Connecticut ruling

I haven't seen this mentioned on the forum, and if it has already then I apologize. A ruling was passed that states if a high school football team wins by 50 or more points, they their coach will be suspended. What's your take on this? I wonder if it's 4th and long, from your own 1 yard line. You're losin 49-0, and your punter takes the snap and throws it outta the end zone for a safety. The other team beats you 51-0, is their coach suspended then? Maybe somebody can find the printed story about this. I've heard it on the radio the past couple of weeks.

I think it's kinda crazy. Now if it were more than 70 points or so I could understand.

Here's a copy of the article.



Connecticut group flags high school football routs
Connecticut group flags high school football routs

By DONNA TOMMELLEO, AP Sports Writer


HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) -- High school football coaches in Connecticut will have to be good sports this fall -- or risk a suspension.

The football committee of the Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference, which governs high school sports, is adopting a "score management" policy that will suspend coaches whose teams win by more than 50 points.

A rout is considered an unsportsmanlike infraction and the coach of the offending team will be disqualified from coaching the next game, said Tony Mosa, assistant executive director of the Cheshire-based conference.

"We were concerned with any coach running up the game. There's no need for it," Mosa said. "This is something that we really have been discussing for the last couple of years. There were a number of games that were played where the difference of scores were 60 points or more. It's not focused on any one particular person."

Some have dubbed it the "Jack Cochran rule," after the New London High's football coach, who logged four wins of more than 50 points last year. In New London's 60-0 rout of Tourtelotte/Ellis Tech, Cochran enraged the Tourtelotte bench by calling a timeout just before halftime. Tourtelotte's coach was arrested on breach of peace charges after police say he struck a security guard and an assistant New London coach.

Leo Facchini, New London's athletic director, called it unfair to single out his coach.

Facchini said he and Cochran tried to pull in the reins during New London's 90-0 drubbing of Griswold last season by trying to get both sides and the timekeeper to agree to run a continuous clock.

Some states, including Iowa, continuously run the game clock in the second half if a team has a 35-point lead. The Connecticut committee rejected a similar proposal because members thought it would unfairly cut into backups' playing time.



Updated on Thursday, May 25, 2006 11:51 am EDT

It would unfairly cut into backup's playing time. I guess that's part of my problem with it. If a third string player picks off a pass, and he hasn't played but a handful of snaps all year long, I just don't see him falling to the ground. I honestly don't see how you could tell a kid not to try. That's kinda like having your cake and eatin it too. I remember a time when winning 56-0 was horrible. Now there are scores in the 90's. I think there's a fine line there, but I just dunno where it should be. I just don't see how you can tell backups to not play hard.

Better yet I don't see how you can't tell anyone to go out there and give it their best. Some scores are kinda crazy but I think this ruling won't last.

[ QUOTE ]
Leo Facchini, New London's athletic director, called it unfair to single out his coach.

Facchini said he and Cochran tried to pull in the reins during New London's 90-0 drubbing of Griswold last season by trying to get both sides and the timekeeper to agree to run a continuous clock.

[/ QUOTE ]


Calling time out with the huge lead, and then this above probably helped encourage the rule.
Got to like what the AD had to say above. Don't single out my coach. Who runs the team? Evidently i'd say this was not an isolated problem.

Honestly i figured the VHSL would of touched on this already. Since they like to lead. [img]/LDPforum/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

But seriously. If your getting dominated by someone. And it's obvious. Why keep bleeding? Or risk getting someone hurt.
Most of the time if your down by 28 points or more, going into the 4th qtr. well the game is pretty much over. Yeah come backs happen but rarely. If it's been a mute point after 3 qtrs. what will 1 more qtr help.
I'd say run the clock. Why not seriously? 4th qtr and a blow out.
What is there to accomplish.

The beginning of the end of competitive high school sports. With this ruling, Connecticut has reduced high school football to the level of kiddie soccer where 'there are no winners or losers' because they don't want a kid to feel bad.

There should be exceptions to evey rule and while I have never seen it I do not think I have every seen a team (not be able to help winning by 50 points. What this rule may do is discurage some of the better teams from sceduling teams that thay most likly have no bisness playing in the first place

I heard this discussed on ESPN radio the other day. They were sort of for, sort of against it. Wanted it clarified a bit they said, as in, one of the teams they were referring to was pulling out gimmick plays to run up the score, it's like they said, if a team has its fourth team running back and third team line in there, and are just running draw plays, you don't tell them to stop. You're right, it does hurt the backups, but by the same token, how often does a team just score 50 points in 2 minutes? A coach can tell that they are white-washing someone and adapt when they sub, if they're concerned about subs getting playing time. I think the excuse of it hurting subs playing time is a bit weak because if it's 40 nothing, you can sub then, not wait till its 60 to nothing to sub.

When you read this post. It would seem something had to be done. When your having brawls from coaches over games.
Read the below statement. From the article. I think when games get this far out of hand. You have to do something.


[ QUOTE ]
Some have dubbed it the "Jack Cochran rule," after the New London High's football coach, who logged four wins of more than 50 points last year. In New London's 60-0 rout of Tourtelotte/Ellis Tech, Cochran enraged the Tourtelotte bench by calling a timeout just before halftime. Tourtelotte's coach was arrested on breach of peace charges after police say he struck a security guard and an assistant New London coach.


[/ QUOTE ]