Prep Zone

By mohawk

March 24, 2008 11:53 AM | Link to this

first!!!

By Cro25

March 24, 2008 12:40 PM | Link to this

Not mentioned here was Dooly County. If there were no suspensions handed out for the way they conducted themselves in the 2nd round of the playoffs vs. ECI it would be a shame. They were chop blocking ECI’s players with intent to injure (opinion). One of their players threw a flag back at the official who called the penalty (fact). Another player picked up a yard marker and threw it towards ECI players and ref’s (fact). The game was ended with 30 seconds left because of this conduct (fact). Dooly County’s players and coaches would not leave the field and had to be escorted by State Patrols and Police officers (fact). Several of the Dooly players tried to incite a melee with the ECI players (fact). Ask anyone who was there, it was bad and could have been worse. Also, the visitors locker room was found mysteriously re-decorated after Dooly left. What message does it send when there is no punishment for actions like these?

By Steve

March 24, 2008 2:18 PM | Link to this

Football is a sport that requires physical violence as a part of the game. However, there is the matter of sportsmanship that must be maintained. Learning where the fine line (between violence within a play and violence in retaliation) stands is part of the game. Players and (in some cases)coaches must be held accountable when it is crossed. Playing team athletics in high school are a priviliedge. If players cannot play the game keeping respect for the other players in mind, they should not be allowed to play. Likewise if coaches cannot control their teams or themselves they should also face punishment. While these may seem harsh, it places the responsibility on the players & coaches to act responsibly. Player fighting (1st instance) should result in the player being tossed from the game and a one game suspension. Player fighting (2nd instance) should result in the player being tossed from the game and a 4 game suspension. Player fighting (3rd instance) should result in the player being tossed from the game, and disqualified from high school football two years (or possibly rest of high school tenure - should be noted in the students school record in case of transfers). Coaches should also be held accountable should they not be able to control their players. They should be judged on the overall behavior of the team, rather than just one player (assuming the above requirements for the players are enforced). Individual player fight (within a calendar year); 1st occurance, coach verbal warning. Individual player fight; 2nd occurance coach receives written warning. Individual player fight, 3rd occurance, coach receives 1 year suspension. Team brawls; 1st occurance (four or more players from a team)result in a forfeiture of the game; doesn’t matter who started what (both teams forfeit if necessary). Team brawls; 2nd occurance results in both teams forfeiting the game and any future games that season (up to 9 games - could effect playoff & next season’s games) Coach fighting with another coach a player, 1st occurance - automatic one year suspension Coach fighting with another coach a player, 2nd occurance - automatic 5 year suspension (would need to be enforced in other states to keep the offending coach from taking a coaching job at another school).

By Concerned

March 24, 2008 3:56 PM | Link to this

Hello

What has become of the story regarding the player name Jarboe from Cedar Grove High School. Any updates on that one.

By Todd Holcomb

March 24, 2008 3:59 PM | Link to this

If my data is accurate, Dooly County has had no players or coaches in any sport suspended this year.

By Cro25

March 24, 2008 4:58 PM | Link to this

Todd, You are probably correct that no action was taken against Dooly. That is why no one should be upset or surprised when they do the same thing next year. Why wouldn’t they? If they are not going to be punished, who cares?

By some sense

March 24, 2008 6:10 PM | Link to this

This is yet another sympton of “thug mentalty” prevalent in Georgia’s public schools contributed by the segment of the population which literally exists according to a code of violence, permissivenes, and dependence. Don’t think this is going to get any better, because it’s not. Fights in schools; fights in athletics…what’s the dif???

By By this place blame where it should be.

March 24, 2008 7:17 PM | Link to this

Let’s put the blame where it really goes. It’s not teachers, not administrators, not even some coaches, but some coaches thrive on this. It goes back to the parents. A successful football program brings in money. That doesn’t mean it brings in personal character. That part is learned at home. Parents have to face this. Every son is not going to be a professional football player and bring in big bucks to the family. I have personally had parents get on my butt because I didn’t play their child where they should be played to further the childs chances. And this was at age 10. Sometimes I only survived was because a father measured me up as to whether he could beat me in a fist fight or not. Most took the better part of valor and said maybe not. A couple had to learn the hard way. When I did my time as a youth football or baseball coach it was not to further any child’s career. It was to teach the fundamentals of the game and let their own natural ability to any future level. You have to teach them respect for other children and their desires. Not many children will progress, but what all should learn is that your personal ability should degrade another. After all, the one you degrade may end up being the one doing open heart surgery on you in the future. Parents should thing about this.

By Jimmy Williams

March 25, 2008 10:33 AM | Link to this

I think the number is incidents are a little low. Some infractions don’t end up with suspensions. A Troup senior was ejected from the last game of the season for attempting to injure a LaGrange player. Being a senior, he was not suspended, unless it carried over to basketball or baseball if he played either sport.

By Todd Holcomb

March 26, 2008 7:54 AM | Link to this

I think the number is incidents are a little low. Some infractions don�t end up with suspensions. A Troup senior was ejected from the last game of the season for attempting to injure a LaGrange player.

I don’t see any suspension for a Troup player last season, so perhaps you are correct.

By Dan

March 26, 2008 1:34 PM | Link to this

Football is a violent game, and you are bound to have a few fights here and there. Sometimes, it’s a good thing. It shows that there is some intensity on your team. Show me a football team where there isn’t any fighting and I’ll show you a team that is probably getting their brains beaten out of them on game day. But there is a line. My coaches used tell us to play with ” Intelligent Intensity”. Play hard and play aggressively but not to the point where you lose your focus. I also think officials need to evaluate dirty play as well, b/c as a former player, I can vouch for the fact that dirty tactics is what leads to many fights. Hitting after the whistle, clipping, hands in the face etc., these things are the referee’s responsibility to call, and when these things aren’t called enough to leads to increased aggression. I also know from my playing experience that there are coaches that will encourage their players to intentionally injure star players on the other team. So if we’re going to bash the parents and students for their “thug” mentality, then we need to hold the officials and coaches accountable as well.

By AJC's Jeff Haws

March 26, 2008 3:25 PM | Link to this

Quick update to the last part of this … Winder-Barrow made a hire yesterday. Ben Corley is the new coach for the Bulldoggs.

Carry on.

By slalom1

March 26, 2008 4:46 PM | Link to this

The “suspension” rule seems fair enough to me, (provided that the call is credible.) My issue with the “suspension” rule lies with the GHSA, regarding the appeal process, which is rarely, if ever overturned due to a bad call by the officials. Case in point: During the 2004 play-off season, in a game between LaGrange vs. Perry, Demoreo Ford was ejected from the game for a personal foul. Upon review, the film clearly showed that Ford was protecting himself from a cheap shot to the groin. The call was appealed to the GHSA, but to no avail. I would be interested to know if the GHSA has ever upheld an appeal regarding ejection. In reference to coaching vacancies, I am blindsided by the news that Ahmad Tinker will not be on the sidelines at Kendrick in 2008. Has he left to take on another coaching job? Fired? Ahmad Tinker is in my opinion, the most underated coach in the state. And, what about Danny Cronic from East Coweta? Retired? As a side note, look out for the Grangers in 2008. This is the season they have been building for. They return virtually everyone, including 7 or 8 players who could become high profile college recruits. Remember the name “Qua Huzzie”. I have seen some great LB’s come through LG,(Tray Blackmon, Wesley Woodyard, Sam Olajubutu,Braxton Kelly, etc.), but Huzzie may turn out to be the best. Glad to see the blog up and running.

By slalom1

March 26, 2008 7:50 PM | Link to this

To Steve: Dadgum! You should be the commissioner of GHS football! You have some great ideas. But, given the fact that high school kids will be kids, you strike me as being somewhat “hardcore” and just a little out of touch with today’s game. In a perfect world, I would not take issue with any of your ideas. But, getting back to “today’s game”…. My concern is biased officiating, and the lack of an impartial group within the GHSA to review the decisions made by officials who may have a dog in the fight. Other than that, YOU are my nominee for CZAR of the GHSA.

By slalom1

March 26, 2008 7:54 PM | Link to this

To: Todd Holcomb, Todd, are you aware of any incident where the GHSA has reversed an “ejection” call by the officials?

By High School Football Official

March 27, 2008 12:40 PM | Link to this

Speaking as an official, I’d like to comment on some of the things said in previous posts.

There are 3 things we concentrate on: 1. Safety 2. Fairness 3. Sportsmanship

Safety is, and always will be our first concern. These fouls will get called where ever and whenever they occur on the field.

It is also our job to ensure that both teams are afforded the opportunity to play on a “level playing field”. If one team is called for more fouls than the other, it has nothing to do with the officiating. It is the play of those teams. We are not given games where we would potentially have “a dog in that fight”, so that those types of conflicts do not arise.

When it comes to sportsmanship, no official wants to eject either a player or a coach. The game is, and should be about the players on the field, not the officials. We try to practice “preventive officiating”. To talk to the players and/or coaches about the situation before it becomes an issue. Some teams handle it better than others.

Some Sense- Public school vs. private school has nothing to do with it. I have done several games with public schools who were exceptionally disciplined and had no problems, and I have done games with private schools where it was a very big issue.

But I must say that the overall level of sportmanship is declining. Rapidly. There is a HUGE difference as to what is acceptable on Sunday and even on Saturday- and what is acceptable on Friday night. When you see the pros and college teams acting out, it most definitely carries over to Friday nights (and youth leagues).

When the Cro25 mentioned “chop blocking” I took notice, because the GHSA and National Federation both made this a point of emphasis for the 2007 season.

This is also probably one of the most misundesrtood rules in the game. A “chop block” is illegal when the defender is engaged with a blocker and a second blocker makes delayed contact at or below the knees.

The other area that gets confused is illegal blocks below the waist. In order to be legal,

1. Both the blocker and defender must be in the free blocking zone.

2 Both must be on the line of scrimmage

1. The ball must be in the zone at the time of the block.

   The Free blocking zone is 3 yds deep on either side of the ball and 4 yds wide on either side of the ball- (basically from tackle to tackle in a normal offensive set)

For offensive players to be on the line of scrimmage, some part of their body must break the plane through the centers waist. For Defensive players they must be within 1 yd of the line.

The ball must be in the free blocking zone- Once the ball leaves the free blocking zone, there is no more free blocking zone. For example, on a shotgun snap, the zone disappears almost immediately, as the snap takes the ball out of the zone. On regular snaps when a qb drops back, on about his 3rd step, there is no more free blocking zone. On Running plays, unless it is a quick dive up the middle to the fullback, the zone disappears about the time that the ball is handed off, unless it is a pitch, in which case the zone disappears almost as quickly as on a shotgun snap.

This is probably more information than anyone on this site wanted or needed, but it is important to understand that there are rules to how the game is called and what might be a foul on Saturday or Sunday, might not be on Friday night, and vice versa.

By the way, there is no such thing as an “uncatchable pass” in high school football. The pass very well might not be catchable, but that fact does not come under consideration at the high school level.

High school officials- in every sport- do the best that we can to ensure those three things that I mentioned at the beginning.

I’d like to invite all of the people on here to come join us. There are several organizations in Metro Atlanta, and all over the state that are all in need of officials.

Got to GHSA.net click on Officials and find the organization closest to you.

By slalom1

March 30, 2008 10:02 PM | Link to this

To: “High School School Football Official”…. With a straight face, can you tell me that there are no GHS officials who do not have a “dog in the fight”? You may be one of the good guys, but just like “good cops vs. bad cops”, there will always be some of the latter. Have you ever called a “towel valiation?” In the GHSA rule books, I am not aware of such an infraction. But, in 2007, Qua Huzzie of LaGrange High School was penalized 15 yards for such an offense. He simply carried a towel with the “LHS” logo. The offcials observed the towel which Huzzie wore in pre-game through the 1st and most of the second quarter. and never advised, nor warned the coaches of the infraction until the critical moment, just before half time. Having known some of the officials in the GHSA, and having listened to some of their views regarding coaches they liked or disliked, you would have a difficult time convincing me that there is not bias in GHSA officiating. Again, You may be one of the “good guys”, but with an open mind, take a look around, and I believe you will indeed find some officials who most certainly have a “dog in the fight.” Assumimg that you are indeed one of the “good guys”, I applaud your efforts. On the other hand, those among your ranks whom do not share your same values, bring shame to the entire organization of the GHSA officials.

By slalom1

March 30, 2008 10:35 PM | Link to this

To: Todd Holcomb… Where is eveybody? Yo? Reeze? NTH Trojans? Just attended the Auburn “A Day”game and watched Deron Furr for the second time this spring. He is tough, but is having difficulty grasping the Tony Frnklin system. Since I am apparently the only steady blogger from fall, I may as well put in another good word for my beloved Grangers. Qua Huzzie, Demtri Merritt, Tristian Johnson, Kobina Essandoh, Jamius Gunsby, David Earl, Brian Dowell, just to name a few. This LG team is loaded. Did I forget to mention Joe Mansour? Only a soph, but being recruited by Notre Dame, Georgia, Auburn, etc. This kid is an amazing kicker. Already has field goals from 50, and 51 yards. His kick-off and punting skills are equally impressive. And, Todd, what about the GHSA and their approach to the appeal process regarding “ejections”?

By Another HS FB Official

March 31, 2008 10:37 AM | Link to this

To: slalom1. I would be very surprised if there are any GHSA officials that have a “dog in the fight”, as you say. Every association goes to great lengths to be sure they do not assign a game where an official may have a conflict due to a family member attending that school or possibly working for that school system. Integrity, knowledge and comportment are extremely important in officiating. The officials that I have met over the years take great pride in officiating. I realize that whatever I write, your opinion will not change. However, I do become offended when someone makes a general meritless characterization about officials.

Let’s address the towel violation. Prior to the game, the head coach attests to the referee that his players are properly and legally equipped. Upon the coach answering yes, there is no more discussion. A towel must be within a certain size, must be white and cannot contain any adornments; such as names or logos. I was not at this particular game; however, it could be possible that the officials did not see the logo on the towel until the penalty was called. Upon discovering that a player has illegal equipment (that has not become illegal through the course of play), a penalty is called on the head coach for unsportsmanlike conduct. This occurs because he already attested that his players were legally equipped.

Regarding the coaches that officials “like or dislike”, I will just say that some coaches treat officials with more respect than others. As in any walk of life, there are people who are “liked” more than others. Officials do not make calls based on whether they like or dislike a coach.

FYI. The GHSA subscribes to the NFHS (National Federation of High Schools) regarding the rules of football. I believe 46 states subscribe to the NFHS rules.

I would like to challenge you to try officiating. As the previous official posted, go to GHSA.net and click on Officials to find the association closest to you. I can assure you that you will have a vast array of experiences; of which, the good experiences far outweigh the bad ones.

By slalom1

April 1, 2008 8:50 PM | Link to this

To: Another HS FB Official… I have gone back and read some of my previous posts. Indeed, they do seem to have a “dogging” attitude toward the officials. That was not my intent. To the contrary, I believe that most of the GHSA officials carry the same high standards as you. Having said that, what is your view regarding ejections, where the official simply missed seeing the entire play, and consequently ejected the wrong player? Upon appeal, do you feel that the call should be overturned? I have the utmost respect for officials of your calibur. Never intended for my previous posts to sound as if I was in any way suggesting that the GHSA officials are inately corrupt. For that, I apologize. And, one other question….I am somewhat in the dark as to the procedure used by the GHSA to determine exactly which officials will officiate any particular game. Could you please elaborate? Again, did not intend to sound as if I was “official bashing”. Just had some questions, that someone like you is qualified to answer.

By Another HS FB Official

April 2, 2008 1:44 PM | Link to this

To: slalom1… Regarding ejections, any video evidence should be included with the appeal. However, simply viewing the tape cannot rule whether someone was correctly or incorrectly ejected for fighting. Game reports are filed with a detailed description of the event. Also, most high school games do not have a multitude of cameras with varying angles available. That being said, I would venture a guess that most fans do not realize that a player can be ejected for fighting without ever making contact. If a player makes a striking motion (with a hand, foot, elbow, forearm, etc.) toward an opposing player, they can be ejected for fighting, even if there was no contact. Bottom line: if there is absolutely no question that the incorrect player was ejected, then the GHSA should rule in favor of the appeal.

The GHSA does not assign individual officials to games. The GHSA assigns the school to each official’s association. This is primarily based on geographics and membership within each association. For instance, an association based in Atlanta would not necessary officiate the home games of a school in Warner Robbins. Each association (21 in Georgia) is then responsible to assign it’s members to their games.

Playoff assignments follow a different procedure. Each association submits a list of qualified officials for playoff consideration. However, the GHSA still does not assign particular officials to playoff games. Rather, the GHSA will assign a particular game to an association; whereby, the association assigns the individual officals to the contest. But the officials must be included on the aforementioned list submitted to the GHSA. Furthermore, an association will not receive a game assignment from the GHSA that includes any team where they officiate the regular season home games. This is to maintain independence and/or negate perceived conflicts of interest during the playoffs.

This may be more information than you wanted, but hopefully it sheds some light on the process that we, as officials, go through.

By slalom1

April 3, 2008 4:34 PM | Link to this

To: Another HS FB Official, Most definitely not “information overload”. I appreciate the time you have taken to shed some light on some of the topics discussed. As a side note, I believe that like me, many Georgia High School football fans have very little knowledge regarding not only the rules of the GHSA, but the protocol of the official’s association. It is my hope that you will continue to weigh in on this blog as the 2008 season begins. I would like to say “Thanks”, and again express my sincere apology for sounding as if I was “official bashing”.