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State of HS Football

CRF4Dan

Richmond Region Football Writer
Staff
Dec 17, 2012
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Mechanicsville, VA
We all love football but has anyone noticed changes? I've noticed this season that depth is a concern for a lot of coaches, even at bigger schools such as Class 5.

A topic of debate last night on social media was declining numbers.

Did you know that some schools are not fielding JV teams? Did you know that Bruton & Park View-Sterling will not be fielding varsity teams? There might be another varsity team up north that doesn't field a team because only 8 players showed up.

Our old friend Tom Garrett wrote an article about 5 years ago on the impending doom of high school football.

https://theaxisofego.com/2013/01/31/will-high-school-sports-exist-in-2043/

What are you seeing at your school? Do you see numbers dropping?
 
What IS a much bigger story is that American Football has gotten so BIG that Mexican beat our American National High School Team!!!

It's all about spin and perspective, right? If a few high schools have the majority of it's population that enjoys Soccer, that's fine. But to equate those changes into a story about the predicted death of American football is just a bit of a stretch!

The sky is not falling.
That was posted on the 6A board, and I agree 100%. I want to add, that for those few schools, it's pretty much a waste of time to field a football team now, and it dramatically increases the risk of injuries to the few kids that do want to play. Let those kids play for another school if they wish (I don't agree with making them fully transfer, though) and have a better opportunity to show off their talent with more help around them. Teams like Park View haven't been close to good in football in almost 10 years, but they're in a county with a substantial number of options around them. If you weed out the bad teams, and let the interested kids play on other teams, all it really does is increase the chances for other teams to get tougher competition on their schedules. Louisa has plenty of kids out for football now, more than usual, and that's just one example of many that the interest is still out there. They even have a couple of track kids out there, including a state champion, this year, which is very rare for them. Those are the kids that you'd think would only focus on track. Interest is so high in the rec leagues that there is a waiting list. Plus, kids just have more options with other sports in general now. If soccer continues to grow, I have no problem with that, as I love soccer too. Now if only ice hockey could grow more.
 
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I live here and didn’t know about Bruton with no Varsity, know the Jv is not fielded. Sure about that? Agree numbers are down everywhere and HS football may be in the beggining of the end,’.
 
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Courtland Varsity at 43 players, JV has same numbers, maybe few more. Typically 100 or so show up for tryouts. Back in the day 1984-1987 to be exact, we had 130 plus come out for tryouts. We had just won our 4th state title, so that helped as kids wanted to be part of what became a juggernaut program in the 80's and early to mid 90's.
 
I live here and didn’t know about Bruton with no Varsity, know the Jv is not fielded. Sure about that? Agree numbers are down everywhere and HS football may be in the beggining of the end,’.
I was thinking the same thing. Our local news rag has even posted photos of one of Bruton's first practice sessions. Zero mention about scrubbing the season. I know they scrapped the JV program a few years ago because of numbers...but GEEEEEZ, West Point never has more than 17 kids on the sideline each week...but they suit up and bring it. But...WP isn't playing a schedule with 5 teams at 4A numbers...
 
I was thinking the same thing. Our local news rag has even posted photos of one of Bruton's first practice sessions. Zero mention about scrubbing the season. I know they scrapped the JV program a few years ago because of numbers...but GEEEEEZ, West Point never has more than 17 kids on the sideline each week...but they suit up and bring it. But...WP isn't playing a schedule with 5 teams at 4A numbers...

Bruton was the school named by multiple sources including a friend within the VHSL.
 
Bruton was the school named by multiple sources including a friend within the VHSL.
WOW...just WOW....I'll contact a friend of mine to see if he's heard anything. I have absolutely not heard a single word about this....
 
I contacted Marty O’Brien of the Daily Press and he knows of no info Bruton is scrapping their season. Their scrimmage yesterday went as scheduled as far as he knew.
 
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I contacted Marty O’Brien of the Daily Press and he knows of no info Bruton is scrapping their season. Their scrimmage yesterday went as scheduled as far as he knew.
LOL! I just emailed Marty also....He would be the one that knows.
I realize that I'm not as involved in the Bay Rivers as I once was....but I can't imagine any of my former, frequent contacts NOT sharing something like that.
Bruton LOVES their athletic teams...ALL of them.
 
LOL! I just emailed Marty also....He would be the one that knows.
I realize that I'm not as involved in the Bay Rivers as I once was....but I can't imagine any of my former, frequent contacts NOT sharing something like that.
Bruton LOVES their athletic teams...ALL of them.
A as fan of Essex who scrimmaged Bruton yesterday posted on 5a they played but real small numbers - 5-6 players on the sideline when offense/defend on field. They are a few injuries from disaster. I saw a small part of the Lafayette /Henrico/Godwin scrimmage yesterday and no one had a ton of players. I counted 35 for Lafayette. Except for a few players no one looked real big. A little surprised. Maybe my early season imagination.
 
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It's only a matter of time there's more an more parent that won't let there kids play because of concussions. An while I love the sport I can't blame high school an college kids that opt out. Especially when 99% are not gonna be pro an will need that brain for what ever field they go into.
 
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Bruton is alive and kicking...
I have heard that the Panthers are in fact fielding team. Small....around 20 players. They scrimmaged Essex last week. And are playing another game this Friday. Not sure who in the VHSL indicated differently, maybe there has been some behind the scenes "talk", but as of today, they're still "in it".

Happy Monday folks....
 
Important Football Player/Parent meeting tonight at 7:00 in HS Commons...season update will be discussed. @MPHSVACougars @MattSieloff @seetrees @MPCSVA @PrincipalKalso

From Manassas Park Cougars twitter page.
 
Important Football Player/Parent meeting tonight at 7:00 in HS Commons...season update will be discussed. @MPHSVACougars @MattSieloff @seetrees @MPCSVA @PrincipalKalso

From Manassas Park Cougars twitter page.
3A board is reporting MP has cancelled their season as well....
 
Concussions/injuries must be the reason for low numbers across the board in football, but soccer seems to have as many or more concussions/injuries. I think the reason numbers are down in football is due to the wide-scale reporting about these injuries in football. Not nearly as many people care about soccer and don't go to the games....out of sight, out of mind. You don't see news reports on TV all the time about soccer concussions/injuries. Football is in the spotlight so it gets all the negative attention. I fear that in another 10 years or so, football is going to be struggling to survive.
 
Concussions/injuries must be the reason for low numbers across the board in football, but soccer seems to have as many or more concussions/injuries. I think the reason numbers are down in football is due to the wide-scale reporting about these injuries in football. Not nearly as many people care about soccer and don't go to the games....out of sight, out of mind. You don't see news reports on TV all the time about soccer concussions/injuries. Football is in the spotlight so it gets all the negative attention. I fear that in another 10 years or so, football is going to be struggling to survive.

Oh, there is a reason the media "forgets" to tell everyone about the concussion issues in soccer. It's not a mistake by any means.
 
That makes 3 teams that I know of - Park View, MP, and Charles City. Are there any others out there? Bruton will field a team but are a few injuries away from having to scrap it (they haven't had a JV team for a while).
 
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The reason for the decline is not because an athlete has one or two concussions it's the long term dangers of repeated blows to the head associated with the game of football. The study that was referenced in a previous post was done on players from the 1950's which is before the widespread use of face masks on helmets. Football was an entirely different game back then. Once face masks became standard on helmets the game changed. It is/was not uncommon for a football player to sustain over a thousand blows to the head every season. Add those up over a career and the numbers get real scary real quick. The game of football in the 70s, 80s, 90s and into the early 2000s was a very violent game and America loved it. When the connection was made between CTE and repeated blows to the head associated with football the game HAD to change. What we are seeing now in the media are reports of those players from the 70s and 80s that played through concussions, had full contact practices 4 days a week plus a game. Their brains literally took a beating. When all this came to the attention of the media, and the NFL paid out nearly a billion dollars in settlement, the parameters for practices, games and how concussions are diagnosed and manged were changed immediately. Unfortunately for the game, it will take another 30 years to see if those changes made a difference. Will football still be around??

Yes, there are concussions in soccer and in every other sport for that matter. But none of the other sports have athletes getting hit in the head thousands of times a year, tens of thousands of times over the course of a career, which may have began as early as 8 years old, leading to the fears parents have today about letting their child participate in football and the long term effects we are coming to realize now.
 
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The reason for the decline is not because an athlete has one or two concussions it's the long term dangers of repeated blows to the head associated with the game of football. The study that was referenced in a previous post was done on players from the 1950's which is before the widespread use of face masks on helmets. Football was an entirely different game back then. Once face masks became standard on helmets the game changed. It is/was not uncommon for a football player to sustain over a thousand blows to the head every season. Add those up over a career and the numbers get real scary real quick. The game of football in the 70s, 80s, 90s and into the early 2000s was a very violent game and America loved it. When the connection was made between CTE and repeated blows to the head associated with football the game HAD to change. What we are seeing now in the media are reports of those players from the 70s and 80s that played through concussions, had full contact practices 4 days a week plus a game. Their brains literally took a beating. When all this came to the attention of the media, and the NFL paid out nearly a billion dollars in settlement, the parameters for practices, games and how concussions are diagnosed and manged were changed immediately. Unfortunately for the game, it will take another 30 years to see if those changes made a difference. Will football still be around??

Yes, there are concussions in soccer and in every other sport for that matter. But none of the other sports have athletes getting hit in the head thousands of times a year, tens of thousands of times over the course of a career, which may have began as early as 8 years old, leading to the fears parents have today about letting their child participate in football and the long term effects we are coming to realize now.

The part I've highlighted is something that is never talked about..perhaps it is time to stop pushing tackle football at such a young age where the brain is still developing. Start older, perhaps 13 years of age being the youngest.
 
The reason for the decline is not because an athlete has one or two concussions it's the long term dangers of repeated blows to the head associated with the game of football. The study that was referenced in a previous post was done on players from the 1950's which is before the widespread use of face masks on helmets. Football was an entirely different game back then. Once face masks became standard on helmets the game changed. It is/was not uncommon for a football player to sustain over a thousand blows to the head every season. Add those up over a career and the numbers get real scary real quick. The game of football in the 70s, 80s, 90s and into the early 2000s was a very violent game and America loved it. When the connection was made between CTE and repeated blows to the head associated with football the game HAD to change. What we are seeing now in the media are reports of those players from the 70s and 80s that played through concussions, had full contact practices 4 days a week plus a game. Their brains literally took a beating. When all this came to the attention of the media, and the NFL paid out nearly a billion dollars in settlement, the parameters for practices, games and how concussions are diagnosed and manged were changed immediately. Unfortunately for the game, it will take another 30 years to see if those changes made a difference. Will football still be around??

Yes, there are concussions in soccer and in every other sport for that matter. But none of the other sports have athletes getting hit in the head thousands of times a year, tens of thousands of times over the course of a career, which may have began as early as 8 years old, leading to the fears parents have today about letting their child participate in football and the long term effects we are coming to realize now.

I'm not making a rush to judgement, or any nefarious accusations...but I can't remember the number of times I heard "just got your bell rung...walk it off"...and how many times did we laugh it off back in the day? It was a different culture back then. Part of the inherent risk associated with playing the game. I remember our coaching staff used to give out "POW" stickers for Friday nights biggest hits. It was a badge of honor and we had kids that LIVED to earn that sticker.
Times have changed. The game has evolved. It will endure. Equipment, rules and coaching will improve and make it safer. Eventually.
 
Something else worth mentioning that has nothing to do with concussions (or the MSM's obsession with them..), for the most part the schools that are not fielding a team this season or who are struggling with #s have been atrocious in football at least for the last 5 years or so: Park View - Awful, Manassas Park - Awful, TJ in Fairfax - AWFUL..though they are fielding a team this year, I think (???), Charles City is really the only exception and they're 1A and have had a LOT of issues with that County over the last few years.

I notice that Manassas Park is planning to attempt an independent schedule for the next few years... sounds like this should have happened a couple of years ago, same needs to happen at Park View and TJ should be playing as an independent to begin with considering they're a magnet school, no way can they compete with the other public schools in NoVa year in and year out, at least not in football.

Go independent for two years (maybe more..), get some wins under their belts and watch interest rise.

I dont like the idea of 8 man football. Seems like such a cop out.
 
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Concussions/injuries must be the reason for low numbers across the board in football, but soccer seems to have as many or more concussions/injuries. I think the reason numbers are down in football is due to the wide-scale reporting about these injuries in football. Not nearly as many people care about soccer and don't go to the games....out of sight, out of mind. You don't see news reports on TV all the time about soccer concussions/injuries. Football is in the spotlight so it gets all the negative attention. I fear that in another 10 years or so, football is going to be struggling to survive.
Your right, now the medical people are citing constant head blows with no concussions can cause later life brain problems. Since football at the college and pro level is the number 1 sport in the US all the studies and media cover that. At all levels soccer is very minor and of little real interest to 90% of US. I would agree unless something changes dramatically HS football in 10 years may hardly exist and at the college and pro levels struggling.
 
The reason for the decline is not because an athlete has one or two concussions it's the long term dangers of repeated blows to the head associated with the game of football. The study that was referenced in a previous post was done on players from the 1950's which is before the widespread use of face masks on helmets. Football was an entirely different game back then. Once face masks became standard on helmets the game changed. It is/was not uncommon for a football player to sustain over a thousand blows to the head every season. Add those up over a career and the numbers get real scary real quick. The game of football in the 70s, 80s, 90s and into the early 2000s was a very violent game and America loved it. When the connection was made between CTE and repeated blows to the head associated with football the game HAD to change. What we are seeing now in the media are reports of those players from the 70s and 80s that played through concussions, had full contact practices 4 days a week plus a game. Their brains literally took a beating. When all this came to the attention of the media, and the NFL paid out nearly a billion dollars in settlement, the parameters for practices, games and how concussions are diagnosed and manged were changed immediately. Unfortunately for the game, it will take another 30 years to see if those changes made a difference. Will football still be around??

Yes, there are concussions in soccer and in every other sport for that matter. But none of the other sports have athletes getting hit in the head thousands of times a year, tens of thousands of times over the course of a career, which may have began as early as 8 years old, leading to the fears parents have today about letting their child participate in football and the long term effects we are coming to realize now.
Bring back the leather helmets of BleedingNavy's era.
 
Something else worth mentioning that has nothing to do with concussions (or the MSM's obsession with them..), for the most part the schools that are not fielding a team this season or who are struggling with #s have been atrocious in football at least for the last 5 years or so: Park View - Awful, Manassas Park - Awful, TJ in Fairfax - AWFUL..though they are fielding a team this year, I think (???), Charles City is really the only exception and they're 1A and have had a LOT of issues with that County over the last few years.

I notice that Manassas Park is planning to attempt an independent schedule for the next few years... sounds like this should have happened a couple of years ago, same needs to happen at Park View and TJ should be playing as an independent to begin with considering they're a magnet school, no way can they compete with the other public schools in NoVa year in and year out, at least not in football.

Go independent for two years (maybe more..), get some wins under their belts and watch interest rise.

I dont like the idea of 8 man football. Seems like such a cop out.

TJ already is playing an independent schedule.

https://colonialathletics.org/main/teamschedule/id/18337/seasonid/4333942
 
Your right, now the medical people are citing constant head blows with no concussions can cause later life brain problems. Since football at the college and pro level is the number 1 sport in the US all the studies and media cover that. At all levels soccer is very minor and of little real interest to 90% of US. I would agree unless something changes dramatically HS football in 10 years may hardly exist and at the college and pro levels struggling.

If a number of retired high profile international soccer players (say, David Beckham or Ronaldo) committed suicide and it was discovered they had CTE, then maybe it would get some coverage. Soccer and other sports besides football have concussion issues, but there's no undue bias against football regarding the coverage on CTE. There's more we don't know than know about how many players eventually suffer CTE and how that varies by the highest level or years played. With those unknowns, it's difficult to blame athletes or their parents saying that the risk isn't worth it.
 
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Just to clarify....

Bruton fielded a full JV team last season (2017). First time in several years. Their numbers seemed like they were heading in the right direction. The revolving door of head coaches over the past 8 years has hurt them.
 
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Just to clarify....

Bruton fielded a full JV team last season (2017). First time in several years. Their numbers seemed like they were heading in the right direction. The revolving door of head coaches over the past 8 years has hurt them.
Very true...
 
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