I'm at the Atherton/Trinity game. It's 61-14 with 4 minutes left. Atherton got their 1st FG at 5:30 in the 4th. I can tell by their faces and body language they would have rather not played this game.

 

That's kinda how Bruce Pearl and Auburn looked Saturday.

A small school has incentive other than a slim chance to win when they play the district tournament. I was told that Heritage boys in the 33rd district get 1/5 of the entire tournament gate. So even if they get throttled they share in the revenue from the tournament which probably covers a large part of their basketball program expenses.

Kentucky isn't as good as Georgia and other surrounding states due to smaller population and less players to draw from' date=' not because of first round blowouts. Winning in the playoffs is the reward, no one that I know looks at "Making the Playoffs" as a reward any more in football than they do in any other sport. The reward comes from playing and WINNING. Look I'm not going to change your mind and your biggest complaint about it being some kind of a reward isn't enough to convince me either. We'll just agree to disagree :thumb:[/quote']

 

That's fine. I'm not trying to say it should be a reward as much as I'm trying to say that the kids don't want to be there from the opposing team. Ram and I have seen that first hand.

One more week to practice. Otherwise you are turning the jerseys in and planning a banquet. I still say if you don't like it watch something else and pretend playoffs whatever the sport start in the second round.

That's fine. I'm not trying to say it should be a reward as much as I'm trying to say that the kids don't want to be there from the opposing team. Ram and I have seen that first hand.

 

I agree there are some teams that don't want to play and maybe shouldn't, but I think far more want that one last shot.

Look I'm not going to change your mind and your biggest complaint about it being some kind of a reward isn't enough to convince me either.

What about the argument that the players of the 0-10 and 1-9 teams are saying they don't want to play in the playoffs while knowing they are going to get beat miserably. I hate it that those player like the game enough to play it, but adults make them play in this horrible situation and possible ruins their love of the game. The players are talking, but no one is listening.

What about the argument that the players of the 0-10 and 1-9 teams are saying they don't want to play in the playoffs while knowing they are going to beat miserably. I hate it that those player like the game enough to play it, but adults make them play in this horrible situation and possible runs their love of the game. The players are talking, but no one is listening.

 

Well they probably felt like that before the playoffs too... If team is that uncompetitive maybe they should drop out of the district for a season or two.

Well they probably felt like that before the playoffs too... If team is that uncompetitive maybe they should drop out of the district for a season or two.

I think we just have to accept a lot of the players of 0-10 and 1-9 teams don't think they belong in the playoffs but the adults think they are helping them by "letting" them play and by saying things like "they get to play one more game" and "they get one more chance to put on the pads", when in reality the players know they don't belong and don't want a shallow reward. All the adults act like they are doing something for the kids by allowing them to play one more game, but the kids know the truth after having great expectations and dreams that didn't work out in the regular season.

This is just one example of probably only a very few, but anyone who is familiar with "The Covington Latin Trojans" know that they are an accelerated school for extremely intelligent youngsters who enter the 9th grade when they are really just at 7th grade age.

 

With this, when their varsity team competes they are at an obvious disadvantage, and have traditionally been so since they've suited up a team since the late 60's.

 

They enter each season with pretty much the knowledge that they're likely to end it with a losing record.

 

They purposely schedule most other small and/or christian schools with the hopes that they can at least compete with them to some degree, but still again against those teams they are always a couple of years younger than their opponent.

 

For nearly 50 years they've experience just as many losing seasons throughout that whole period. I could be wrong, but I think they have 100% losing seasons throughout the history all of their seasons.

 

There's been a few unusual and exceptional student/athlete talents that have come through (Jeff Stowers, Brian O'Connor, DAVID JUSTICE, and Mitchell Blewett to name the four obvious ones) who have helped the team reach a bit higher than ever before, yet still all in all, their disadvantage was typically insurmountable, yet still helping to add more victories during their seasons than in typical seasons.

 

These kids typically go on to graduate to attend fine colleges, and eventually lead very successful lives, sometimes ending up being your bosses and making more money than you can shake a stick at.

 

Yet, year after year knowing fully of what they are getting themselves into, they manage to suit up a team willing to take on the daunting task.

 

In those nearly 50 years of having a team, there were roughly ten seasons where they opted not to participate in the post season district tournament. A few years back they resumed when their fantastic player Mitchell Blewett was tearing up the nets, and thought to finally resume playing in the tournament once more. Of course at the typical disadvantage that they are, they've lost in the first round of those recent district tournaments, just as they have in all the numerous others that they've participated in as far back as their beginnings.

 

In 1971, while being the obvious walkover that they've always been, they managed to give eventual district runner-ups "Holy Cross", who went on to compete in the 1971 9th Region Tournament, all they wanted, and was giving them a super close competitive game with them only to fall short by game's end with a final score of 72-63.

 

I would have to bet that every player on that 1971 team has an exciting memory of how close they came at slaying the dragon and being most likely the only Trojan team over the years that came even that close to winning a district tournament game.

 

With all the odds stacked high against them, year after year, they never walk away from the challenge.

 

While some might think it's a self-esteem stealer to bother trying to compete when you are at an obvious disadvantage, somehow this school suits a team up every year anyhow.

 

It hasn't seemed to destroy these guys, and they have fun memories of playing for their school, graduating and going on to lead successful lives.

 

Who knows, it just might have the opposite effect than you might expect, and that it maybe builds a certain amount of character to go up against the dragon and have to walk away knowing that even after all you did to try to slay him, there was no way that you could, and that you had to accept that, all the while building a certain amount of pride by even taking on the task, but still learning how to lose with grace.

 

Losing with grace is a huge lesson most everyone needs to learn as they move forward into their adult lives. Life isn't always easy and no matter how hard you try you can't always be the winner. Learning how to deal with that is invaluable.

Or you could have two teams that do not want to win and do everything they can to lose.

 

2 prep girls teams caught tanking, banned from postseason

 

It's the South Park Little League episode all over again..."You'll never beat Denver!!!"

St. Pat played two small 8th graders tonight against one of the top teams in the state. Their safety was not an issue. They could play basketball tomorrow, no problem.

 

If you put those same two kids in a 1st round football playoff game against one of the top teams in the state, they are at risk for getting a severe injury.

 

i don't think you can apply the same logic in this situation. Two very different sports.

Well, would you looky there...

 

Asland Blazer who's had their most dismal season in memory by going 4-25 in the regular season, with two of those wins coming to Rose Hill Christian who ended their season with no wins at all on their record, have won in the first round of their 64th District Tournament against "Fairview" awarding them the right to now participate in the 16th Region Tournament, whether or not they end up district champs, or district runner-ups.

 

In their first meeting earlier in the season Fairview won 70-46, in their second meeting Fairview won 64-61, and in this meeting Ashland won 78-64.

 

Their season might've have been dismal, but obviously they haven't given up, and now have beat a team by 14 points who earlier in the season beat them by 24.

 

Fairview ends their season with a winning record of 15-11.

 

You think that this team that most might've thought should just throw in the towel is a little bit excited?

 

You never know what can happen, and that's why they play the game.

 

Eat that Little Ram.

I think we just have to accept a lot of the players of 0-10 and 1-9 teams don't think they belong in the playoffs but the adults think they are helping them by "letting" them play and by saying things like "they get to play one more game" and "they get one more chance to put on the pads", when in reality the players know they don't belong and don't want a shallow reward. All the adults act like they are doing something for the kids by allowing them to play one more game, but the kids know the truth after having great expectations and dreams that didn't work out in the regular season.

 

I don't think we should cater to those players you speak of. There are many teams with bad records who want to compete even though they know the odds are long or even hopeless. Even if the team has no chance, they want to compete and test themselves and get better. Players who don't want to compete should not get what they want over those players who do want to compete.

Well, would you looky there...

 

Asland Blazer who's had their most dismal season in memory by going 4-25 in the regular season, with two of those wins coming to Rose Hill Christian who ended their season with no wins at all on their record, have won in the first round of their 64th District Tournament against "Fairview" awarding them the right to now participate in the 16th Region Tournament, whether or not they end up district champs, or district runner-ups.

 

In their first meeting earlier in the season Fairview won 70-46, in their second meeting Fairview won 64-61, and in this meeting Ashland won 78-64.

 

Their season might've have been dismal, but obviously they haven't given up, and now have beat a team by 14 points who earlier in the season beat them by 24.

 

Fairview ends their season with a winning record of 15-11.

 

You think that this team that most might've thought should just throw in the towel is a little bit excited?

 

You never know what can happen, and that's why they play the game.

 

Eat that Little Ram.

 

You do realize we are talking about football playoffs, and some are drawing a comparison of the football playoffs with the basketball playoffs right?

You do realize we are talking about football playoffs, and some are drawing a comparison of the football playoffs with the basketball playoffs right?

 

I'm talking about basketball because that's the topic that this thread was started about, and I'm completely aware at some of the turns the thread has taken throughout.

 

I didn't input my thoughts on football, but here goes if you want them...

 

I do agree though that the two sports are two very different sports, and while I support weaker basketball teams to take one final stab at the district tournament, in football it's an entirely different story. Complete different physical dynamic about the game that can liken it to a controlled rumble. No doubt in those situations, you'd stand the chance of someone getting severely injured when the ends don't really justify the means.