How do you keep up with prep football games?

Clipboard, looseleaf paper, line down the middle of it.

1Q
____ Kick - S30 at 15 +6 (R32) 1-10
S21 12 to 87 inc at 49 2-10
S21 S30 -2 (R67/75) 3-12
S19 12 to 87 ! at R49 to 38, +44 (R8) 1-10
R38 (ip - S77) -5 1-15
R43 S32 sweep own sideline TD (6:52)
PAT (S2) - X, w-right [6-0 S]

And make good use of timeouts, dead balls and halftime to set up the box.

Count me as one of the sideliners.

 

Heaven is a sideline in Western Pennsylvania on an October night.

Preferrably Beaver Falls hosting Aliquippa.

 

Interns.

 

Is spud several months behind schedule and trying to catch up on prep football, or prepare two months in advance for the upcoming season?

I personally think it's funny that the sideline vs. press box debate is coming up in the spring.

 

I have a page broken into sections (lines down the page). Microsoft word (tables) helps on this.

I cobbled together something where I have two three-column grids on the page. In one column, I have the down and distance; second the play (23 2-run) and then the third column is the running stat total for the kid (2-15; 2 carries, 15 yards).

Because I used word, I can write in the margins, so I usually put the time the possession started, then the total drive stats.

Touchdowns I just capitalize it and write it over two lines, then the running score, so it stands out.

Also, those pens are priceless, as I can change colors for the team.

I also have a second page where I keep stats for the players (do it at halftime while the awful band is trying to play "Oklahoma" or selections from "Fiddler on the Roof")

 

And when a play is circled in green on the page, it was a first down. I would also comment on a play in green "#83 sprung the carrier with a block."

 

The answer is, you do both, but neither very well. But when you're at a weekly, and you're the sports department, you give it your best shot.

And at least football has breaks between each play. Trying to shoot basketball (especially boys basketball) and keep decent stats is rough.

 

I get all stats and play by play for each half on one sheet of paper. The left hand side is divided horizontally in the middle with one team on top and the other below. The right hand side is divided vertically for two columns of play by play.
I do down, distance and yard line for each play. For rushes, I just write the number of the ballcarrier. For passes it's QB-receiver. The yardage goes next to the individual player numbers for each team.

Podunk
1 10 20 32
2 6 24 12-80
1 10 40 24
2 11 39 12-84 inc.
3 11 39 12-84
4 4 46 90 Punt
Shitsville
1 10 18

 

Should we set up a pool on when this topic is posted again on the board?

 

Our season kicks off the last weekend in August, so I'm going to say Sept. 3.

 

I keep everything but tackles.

I have two scoresheets, one for each team, in Excel. I have boxes for rushing, passing and receiving, and accumulate these as the game goes. At the bottom, I jot down kickoffs-touchbacks, kick returns-yards, punts, punt returns-yards, sacks, interception yards and fumble return yards.

Then I use an 8 1/2x11 pad to keep a play-by-play chart. On the PbP, I put an asterick in the little red guide for each first down. On the far left I circle an S for sack, I for interception, F for fumble and P for penalty. I also keep the score over there. On the far right, I mark the scoring play.

At halftime, I add up the first downs (run, pass and penalty), along with 3rd down and 4th down conversions. That way, when I return from interviews, I only have to add a few sheets from the second half.

If I'm not covering for a Saturday paper, I'll go home and compile time of possession, but it's easier to do that if you have a time calculator.

Sounds complicated, but it's the most fun part of the job (except for maybe softball and baseball scorekeeping).

 

My editor and I developed our own stat sheet where you can keep individual totals and later add up team totals.

Essentially, it's similar to graph paper where you put in yardage totals for individual rushes, receptions, etc.

You can also keep the scoring summary, timeouts taken, turnovers, etc., and if you turn the page, there's essentially back-to-back notebook pages where you can keep any necessary play-by-play. We had two books bound before each season. Made covering football so much easier.

I can try and dig it up and send it out if anyone is interested.