The junior that won the weight lifting contest and one of the best players for Allegany quit the football team. Even when if he ends up returning to the team I will say it shows there are some major issues internally with the team. He is also bring recruited as a catcher in baseball.
Alco football
- Thread starter cumbfanatic
- Start date
He was also selected as co-captain for the year by his teammates. He was definitely one of the dedicated hard workers that put in hard work year round.
Last edited:
Definitely not good, Matt is a good kid. He is a leader, which shows as his teammates voted him co-captain only being a junior. He plays football because he loves it, he plays it hard and the right way. It’s easy to point the fingers at the kid, but if anyone knows Matt you will know he loves his teammates and he is not a quitter
And before Lags chimes in, I think we can safely assume he's not being recruited by FH as being the reason. Hope things work out for the young man.
If Hansel did deny him a water break, where’s the outrage? Where’s everyone calling for his head?
Apparently Matt wanted to meet with Hansel about the fact that the Linemen had only been given one break during a day this week in the heat(one of the linemen apparently got kinda sick). Hansel didnt respect the request of a meeting, and Matt decided to leave the team.
It’s not too late. Time for him to cool down, take a step back, and get back with his friends and teammates. Hope he gets back.
This is the type of thing that happens to a program with a great history that is starting to hit the skids. Of course, we had a player quit at halftime once and go sit in the stands... as I remember. I think he later went back and got in the game.
Things are tense. Players are few. A season of losing would drive some to create an issue.... or over play it. Or... a coach to drive his players too hard. The program is on the skids.
Things are tense. Players are few. A season of losing would drive some to create an issue.... or over play it. Or... a coach to drive his players too hard. The program is on the skids.
I know.. they should just kill it. Cut all the funding and fire all the coaches, right?
Meanwhile, FH's starting Mr. Everything has a pulled groin?? Jesus God... only thing that heals that is time, guys. So my guess is they'll line him up at FB now too on top of everything else.
Most people are either concentrating on the kid or the program, but I want to add something... No water break is a big time no-no. That's not good for a coach. I'm not saying its unforgivable, but if an entire group was left without a break, that's bad.
I can see a kid or two slipping through if maybe they are working with two different groups. While he's working with the backs and ends the lineman get a break, and then while working with the lineman the backs and ends get a break.
If it was done as punishment, that's easily a fireable offense, and he should be gone. They arent the Band of Brothers running Currahee and Brian Hansel isnt David Schwimmer. The days of being able to do that sort of stuff are long gone.
I can see a kid or two slipping through if maybe they are working with two different groups. While he's working with the backs and ends the lineman get a break, and then while working with the lineman the backs and ends get a break.
If it was done as punishment, that's easily a fireable offense, and he should be gone. They arent the Band of Brothers running Currahee and Brian Hansel isnt David Schwimmer. The days of being able to do that sort of stuff are long gone.
I think the problem with these types of issues is more about the parents. This may have just been something that could have been handled between player and coach and worked out. But when you have the kids family posting stuff all over Facebook, it adds a whole new dimension to the issue.
Totally agree. But in today's society, even in an area of 20-some thousand people, attention and social media grabs really get people going for some reason.
Sidenote - we got one water break a practice, openly joked about it to the coaches every day, and still won a title. And that was wayyyyyyyyyy back in the early 2000s when we could still have 3-a-days.
The only thing that could make this better is for Lags to come in and tell us how his team all had to share one pair of cleats, no water breaks, had to eat salt tablets, walked to school 5 miles in the snow uphill both ways, the whole 9 yards.
JK with you Lags.. you know we love you, brother.
I did have to walk down Columbia Street, across the tracks.... over the bridge.... up those concrete steps and on up to Allegany. Some of those freakin' mornings were quite cold for a 7th grader. And... sometime in those years, I used to walk home. Get my bag. Walk back down across the tracks and get a load of newspapers to deliver.
Lest we forget the FH quarterback took a direct hit in the MR game after taking a knee on a sack. The defender was rather small. Imagine had the defender been a 300 lb.+ lineman.
Actually, I picked my papers up at a corner soda shop (name escapes me) it was across the street and up from the cycle shop.
If you quit on your brothers then stay gone.. Next man up even if it's a freshman.
Anybody Ready for Consolidation Yet? Cumberland City High, Queen City High??? Sounds Great to Me and way past it's due date.
The only thing that has stopped Consolidation from happening in Cumberland is 1 Football Game in November but it's really not even a Rivalry anymore, Fort Hill has Won the Past 14 Meetings Between the Two Schools. It's time............
Other Area's have grown and Cumberland just keeps getting smaller. If Larger Enrollments work in these other area's why can't it work Here?
School Enrollment Numbers
Martinsburg 1303
Jefferson 1579
Morgantown 1792
Altoona 1770
North Hagerstown 1327
South Hagerstown 1258
Hampshire 1011
Mountain ridge 825
Fort Hill 780
Allegany 671
1451 Total Combined for The Cumberland City Schools
The above Numbers are Current but the Cumberland Schools
is from 2016 so I would guess that there is less than 1451
as Cumberland is Dying Fast
The only thing that has stopped Consolidation from happening in Cumberland is 1 Football Game in November but it's really not even a Rivalry anymore, Fort Hill has Won the Past 14 Meetings Between the Two Schools. It's time............
Other Area's have grown and Cumberland just keeps getting smaller. If Larger Enrollments work in these other area's why can't it work Here?
School Enrollment Numbers
Martinsburg 1303
Jefferson 1579
Morgantown 1792
Altoona 1770
North Hagerstown 1327
South Hagerstown 1258
Hampshire 1011
Mountain ridge 825
Fort Hill 780
Allegany 671
1451 Total Combined for The Cumberland City Schools
The above Numbers are Current but the Cumberland Schools
is from 2016 so I would guess that there is less than 1451
as Cumberland is Dying Fast
You do understand that you just said the reason we don't cosolidate is because of a football game, but then turned around and said it's time to consolidate because football isn't competitive now.
Football or any sport will not be the reason.
The post makes no since, it’s because they lost to Boonsboro who they could have beat. Last year Boonsboro beat Allegany by a lot and Boonsboro had the same key players
Only Because I didn't write about my feelings on Consolidation before. Seriously Why Waste Money on Two Cumberland High Schools and 2 Middles Schools When we can Have 1 of Each and by Cutting a Middle and High School down save so much money. If all of these other area's can do it why wouldn't it be good for here?
I mean Cumberland and Allegany County Never looks ahead, they are stuck in the 70-80's.
Tourism is their first thought in everything, They built the Canal Place and The Shops don't do any business, now they want to spend Millions to open up the downtown mall, it doesn't matter what they do on the downtown mall 90% of Cumberland will never visit the downtown mall but they will still waste the money.
The Footer Dye Building will be another flop, People are just not going to those types of places in those types of area's. We used to have Businesses and Hot Dog Shops on Virginia Ave and Businesses and such on Williams st and Maryland Ave but people are not going to those places.
I live in Cumberland on the West Side when I do to Mcdonalds I Travel to Love's, When I go to Sheetz I travel to Lavale. Martins Market I go to Lavale, Those area's of these places in Cumberland are ridiculous but they keep Wasting money like the rolling mill project that blew up in their face.
There is No Good Jobs in Cumberland and there is No Good ones coming either, The People living in Cumberland will drop year after year and has been for 25 years. Places are Closing like The old Westvaco and Kopper's and that hurt a lot of people and unless you're ready to Retire You know many of them moved out of the area as BrianH would know
25 Years ago The Big thing in Cumberland was Homecoming with all the decorations all over town, the build up to the game, the families all getting together and the stadium being packed. Now there is about 5 houses with a few signs, a yard sign at each kids house done by the cheerleaders and then on Saturday Instead of 10-12k people there is 4-5k people and 14 Games altogether and Homecoming 11 STRAIGHT YEARS with one Team Always Winning, The Winning Team Having 40-50 kids and The Team across the field having about 20 kids each year and dressing a few underclassman to make it look like they have more kids.
This is from a Times News Article in 2017 and Statements from the former Goofball superintendent Cox
The school system has 8,133 students enrolled in kindergarten through 12th grade for the 2018 academic year.
That's 21 fewer students than 2017, 126 less than 2016 and 166 less than 2015.
"We are having very severe enrollment losses," Cox said during a Nov. 14 meeting. "We've had a number of kids move out of state."
The superintendent said the rapid enrollment decline has led to a few community "myths," such as the potential consolidation of Allegany and Fort Hill high schools.
"A conversation of consolidating Allegany and Fort Hill in two years doesn't make any sense," he said. "Even in 10 years, the conversation doesn't make sense."
One thing is for sure, the Board of Education could see about $150,000 less in state funding due to enrollment losses.
Take that a step further to Allegany County government, where enrollment loss could mean nearly $60,000 in additional revenue lost.
"The potential net effect," Cox said, "just keeping things at an estimate, a total reduction in revenues would be at about $214,000."
According to figures from the Maryland Department of Education, county schools losing the highest number of students are Washington Middle, the Center for Career and Technical Education and Cresaptown Elementary. South Penn Elementary and Allegany have had the largest gains. The numbers are based on five-year averages.
so Here We are almost 3 years later with Enrollment Numbers Still Dropping Now Fort Hill is The Smallest of the 3 STILL SMALL COUNTY SCHOOLS.
Other Area's are Growing and Building Schools for 1500 Kids in Each of them Yet We Still Have 3 Schools in The County with 600-700 kids in them. There is a Reason Why they Never Release the Enrollment Numbers, wikipedia still has numbers for 2016 yet look up any of those other Schools I posted and they are current Enrollment figures.
Cumberland has been dying a slow death ever since Kelly Springfield left. Consolidation probably should have happened right after that. No matter who is elected to the city or county, they seem unable or uninterested in bringing industry here. They should have made a big time push for the Amazon complex that ended up in NOVA or the one that PG County doesn't want. The prisons weren't the answer.
I'm on board with all that actually. Just saying sports should not be part of the consolidation discussion. you can take schools the size of Thomas Johnson and Frederick and see that athletics are terrible.
I just really believe that Sports (Homecoming) was the only reason it didn't happen for the past 10 years.
He may be a great kid but he's not a leader and he is a quitter.Leaders don't quit and that's exactly what he did.Where's the parents in this situation.Good parents don't let their kids quit.
Let's use a little common sense here, shall we? You have a stellar athlete, a kid who embodies everything a coach wants in a player. I think we all agree on that. He does the work year round, puts in his time in the weight room as is such a great example that he is elected captain as a junior. That's pretty impressive.
Good parents don't let their kids quit? Are you serious? With all the reports of long term injury and risk, good parents hate to let the kid even play tackle football. He made his choice, but you discount his reasons for making it.
Consider how long and hard he has worked. Consider he knows the effect it will have on his team, and himself. All we know is what is posted here, which is very vague. To some people is seems impossible that Coach Hansel would not be giving appropriate water breaks - if that is really the issue. To others this kid is written off as a traitor to his peers and their own feeble hopes of gridiron glory.
To me, it seems there had to be a tremendous breech of faith on the part of the coach(s) for this kid to quit. THAT is the issue that makes no sense. Losing a kid like this is a failure at the coaching level.
It is the failure of a coach who is under pressure because he will likely be the guy who turns off the lights on a long tradition. A little bit like the Last Viceroy of India - but more important. It is the failure of a coach who jumped foolishly into a half baked conspiracy theory launched by a disgruntled loser and smeared a distinguished coach of another team.
This player who quit may not be perfect, but to willingly demonize him and not look at the underlying issues as to WHY it happened is why programs fail. This is not "The Charge of the Light Brigade." We expect kids at this age to do what they believe is right. This kid did. Good on him. The question that needs to be asked is how did it get to this point? This is much more of a coaching problem than the faithful want to admit. This is not 1950. A coach leads his players by example and here the example failed. Horribly.
It is also amazing to me that this kid is demonized by name by a bunch of adults who are still in a frenzy because Coach Appel dogged a kid publicly about his grades.
If this was about water breaks, I wonder if Maryland would have been better off if someone stood up about it when Jordan McNair was still alive?
Just sayin . . .
So why did he quit? You obviously know why.
I honestly do not know why. All I know is what I see here. Reasons have been posted, but they may be true or they may not, or there may be several issues not known. My point is what this kid did defies logic and common sense, to quit for no reason. My point is the reason falls on the coaches. If your best kid leaves, your ship is taking on water, and that is the issue that is not being addressed.
I have not talked to anyone from any school, no coaches, parents, players. I have not read anything on any other social media platforms - no Facebook, Twitter, no Snaps or Instagram. I'm looking at what this forum posts and the outrageous hypocrisy in the response to a player who apparently was an important part of a storied program.
I'm not calling for anyone's head - I respect the massive work Coach Hansel does. His reputation is really good, overall. But this is a failure on his part that needs to be addressed. I find it impossible to believe this kid asked for anything unreasonable, or unfair, but at some point the response to it was perceived as grossly wrong.
The kid may not be perfect, but coaches are supposed to teach and lead, and I don't see that here.
I heard that he ask the hc for a meeting about the linemen only getting 1 water break on a hot humid day that a couple got sick the hc never showed and he quit. Weather thats true or not i don't know just what i was told
