Here we go again. The annual high school football exercise of getting players to fill in teams.
Football is the hardest sport to prepare for. It requires the largest roster (preferably 30+ players), the most equipment, more logistics and more game-planning than any other sport.
Having it in the 1st Quarter causes several obstacles, mainly the lack of participation. The students who want to play football will make it a point to come out for the team towards the end of the summer before school opens. But that’s only a hand full, especially for the not-so-successful programs. Sometimes it takes peer pressure and fellow student encouragement to have the guts to go out and play the game. That takes at least a few weeks into the school year. All of these examples have been played out for a couple of generations in Guam already!
The season is supposed to start by now. One northern team is lacking players because they can’t find rides to practice. Another central team just found a head coach and started practice this week. Latest word is that kickoff will be on September 13.
Another factor is that the youth league just ended. A few of the GYNFF Matua division players are eligible to play in high school and are just now crossing over, but at what cost? These players (and some coaches) have been practicing and playing for their youth teams since April.
Just two seasons ago, the league was forced to move to the 4th Quarter because of the delay of equipment. What happened? Teams had so many players, coaches didn’t know what to do with them. One team had 80 players come out. Another team that usually could barely sport 25 players suddenly had over 60. A good problem to have.
What happened then? League officials already were planning to move football back to the 1st Quarter the very next school year, not giving the chance to evaluate the pros and cons of holding it in the 4th Quarter.
GSPN Suggestion
4th Quarter was much better than 1st Quarter. Heck, any quarter is better than the 1st Quarter for football. Why?
- Coaches can recruit players easier because school is in session
- More preparation time
- Youth football players and coaches have time to take a break after a long summer of football
We think 3rd Quarter would be the best placement for the sport. That two-week break for Christmas is the ideal window for coaches to work on the conditioning and game-planning with little to no academic interruption.
So, what sport would be affected? Boys basketball could easily be moved to the 1st Quarter. Basketball is played year-round, doesn’t have major logistical requirements to move and would have the least affect on that sport.
The football purest don’t care when the season happens, they just want to play. But some serious thought can make the product on the field that much better.
