Two coaching staffs did a good job preventing a tricky situation from escalating at the end of Griffin’s 27-6 win over Jonesboro on Saturday.
Jonesboro tested the defending-champion Bears early on, before fading in the second half. Leading by three touchdowns, Griffin was taking a knee to run out the final seconds. The Bears are a shotgun team and took the final snap out of the shotgun. The quarterback caught the snap but didn’t kneel immediately, and Jonesboro defenders rushed in to make sure he went down. Griffin’s players didn’t like the contact with their quarterback. According to both coaches, there was some pushing and jawing, but not much more.
“Overall, both coaching staffs did a great job of keeping the kids under control,” Griffin coach Jarrett Laws said. “We took something that could have been a bad situation and really minimized it.”
Jonesboro coach Tim Floyd was in complete agreement.
“When the pushing and shoving started, both benches did a good job of keeping the other kids out of it,” Floyd said. “I have a lot of respect for coach Laws and his staff. They kept their sideline in check, and our coaches and some of our senior guys kept our guys in check.”
The kneel-down, for such an irrelevant play, has caused plenty of late-game altercations. The losing team is frustrated, while the winning team is in celebration mode. It’s easy for tired teenagers to lose their cool.
It’s also frustrating for coaches. Earlier this season, Jonesboro was trailing Eagles Landing by one score in the final minute.
“We were trying to fire at them and see if we could cause a fumble on the snap,” Floyd said. “The ref came over and told us that they were kneeling down and to ease up.”
A few years ago in the NFL, New York Giants coach Tom Coughlin chastised then Tampa Bay Buccaneers coach Greg Schiano for the level of intensity by his defense on a kneel-down.
“I tell our guys (on offense) to take their stance, snap the ball and then stand straight-up,” Laws said. “Win with class, lose with class. Do things that you can be proud of. If you had that much energy to expend it on that one play, you should have been expending it earlier in the game, so we wouldn’t have to worry about anyone taking a knee.”
No. 3 Griffin (5-0) and Jonesboro (1-4) have midseason byes this week. The Bears have won 20 straight games, often in convincing fashion, but received a stern test from the Cardinals.
“People need to know that Jonesboro is probably the best 1-4 team in the state,” Laws said. “You look at their talent, and that talent could play anywhere in the state.”
Jonesboro’s four losses have come against teams that are a combined 16-4 this season.
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