If I have a child who is gifted in math I expect his school to challenge him, if I have a child who is gifted in sports I also want him challenged and if that means playing him with older kids that is what should happen.

GRC starts an 8th grader... He's pretty good too.

 

GRC's 8th grader is Logan McQuerry this kid has some nice hands at the plate and also has a great glove at 3rd base

Why doesn't OH have these problems as KY does with the smaller schools and the numbers game? I understand the 8th graders moving up when the team doesn't have enough players, nothing else to do but move them up.

 

Maybe KY should adopt some of the OH rules. In basketball they have a limit on number of qts a player can play in a given night. Not a bad idea when you see some of the freshman play an entire freshman game, 1/2 of the JV/V games. This can not be too healthy.

I think its crazy to put that much pressure on a young kid's arm pitching that young from that distance..good way to ruin his arm while he's still developing

James Jones of Dayton started Varsity in his 7th grade year and 8th grade year and led the team in AVG, HR, and RBI's

 

While James is indeed a talented player, I think this speaks more about the state of Dayton baseball than it does the individual player.

And that all changes as soon as he becomes a 9th grader and is eligible to play?

 

Yes, greatly.

Yes, greatly.

 

Please explain. I would say there are still a great percentage of kids at the 9th grade age that have not hit puberty, nor had any meaningful sort of growth spurt. If you are worried about the harms that may befall an 8th grader in football due to his limited physical stature/size, you will likely have those exact same concerns for at least 50% (or more) of those same kids when they become 9th graders, as they are not all that appreciably bigger and stronger than the year earlier.

This is a great topic, and I must agree with Cooperstown on several points! The maturity factor in my opinion, may be the biggest factor. I believe it is different for each individual athlete and it is up to the parents to decide. James Jones is definitely a product of a small school that doesn't have alot of players to draw from, but in his case atleast physically, he could compete with most varsity players in NKY as a freshman! My own son has been fortunate enough to play varsity sports as a under classmen and my greatest worry as a parent has been the fact of him being exposed to social situations a younger person may not normally be exsposed to. Riding in cars with older teens, etc. As long as you monitor those situations and they respond positively to the physical challenges I think it will only make them better athletes!

]Because a 8th grader would get absolutely murdered in football. [/b]It's like a kid getting drafted out of high school in baseball and having to wait three years out of football. It's a totally different ball park.

 

 

Oh really? So a 7th/8th grader goes up to bat against a HS senior who is 6"5' and can throw a 92 mph fastball, like he couldn't get killed?

 

Seems to me the ones who want little Johnny playing as a 7th/8th grader are only concerned about winning and losing, and not about the long term effects of playing with older kids as cooperstown stated.

 

BTW no one has said a word about HS kids playing college sports! If 7th/8th graders can play HS ball, why not let the HS kids play college ball. My guess is that Farris of Boone County, Elliott of Beechwood, or Nichols of Dixie could play today with the colleges they have already signed with.

So then you are for the best of the HS kids playing College ball, while still attending HS, correct?

 

That's not the same situation as 8th graders playing HS. They are still playing for the county and pride. In high school even some seniors aren't fully matured as opposed to seniors in college that are probably full grown and mature IMO.

 

So if the 8th grader is physically mature and able to play with(or better than) most high schoolers he should play down to the level of other middle schoolers? Now if the 8th grader is relatively young and not mature at all then we have a whole different situation.

The rule applies to soccer and football because the khsaa considers them contact sports.

 

If an eighth grader works all summer, fall and winter on becoming the best player they can be and a high school student does nothing to improve from the time the season ends until tryouts start do you still think the high school student should play over the younger kid? All though not always true the kid that works the hardest will usually be the best player and that is who should play regardless of grade level.

 

So soccer is a contact sport but a 90 MPH fastball to the head of an 8th grader who's reaction time is naturally slower shouldn' t be a problem?

I think the Coach should do what is best for the team and gives the Team the best chance to win. When I read these boards you don't read..."Team B lost but they did play their upperclassmen and not the talented 8th graders"

 

It varies by team and by the individual child. Some are mature enough to play up, others are not. It is up to the Coach and Parents to decide. THe HS - College thing is not a valid argument because MS to HS is the feeder system.

 

Many girls do this, many small schools have to do this and sometimes it can be great for both the Team and the individual. They should definitely be allowed but the Coach needs to protect them and make sure they are not put in harms way.

 

I can understand the other argument but until you see the practices, talent and the work ethic of all the kids you really can not judge.

Put the best 9 on the field, no matter what grade they are in. If a 6th grader is better than a senior and wants to play, put him in.

Oh really? So a 7th/8th grader goes up to bat against a HS senior who is 6"5' and can throw a 92 mph fastball, like he couldn't get killed?

 

.

 

Only 1/10 of the kid's pitching in HS baseball can get it up to 92. I'd sit him that game, compares to the 11 kids who are 6"2' 220 pounds on the defense.

Oh really? So a 7th/8th grader goes up to bat against a HS senior who is 6"5' and can throw a 92 mph fastball, like he couldn't get killed?

 

Anyone that gets hit by a 92 mph fastball in the head has a chance of dying. How often do you see people actually get hit in the head? How many do you actually see throwing 92 mph and can't control the ball.