[BigVMan23]

As someone who has coached middle school teams with below average talent, let me chime in on this. As a coach I want to challange my kids and I schedule some teams I know we probably can't beat...there is no shame in losing and you can usually learn from a loss. I have had 7/8 grade teams that looked like some other schools 5/6 grade teams, and we have been on the bad side of some whoopins. I have also had varsity teams in the past that were far above and beyond better than some teams we played, and could have litterally beat them as bad as this particular game we are talking about. Key word...COULD have. As a coach, you can easily see early in the game if you are that much better than the team you are playing. When that has happened in the past with some of my teams (being much better) I have not hesitated to take my starters out in the first quarter, explain to them the bench would be playing that game, and let my less skilled kids play the game. We have beaten teams by only 25 points or so that we could have beaten by 80 or more easily had I chosen to approach it that way.

With all that said, without seeing the game and just going by what I have read so far...I would have called off the press within the first 2 or 3 minutes of the game if not sooner...I'm sure the coach knew the other team was not going to break it and they could get the ball and score at will. My 2nd string would have been in very early, probably within the first 3 or 4 minutes at least in the 1st quarter. If still significantly better, 3rd string is in the 2nd quarter if not the 1st quarter and finishing the game barring them losing the lead...still want to win, just not demorilize the other team. Now, even with that maybe the other team still only scores 2 points, I don't know. But I think I could have kept the game more "reasonable" playing it the way I described above.

We lost a game something like 102-39 last year...starters still in late in the game pressuring the ball, trying to run the score up to break 100. I knew what was going on...told my kids it was their responsibility to stop them, play harder, use their head, don't turn the ball over. Their coach finally took starters out very late in the game...but what really made me mad is he had the nerve to come up and tell me we wasn't trying to run the score up. I just shook his hand, smiled and turned and walked away:please:

Coaches control the game...blowouts will always happen, but scores like this should and almost always can be prevented and should be, particularly at the lower grade levels. I have more respect for the game and the other team and kids than that. Some may think I'm wrong, but you could not convince me otherwise.