Northumberland at Northampton
- Thread starter uvacavs1
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Game was delayed right at the start of the 2nd half. Lotta heat lightning from a storm way up off Chincoteague, no thunder, but rules are rules. I think it was around 10:15 when they finally suspended he game until further notice. No idea when they'll reschedule.
I think VHSL needs to revise their lightning rule to prevent games being prematurely called or postponed to a later date due to the mere visual of lightning with no thought or regard to how far away the lightning is. The Military uses lightning within 12 miles as the standard to suspend military training. Our past 3 Athletic Trainers have used 10 miles as the standard to suspend practice. Both are reasonable. Suspending or calling a game simply because you can see flashes over 40 miles away is rediculous and is not tied to safety. The WP v Rapp Co game was suspended with 10:31 left in the 2nd QT and called 30 minutes later when 4 different lightning apps had the closest lightning strikes 40-45 miles away. The lightning strikes never got any closer; they storm was going away from us.
The nfhs has guidelines that will allow you to play should everyone agree for distant lightning. But seems like the past two nights in the 757 a lot of games got suspended for the same reasons. I am all for safety of athletes and fans but it'd be nice if nfhs, vhsl, and the officials would all be on the same page
Agree we need some common sense rules. A lot of us old timers were talking about "back in the day" it was thunder AND lightning. Thunder means imminent lightning. We were at Norfolk Academy for a track meet and they had a doo-dad on their roof that sounds an alarm when lightning is legit close. So we could see flashes, and even hear some distant rumbles, but the meet continued until the alarm sounded.
On the other hand, can't really blame the admins for being cautious. Student safety and liability are the rules of the day. Just feel bad for the Northumberland team that has to make that trip again. A near ten hour round trip on the cheese wagon is no fun. Been there, done that, glad to travel in my own vehicle these days.
Good call to stop the game, no need to jeopardize the safety of the kids and fans.
They ended up just forfeiting which was in the best interest for them, there was no reason to drive all the way back just for a chance of getting more kids injured
Yes. For it to be final, both coaches had to mutually agree to make it final instead of rescheduling to play the game later. WP scored on every possession, 22-0 at the end of 1st QTR and scored again the first minute of the 2nd half. So I believe WP didn't want to risk any injuries for a game that was in hand and I don't believe Rapp Co wanted the score to be any worse. But that's me surmising.
Lightning cannot jump 42 miles aw
Lightning cannot jump 42 miles away. It was not a good call and had zero to do with player safety. The "if we can see it" method needs to be changed.
What do you think the reason was then? You said zero to do with player safety. Just curious, as I see both sides of the argument.
Here in the Valley, SD vs Fort Defiance didnt have a second of delay, even seeing heat lightning every few minutes. 10 miles down the road, Rockbridge and Lee game had a delay. Came back for something like 5 plays and another delay, followed by postponement
Sorry, my response to your question seemed to have gotten lost. Calling the game in the case of WP vs Rapp Co was not a safety issue for anyone at the game because the lightning was 42 miles away. Lightning can only jump 10-12 miles away. This is why I suggested on this thread that VHSL relook the rule and apply some current technology to their rule. I hope this clarifies my comment on safety.
I get your statement, maybe it is just the wording or the way I am reading it. Saying had zero to do with player safety, are you saying that it WAS stopped for player safety, but there was no need and shouldn't have been, or zero to do with player safety, it was a different reason?
I see the misunderstanding based on how I worded it. The former, not the later. Officials called it because of how the current rule reads (see a lightning strike or hear thunder). If VHSL required a lightning app or detector with 12 miles radius of the venue, then the game would have not been called and the game would have been played all 4 quarters without the lightning ever coming closer than 40 miles. The game was not called for any other reason than officials seeing lightning, albeit 42 miles away.
yes, glad that this issue is settled. It works out well for both clubs.
NHS will play at Mathews on Sept. 14, travel all the way to an improved Northampton for a half of play on Sept. 17, then return for a home game on Sept. 21 v Middlesex. So that's three games in a week but should be a good experience a week or two before Neck play.
There is a rumor that Northumberland has a big time QB transfer now ? Can anyone validate this of being true ?
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