[cksportsfan]

You are wrong, cksportsfan. When Mayo was at Rose Hill, both Ashland and Boyd County refused to schedule Rose Hill for the 2002-2003 season. They each chose instead to have their two district games (the district was seeded at the time) counted as losses for seeding purposes rather than to play the games. That is a fact. The form you cite is a game contract form and, in this matter, it is completely immaterial and meaningless.

I know teams have done that before.

Lexington public schools used to boycott LexCath.

That being said:
- The Central Hardin girls are not going to forfeit against district rival John Hardin (who running clocked em) and district rival Elizabethtown (who running clocked em) simply because they are far overmatched. Especially when the Central boys beat Elizabethtown this year and John Hardin (who went on to advance to the state elite eight/second round/quarterfinals) last year.

- The Fort Knox girls have played three district games already and have been running clocked in all three. They have FIVE district games still to play (five-team district, play each team twice).

In my area, schools have an oral agreement NOT to forfeit against each other:
-- ONE, because they don't want two forfeits on their schedule (could hurt teams stats, especially for players/coaches chasing career marks).
-- TWO, if you are forfeiting a district game, you forfeit when you HOST and not when you play on the road (not fair to ask a team to travel to you YET expect them to give up a home gate when they're supposed to host you).
-- THREE, it looks bad to avoid a district rival in one sport but not ALL sports (with the exception of football, when we know numbers are a huge factor)
-- And FOUR, if you start forfeiting, the ADs will ask the forfeiting school to leave the district and play an independent schedule (perfectly legal). The forfeiting school wouldn't be eligible for the postseason, but by forfeiting against decent district opponents, are they REALLY worried/planning for a lengthy postseason run anyway.


These schools who we would want to forfeit have two options:
1) Play an independent schedule
2) Play a JV schedule (Thomas Nelson football did that this year since they were a first-year school with no seniors)

But if you agree to stay in a seeded district, you play your games as scheduled. Don't complain when you get crushed.

At the same time, there's no reason to prolong a buttkicking. Football, baseball (10-run rule), softball (10-run rule), soccer (10-goal rule), wrestling (tech pin) all have mercy rules. Volleyball is giving schools options of playing 2-of-3 next year instead of insisting on 3-of-5 this year (I imagine Fort Knox volleyball will have plenty of 2-of-3 matches next year because most of their 3-of-5 matches rarely went past 3 anyway).

A basketball running clock/mercy rule is past due.

Don't get me wrong, some forfeits are warranted. Sicknesses, travel, weather, death, date issues (some softball teams pull out of tourneys early because of prom) are OK in my book.

But forfeits (ONLY to avoid buttkickings) are for cowards who are unwilling to consider the options ALREADY available (like I said, play an independent schedule or play JV).

[b1gblu3sports]

It's simple.
Make it a rule to have a 35 second shot clock.
No shortened games or mercy rules period!
But the shot clock has long needed to happen.

Both teams want to play the game.
Ive long stated my displeasure for whining about getting blown out. I dont even think there should be a mercy rule in football. If you get blown out, get better, or compete our of district with an independent schedule with teams you can play with.

Are you serious????? Get better or compete outside of your district???? You have got to be kidding.. With high school teams picking and choosing who they get now and your saying compete or get out. This is about kids preparing for the next level. So your saying KSD should just hang up the gloves because they can't hang??? Nice way of saying if you stink at something give up, I thought more of you then that.....:HitWall:

[cksportsfan]

Yes, a basketball team can be fined 1,000 for forfeiting district games:

http://khsaa.org/handbook/competitionrul...nrules.pdf
PAGE 2
l) Once a vote has been conducted for the district to be seeded, all required contests shall be considered to be CONTRACTED for the seeding requisite number of contests. If school representatives do not notify all schools in the district of their intent NOT to participate by the FIRST DAY OF PRACTICE, the contest shall be played or a forfeit declared. Where a fee is not specified, a $1000 default forfeiture fee will be assessed for non-played contests

[cksportsfan]

Are you serious????? Get better or compete outside of your district???? You have got to be kidding.. With high school teams picking and choosing who they get now and your saying compete or get out. This is about kids preparing for the next level. So your saying KSD should just hang up the gloves because they can't hang??? Nice way of saying if you stink at something give up, I thought more of you then that.....:HitWall:

No one is saying KSD should get rid of its program.

Play independent schedule (pick ALL of your opponents, close and far)
Play JV schedule

However, why would you want to stay in a seeded district when you are routinely getting blasted. We're not talking about merely losing. We're talking about getting mercy ruled routinely in front of half-empty gyms.

Other than staying close to home, it's LAZY scheduling.

In my area, Fort Knox rather play Bardstown, Caverna, Evangel, Frederick Fraize than much larger district rivals Elizabethtown (has won both state championships in last 15 years), North Hardin (both programs have been to state in last 10), John Hardin (two boys' state appearances in last 10 years, including elite 8 last year) and Central Hardin (girls were state runner-up in late 90s, boys routinely win 15 or more games). Knox is at a size disadvantage and experience disadvantage (no real feeder program, constant player turnover due to parents' military obligations, plus if a parent retires and moves off base, even nearby, kid CANNOT remain at Knox schools).

Knox hasn't been to a single region baseball, basketball (either), softball, volleyball or soccer (either) tournament COMBINED in more than a decade.

So Knox is basically deciding that its athletes should get mercyruled several times a year in a variety of sports by its OWN CHOOSING.

[b1gblu3sports]

I still like the running clock. You have some schools that must play opponents in their own district twice a year and will have the clock running right after half time. Those games are a must. So yeah I still think the running clock is a great ideal.

[dodger]

What other states have mercy rules?