Stamford coach Bryan Hocter
“Score Management,” otherwise known as the CIAC’s 50-point rule, in which coaches are subject to a one-game suspension if their teams beat an opponent by more than 50 points, will have the spotlight pointed on the FCIAC, more specifically Stamford High School, on Monday.
And if Black Knights coach Bryan Hocter could cast the deciding vote, Norwich Free Academy’s Jemal Davis would be suspended following his team’s 51-0 non-league win Saturday.
“I think he should be,” Hocter said in a very candid interview Sunday afternoon. “The guy’s got no class. The thing that irritates me is his arrogance.”
Based on the evidence, there is a very good chance Davis will become just the second coach suspended when a verdict is delivered, likely Monday afternoon, by a four-person review committee.
First the background: As the New London Day’s Mike DiMauro reported, and Hocter reiterated Sunday, one of the game officials asked him with about 10 minutes remaining and NFA leading, 42-0, whether he wanted to play the remainder of the contest with a running clock.
“I told him no, we were going to take our beating like men,” Hocter said Sunday. “But it was 42-0 and they were running all these sweep motions left and right.”
Hocter said that NFA continued to play its starters, and Marcus Outlow’s 11-yard touchdown run made the score 49-0.
“They were running jet sweeps back and forth and that’s an explosive play,” Hocter said. “You are trying to get to the edge.”
NFA’s final points came on a blocked punt that went for a safety with 3:25 remaining. Hocter was angry about the play on Saturday, and more so, he said, after reviewing game film on Sunday.
“They came after the punt, and at no time before did they go after the punt,” Hocter said.
Davis told The Day, “I understand his disapproval. He didn’t say anything to me. We were in punt safety and one of the kids didn’t listen to what we said. I don’t think that’s the kid’s fault. His job is to make sure the punt is blocked. He blocked it. We’ve got rules and regulations we have to adhere to. When we don’t, there are penalties. I respect that. And we move on.”
Hocter said during the postgame handshake Davis never made eye contact with him. “He never looked at me,” Hocter said. “The guy actually has no class whatsoever. The guy was 100 percent wrong and he knows he’s wrong.”
Hocter had an interesting take on Davis’ possible motivation: “The way I took it, I think he was saying (bleep) to the CIAC,” using the letters of an expletive phrase.
Hocter said he is not a fan of score management because it forces teams to do things like taking a knee and not trying. Since the rule is in place, Hocter said that Davis should be forced to miss NFA’s game next week at Bacon Academy.
“What he did was totally unnecessary,” Hocter said.
Now the question is what will the CIAC do. It had to deal with the situation last week, when Joel Barlow coach Rob Tynan was absolved following a 56-0 win over Immaculate.
Since the rule was enacted — to public ridicule — in 2006, only one coach has been suspended: East Hartford’s Dan Lawrence, because his school did not appeal.
Actually, unbeknownst to many, according to Matt Fischer, the CIAC’s director of information services, there is no longer an appeal process. Fischer said on Sunday that in all instances of a possible violation, both schools are required to submit reports within 48 hours of the end of a game. Then the situation is reviewed by a panel that includes Paul Hoey, the CIAC’s associate executive director, Leroy Williams, the chairman of the football committee, and representatives from both the coaches’ association and the athletic directors’ association.
Hocter said he will talk Monday with Stamford athletic director Jim Moriarty. Hocter said he is unfamiliar with the process because he has never gone through it before, and Moriarty has been in his new position for just four months.
One reason there has only been one suspension is because losing teams have been supportive that the opposing coach was not purposely trying to run up the score. Stamford’s report, unless Hocter has a dramatic change of heart, is going to be different.
If you go by the letter of the law, the guess here is that Davis will become the second coach suspended, and score management will again be put under the microscope, perhaps like it never has been before.
And that would be a good thing. Perhaps, finally, the needless rule will finally be abolished. Because, as I’ve repeated endlessly whenever score management has been discussed, you cannot legislate class.
http://www.ctpost.com/highschool/article/White-Ludlowe-edge-Stamford-3985791.php#photo-3651048
I think the comments made by Hocter in this article really seal the deal.
Lou has been doing this for years. I don’t think I gave Marce a free pass. I don’t think he needed to take a knee, but that’s not a big deal. He conducted the end of the game the way it should be played in that situation: bring your subs in and just run plays up the middle. If we got rid of this absurd rule once and for all, Marce doesn’t worry about the extra point and more importantly all of the things we are talking about goes away.
Dave-
Lou Marinelli asls the refs to make up bogus penalties all the time so NC doesn’t embarass teams. He has been doing that for years….even before the 50 point rule came into play. Lou is a class act, and he goes about it the right way. In softball, when a good FCIAC team is playing one of the Bridgeport schools, the coaches tell their players to “leave the base early” so they don’t embarrass the Bridgeport schools. That is classy as well.
Also, didn’t you give Marce a free pass a few weeks ago when he KNEELED on an extra point to stay away from the 50-point rule. (He knew McMahon would score anyway) How can you praise Marce for not letting up, but gloss over the fact that he took a knew on the PAT to avoid a possible suspension?
Over 50.
It’s 50 or more. And that is what was written in the article on the game as well…Do you agree at least with my point (assuming it is 50 and that is what the Coach thought) that taking a knee on an extra point would have been the prudent thing to do since the rule is there?
The score management rule is over 50 points. Fifty is OK. Fifty-one and the rule comes into play.
Dave..missing my “extra” point……Just take a knee on the PAT that would have shown “class” instead he wins by 50 (that is the mark that the rule was put on) and now there is a lot of paperwork to do because of it…..
These football coaches need to be play by the rules even if we all don’t like them ……
Common sense is take a knee and not kick the extra point period ….
The Greenwich Coach should have done this ….
Common sense is not having this rule so the game is played the way it is meant to be played. I would rather lose by 60 and have the other trying than lose by 50 because the other team is using artificial means not to score.
You’re right Dave this rule should be abolished. What is your take on the Greenwich coach not kicking the extra point so that he would have won by 49 instead of 50 just so he and his school didn’t have to go through the 50 point thing …Isn’t that “common sense” ?
Curious your take ….
Bogus penalties are as bad as taking a knee. There is ONLY one solution to this: abolish the rule. If the rule isn’t there, we are not even talking about the Stamford game.
I personally do not like the 50 point rule but in some instances it might be necessary…this is not one of them. To aviod any embarrassment why don’t the officials working the game come up with some bogus penalty that way this situation would never occur. A one game penalty is not the answer….if you are going to inflict punishment then forfeit the game altogether to Stamford High School. That would send a message!!!!
So Hoctor refused to accept a running clock because he wanted to “take our beating like men.”
Is whining about getting beat taking it like men?
Stupid auto correct. In the beginning of that post, “flow” should have read Outlow.
While some might feel both coaches have their character flaws, having flow in the game on offense with his team up by 42 is, in my opinion, a snub at the CIAC’s 50 point rule. Despite the Stamford coaches refusal of the running clock NFA could have either worked away from their sweep plays or substituted back up skill players. It’s not required to substitute out your line as they provide a degree of safety for the backs so I actually take no issue with that part of the game. As for a suspension for a game between NFA and Bacon, c’mon that is not a serious punishment. Amend it so that the offended school picks one of the offending teams next 5 games. Or just get rid of it and move on.
“You cannot legislate class.” A valid point. And in Hoctor’s case you certainly cannot have it. While NFA’s Davis may have been at fault, Hoctor showed a true lack of character by going to press with his displeasure over his team’s loss. There are times in sports when the other team gives you a sound beating. The right thing to do is shake hands, acknowledge your defeat, and move on to prepare for your next opponent. This is not the NFL where outspoken coaches such as Rex Ryan or Jim Harbaugh are able to give candid interviews to national media outlets. This is high school football, and someone in Hoctor’s postion as head coach should realize he could be a role model in the school and the community. However, Hoctor has displayed arrogance during his tenure at Stamford High and this is his finest example. From commenting on his player’s “hunger,” to running up the score against lesser opponents, Stamford High has been far from a classy team in years of late. This starts at the top with coaches in the leadership positions. It seems when the tables are turned, there are a few sore losers who cannot acknowledge when they’ve been beat.