Newbie High School Football Question

More than anything, most people don't know the rules. For example, if you asked 100 high school stat-keepers where you measure a punt from, at least half of them wouldn't have a clue.

 

1. Identify players and coaches correctly.
2. Spell names correctly.
3. Get the final score right, and in or near the lead.
4. Come up with some stats, somehow.

That's the whole job.

 

Sit on one side of the PA announcer and call out the numbers while he's trying to listen to spotter. Whoo boy, talk about hilarity ensuing

 

Hit on the cheerleaders and make the numbers up.

 

Forget tracking tackles because you’ll drive yourself crazy. Unless it’s interceptions or fumble recoveries, focusing on offense is the way to go.
You can always get defensive stats from the coaching staff later in the week if you’re writing a feature on a linebacker or the like. But if you really feel you need tackling stats for your gamer, try to get it from a stat keeper afterwards.

 

Everyone's pretty much nailed it on the head here.
Don't worry about defensive stats. It's almost impossible, seeing as few high schoolers tackle cleanly, it generally happens in big piles, and it's impossible to tell what the hell happened.
Try to see who got fumble recoveries, INTs, as was said. If there was a big play where you need to know who made a tackle, ask around, the kids are usually pretty honeest.

I had a coach complain to me once that I didn't have any defensive stats, and I told him I just couldn't keep track. Now, he keeps defensive stats and gives them to me at the end of the game.

 

sometime's the score is the only stat found in my story

 

Patiently wait in the coach's office to review the game film and miss your deadline in an effort to correctly separate those solo and assist tackles.

 

and sometimes that's even in question when you're not at the game and having to take a call in ... i saw the final score for one of my teams three different ways last week in various publications -- 50-6, 56-6 and 57-6 loss ...

 

Yeah, messing up the score is the worst. At one game I was covering, our paper had 21-14, another had 21-14 with the wrong team winning, and another had a 14-14 tie.

Do you guys think it's better to take stats from the press box or from the sideline? I know a lot of guys who do it while walking the sideline, but I think you can see things from the press box that you wouldn't see from field level.

 

I personally prefer the sidelines since it gives my fat ass a workout.

You can see a play develop better upstairs. You can get some info sometimes (i.e. who recovered the fumble in a scrum) better on the sidelines.

 

I prefer sitting in the press box. It's easier for me to see the across the field. But I end up covering the games from the sidelines because the box is filled up with three or four coaches from each team and future ESPN wannabes that tape the game for the school's closed-circuit broadcasts.