivers using the Waggle and all backfield players (except the QB) can be in motion at the snap.

ETA- a main difference I didn't mention earlier is the size of the field. Canadian field is 110 yards long with 20 yard endzones and the field is 65 yards wide. US field is 100 yards long with 10 yard endzones and the field is 53 1/3 yards wide.
The goal posts are at the front of the end zone in Canada and at the back of it in the US.

 

[Andrew74]

My sons seventh grade postseason team had our first tournament this past weekend. My goodness we were terrible. It’s shocking to me that this group of kids were a very strong team last year in sixth grade. This year it’s like a completely different set of kids. And it’s not like the kids haven’t grown, as we have some really big kids. I honestly think, as I complained earlier in the thread, that the two middle school football programs in seventh grade are horrible. The other coaches I’m working with who helped on last year’s all-star team, as well as some of the parents, have commented that it seems some of the kids have actually regressed. My wife had lunch today with a couple other moms, and they mentioned several of the boys told their parents they learn more in the couple weeks of postseason football than they learned the entire year of the regular middle school season. It really just pisses me off.

My son is really learning a lot of life lessons. All the issues from the regular season, and now he’s really struggling with competing at a completely different position. He’s played linebacker exclusively, but in the postseason we have them at cornerback. I believe he is better suited for linebacker, but 87 pounds in seventh grade is really tough. He’s come to recognize that he’s just too small to play that position now. Unfortunately for him, all three teams we played this weekend had very tall receivers. The last team receivers were legit 6 foot. My son is probably 4 foot 10. He made some good plays, but got scored on a couple of times. Some were his fault, some he was doing his job, but the safety wasn’t providing help over the top like he should. He was really discouraged after the first game. He’s really having to learn sometimes you succeed, sometimes you fail, sometimes spectacularly, but you have to forget it, and just keep playing. I told him he was learning good coverage skills, and that if he ever got back to his favorite position of linebacker, they would come in handy. He was pretty pumped for practice last night, and seems to be in good spirits. It didn’t help that he also got somewhat banged up. One kid put his helmet into my son’s groin and practice last week. He aggravated this week when he was contesting a jump ball. Also on the kickoff return team, he was diving to cover a ball and a opponent dove and landed funny on the back of his ankle, so it was pretty sore/swollen. Thank goodness for YouTube, so I got to learn how to tape his ankle Sunday morning so he could play.

We have one more tournament down in the Knoxville area. Hopefully we can end the season on a high note.

 

[acarey50]

Ugghh - got MRI results yesterday. Most likely a torn ACL. Weird thing is he passes all the normal stability/physical checks that our doctor, who is a sports specialist and is an Olympic team doctor, was very shocked by the MRI results. Getting in for a second opinion with a pediatric orthopedic specialist to review it all and figure out the next steps, but it is not looking good.

That is disheartening. Maybe a partial tear if he has stability in the leg?

Holding out some hope but two radiologists have now looked at the imaging and diagnosed as a full thickness ACL tear. So, we move on to the next step.

Any updates?

Met with surgeon yesterday. We know several kids, including my nephews, that have seen him. All were pleased with his work. Some said he was a little blunt/too straight forward, but I appreciated it and my wife, son and I really liked him.

So, in addition to the ACL tear, there is also a lateral meniscus tear. They will repair that when doing the ACL surgery. Surgery is scheduled for November 27th. He'll be using a graft from the hamstring tendon to rebuild the ACL, then, in what is a fairly newer step in the procedure, because he is still young and thus the growth plates are still very open, and especially because my son wants to continue playing football, they also take a piece from the IT band, detach it from where it normally goes, and attach it to the outer screw they put in the knee, and anchor it there, wrapping it around the MCL I believe. This adds an extra layer of stability/protection while the knee is still growing.

Unfortunately as it is a complete tear, probably looking at at least a 9 month recovery period before being cleared for sports, possibly a little longer than that to be cleared for full contact football. Then it's getting past the mental hurdle of trusting the knee. My son is determined to come back bigger, stronger and faster and beat those time frames.

All in all though my son is still in positive spirits, though I'm sure as the reality of not being able to do sports for the better part of a year really sets in, he may have some down days.

 

[Fantasy_Freak]

Ugghh - got MRI results yesterday. Most likely a torn ACL. Weird thing is he passes all the normal stability/physical checks that our doctor, who is a sports specialist and is an Olympic team doctor, was very shocked by the MRI results. Getting in for a second opinion with a pediatric orthopedic specialist to review it all and figure out the next steps, but it is not looking good.

That is disheartening. Maybe a partial tear if he has stability in the leg?

Holding out some hope but two radiologists have now looked at the imaging and diagnosed as a full thickness ACL tear. So, we move on to the next step.

Any updates?

Met with surgeon yesterday. We know several kids, including my nephews, that have seen him. All were pleased with his work. Some said he was a little blunt/too straight forward, but I appreciated it and my wife, son and I really liked him.

So, in addition to the ACL tear, there is also a lateral meniscus tear. They will repair that when doing the ACL surgery. Surgery is scheduled for November 27th. He'll be using a graft from the hamstring tendon to rebuild the ACL, then, in what is a fairly newer step in the procedure, because he is still young and thus the growth plates are still very open, and especially because my son wants to continue playing football, they also take a piece from the IT band, detach it from where it normally goes, and attach it to the outer screw they put in the knee, and anchor it there, wrapping it around the MCL I believe. This adds an extra layer of stability/protection while the knee is still growing.

Unfortunately as it is a complete tear, probably looking at at least a 9 month recovery period before being cleared for sports, possibly a little longer than that to be cleared for full contact football. Then it's getting past the mental hurdle of trusting the knee. My son is determined to come back bigger, stronger and faster and beat those time frames.

All in all though my son is still in positive spirits, though I'm sure as the reality of not being able to do sports for the better part of a year really sets in, he may have some down days.

Sorry to hear, sounds like you have a very good doctor, which is a good thing. Best of luck in his recovery, hoping for a quick and successful turnaround.

 

[Fantasy_Freak]

My sons seventh grade postseason team had our first tournament this past weekend. My goodness we were terrible. It’s shocking to me that this group of kids were a very strong team last year in sixth grade. This year it’s like a completely different set of kids. And it’s not like the kids haven’t grown, as we have some really big kids. I honestly think, as I complained earlier in the thread, that the two middle school football programs in seventh grade are horrible. The other coaches I’m working with who helped on last year’s all-star team, as well as some of the parents, have commented that it seems some of the kids have actually regressed. My wife had lunch today with a couple other moms, and they mentioned several of the boys told their parents they learn more in the couple weeks of postseason football than they learned the entire year of the regular middle school season. It really just pisses me off.

My son is really learning a lot of life lessons. All the issues from the regular season, and now he’s really struggling with competing at a completely different position. He’s played linebacker exclusively, but in the postseason we have them at cornerback. I believe he is better suited for linebacker, but 87 pounds in seventh grade is really tough. He’s come to recognize that he’s just too small to play that position now. Unfortunately for him, all three teams we played this weekend had very tall receivers. The last team receivers were legit 6 foot. My son is probably 4 foot 10. He made some good plays, but got scored on a couple of times. Some were his fault, some he was doing his job, but the safety wasn’t providing help over the top like he should. He was really discouraged after the first game. He’s really having to learn sometimes you succeed, sometimes you fail, sometimes spectacularly, but you have to forget it, and just keep playing. I told him he was learning good coverage skills, and that if he ever got back to his favorite position of linebacker, they would come in handy. He was pretty pumped for practice last night, and seems to be in good spirits. It didn’t help that he also got somewhat banged up. One kid put his helmet into my son’s groin and practice last week. He aggravated this week when he was contesting a jump ball. Also on the kickoff return team, he was diving to cover a ball and a opponent dove and landed funny on the back of his ankle, so it was pretty sore/swollen. Thank goodness for YouTube, so I got to learn how to tape his ankle Sunday morning so he could play.

We have one more tournament down in the Knoxville area. Hopefully we can end the season on a high note.

Is the tournament the Rocky Top tournament next weekend? My son got contacted to play in the Rocky Top by some other 9th graders that are trying to put together a city "all-star" 9th grade team to play in the Rocky Top, we declined. I told my son we are not committing to anything until I know details about the team and tournament, but no one got back to me. Two years ago my son played on an 8th grade team as a 7th grader and his team went to the Rocky Top, again we didn't attend, my sons hockey already started. Good luck in your next tournament