Let's face it, if there was no JV football no sophmores would every suit up again. Unless you are a super-soph, your second year of HS football is miserable. You are punching dummies for the first hour of practice M-W. Then, for second hour, you hope for waterbreaks just to have a chance to run something out onto the field. On Thursday walkthroughs, ugghhhh.

 

For Sophs and Jr's trying to find a spot, Saturday is YOUR day. Though games aren't filmed, feedback only happens during the game, and wins or loses are forgotten once you reach the bus, that two hours makes it all worth it.

 

Yes, it would be nice for a JV tournament, but there is no coach that wants it. Saturday mornings are meant for game films with the Varsity, thus coaches don't want to focus on "real" games for Saturday morning. Plus, if Saturdays really count, some coach is going to feel the need to send their better players to a Saturday game that just may mean an injury for someone that they need to count on later, which would never fly.

If you are asking, how important are JV games, the answer is very.

If you are asking, how important are JV wins, not at all.

 

The importance of JV games is to get player ready for varsity. And that is important.

 

This says it all.

Well for us, it is very prepared to get our sophomore and junior non-starters ready for the big show. It seems to work well, other programs have differing views as to JV, and it hasn't worked as well for them.

 

Yes, but not everyone has 80 to 100 freshmen either....sometimes its tough to even put a JV team together without risking injury to a player they may see some time on a Friday night....

Yes, but not everyone has 80 to 100 freshmen either....sometimes its tough to even put a JV team together without risking injury to a player they may see some time on a Friday night....

 

Very true FB.:thumb:

If you are asking, how important are JV games, the answer is very.

If you are asking, how important are JV wins, not at all.

 

The importance of JV games is to get player ready for varsity. And that is important.

 

:thumb::thumb:

JV games are very important to those players, mostly sophmores who practice all year, usally "scout team players". It is their time to shine and maybe develope into good friday night performers. Winning is important on any level, once you learn how to win you expect to win at the next level!:ylsuper:

J.V. football also allows young new coaches to get better .....calling a game on offense and defense isnt as easy as joe public makes it out to be.:thumb:

JV games also help referees get some experience before they go onto the varsity level.:sssh:

If JV games are not a valuable tool, then why do so many colleges have JV teams?

 

Game experience for all.

Does everyone think that parents and fans understand the purpose of JV games? Does Johnny Freshman automatically get to play alot of JV or is his biggest P.T. come in Freshman games?

I know my son loved jv games. He started varsity as a soph. kicker and punter but never got to run the ball. In the jv games he got to play o and d. He scored td's and got to hit guys. He just loved playing the game.

I have heard of some schools playing anyone who does'nt start' date=' in the JV game. Sometimes Jr's and Sr's even.[/quote']

 

I would say for a small school tryin to field a JV team to fill a few spots with Sr's should be ok.

JV play is very important. Players get a chance to show skills in a more game like setting. Young players often dont get alot of practice time during the season because of multiple reps taken by the varsity players. JV games keep younger players interested in the game of football and allow the coaches view different aspects of the game. Yes, smaller schools run the risk of injury. Practice is just as dangerous.

I'm going to have to disagree, though I know the point you and Ram are making, and I agree with the "big picture" of developing JV players.

 

But, somewhere in that picture the concept of winning has to be instilled at the freshman and JV levels. If not, the varsity coach(es) are getting a lot of kids that have been beaten down by losing games. That's tough to overcome.

 

And one point no one has mentioned, is winning attracts kids and keeps kids coming back. If you have 25 sophs playing JV and they are learning, but keep getting their heads handed to them in JV games, I can promise you will not have 25 juniors come back.

 

Flip side, if you have 25 sophs playing JV and they are learning, but win more than they lose as well, that number will go up the next year.

 

I totally disagree with you. From experience if you have 25 jv players and only some of them get to play during jv games the other kids will quit well before the season is over. We went through years and years of that at MC and those players that quit when they are fresh and soph never play again because of that type of experience. Last year the coaching staff told every player if they didn't miss practice they would get playing time and the result was the loss of one player who decided to do ROTC Ranger Team and he is back playing this year. Guess what? McCreary's numbers are at an all time high and the level of players are all ready allowing MC to play more players on Friday nights. You are right when you said kids like to win but, one thing they like more than winning is to play. MC gauges their JV success at the end of the 3rd quarter and the fourth quarter is reserved for those who hadn't played up to that time. Everyone who practices gets to play, and this has been the #1 young player retention tool we have had to date and it has helped us get new players out as well. Take it back to yourself, would you work your butt off in practice all year and never get in a game and be happy with that situation? I know I wouldn't. JV is very important to the program, you use it to build players for varsity play and I mean every player and still strive for the wins while doing it. When you are playing EVERYONE at the JV level and winning I gaurantee you your varsity program will be ranked near the top year-in and year-out. IMHO!

Well for us, it is very prepared to get our sophomore and junior non-starters ready for the big show. It seems to work well, other programs have differing views as to JV, and it hasn't worked as well for them.

 

 

In Jefferson County, the public schools have limited themselves to a total of 16 jv/frosh games per season. The state says you may play 20. JCPS sees it as cost cutting rule. They have no middle school football and rely on the Optimist, Catholic and Independent leagues to be their feeder system. They had middle school football for years and stopped it in the early 90s.

 

Yes , JV as well as Freshmen games are very valuable for building a successful program.