It's hard to find good games anymore at the high school level. Silver Oak was gawd awful. It's gotten so old. FH has been up 35-0 in the first qtr 3 weeks in a row. First freaking quarter!! It will be the same for the next 5 weeks. Horrible and it isn't just 1A anymore. The haves and have nots gap is huge. Hard to watch. Thank gawd for cell phones in the stadium.
The talent gap in football has gotten ugly
- Thread starter BrianH1974
- Start date
I dont think it's a player talent gap. I personally think it's a coaching gap for the most part. The majority of these 1A school that are good year in and year out have long tenure talented coaching staffs and they get the kids to buy in.....
Catoctin is small, but a overall quick team.....they dont run a lot of plays on offense but the ones they do are executed to perfection......very well coached.
Last year I was told by friends in that area that they would beat FH in the Region Championship game. I watched film to see what they had. They were a decent team with a good QB. I think he is gone. We got pressure on him early and he made some costly first half mistakes. Our offense was dominant at that point and we blew the doors off them. However, they made plays early on us, just couldn’t finish a drive. They are well coached and relevant. Can’t take them lightly. We don’t have the Defensive pressure we had last year. So what am I saying, I’m saying it has the makings for a good game. I still believe we are 2 td better. As for my friend from Frederick county who said they would beat us, tell him to call me I miss talking to him.
I was at the Williamsport vs Catoctin game last night. Williamsport has a lot more talent across the board than Catoctin but Coaching is severely lacking. If Williamsport would have lined up in a I formation and ran it down their throat all game it would have been very close. Williamsport had 3 turnovers on first 3 possessions and played right into Catoctins hands.
Fort Hill is still a 2 - 3 td better team than Catoctin.....not trying to be mean it's just how it is.
1A outside of a few teams is going to be a crapshoot in the playoffs. CSD has a good record but eastern shore football is worse than usual and outside of week 9 against Easton will avoid the few decent teams over there. Baltimore County football outside of Franklin in 3A is horrific from 1A to 4A. I wouldn’t be surprised at all if Loch Raven, which will probably end up as the 1 seed in 1A south with that schedule loses the 1-8 game against either Largo or McDonough, and if it’s Largo as the 8 seed I’d almost call that game a coin flip. In the North Dunbar and Edmondson are the best in that region and play each other next week. What shakes out after the first two rounds with the re-seeding is going to be key to how competitive the final is with whoever is there because with the disparity in schedule strength showing up in the points system with weaker teams having better records the best 4 or 5 teams in 1A might meet in the 3rd and 4th playoff games before the finals.
There is talent gaps in almost every geographical area in football, not just in Maryland in 1A but another example is Martinsburg in WV AAA. I have friends in some other states and they too are seeing it. I would venture to say it is part coaching as stated above and also part parents wanting their kids to play "at the best football school" in the area.
It's not just football it happens in other sports too. 15-20 years ago these things were rare. Sports is at the forefront of our society and everyone wants to associate with a winner. Another factor is declining populations in econically depressed areas. (Cumberland) so you have less kids to choose from.
I get concerned that kids in these areas get frustrated with getting physically hammered in football and then do one of two things: A) quite playing and do nothing or B) find another fall sport to play.
It's not just football it happens in other sports too. 15-20 years ago these things were rare. Sports is at the forefront of our society and everyone wants to associate with a winner. Another factor is declining populations in econically depressed areas. (Cumberland) so you have less kids to choose from.
I get concerned that kids in these areas get frustrated with getting physically hammered in football and then do one of two things: A) quite playing and do nothing or B) find another fall sport to play.
What 1A schools are you talking about? There are no 1A schools that are going to beat Fort Hill or Dunbar in the playoffs. The original poster is correct, but 1A has the most glaring talent gap.
Top 5 1A schools are probably in some order: Dunbar, Catoctin, Gwynn Park, Fort Hill, Edmondson/Fairmont Heights. If those schools, if you put them in plain uniforms with the same everything else, Fort Hill is probably the best team but they have probably more of mental block than a physical/talent block with Dunbar. I would absolutely favor Gwynn Park to beat Dunbar in Baltimore but wouldn’t think they beat Fort Hill. In a lot of ways this year’s Gwynn Park is last year’s Douglass, a young team with great, long tenured coaching that has experience beating Dunbar (and in the case of Gwynn Park beating Fort Hill the one time their head coach played them however long ago). I believe Catoctin/Edmondson beat any team outside that top group and could cause problems in that top group.
UGH! SOME TRUTHS WITHOUT SUGAR COATING - Be careful what you read
I'm not going to sugar coat what I feel. Let me take the red & white blinders off for a moment - which few are capable of doing in South Cumberland - and then move on to lay the same criticism of everyone. You're not going to like it.......
The bottom line is that Fort Hill will put a running clock on 6 of its 9 opponents this regular season. Extremely UGLY running clocks. Like the OP says...complete blow outs before the 1st quarter is over. While Morgantown and Hollidaysburg were almost running clocks. I said before August got here and before FH picked up Cathedral Prep, that this was the worst FH home schedule in the history of the school easily. That was when Capital Christian was still a football team and the Week 5 home opponent. Granted, no one felt Morgantown would be this bad (and they really should not be this bad). Hollidaysburg is a great team to have and to hold on to at all cost. But after four years of never seeing the Golden Tigers be remotely close vs. FH heading into the 4th quarter, it is safe to assume they are not going to push a team the caliber of FH.
Point being, I had absolutely ZERO interest in that Silver Oak game last night at Greenway after the first 8 minutes. As you look around at the look on the faces of every single fan you easily saw the same. Didn't even feel like you were at a football game but more like watching a paid programming infomercial trying to sell cosmetics that make you look 20 years younger. I had ZERO interest in that Southern game after the first 8 minutes. Rest assured, I will likely have ZERO interest the next two games after the first 8 minutes. Again, I'm not the only one. At least 30-40 people were grumbling last night leaving Greenway wondering why they even waste their time each week seeing blow outs in the first quarter. Fullback, Rocket, Sweep, 0 passing game until the other team is bludgeoned to death before halftime. What I say is absolutely on the harsh side. But I don't apologize for saying publicly what everyone else feels. This is a game for the players and the coaches have to put in the time...but none of this exists without the FH community. We are all in this together - some not so much - but many who are for a lot longer than I have been alive.
If I had my druthers, and I do not, FH would not be playing Cathedral Prep (more on that in a moment). I have no problem with a Silver Oak, Capital Christian, Green Street Academy -- but not all 3 in the same season, especially at home. I get it the way the playoffs used to be. Since everyone in every state at the 1A level avoids Fort Hill like the plague, the other better 1A MPSSAA teams just work on out pointing everyone by beating the 1A equivalent of Silver Oak, Capital Christian and Green Street Academy. This has limited FH with their scheduling flexibility. This should not be the case anymore with the new playoff system. It's time to drop Cathedral Prep and add a multiple combination of teams that can at least keep the game fairly close heading into the last quarter. I honestly don't know what has been worse...watching FH get beat 48-14 by Cathedral Prep or watching FH beat teams 35-0 in the first quarter.
But this problem does not fall solely on FH. Where is Keyser? Keyser dropping FH is a complete joke and I'm not even going there as it deserves a thread all to its own. But when I see Keyser in the pee wee and youth league playoffs competing this weekend I get disgusted. When I see Keyser slamming lowly opponents 65-0 week in and out like FH does it gets disgusting. Shame on Keyser. Seriously. Where is Catoctin and Boonsboro? Shame on them. Where is Walkersville, Urbana, Linganore, Oakdale on the FH schedule? Shame on FH. The blame needs to continue getting pushed around until teams like FH, Keyser and Catoctin are not beating every team senseless. So what I am saying is that FH seriously needs to never put Cathedral Prep or DeMatha on the schedule after 2020 and go get 2-3 opponents that are at least on some form of equal competitiveness. The new playoff format should allow for it. Yea, yea, yea...then FH might have to go on the road for a playoff game for the first time in a decade. Keyser has been crying the same blues for that same decade. Sad what we have become.
And while I am grumbling right now (but honestly I am not grumpy this Saturday morning, it's just that someone has to say it) ) let's not leave the big dog Martinsburg out of this complaint. This team has won a record 49 straight games now. Does everyone know that not one time in that stretch has Martinsburg played a team that was the favorite going in? Think about that. 49 games where you are the favorite. In at least 40 of those games Martinsburg has been a 5+ touchdown favorite. I get that they have to play the teams in their conference. But instead of playing OOC teams like Woodson and some other DC public school every year, could they at least one time, ONE TIME pick up a team that would require Martinsburg to play their best game just to keep it close? We know the type of teams I'm talking about. The answer is no the Bulldogs can't. They might have to risk losing or travel for a playoff game.
And while we are talking about teams that continually come up in every FH discussion...the Dunbar schedule is disgusting. Whatever...more schedule debates I guess. I see it as more than just a football problem. I see it as a snowflake world of what kids are doing in life and it is our fault (the adults that is).
But back to Cumberland...These five straight first quarter massacres are horrible. A couple of these games are OK but not a full run of them. There I said it. You could hear everyone last night about 8:00 pm saying it either out loud or under their breath. I also said I wasn't going to sugar coat things with this post. Staying on this level, what everyone else at Greenway was wondering with this bewildered look on their bored face was how Silver Oak was able to beat Alco 54-28. I have no words that can explain it although many have tried. I get that the already tiny Alco roster is now void of about 6-7 starters for various reasons...just expect the smallest crowd in Homecoming history November 2 by a landslide.
Ugh!
I'm not going to sugar coat what I feel. Let me take the red & white blinders off for a moment - which few are capable of doing in South Cumberland - and then move on to lay the same criticism of everyone. You're not going to like it.......
The bottom line is that Fort Hill will put a running clock on 6 of its 9 opponents this regular season. Extremely UGLY running clocks. Like the OP says...complete blow outs before the 1st quarter is over. While Morgantown and Hollidaysburg were almost running clocks. I said before August got here and before FH picked up Cathedral Prep, that this was the worst FH home schedule in the history of the school easily. That was when Capital Christian was still a football team and the Week 5 home opponent. Granted, no one felt Morgantown would be this bad (and they really should not be this bad). Hollidaysburg is a great team to have and to hold on to at all cost. But after four years of never seeing the Golden Tigers be remotely close vs. FH heading into the 4th quarter, it is safe to assume they are not going to push a team the caliber of FH.
Point being, I had absolutely ZERO interest in that Silver Oak game last night at Greenway after the first 8 minutes. As you look around at the look on the faces of every single fan you easily saw the same. Didn't even feel like you were at a football game but more like watching a paid programming infomercial trying to sell cosmetics that make you look 20 years younger. I had ZERO interest in that Southern game after the first 8 minutes. Rest assured, I will likely have ZERO interest the next two games after the first 8 minutes. Again, I'm not the only one. At least 30-40 people were grumbling last night leaving Greenway wondering why they even waste their time each week seeing blow outs in the first quarter. Fullback, Rocket, Sweep, 0 passing game until the other team is bludgeoned to death before halftime. What I say is absolutely on the harsh side. But I don't apologize for saying publicly what everyone else feels. This is a game for the players and the coaches have to put in the time...but none of this exists without the FH community. We are all in this together - some not so much - but many who are for a lot longer than I have been alive.
If I had my druthers, and I do not, FH would not be playing Cathedral Prep (more on that in a moment). I have no problem with a Silver Oak, Capital Christian, Green Street Academy -- but not all 3 in the same season, especially at home. I get it the way the playoffs used to be. Since everyone in every state at the 1A level avoids Fort Hill like the plague, the other better 1A MPSSAA teams just work on out pointing everyone by beating the 1A equivalent of Silver Oak, Capital Christian and Green Street Academy. This has limited FH with their scheduling flexibility. This should not be the case anymore with the new playoff system. It's time to drop Cathedral Prep and add a multiple combination of teams that can at least keep the game fairly close heading into the last quarter. I honestly don't know what has been worse...watching FH get beat 48-14 by Cathedral Prep or watching FH beat teams 35-0 in the first quarter.
But this problem does not fall solely on FH. Where is Keyser? Keyser dropping FH is a complete joke and I'm not even going there as it deserves a thread all to its own. But when I see Keyser in the pee wee and youth league playoffs competing this weekend I get disgusted. When I see Keyser slamming lowly opponents 65-0 week in and out like FH does it gets disgusting. Shame on Keyser. Seriously. Where is Catoctin and Boonsboro? Shame on them. Where is Walkersville, Urbana, Linganore, Oakdale on the FH schedule? Shame on FH. The blame needs to continue getting pushed around until teams like FH, Keyser and Catoctin are not beating every team senseless. So what I am saying is that FH seriously needs to never put Cathedral Prep or DeMatha on the schedule after 2020 and go get 2-3 opponents that are at least on some form of equal competitiveness. The new playoff format should allow for it. Yea, yea, yea...then FH might have to go on the road for a playoff game for the first time in a decade. Keyser has been crying the same blues for that same decade. Sad what we have become.
And while I am grumbling right now (but honestly I am not grumpy this Saturday morning, it's just that someone has to say it) ) let's not leave the big dog Martinsburg out of this complaint. This team has won a record 49 straight games now. Does everyone know that not one time in that stretch has Martinsburg played a team that was the favorite going in? Think about that. 49 games where you are the favorite. In at least 40 of those games Martinsburg has been a 5+ touchdown favorite. I get that they have to play the teams in their conference. But instead of playing OOC teams like Woodson and some other DC public school every year, could they at least one time, ONE TIME pick up a team that would require Martinsburg to play their best game just to keep it close? We know the type of teams I'm talking about. The answer is no the Bulldogs can't. They might have to risk losing or travel for a playoff game.
And while we are talking about teams that continually come up in every FH discussion...the Dunbar schedule is disgusting. Whatever...more schedule debates I guess. I see it as more than just a football problem. I see it as a snowflake world of what kids are doing in life and it is our fault (the adults that is).
But back to Cumberland...These five straight first quarter massacres are horrible. A couple of these games are OK but not a full run of them. There I said it. You could hear everyone last night about 8:00 pm saying it either out loud or under their breath. I also said I wasn't going to sugar coat things with this post. Staying on this level, what everyone else at Greenway was wondering with this bewildered look on their bored face was how Silver Oak was able to beat Alco 54-28. I have no words that can explain it although many have tried. I get that the already tiny Alco roster is now void of about 6-7 starters for various reasons...just expect the smallest crowd in Homecoming history November 2 by a landslide.
Ugh!
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Truer words have never been spoken on this forum. For the second time in more than 20 years, I wont be there. If I was a player for Allegany, I might think about not going either.
Well I just read your entire post, which is very hard for me as it was so long. Lol. So much truth in it and I enjoyed it! If this schedule keeps up in the next couple years you will see very little support from Fort Hill fans out of sheer boredom. Mark my words. It’s really sad to because Fort Hill would absolutely be competitive and probably beat the top 2a and 3a teams in md. If forthill played even 4 competitive games. Please please schedule any of the following 4 or 5. Rockville, Linganore, South Hagerstown, Damascus, Potomac,Walkersville,Middletown, Oakdale, Douglas pg, lacky, or Milford mill. I believe the stadium would be full again.
I’m glad you brought up the Martinsburg football team too. That one absolutely makes no sense. They really are a great football team no doubt, they have a great running game and passing game. Why won’t they play a great team and find out how good they really are. Season after season they go undefeated. What would it matter if they lost one or two games. They can go on the road in West Virginia and absolutely demolish any wv team. Instead we have to get on this thread and argue about how they would do against great football teams like Cathedral prep!!!
I’m glad you brought up the Martinsburg football team too. That one absolutely makes no sense. They really are a great football team no doubt, they have a great running game and passing game. Why won’t they play a great team and find out how good they really are. Season after season they go undefeated. What would it matter if they lost one or two games. They can go on the road in West Virginia and absolutely demolish any wv team. Instead we have to get on this thread and argue about how they would do against great football teams like Cathedral prep!!!
My first reaction when I heard that Fort Hill was playing ECP was WTF!!!!!!!! Have the Todd's lost their minds? I knew of ECP's rep and the quality of football they played. That being said I really hope FH honors the contract and goes up there next year. With the youth and inexperience and smallish lines of FH this year that score should have surprised no one. Although our friend Boyz/DCsid went on the MOCO board the week of the game and said Fort Hill was the favorite 
FH did have around 350 yds total offense in that game so they did move the ball against an obviously superior opponent.
No reason Catoctin and Boonsboro shouldn't be playing Fort Hill. They have both played Mountain Ridge so distance isn't an issue. Middletown and or Walkersville should be there too.
I also hope Hollidaysburg remains on the schedule. They just haven't had the athletes Fort Hill has had. But I can remember when they won 3 of the 4 games they played from 1988-1991. Did Calhoun feel he just couldn't compete with them?
On the WV board, some still clamor for FH and Martinsburg to resume. The Dogs are as far above Fort Hill now as ECP is. But when you mention why Martinsburg isn't playing similar sized public's and privates in Md, you usually get silence.
Keyser and Fort Hill this season would be a Homecoming sized gate. On one hand I can understand Biser's reasoning. Enough of the three and four hour trips for their fans in the playoffs. On the other, the years they could play with and or beat FH he would have to believe that he had a team that had a real shot at WV AA.
Like others, I sat in the stadium last night and thought how in the hell could Silver Oak beat Allegany like they did? You can point to all the season ending injuries, but they had those players when they were embarrassed by Mountain Ridge. Allegany's defense has been sieve like the last three years. What's up with that? Is Foley coaching?
FH did have around 350 yds total offense in that game so they did move the ball against an obviously superior opponent.No reason Catoctin and Boonsboro shouldn't be playing Fort Hill. They have both played Mountain Ridge so distance isn't an issue. Middletown and or Walkersville should be there too.
I also hope Hollidaysburg remains on the schedule. They just haven't had the athletes Fort Hill has had. But I can remember when they won 3 of the 4 games they played from 1988-1991. Did Calhoun feel he just couldn't compete with them?
On the WV board, some still clamor for FH and Martinsburg to resume. The Dogs are as far above Fort Hill now as ECP is. But when you mention why Martinsburg isn't playing similar sized public's and privates in Md, you usually get silence.
Keyser and Fort Hill this season would be a Homecoming sized gate. On one hand I can understand Biser's reasoning. Enough of the three and four hour trips for their fans in the playoffs. On the other, the years they could play with and or beat FH he would have to believe that he had a team that had a real shot at WV AA.
Like others, I sat in the stadium last night and thought how in the hell could Silver Oak beat Allegany like they did? You can point to all the season ending injuries, but they had those players when they were embarrassed by Mountain Ridge. Allegany's defense has been sieve like the last three years. What's up with that? Is Foley coaching?
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I see it as more than just a football problem. I see it as a snowflake world of what kids are doing in life and it is the our fault (the adults that is).
How sad. As I have posted before, a striking memory of my youth was going up to my grandparent's family farm in PA and seeing my 80 year old grandmother walking behind a single bladed plow pulled by a mule. While wearing an old time, full length dress and bonnet, she smiled and said, "I'm just puttin' in a small garden." Hard scrabble folks with great dignity. Just a few generations later look at our people.
Too many of today's youth and young adults are pampered and entitled, yet claim to be victimized by something... almost anything. They parrot boring race, class and gender bromides that are neither interesting nor funny. Even from our best colleges we are turning out nothing but thin-skinned scolds.
And no... I don't feel it is my fault. I didn't raise my sons that way.
My first reaction when I heard that Fort Hill was playing ECP was WTF!!!!!!!! Have the Todd's lost their minds? I knew of ECP's rep and the quality of football they played. That being said I really hope FH honors the contract and goes up there next year. With the youth and inexperience and smallish lines of FH this year that score should have surprised no one. Although our friend Boyz/DCsid went on the MOCO board the week of the game and said Fort Hill was the favorite
No reason Catoctin and Boonsboro shouldn't be playing Fort Hill. They have both played Mountain Ridge so distance isn't an issue. Middletown and or Walkersville should be there too.
I also hope Hollidaysburg remains on the schedule. They just haven't had the athletes Fort Hill has had. But I can remember when they won 3 of the 4 games they played from 1988-1991. Did Calhoun feel he just couldn't compete with them?
On the WV board, some still clamor for FH and Martinsburg to resume. The Dogs are as far above Fort Hill now as ECP is. But when you mention why Martinsburg isn't playing similar sized public's and privates in Md, you usually get silence.
Keyser and Fort Hill this season would be a Homecoming sized gate. On one hand I can understand Biser's reasoning. Enough of the three and four hour trips for their fans in the playoffs. On the other, the years they could play with and or beat FH he would have to believe that he had a team that had a real shot at WV AA.
Like others, I sat in the stadium last night and thought how in the hell could Silver Oak beat Allegany like they did? You can point to all the season ending injuries, but they had those players when they were embarrassed by Mountain Ridge. Allegany's defense has been sieve like the last three years. What's up with that? Is Foley coaching?
Allegany has lost all its talent. They even had to pull their final starting defensive back to linebacker for the SO game. They are playing with their friggin' JV team. Get off the damn coaching shit. You red-jackets run that coaching crap like a constant puffed up, pucker-up to Appel's ass. You all come across like some institutionalized, mumbling, lobotomized sot... "We all got same... Appel just... feel sorry... same kids...."
Institutionalized.... now lags that is funny. It does appear that way with some though. In honor of Alco and the history there I will say GO BIG BLUE!
What I posted was mostly on a negative note, but it is true to a large degree. There are way more positive things I can say about FH, Keyser, Martinsburg, Catoctin, etc. So look at my thoughts as a way I see the world that needs fixing sometimes. As I type this I am also texting with a good friend Matt Redinger the AD at Southern. He says he has never seen anything in his life with what Tucker County went through yesterday. He chalks it up to how far removed some teams are from football and he is concerned about his own school as he always is because he wants good things for his student-athletes.
I bring this up because both of us agree the future for small school football looks difficult with no out other than watching schools fold the program. With that said, neither of us have any issue with a co-op situation where we see teams like Northern and Southern combining for one football team while the schools remain separate. Or like Hancock and Clear Spring doing the same. It is important to keep sports options open for those that do want to play. Just like Matt mentioned about Alco wrestling. If they only have 3 kids that want to wrestle but not enough kids to have a team, they should be allowed to combine with someone like FH for wrestling. PA already does this for schools that don't offer a certain sport.
Not saying any of this will come about but it doesn't hurt at least thinking outside the box.
I bring this up because both of us agree the future for small school football looks difficult with no out other than watching schools fold the program. With that said, neither of us have any issue with a co-op situation where we see teams like Northern and Southern combining for one football team while the schools remain separate. Or like Hancock and Clear Spring doing the same. It is important to keep sports options open for those that do want to play. Just like Matt mentioned about Alco wrestling. If they only have 3 kids that want to wrestle but not enough kids to have a team, they should be allowed to combine with someone like FH for wrestling. PA already does this for schools that don't offer a certain sport.
Not saying any of this will come about but it doesn't hurt at least thinking outside the box.
Well I didn't mean it as in you - one person. I meant as a whole society our own age group is letting the world down now that we are the decision makers. Kids are born kids the last century or more. They only become what we make them. And so...I am looking in the mirror.
Now that I have a grand son playing pee wee football, I see it more than ever. So many parents will send their little one to whatever team they think he has the best shot at being a starter, or that will not be screwed by a certain coach they may not like. It's insane. It's even worse in little league baseball and basketball where we have more teams to bounce around on.
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South Hagerstown will not play FH. I have first hand knowledge directly from their AD. They would rather play beatable 3A teams or local teams that are beatable despite the above average gate money from a FH game. I don’t see the new expanded playoff system changing SHHS’s position. I don’t know about all of the the other teams but I believe most would sign with FH, except for PG schools who require that they get paid to travel outside of a 50 mile radius.
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Last night was hard to watch. You and I had the same looks on our face. Don't get me wrong, I love just being there to be with friends and loved ones eating stadium pie and drinking hot chocolate. But as for the game itself...well I said it already. I do agree with Coach Apple in his post game...Silver Oak is a great lesson for everyone so my statements do not dismiss the good things many don't see at a game other than down and distance.
"Allegany lost all its talent". WTF? Way to speak positively about the team that remains. So who exactly was "all their talent".
Allegany is playing with a frighten jv team. Isn't Silver Oak? They only have there kids for less than 2 years. Wouldn't that make them freshman and sophomores?. Low numbers at Allegany is an excuse but the question was asked why Carr hasn't been coach of the year because he finds a way to produce a winning team in the same situation.
Allegany is playing with a frighten jv team. Isn't Silver Oak? They only have there kids for less than 2 years. Wouldn't that make them freshman and sophomores?. Low numbers at Allegany is an excuse but the question was asked why Carr hasn't been coach of the year because he finds a way to produce a winning team in the same situation.
I didn't take it that way. It's just.... some of us spent our lives rowing against the tide. I stopped saying things like, "Well, that will never happen." - 'cause I found out too many times it had already happened. I just didn't know about it yet.
When they finally throw the switch and we lose the rest of what we have, the next generation will never even know what they lost.
Your right, I was there just for the support of the program. Just to put a body in the seat and for the simple reason I am a FH alum and a diehard. The stadium was silent for many parts of the game. The FH players did not even look excited to be out there at times. Many of our friends that are ardent supporters of the program did not even react to FH’s touchdowns in an excited manner. Some claps here and there, etc., but often times just nothing. It was eerily quite at points during this game.
The Washington County teams want nothing to do with Fort Hill (I have talked to coaches of admin at Williamsport, Smithsburg, North and South Hagerstown) but some of the Frederick County might . Those teams have followings which helps the gate and concessions.
SOA juveniles are there for usually less than 12 months; some longer due disciplinary problems but I do not know any that have played more than one year at SOA before completing the program or getting detained. Many of their players have never played high school football and if there is any high school experience it it rarely at a varsity level. Many of these kids before they are placed are chronically truant and very resistant to organized structure or rigid discipline.
I have personally known two players that have played for SOA that played FH at Greenway. One never played football outside of a few JV practices. He was a SOA starting DT and backup RB. The other had Pop Warner and middle school experience and two JV games. He ended up at SOA as the starting QB, having never played QB before.
It’s very very sad that they beat Allegheny. Just as sad that people in the area don’t realize that this is a coaching problem
Thank you!! Finally someone else that gets it!! I've been to multiple games this year.....Catoctin vs Williamsport......on paper and overall talent Williamsport should pound Catoctin.....bigger lines.....more speed.....its coaching guys! Your top programs all have too notch coaching staffs. Now I'm not saying that some programs dont stack talent, but that's not the norm.
Everyone understands that the nightmare Alco is dealing with in regards to numbers, youth, injuries, quitting, etc. is a very difficult situation. But there is no way in hell Silver Oak and their 14 man roster complete with sand lot offense has any bisiness beating Alco yet alone by laying 54 points on the Campers.
WTF? Way to speak positively about the team that remains.
They moved up their JV team. They lost their varsity talent.
Low numbers at Allegany is an excuse
Speak positively? Low numbers is an excuse? Are you fuggin' for real? Yes.... Yes you are... what you are.
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As Allegany antagonists you fuggin' red-jackets see what the hell you want to see.
Everyone understands that the nightmare Alco is dealing with...
No you don't understand. You don't have a clue. You don't even suspect a clue (as Yogi Berra would say). For you, it's just another segue into pouring shit on the other school.
If you had a modicum of class you would express sadness for a rival and move the fug on. But no.... It's like... "I don unner stan... that shit progrum... coachin' n kids... shuldn' lose... us's with Appel... now that thar.... git'n rings."
Let's see: how good would FH be if it didn't have 9 of its starters (actually it looks like 10 - see the below post), including the loss of probably the best running back in the area.
Well, since FH is two competitive teams deep at the varsity level, they would at least be competitive. They would even have a solid JV team to move up talent if needed. Hell, their freshman team could fill in at JV.
But Allegany, since the Robinette years, has had no real second team bench. They have no freshman team and had a thin JV team. There are freshman starting on the varsity level as I understand. Many of them playing out of position.
So, you it's coaching fanatics can go-shit-in-your-hat with that.
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Looking in the mirror again Lag?
Defense has been Allegany's biggest problem the last three years. You're saying it's not coaching, so you would rather throw the players under the bus? We had a player post on here earlier about coaching issues there, but it's not the coaching that's responsible for the dwindling numbers right?
Looking in the mirror again Lag?
Defense has been Allegany's biggest problem the last three years. You're saying it's not coaching, so you would rather throw the players under the bus? We had a player post on here earlier about coaching issues there, but it's not the coaching that's responsible for the dwindling numbers right?
I am not typing this to convince you or any other smug, callus red-jacket. This is just, once again, for my pleasure in doing so:
Once again:
With talent and coaching they beat Dunbar in a season opener. But because they have not had the depth they always end up, banged up, losing, usually twice, to FH - who has all the depth Cumberland can provide. Today's kids would rather quit than lose to a crosstown rival like that, especially one that has bench-sitters getting championship rings.
Of the talented sophomore class, after the last 38 - 0 loss to FH, 4 quit. Their fastest running back out because of grades. Two more quit during the season - one was the best lineman. (reportedly they didn't get water... I guess like Robinette, Bratton et al, never got water). Follow with 3 serious injuries (adding up to a total loss of starters that looks like 10) and no bench depth and you have a broken team that cannot be fixed with a weak JV team.
We have been over this.... and over this.... and over this. (Wasn't the last Alco victory over FH at Homecoming due to a single lineman going down?) Your broad brush statement about defense and coaching when Allegany is barely hanging on to a broken team is down right pathetic, to say the least. But a lack of shame has always been a red-jacket characteristic.
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Even prior to calling up their " fuggin" jv team.Allegany had low numbers that was used as an excuse. But, if you have an adaquit number of players, they are " bench sitters".
Allegany beat Dunbar in the season opener, but, loosing to Silver Oak should balance that out.
Allegany beat Dunbar in the season opener, but, loosing to Silver Oak should balance that out.
Since your into old quotes,
My grandmother could beat Silver Oak With one hand tied behind her back.
I'm not pouring shit on anyone. Silver Oak has 14 players with both cornerbacks playing offensive tackle. I don't care what kids aren't on the Alco varsity, that was inexcusable.
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