Just to keep this going lets add this

 

 

When these players get to the high school level(Starting with jv) they start making the same mistakes the varsity has up until then they have not done this.(Penalties, poor tackling just to name two things)

Just to keep this going lets add this

 

 

When these players get to the high school level(Starting with jv) they start making the same mistakes the varsity has up until then they have not done this.(Penalties, poor tackling just to name two things)

 

3 things. Lack of fundamentals, lack of mental discipline, and other athletes have caught up. Where the player made the tackle in 8th grade, even w/ poor angles, he is a step behind as a senior. Committing penalties often is the result of poor footwork or not paying attention to the cadence.

Doesn't that fall back on coaching. It's more than X's and O"s. I see players working their rear ends off year round in losing programs. They are there everyday. Doing everything their coaches are asking of them and more. They leave it all on the field every Friday, and they still are not winning. I have trouble believing, if there is a problem with lack of accountability and work ethic, it's not completely a player problem. It is more of a problem with the coaches lack of ability to get accountability out of the players and to instill a greater work ethic in them. I not saying these are not problems with a few players. They weed themselves out. A new coach may have to lose a few games to get a program turned around. Winning is the best cure for silencing critics. Leadership, work ethic, and accountability start at the top, not the bottom.

 

To a certain extent. I watched a program get completely taken over by the parents. They undermined coaches quite a bit and even the casual observer could see that the boys weren't working as hard as other programs but yet they couldn't figure out how they were getting whipped by the same kids they beat up on in 7-9th grade. Now these boys are seniors and they are wondering when they wil get their first win this season. Their coach has total control of the program now and it is clear from him down to grade school how things are going to be done now. The culture change is underway and I couldn't be happier.

I do not think it matters what a team in middle school does offensively or defensively scheme wise. What matters is teaching them HOW to play football not how to run plays.

 

Two big things make a difference: 1 kids do change A LOT from middle school to high school, 2 effectiveness of the high school coach and program.

 

Agree.

I can't verify this, but I think most of the really good middle school teams are in county's that only have one middle school, versus county's that have two or three and then have all of their talent merge in High School.