[PHS95]

As a teacher of these junior high school kids at Phelps and a graduate of Pikeville High school, I can certainly tell you that I have experienced both sides of this argument. Watching these kids come to school with cleat marks on them, black eyes, etc. oversteps the boundaries of what should be a fun game. I had spent two days reassuring them that if nothing else, Pikeville would play them clean and they could use it as a learning experience. As it turned out, I was wrong. What I saw went far beyond the reach of sportsmanship in some areas, and in some areas it was a perfectly clean game.

Both teams had big boys (yes, Pikeville has them too) and we all know about the tradition that surrounds Pikeville football, but one big loss is absolutely no reason for anyone to question whether or not a school should disband their football program. When I was in high school, our teams thrived on destroying opponents, but that is not what high school sports should be about. High school sports should be about teaching patience, sportsmanship, respect, loyalty, and integrity.

This Phelps team, both Junior High and High School, is experiencing growing pains, but there have been new coaches added, new conditioning, new plays, etc. Let kids be kids, let them play, let them have fun and let them learn from these sports what they need to learn without questioning their abilities or their right to play.