Reporting on turnovers and missed kicks in high school football

I am interested in learning how people on this board handle reporting on turnovers and missed kicks in high school football.

In the most recent game I covered, the same player mishandled a punt that led to the winning field goal with less than two minutes to play, and missed an extra point that had he made it, would have allowed an attempt for a potential game-winning field goal, instead of the team playing for the victory and unsuccessfully going for the touchdown.

My feeling is that you give the player's name because the key to good writing is providing details and who mishandled a punt or missed an extra point are important details.

 

Would you name him if he had hit the kick?

Then name him when he doesn't.



Kids want the praise, they've got to take the blame.

 

hopefully you are in this business to tell the truth and not something else.

 

My rule with extra points is -- they are newsworthy when they are missed, but rarely when they are made. I guess the only time I would report a made extra point is when it is the winning point.

 

I would say that I am in this business to tell the truth.

 

then you answered your own question.

 

i got called on the carpet a few years ago by a major metro when i used the name of a kid who missed a late pat and another who fumbled inside 10-yard line on what would have been game-winning drive. they said their policy was not to identify players on negative plays.

 

Name the paper. That's embarrassing.

 

well you can get a CUE from my screenname.

 

If a player screws up you have to say that if it affects the game. If someone throws a pick for a TD you say so etc.

 

Report it, but be delicate. It's not the college or NFL...
Mention the error, but you also shouldn't be calling him the goat or calling him out for the loss being his fault.

 

You can always write a spring followup about the kid that missed the extra point in the big playoff game — and win an award.