This week's bizarre high school football score

The catcher shouldn't have left the plate. The pitcher is the backup.

 

This weekend doesn't seem to be the optimal time for an all-star game, not only because of the holiday, but so many sports still in playoffs plus graduation for those who didn't blow off their last semester of high school, which I hate to see too.

 

You're absolutely right. But the college coaches have sort of forced them into a tight window for the game. Because if they play it in late July like they used to, the coaches won't allow their recruits to take a full week away from preparing for their freshman season. Most of them want those kids in town for the summer.

One other thing -- if they want to save this game, they have to do better than Maryland for an opponent. Last night's final was typical of recent years -- PA 31, MD 7.

 

I don't think California has a statewide all-star game any more, for all the reasons we've talked about before. Plus organizers always wanted to play it in the Rose Bowl, which would swallow up any crowd there was. Cal-Hi Sports tried to re-energize it with a California vs. Texas format, but I think that died in one of the economic downturns in the 90s.

 

Mississippi used to play its football all-star games in July, with the rosters comprised of graduated seniors, which never made sense to me. The players who aren't going on to play in college probably aren't anywhere near game shape, you've forgotten who half of them are, and the ones who are playing in college aren't mentally into it.
They finally moved the state all-star game and the Mississippi-Alabama game to December, on the two Saturdays after the high school championship games. Made it a lot better in a hundred different ways.

 

There is a Santa Clara County All Star Game pitting North County schools against South County schools. One of my last years on the job, they started playing at Levi’s. Really cool experience for the players and parents. Kids took it seriously to be invited and played hard. But the lower bowl barely had anyone in it.

 

Agree 100%. States where I’ve worked (including Washington) have those June or July football all-star games and the rosters often become who can play vs. who should play.

Summer jobs, kids enrolling for summer classes (and workouts) and, as you say, guys who aren’t in game shape make the summer time frame a problem.

December isn’t perfect either, especially with the weather in the Northwest, but at least it would be right after the season, like basketball all-star games.

 

The Charlie Wedemeyer Classic. If you don't know the story, kids, Google it, and prepare to be amazed.

In Central California, the biggies were the Lions game is Stockton, which they played at UOP, even after thet dropped football, until it was condemned; and the City-County game in Fresno, usually at one of the bigger high school stadiums.

 

The Oil Bowl in Wichita Falls used to be the Texas all-stars vs. the Oklahoma all-stars and it did carry quite a bit of prestige in the last century. They changed the format to just Texas and I don't know if they even play it anymore.

 

Up in Vermont....

 

Just a reminder that the venue for last week's Minnesota Class AA state baseball quarterfinals and semifinals is named Dick Putz Field (in St. Cloud).

In Michigan, participating in an all-star game in any sport results in permanent ineligibility across the board, so all of those are in late June and July. In Minnesota and Wisconsin, it's not. I think most of those games happened at the end of the season.

 

I have no idea what I’m supposed to be looking at, but you could solve the housing crisis by subdividing the foul territory.