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Wednesday, October 10, 2007
Lack of EMS at games a bitter pill
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
When Stockbridge running back Dominique Smith was injured during last week’s game, it looked serious.
There was no ambulance nearby, and it took emergency medical personnel a long time to reach Smith, who had a broken leg.
Fans and school officials became concerned.
“I think it took too long,” said Stockbridge principal Eric Watson, who was at the game Friday. “Coach [Steven] Collins and I are in contact with [Henry County athletics director] Justin White to find out why we can’t have medical personnel at the games. I think I know the short answer: there’s not enough of them. I was shocked myself.”
Watson estimated it took about the same time as a normal emergency call, but he doesn’t think that’s fast enough.
Neither does White, who said he is working to improve response time.
“I’m in the process of gathering additional information about it,” White said. “It’s something I felt was a need, but it’s a matter of funding. I’m going to set up a meeting with the public safety person in our county. I was told by my supervisor that the local EMS director made a decision not to have ambulances at the games several years ago.”
You make the call: Have you had injury problems and slow responses at your games? Should all counties figure out a way to staff high school football games with ambulances and medical personnel? Is there a way to make this happen?
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Time for a play clock, some say
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Watching Indianapolis Colts quarterback Peyton Manning orchestrate his offense each week by changing plays and moving players around until the play clock winds down can be mesmerizing. But without an electronic play clock for Manning to monitor, it would be impossible to execute.
High school offenses in Georgia may not be that complex, but they are limited by not having a play clock. And coaches and officials have differing views on whether Georgia should take a step similar to the one taken by a neighboring state.
Alabama has made the 25-second clock optional for home teams, and several schools are using the play clock this season. Ralph Swearngin, executive director of the Georgia High School Association, is against the idea. He mentions problems of cost and consistency.
“I’d be very much opposed to it [because] if you can’t do it everywhere, you shouldn’t do it anywhere,” Swearngin said. “We think it would be an imposition on schools to do that. Where the smaller schools have discretionary income, we’d like for them to be able to use it on other things. The only time we hear about it is when a team gets a new scoreboard that has capabilities for a play clock.”
But area coaches say adding the play clock might be a good idea.
Marist coach Alan Chadwick: “I think that [a play clock] would take a lot of the guesswork out of it from an officiating standpoint. I see a lot of inconsistencies right now with the way it’s done. I think I would want it mandated, though, if we did it. It would be tough to have it one week, then not have it the next.”
Tucker coach Franklin Stephens: “I would love to have play clocks because you can run into a situation where you misjudge when the referee spots the ball. As a football coach, if you can see time is running down, you can run a play in quickly. I don’t think cost is a big factor. I think if they want to do it, they’d do it. Whatever you mandate, teams will have no choice.”
Banks County coach Blair Armstrong: “I wouldn’t be against it. The biggest thing that would be prohibitive would be the cost for some of the smaller schools. I would be surprised if it got implemented at the lower classifications. Just the logistics of installing it would be tough. Fifty to 60 percent of the stadiums have a track, so you’d have to tunnel under that. You have to have it on both sides of the field. You need to find someplace for the operator to sit.”
Grady coach Ronnie Millen: “If you could see it, it would make it easier. I think definitely some officials start the whistle quicker than others. Some give you a little more time than others. Having a clock up there would take all that away. A lot of time, with the crowd and the band and everything, you really don’t hear the whistle to set the ball. It would definitely be something that I would support.”
St. Pius coach Paul Standard: “I’d be all for it. I think if you had a 25-second play clock, that takes out another human-error possibility. It’s something [officials] don’t have to worry about. I think it allows the coaches and players to be fully informed of the time to get the play in. I would rather it be something mandated, like anything else they come in with.”
Report back: Is it time for the GHSA to give home teams the option of using a play clock? Tell us. (You have more than 25 seconds to respond, of course.)
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Take 10: Houses of horror
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Watching the Florida-LSU game last weekend, witnessing the sheer intimidation factor of Tiger Stadium at night, we at Take Ten couldn’t help but think, “Which high school stadiums in Georgia can stand up to Tiger Stadium in an ability to make opponents want to turn the bus around before they even hit the field?”
So we set out to answer the question. There are a lot of stadiums in Georgia, but only a few have been a house of horrors for the opposition. These are places where opponents rarely escape unscathed. Maybe it’s because of ghosts. Maybe it’s because of the crowd. Or maybe it’s just bad hot dogs.
Some of the stadiums on this list surprised us, as did some of the ones that didn’t make the list. We looked at the past 10 years and tried to identify teams that were nearly unbeatable at home and significantly better at home than on the road.
At last, here it is. Don’t go into these places without a helmet.
10: Jackson’s Red Devil Hill
The Red Devils are in the midst of the best 10-year stretch in school history, and even with a subpar start to this season, seeing that wild-eyed, pitchfork-wielding red devil at midfield still has to make opponents’ hearts skip a beat. Jackson wins more than three out of every four games at home, while losing more than one out of three on the road.
9: Thomson’s The Brickyard
The brick wall around the perimeter adds to the ambiance here, where the Bulldogs have won more than 82 percent of their games since 1997. Between 2000 and 2002, they won 16 straight home games, and they haven’t lost more than two home games in a season since 1994.
8: Statesboro’s Womack Stadium
It was refurbished last year, but that didn’t make it any easier to win for those who made the lonely ride down I-16. The Blue Devils had a 22-game home winning streak from 1999-2002, including a state championship game in 2001.
7: Washington County’s House of Pain
Winning the prize for the most aptly-named stadium is Washington County. They shoot off an old cannon every time they score, and they put up tombstones for every team they beat. All this seems to make a difference in the past 10 years. The Golden Hawks are have won 86 percent of their home games while only winning at a 68 percent clip on the road.
6: Commerce’s Tiger Stadium
Between the glowing green lights and the fabled “Run down the hill,” there seems to be something going on here. The population of Commerce just about doubles every Friday night, and the atmosphere is a little crazy. The Tigers are 59-9 (.868) at home since 1997 and just 45-22 (.672) on the road.
5: Lowndes’ Martin Stadium
This place is loud. You probably can’t hear your radio if you drive by the stadium on the interstate on a Friday night. It’s also huge. We’re not sure if The Concrete Palace is the most flattering nickname for the place, but it seems fitting all the same. Lowndes only gets nipped about once a year here.
4: Northside-Warner Robins’ McConnell-Talbert Stadium
Of course, Northside isn’t the only team that plays here, but the Eagles have clearly made it into a home during the past decade. Sure, this team would win a lot of games playing in a vat of quicksand, but they’ve been practically unbeatable at home. They’re 73-5 at home in the past 10 years and haven’t lost a regular-season home game to anyone other than Warner Robins since 1997.
3: Valdosta’s Bazemore-Hyder Stadium
No, the team hasn’t been quite as good lately. Yes, the stadium was finally renovated. But this is still Valdosta, and the Ghost still lurks in the East end zone. Nobody goes here without knowing the history of the place on some level. It may not be the hands-down toughest place to win right now, but a 5-0 home start to this season isn’t hurting its cause.
2: Thomas County Central’s Jackets’ Nest
Few crowds can compare to TCC’s in terms of enthusiasm. The Jackets had won a state-record 27 consecutive home playoff games before losing to St. Pius in the quarterfinals last season. But the real kicker is here: Since 1997, the Jackets are 55-11 at home (.833) and 39-25 on the road (.609). There’s something about this crowd and the Nest that turns TCC into an elite team at its home stadium.
1: Marist’s Hughes-Spalding Stadium
The place seems innocent enough. Old-style concrete stands, the school flanking the East side of the field. No shooting cannons. No intimidating-sounding name like “The Eagles’ Claw Sharpener” or whatever. Just victories. An astounding number of victories. Marist is 68-3 at home since 1997, with all three losses coming to Tucker. If there’s a better home record in the state during that time period, Take Ten can’t find it. The Eagles lose one out of every 23 or so home games while losing more than one in four on the road. If Marist ever figures Tucker out, the Eagles may never lose another game there.
Go on. Take Ten. Yeah, I know. We left YOUR stadium off the list. So why should it be there? What makes it so tough to win there? And why should we bump one of these guys off the list? Jump in the fray and let us know.
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