We have had a very tough season. It has been tougher as a dad than it has been as a head coach. That does not change my belief that football is a great game. I shared this on the Mason County Royals Football Facebook page in response to the worst season for injuries, and the concerns that go with it, in my 23 seasons as a head coach. I hope football will be there for the fun and what it offers young men for a long time to come.

 

- ChiefSmoke

 

Parents of little and older guys-

Stephanie has told me that several of you have said you will not allow your son to play football, due to the injuries we have had this season, in particular the concussions.

By far, one of the best decisions we have made as parents was to allow John Combs and Trosper to play football. Although the two concussions have ended his football career, what JCB has gained from the total experience of playing is immeasurable. Football demanded physical effort, focus, and determination from him at a level unlike any other activity he was involved in. Most things come easy for JCB. Football did not. He had to deal with failure, sometimes brutally honest criticism, and situation after situation that the only way for him to succeed was to fight his way through it. When we had lost seven games in a row, no adult could swoop in and fix it. He had to fix it and he had to fix it by working with others and being part of a team. He was also around great role models (our assistant coaches). He learned how to lead by serving others in what was often a high stress/intense setting. Football will be a big part of his transition from a good boy to a great man. Great....?? I don't mean famous or rich. I mean in serving God, serving others, taking care of his family, persevering through all troubles and trials, and doing his best in whatever he chooses to do as an adult.

And, when it was in his best interest and safest for him, the neurologist did say enough football. We have an outstanding medical staff that takes care of our kids. All injuries are bad, but the care our guys receive goes a long way in protecting them from long term issues.

I tore my ACL as the scout team QB @ Centre. Never played a DOWN in a ballgame. Was it worth it? YES. That experience was FUN and made me a better person, husband, father and coach.

Trosper is playing Knights. Scott Stamm works his tail off with heads up tackling and providing our guys with the safest equipment. I will admit, if the coaching or equipment is not safe, my son does not play. For us, the kids and safety come first.

Trosper will play football in MS, HS, and possibly in college. He says he will also play for the Oakland Raiders....we'll see on that one.

I am thankful more than I can express that I played football and my sons played as well. I know this is long, but to describe all the benefits of football, it could be much, much longer.

Thanks and Go Royals! -

Coach Buchanan

Excellent comments Coach and some that I have repeated ad nauseam. All sports are dangerous, more then people think about, but injuries in football are in the headlines and in people's faces right now. The life lessons learned from playing the game we love is of great benefit and playing football is worth it. Not just for the possibility of earning college money, but for the lessons learned by each starter and each scout team player. All players are educated, no matter their skill level.

Coach, as someone who had the opportunity to play high school football let me say you are 100% correct on all of the life lessons one can learn from playing football.

 

However, the real question isn't whether high school football has value. It does. The real question is how much risk is worth gaining those lessons that can be gotten taking other avenues. Those values are not exclusive to football.

 

The concern is fair. We are continuing to learn more and more about head injuries and IMO we will see changes down the road as far as participation as well as how the game will look.

Structure and discipline are extremely important in young men's life. Does football help young men learn how to deal with life problems and how to work together to solve difficulties ? Are present day high school football players less likely to experiment with, and use illicit drugs? Can we believe NFL statements that NFL players are statistically less likely to be involved in crimes then the average population? Does football vastly help a young teenage boy deal with the challenges of life's? Those are the answers each and every parent must struggle with.

I have always viewed the problem with football as being those kids and parents who see the "big hit" as the best and greatest part of the game. The applause and accolades for that "hit" instead of a "good tackle" has been the cause of a lot of the problems in present day football. My friend in church this past Sunday told another parent that his son had endured 3 broken bones, 1 concussion and another injury that I can't recall. He then smiled and said, "not one of those occurred in four years of high school football, all from either basketball or baseball".

I am an ignorant dad, but my answer has always been to teach my son that football is the ultimate "team sport". Play football the right way, work hard, play hard and the benefits far outweigh the risks. It scares me and I pray hard for any kid when he is laying on the field but I worry more for young people with nothing to do and no discipline in their lives looking for something to create a little excitement in their young lives. I understand both sides. Just don't forget to pray hard for your kids regardless of what one decides about football.

As a coach in little league football and with two sons who played in middle school, I will say the biggest problem that I have seen is bad tackling technique from coaches.

 

I used to stress constantly about the need to "see your target" when you tackle and always keep your head up, but many coaches, most who played high school ball "back in the day" just wanted the kids to put their heads down and tackle. Big hits were celebrated much more than just solid tackles with your pads, wrapping up well.

 

It was a constant battle.

The new way of teaching tackling and teach kids to keep their head up will help stop head injuries.

The new way of teaching tackling and teach kids to keep their head up will help stop head injuries.

 

It will not stop head injuries. It will hopefully cut back on them.