Running Clock and Starters

[EIACFan2022]

Seems some coaches in the EIAC leave starters nearly the entire game, while other coaches pull them. What is the logic for leaving your starters in when you are up 35+ late in the game?

[Muda69]

1 hour ago, EIACFan2022 said:

Seems some coaches in the EIAC leave starters nearly the entire game, while other coaches pull them. What is the logic for leaving your starters in when you are up 35+ late in the game?

Stats padding.

 

[DumfriesYMCA]

1 hour ago, EIACFan2022 said:

Seems some coaches in the EIAC leave starters nearly the entire game, while other coaches pull them. What is the logic for leaving your starters in when you are up 35+ late in the game?

Depends on the opponent and the age of the players I think for the most part…at least for many

 

Ill use Gibson Southern as an example because I am most familiar with them….they have put a running clock on a number of opponents over the last 10 years…Coach Hart is one of the best coaches in the state and cares about safety more than most to the point that even practices are half pads/quick whistle/no tackling to the ground.  

against teams that are generally smaller in size physically, Varsity almost never plays the 2nd half at all unless it’s a running clock.  Maybe the special teams still gets reps for punt or kick off but even then that’s a stretch

against larger schools with more physical players however I have noticed the varsity will still start the 3rd Qtr and try to milk out the clock.  JV won’t get work until the 4th.

if the starters on varsity are young and it’s their first year of experience they may get 1 drive in the 3rd before getting pulled 

ultimately it’s up to the coach to decide and I would think most do a great job of this.  This is just one example of how a coach does it from what I have noticed over 10 years as a fan. It ultimately factors in a lot of different things and not every matchup that is a running clock is the same….and there is no rule that says a team should pull their starters to put in smaller less athletic players….especially if you are playing a 5A/6A school…at that point putting in freshman might be a bigger risk for injury than leaving in established starters

 

[Rodney]

If you can win by 100 you should be trying to push it to at least 90.

[Ballhawk]

2 hours ago, EIACFan2022 said:

Seems some coaches in the EIAC leave starters nearly the entire game, while other coaches pull them. What is the logic for leaving your starters in when you are up 35+ late in the game?

You'll hear a lot of the "they have a JV game and they have to save quarters" BS.  Although I don't want to see a kid get hurt, it would serve a coach right if one of his starters ends up with a hamstring pull or a sprained ankle while padding their stats.

 

[sr1]

3 hours ago, Ballhawk said:

You'll hear a lot of the "they have a JV game and they have to save quarters" BS.  Although I don't want to see a kid get hurt, it would serve a coach right if one of his starters ends up with a hamstring pull or a sprained ankle while padding their stats.

 

Why do you think that is BS? You have to follow the quarter rules. Tell me what you would think if this happened. 

Team SR1 plays a varsity game and puts the JV guys in the 3rd and 4th quarters. Now Team SR1 does not have enough players to play Team Ballhawk in the JV game. Team Ballhawk played a different varsity team that week and was in a game that came down to the last play so the JV players did not get into the game. Team Ballhawk's JV kids are not going to get a game at all now because Team SR1 played the JV players in the 3rd and 4th quarters of the varsity game. If you are a coach or player of Team Ballhawk are you happy? Or should Team SR1 have waited until the 4th quarter of the varsity game to put in the JV?

[FinePrint]

15 minutes ago, sr1 said:

Why do you think that is BS? You have to follow the quarter rules. Tell me what you would think if this happened. 

Team SR1 plays a varsity game and puts the JV guys in the 3rd and 4th quarters. Now Team SR1 does not have enough players to play Team Ballhawk in the JV game. Team Ballhawk played a different varsity team that week and was in a game that came down to the last play so the JV players did not get into the game. Team Ballhawk's JV kids are not going to get a game at all now because Team SR1 played the JV players in the 3rd and 4th quarters of the varsity game. If you are a coach or player of Team Ballhawk are you happy? Or should Team SR1 have waited until the 4th quarter of the varsity game to put in the JV?

If I'm not mistaken, Indiana now allows players 6 quarters per week so playing the JV players for 2 quarters on Friday night would not create the scenario described above.

However my beef is when the better team complains about the losing team keeping their varsity players in the game after the leading team subs out their starters.  If the teams are really that lopsided in talent, wouldn't the better teams subs be a good matchup with the losing team's starters?  Why not let those groups get some time against each other?  The JV teams are going to play on Saturday or Monday.  Why should they play a couple of quarters against each other on Friday night too?  In my mind that just doesn't make sense.

[HomeCookin]

For the schools that have 100+ kids on the sidelines the running clock is terrible! The 2nd and 3rd string juniors and seniors only get a few plays and the young kids may only get a play or 2. It really stinks for the backup seniors!

Unless your coach is an a-hole they would/should use those games to develop young players and give some PT to the kids that have put in the work but aren’t quite as talented as the starters! Not pad stats and run up scores!

[crimsonace1]

One reason is JV quarters, although the expansion of quarters to 6 in a weekend helps. 

The other thing is, teams that get to a running clock scenario often *frequently* get to that scenario. A lot of times, they'll give the varsity starters one drive in the third quarter just to get into the rhythm of coming out of the locker room and being ready to play (even if the game is a blowout). With running clock, you usually only get one possession a quarter, so that will take up the entire third. 

[sr1]

7 hours ago, FinePrint said:

If I'm not mistaken, Indiana now allows players 6 quarters per week so playing the JV players for 2 quarters on Friday night would not create the scenario described above.

However my beef is when the better team complains about the losing team keeping their varsity players in the game after the leading team subs out their starters.  If the teams are really that lopsided in talent, wouldn't the better teams subs be a good matchup with the losing team's starters?  Why not let those groups get some time against each other?  The JV teams are going to play on Saturday or Monday.  Why should they play a couple of quarters against each other on Friday night too?  In my mind that just doesn't make sense.

That is a good point. I had forgot that the IHSAA changed to 6 quarters per week. 

[Ballhawk]

3 hours ago, sr1 said:

That is a good point. I had forgot that the IHSAA changed to 6 quarters per week. 

Knowing the rules, Team Ballhawk would be just fine.  I'll stand by my BS comment.  First series of the 3rd quarter for starters, then they sit.  I used that practice for many years when I had the roster numbers to allow.  If I didn't, I'd scramble the positions around or just run dive plays.

[Punttheball]

I believe there are limits to the 6 quarter rule.

Edited September 29, 2022 by Punttheball

[vicvinegar]

21 hours ago, DumfriesYMCA said:

Coach Hart is one of the best coaches in the state and cares about safety more than most to the point that even practices are half pads/quick whistle/no tackling to the ground.  

 

You think the majority of coaches around the state do not care as much about their player's safety as Coach Hart? 

 

As far as "thudding up" during practice goes, this is extremely common. Not only in high school programs around the state, but in college programs as well. 

[DumfriesYMCA]

5 hours ago, vicvinegar said:

You think the majority of coaches around the state do not care as much about their player's safety as Coach Hart? 

 

As far as "thudding up" during practice goes, this is extremely common. Not only in high school programs around the state, but in college programs as well. 

I think you’re reading too far into what I said and taking it as a jab 

 

certainly not my intention. 
 

it might have been some hyperbole but sentiment behind what I said was more “hey here is what one of the best coaches at a top program has done in regards to this topic” 

[tango]

6 hours ago, vicvinegar said:

You think the majority of coaches around the state do not care as much about their player's safety as Coach Hart? 

 

As far as "thudding up" during practice goes, this is extremely common. Not only in high school programs around the state, but in college programs as well. 

@vicvinegar, don't you know that Coach Hart is the very bestest coach there ever was and will be? He does things that haven't even been invented yet. 

LOL. Just pulling your leg DumfriesYMCA....    

[DumfriesYMCA]

2 hours ago, tango said:

@vicvinegar, don't you know that Coach Hart is the very bestest coach there ever was and will be? He does things that haven't even been invented yet. 

LOL. Just pulling your leg DumfriesYMCA....    

I’m a very self aware person and….
 

i have to admit I tend to romanticize things when I write.  It is what it is 😂
 

But Coach Hart is the best.  If I’m not mistaken, only the New Pal HC has a better W/L % since Hart took over in 2012.  Maybe West Lafayettes HC too. 

Edited September 29, 2022 by DumfriesYMCA