Norcom ineligible for playoffs this year
- Thread starter Lafayette
- Start date
Tough penalty deters recurrence. They were today a #3 seed. Lafayette had a player suspended three games for saying a derogatory word. That does teach a lesson. VHSL getting tough!
I think lake Taylor's quarterback was suspended for some games for hitting a hopewell player early this year at hopewell when they lost.
I would assume the "crime" that led to this punishment must have been both widespread amongst players and/or coaches as well as fairly heinous in nature because that's a serious penalty they just incurred. One thing I thought of (and since I'm a Salem fan we've had it happen to us before) is cheating via equipment like long cleats. Was it a rainy/muddy game that week? I'm surprised nobody has said anything about it, would have thought this would have been more common knowledge.
@Kenneth Harris @Phoebus Fan @PHSBlue&Gold you guys know anything?
@Kenneth Harris @Phoebus Fan @PHSBlue&Gold you guys know anything?
There was a fight towards the end of the Phoebus norcom playoff game last season. But to me the VHSL was wrong in this way to make this decision this late in the year like let the kids know end of last school year or during the summer to at least give the seniors a chance if able to transfer and play the season with a playoff chance. Or even should have taken names involved with the fight and suspended them for games this year.
1MoreHokie, you are so crazy! I'm laughing reading your post about long cleats! Brother, I have heard many accusations of teams using "long" cleats but thought of them as urban legends...please tell me seriously that didn't happen...lol! But hey the old saying goes...if you ain't cheating, you ain't trying! Lol, man you know that top programs at any sport, any level have accusations on how they are maintaining their top level performance! Have a great day brother, I just wanted to reply to your post...take care!
"Cleatgate" is infamous amongst Salem fans. Richlands knowingly and willingly cheated during a nasty, filthy, muddy state semifinal in 1992. They won 17-7. They were accused, the VHSL found them guilty. They beat Orange for the title the next week. It's a very sour note for Salem fans. The VHSL put them on probation and they couldn't enter the playoffs in 1993. The HC himself later admitted they used the illegal cleats and the school board censured him iirc, causing the end of his coaching career at Richlands. They also got put on probation for their fanbase slinging racial slurs against Orange in the title game so yea, real class act program and fanbase they had over there.
Salem ripped their tails some 12 years later in the playoffs en route to a title. Too bad their tiny school shrunk, I'd love to see Richlands in some games and put 50 or 60 up on them for fun.
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Yep, I remember that fiasco well. I played for Northside that year and can tell you after playing that Salem squad twice (in a row), most on our team thought Salem would coast to the state championship. We couldn't believe they lost that game until we all found out what happened. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think it snowed the night before and then Richlands also watered the field down and claimed it was an "accident". One guy I spoke with who went to that game said he had never seen that much mud on a field in 30+ years he had been watching high school football. I absolutely believe that's the only way they contained Marcus Parker, who in my opinion, is a top 2 back (with Ramsey) in Salem's storied history. That year, Salem beat Pulaski who won the state championship in the highest division.
Yep this feels very unfair to the kids and parents who could've made a move. No issue with the punishment if it was truly that bad but 11 months to make a decision is ridiculous.
This will be the short version. Norcom's kids were frustrated in the fourth quarter and things started to get chippy. On the last play Norcom called a toss sweep to their sideline. As the Phoebus defense were in pursuit, a Norcom player blindsided a Phantom lineman after the play was over. A second later, you had a handful of Phoebus players trying to defend themselves while being jumped by nearly the entire Norcom team (including a couple coaches). The Phoebus bench was headed towards the melee until Coach Blunt ordered all coaches to restrain the bench. This is why Phoebus had two or three players suspended the following week against Lake Taylor and Norcom's entire team being banned from postseason in 2023. I don't agree with VHSL suspending these kids from the postseason. They should've been disciplined at the start of the season instead. Just my opinion and observation.
I’ve asked around and it seems as it was not a single incidence. They had several sportsmanship violations last season that landed them on probation for 12 months. I’m told that there were one or more sportsmanship violations again this year that left no alternative but to be punished.
lol #1 starts it all then backs wayyyyyy up.
I'm fine with the punishment, especially if this has been a repeated pattern of behavior. It's a team sport and you are your brother's keeper.
I'm fine with the punishment, especially if this has been a repeated pattern of behavior. It's a team sport and you are your brother's keeper.
I am not surprised by this. The problem? The refs could have stopped any games involving Norcom earlier and spoken to both head coaches together prior to #1 feeling that confident to make a play like that after the whistle during the playoffs. Players do what they feel they can get away with depending on their relationship with their coaches. Also let's not pretend this type of behavior is something new. In 1976 I was on a team that was attacked by the coaches, parents, players and cheerleaders. No full out fight broke out because we were told to get on our buses by our coaches and parents who happened to be active duty military men. I believe that in 2023 coaches are still giving players, students and parents the green light to knock heads illegally, especially if they are down 42-0. I have been at a scrimmage where the coaches were on the field monitoring play and witnessed a coach picking up players and tossing them into the play during the entire scrimmage and no other coach stopped him. The last game that I covered as a freelance journalist ended in an all out brawl between players, coaches and fans. NFL fans are still attacking each other. Unless I live in a reality where I am the only one witnessing this behavior what is the surprise? Players always pay the penalty unless you are 1983 Phoebus alum Stanley Sexton. Until guilty coaches, parents and fans receive lifetime bans (permanent ban from attending any football games) before the players are suspended for any length of time the poor behavior on the field, sidelines and in the stands will progressively get worse but I don't know how. People have been murdered at football games. There.
