RedRider1;1646590 wrote:I bet you see that this year somewhere in Ohio. A small D-7 school with 20 kids on the roster....a few of them get hurt and they cancel the rest of the season.

I've heard talk in Orrville that we may be in that boat with the JV team this year. You're going to need "all hands on deck" for Friday night and then ask a lot of those same kids to come back for a 10am Saturday scrimmage??? That won't last long if we get kids banged up on Fridays.

How long has Orrville NOT had a freshman team? I bet we've had 1 in the last 7 or 8 years. Now it's looking like JV may be heading that same route. How long until it gobbles up varsity too?

We have 10th AND 11th grades with 6 kids each. That's not sustainable. We better hope all of these freshmen stick, or we're going to have a team in 2015 with less than 20 kids 10 through 12.

What's crazy is I'm hearing the OCC AD's have decided that if there aren't enough kids for separate freshman and JV's, then they ALL play down as "reserves". This is a made up word by the OCC AD's, I'm guessing. Why they aren't just bringing the freshmen up to JV on Saturdays, I don't understand. But they won't play Saturdays, they'll play a freshman Thursday schedule this year. So how does the JV who plays Thursday turn around and contribute Friday if needed? That's nuts. You're right, it's "all hands on deck" for Fridays. Injuries happen. And you're limited to 50 quarters of football per season. Half the league won't even field a "reserve" squad this year. And if you're an under classman who isn't varsity but also isn't getting reps with freshman, JV, or "reserves", what are the odds of coming back out next year? It's like a football death spiral. I'll really be shocked if Clear Fork has a varsity team in three years. I think you're right - we might see some small schools forced to cancel in mid-season.

How many kids do they have in JH football right now?
Last night I was at a local JH scrimmage and the DV school had 30 kids dressed in 7th grade (it is a smaller class in terms of boys than in recent years) and the D7 school had 21 I believe in 7th.
..and as a side note. Team A has pee wee football (or had..think this year they stopped it) and was beat by team B who didnt have youth football and this would have been their very first competitive setting for football.
Just seeing how numbers match up elsewhere.

Jaco,
That didn't take long.

D-6 Bradford cancels season. 20 kids....ZERO seniors. Went 0-10 last year, made playoffs in 2012.

http://dailyadvocate.com/news/sports/50380568/Bradford-cancels-varsity-football-season#.U_fbnIu9LCR

RedRider1;1646747 wrote:Jaco,
That didn't take long.

D-6 Bradford cancels season. 20 kids....ZERO seniors. Went 0-10 last year, made playoffs in 2012.

http://dailyadvocate.com/news/sports/50380568/Bradford-cancels-varsity-football-season#.U_fbnIu9LCR

Wow. So a former coach of the year suggests his squad of 20 boys (who went 0-10 last year) drop to a JV schedule due to safety reasons and the school board fights him? Let me guess..There's no admissions charged for JV football. I really feel bad for the boys who are out there playing.
Next year is when the bottom will really fall out. The OCC is requiring underclassmen not on varsity to play down with freshmen this year on Thursday nights. I get the idea of combining classes, but how many of those kids will be back out next year?

If this is an accurate account of the scrimmage against Louisville then there is no reason to be concerned about the football program in the future because there won't be a program:

http://louisvilleleopards.org/defense-castles-crumble-orrville-in-scrimmage/

"The Leopards defense held the Red Riders to -42 yards on 6 rushes. Jarrett Heater also recorded a sack near the end of the contest."

That won't keep players playing. 33 now...25 by week 10.

Not being sarcastic, this is an honest question. What has happened to Orrville sports, but most specifically football? It's hard for me the wrap my head around these numbers playing football for the Riders? Has there been an population shift, has Smuckers downsized? I'm just shocked.

Population shift.

Much more of a lower-middle class population now. Lots of renters who are more transient. All the factories are closed. Population is older...they had high school kids 10-20 years ago & those kids went to college & never came back (what's to come back to?)

Less of an African-American population & more of a Hispanic population too.

Smuckers is bigger than ever but their employees don't live here. And they've bought up a lot of homes on the east end of town that housed families (see Tavy Dyson).

Small senior & junior class of athletes. Don't forget, this would be the senior season for Bryce Short (McKinley), Tavy (Woo), Kayron Robinson (Massillon) & the Neer kid (West Holmes)....if they all hadn't transferred.

This is also the result of kids getting pummeled in the OCC at the middle school level. We've been in the "larger" OHC & OCC since 1999 & have a grand total of 2 conf. titles in that stretch.

That being said. I don't think it's a "all sports" issue. We've made a final 4 in boys basketball & football (2010), volleyball & girls basketball in 2012, and baseball & girls track in 2014.

Just happens to be we're down in football right now...which has always been our marquee sport.

In fairness, this isn't just an Orrville thing. I think Orrville is simply ahead of the curve a little in the number dropping. And as mentioned earlier, while Orrville dropped freshman football last year, this year there are four more OCC schools larger than Orrville who don't have teams, West Holmes among them.

Can we agree that soccer has become a viable 2nd option for that "fringe" football player. A kid that might not see the field too much on Friday nights....but starts on the soccer team.

Soccer is also a sport that kids can start playing at 5 or 6 yrs old.

RedRider1;1647354 wrote:Can we agree that soccer has become a viable 2nd option for that "fringe" football player. A kid that might not see the field too much on Friday nights....but starts on the soccer team.

Soccer is also a sport that kids can start playing at 5 or 6 yrs old.

There are kids that quit that would have been 2 way starters...a bunch of soft kids and soft parents. I personally don't like soccer. I hate to watch it but kids are flocking to it.

Sad, sad, sad......

My heart hurts for my old home town..... And a sport that honestly made most of us who we are.....

Just watched the scrimmage "highlights"...... We have some trouble on the line of scrimmage! WOW! Missed blocks with kids standing around.... Line looks REALLY young on both sides? Is that the case? Looks like the DB's will be the leading tacklers on this team. That was a hard one to watch..... LOTS of missed blocks on the O line and guys getting blown off the ball on D.....

RedRider1;1647354 wrote:Can we agree that soccer has become a viable 2nd option for that "fringe" football player. A kid that might not see the field too much on Friday nights....but starts on the soccer team.

Soccer is also a sport that kids can start playing at 5 or 6 yrs old.

and the injury factor. Watched about 30 min of the HS game on ESPN during dinner last night and in that time frame two kids were taken off on stretchers.

sanitizer;1647376 wrote:Just watched the scrimmage "highlights"...... We have some trouble on the line of scrimmage! WOW! Missed blocks with kids standing around.... Line looks REALLY young on both sides? Is that the case? Looks like the DB's will be the leading tacklers on this team. That was a hard one to watch..... LOTS of missed blocks on the O line and guys getting blown off the ball on D.....

Left tackle - senior (returning letterman)
Left guard - junior (first year starter)
Center - junior (returning letterman)
Right guard - junior (returning letterman)
Right tackle - true freshman

The only defense for is this past Friday is Luke Smith didn't play at QB & Louisville is coming off a 10-1 season & looks to be ready to make another playoff run this season.

I could say we shouldn't be scrimmaging them being a D-5 school but this is exactly what we'll see for 7 weeks in the OCC.

Left tackle - senior (returning letterman)
Left guard - junior (first year starter)
Center - junior (returning letterman)
Right guard - junior (returning letterman)
Right tackle - true freshman

Now your hurting me..... I felt youth at these positions would at least give me hope.

Three significant contributors did not play at Louisville Friday. Obviously, not having Luke at QB hurt us. Our back-up has had very few reps with this new offense. Also out were Hershberger and Ramsdall.

I also watched the scrimmage highlights and it was VERY concerning to me watching our line play on both sides. We looked clueless. I think a lot of the tackling issues I saw on tape have to do with the fact that we don't do much tackling in practice. Trying to keep kids healthy is priority #1 when you are as thin as we are.

Certainly would appreciate prayers for this season for one of our "old" RTR players. Mason and the Illini kickoff the '14 season this Saturday vs Youngstown State.

5knots;1647576 wrote:Certainly would appreciate prayers for this season for one of our "old" RTR players. Mason and the Illini kickoff the '14 season this Saturday vs Youngstown State.

I wonder if we (specifically Orrville) can convince Armstrong cable to come to terms with the BTN so that we can watch one of our own? Gets expensive when I have to go to Jerrys on Saturday mornings to catch the Illini game!
Good Luck Mason!

I did not know we had three guys out.... But that O line and D line play was ROUGH!!!! Hope they Iron that out before it matters.

Hell will freeze over before Armstrong carries the BTN. They've been staunchly against it from day 1.

BTN is insistent that it be carried on the basic tier (so they can claim all armstrong subscribers as customers & thus increase what they charge to advertise.) while Armstrong wants to put it on a sports tier (like NHL, ESPN U etc).

Until that changes, Armstrong is ok not having it & risking losing a few customers over it.

Old Rider;1647582 wrote:I wonder if we (specifically Orrville) can convince Armstrong cable to come to terms with the BTN so that we can watch one of our own? Gets expensive when I have to go to Jerrys on Saturday mornings to catch the Illini game!
Good Luck Mason!

I call and complain about three times a year about the BTN and Armstrong. They could not care less...

I can't wait to watch Mason. Hope he has another great year and he represents the Orrville RTR proudly!

Thanks

Well Rider faithful today is the real beginning. It starts to count today. The Riders have the opportunity to start the season off on the right foot. Will they be mentally tuff enough to come together as a team and win. We will see....

The kids taking the field tonight have put in the work necessary to buckle up that black helmet. We should support them & the coaches as another season begins.

I believe the kids from Rogers should be supported as well. They've been through some tough times with just figuring out who their coach is (3 different coaches since January). I'm sure they'll have next to no support on their side of the stands tonight.

Go Riders!!