Oberlin cancels game because of injuries.

T

tom 48

Well-known member
Citing injuries and low attendance at football practices this week, Oberlin City Schools said Thursday morning it is cancelling Friday’s home football game against Wellington. Athletic director Bryce Johnson classified the cancellation as a potential postponement with hopes of rescheduling it.

www.cleveland.com

Oberlin cancels football game vs. Wellington, citing lack of players

This is the second high school football game canceled around Northeast Ohio for Friday night.
www.cleveland.com www.cleveland.com
 
 
tom 48 said:
Citing injuries and low attendance at football practices this week, Oberlin City Schools said Thursday morning it is cancelling Friday’s home football game against Wellington. Athletic director Bryce Johnson classified the cancellation as a potential postponement with hopes of rescheduling it.

www.cleveland.com

Oberlin cancels football game vs. Wellington, citing lack of players

This is the second high school football game canceled around Northeast Ohio for Friday night.
www.cleveland.com www.cleveland.com
Click to expand...
As someone posted in the Euclid/Solon thread, there may be a fear that this will become an acceptable trend. Sigh. Safety is always a concern and should be addressed. If you'll allow me to fast forward or even place the cart before the horse - perhaps to avoid cancellations due to numbers, schools could be encouraged/(dare I say required) to play 8-man if your roster is at a certain amount of players where injuries could potentially place your team in this situation as a season progresses. By saying this I am EQUATING one team's safety with another team's experience (the game itself, homecoming/senior night, gate and concessions, etc.) I'm dreaming of a world where game cancellations do not exist. We're already experiencing a shortage of officials and freely canceling games certainly exacerbates this challenge.
 
crudog said:
As someone posted in the Euclid/Solon thread, there may be a fear that this will become an acceptable trend. Sigh. Safety is always a concern and should be addressed. If you'll allow me to fast forward or even place the cart before the horse - perhaps to avoid cancellations due to numbers, schools could be encouraged/(dare I say required) to play 8-man if your roster is at a certain amount of players where injuries could potentially place your team in this situation as a season progresses. By saying this I am EQUATING one team's safety with another team's experience (the game itself, homecoming/senior night, gate and concessions, etc.) I'm dreaming of a world where game cancellations do not exist. We're already experiencing a shortage of officials and freely canceling games certainly exacerbates this challenge.
Click to expand...
This is different than Euclid. Nobody anticipates a shootout in the stands in Oberlin or Wellington. Football at Oberlin used to be pretty good until the 2000s. It’s barely hanging on now.
 
How are the numbers overall in HS football? I only follow the larger public school conferences (Suburban League & Greater Cleveland League primarily) and D1 & 2 privates (mainly Ed's, Hoban and Walsh in particular). I've seen about 10 games so far this year and have watched clips/highlights of around another 20. And with the exception of the private schools, it seems the sidelines are a little more sparse than they have been in previous years. I could be wrong. Could just be my imagination.
 
Rosters, as well as attendance, is down for football at most schools compared to 10 years ago and way down compared to the years prior to that.
 
There is a little D4 school in Cincinnati that has about 100 Kids (or more) on their roster if you combine the Freshmen squad with the varsity.

*102
 
Last edited:
crudog said:
As someone posted in the Euclid/Solon thread, there may be a fear that this will become an acceptable trend. Sigh. Safety is always a concern and should be addressed. If you'll allow me to fast forward or even place the cart before the horse - perhaps to avoid cancellations due to numbers, schools could be encouraged/(dare I say required) to play 8-man if your roster is at a certain amount of players where injuries could potentially place your team in this situation as a season progresses. By saying this I am EQUATING one team's safety with another team's experience (the game itself, homecoming/senior night, gate and concessions, etc.) I'm dreaming of a world where game cancellations do not exist. We're already experiencing a shortage of officials and freely canceling games certainly exacerbates this challenge.
Click to expand...
It already is acceptable and has passed by being a trend a while ago. The ohsaa allows teams to just not play if they decide not too anytime they want without consequences. "Injuries" is the go to excuse.
 
Irwin20 said:
There is a little D4 school in Cincinnati that has about 100 Kids (or more) on their roster if you combine the Freshmen squad with the varsity.
Click to expand...
Avon has 120+ from 10-12, but it’s the exception. Nearly all of the other schools in Lorain County are at a fraction of attendance and participation numbers compared to decades past, prior to the rise of soccer, new data about concussions, more entertainment options, etc.
 
David Wooderson said:
How are the numbers overall in HS football? I only follow the larger public school conferences (Suburban League & Greater Cleveland League primarily) and D1 & 2 privates (mainly Ed's, Hoban and Walsh in particular). I've seen about 10 games so far this year and have watched clips/highlights of around another 20. And with the exception of the private schools, it seems the sidelines are a little more sparse than they have been in previous years. I could be wrong. Could just be my imagination.
Click to expand...
Not at Wadsworth. Around 75 10-12th graders on Friday nights. That doesn’t count another 30+ freshman (that only play freshman) who don’t dress Friday nights. And those numbers may be a tad down from some years, not sure. Yet again- That’s Wadsworth, with a very big program, starting in youth.
 
I actually think 8 man football is a good option if a school can make work. Still allows for kids to experience the sport and fans get to watch some football.
 
Just wondering what crowds have been like at those schools with 8 man. Especially those trying for 1st year...like Sebring McKinley.
 
This is not new, numbers in football & all sports are down, I know of several boys & girl basketball teams that are Division-I schools who only have a JV & Varsity hoops teams & the same with baseball, so in these days for a while it has been that way, less kids participate. I also have talked to numerous Coaches in those sports also who don't even half to cut anyone, as they did in the past.
 
wildcat71 said:
Just wondering what crowds have been like at those schools with 8 man. Especially those trying for 1st year...like Sebring McKinley.
Click to expand...
I had occasion to watch a few minutes of a Sebring home game against Matthews some time ago, and recall attendance being very sparse, they had maybe a few hundred spectators at the game. Have no idea how many fans they had for their home games so far this year however...
 
Gasket said:
Not at Wadsworth. Around 75 10-12th graders on Friday nights. That doesn’t count another 30+ freshman (that only play freshman) who don’t dress Friday nights. And those numbers may be a tad down from some years, not sure. Yet again- That’s Wadsworth, with a very big program, starting in youth.
Click to expand...
What seems to be happening is the competitive and the sports culture gap at schools seems to be widening (just not football) some schools treat sports for what they used to be which was a extra curricular activity where you would try hard and practice with your buddies for a couple months a year and hang it when the season was over. Other schools now treat it as a job with a year round commitment where kids and families have to choose sports over having a life and must have finances to support this obligation.
 
I have no idea what these Oberlin players have going on, but not all colds are created equal. I've had some where I can still get along while my nose runs like a garden hose, and I've had others with more severe congestion where I'm not much good to anyone for a couple days.

lightspeed84 said:
What seems to be happening is the competitive and the sports culture gap at schools seems to be widening (just not football) some schools treat sports for what they used to be which was a extra curricular activity where you would try hard and practice with your buddies for a couple months a year and hang it when the season was over. Other schools now treat it as a job with a year round commitment where kids and families have to choose sports over having a life and must have finances to support this obligation.
Click to expand...
I'd also argue that some schools have shifted extracurriculars the other way from the starting point and have become more about the social aspect and less caring about personal improvement and the opportunity to compete. That widens the gap even further when compared to the schools that have adopted the 24/7/365 mentality.

In some cases, the shift is due to the coaches' and administrations' expectations, but in many cases, it's what the kids make of it because, at the end of the day, the kids are the majority. I've experienced this myself in the sport I most recently coached ('10-'22). I had several years of kids who wanted to improve and compete and eventually wanted to compete against the absolute best we could schedule. That group eventually aged out and was replaced by a cohort that is much less concerned about competition and more concerned about the social aspect of being on a team. My expectations did not change as drastically, and I eventually realized my expectations were never going to come down to meet theirs, and theirs were not going to come up far enough to meet mine, not that the kids owed me anything. The solution was for me to move on and see if someone else could create the experience they were looking for.
 
KnightTime2003 said:
This is what the Covidiots and germaphobes have brought us to over the past 3.5 years...
Click to expand...
Don't want to get into a political conversation, but I will say that if a team has a covid outbreak, the right thing to do would be to ensure that the kids affected don't play. If that means not having a game, so be it. It is really unfair to subject another team to an outbreak.
 
The trend toward sport specialization has reduced roster numbers across sports. Kids that used to play 2 or 3 sports are now playing just one or 2.
 
David Wooderson said:
Don't want to get into a political conversation, but I will say that if a team has a covid outbreak, the right thing to do would be to ensure that the kids affected don't play. If that means not having a game, so be it. It is really unfair to subject another team to an outbreak.
Click to expand...
The game is outdoors which means the risk is basically zero of transmitting.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top