Here’s the press release from the home office in Cheshire, and once again it’s much ado about nothing as the 50-point policy continues to prove its irrelevance. Enfield coach Jay Gaucher’s suspension for Thanksgiving’s game with Fermi has been overturned. Big shock.
Take it away CIAC:
“A CIAC committee has reviewed the appeal of Enfield High School principal Thomas E. Duffy of the suspension of his school’s head football coach Jay Gaucher for violation of the football score management policy. Gaucher had been suspended for his team’s next game because his team’s margin of victory last Friday exceeded 50 points in its 52-0 win over Wilcox Tech.
Based on the information presented the five-person committee voted unanimously to remove the suspension. The information showed that the conditions under which the game was conducted and the strategies which were implemented did not constitute unsportsmanlike conduct in accordance with the criteria established by the CIAC football committee.
Gaucher’s team made a reasonable effort to keep the score down by doing things such as removing starters, limiting the passing game (Enfield attempted just three passes in the contest), modifying game play on defense, and using a running clock.
The above facts were attested to by officials from both schools involved and the game officials who worked the contest. The committee believed that the intent of the 50 point rule was not violated and that there was no attempt on the part of Enfield to embarrass its opponent.”
Bleah.
Do we have to keep going through this? It is an annoyance, a distraction and an embarrassment. This is a personnel issue that should technically be handled by a school’s administration and not by some misguided governing body with no grasp on reality.
The CIAC is a joke on so many different levels and this policy is the icing on the cake. It couldn’t be reasonable about “score management” it had to go extreme and every time this happens now good coaches are going to be put through this nonsense every single time. And why does it take so long for the CIAC to make a ruling? They should be forced to convene the within the next 24 hours. It’s their stupid policy, they owe it to the coaches they’re going to exonerate anyway, speedy due process.
Grr.
I won’t rest until the dump the 50-point policy for something fair and reasonable (a running clock at 42 points), and until they contract the playoff divisions to at least four. Consider this my mission as long as I’m here.
SPB
The idea about a running clock is good one.
Yet, why not end the game early.Say by the end of the 3rd quarter.Plus you can keep a running clock.Your going to know by half time who is the winner in this game.So why not run the clock for the whole 3rd quarter & than end it.
Playing 4 quarters in a game like this is just dumb plus a waste of time even with a running clock.
One thing is for sure if you ended the game early you would be doing a good thing saving energy by turning off those lights.