Playoffs Round Three: A Closer Look with Mark Miller

And then there was one. Massillon is the sole hope for a Stark County state champion in 2024. Even if you follow another team, it is time to ban together for our local representative on a state level. Go Tigers!

It’s that time of year when the postseason honors are handed out. Players, coaches and teams will receive trophies, plaques, write-ups and attention for being the “best”. While it is interesting and those honored are deserving of the recognition they receive, let’s not take it too seriously. Afterall, there are many reasons people get honored and it is not always that they are the best or most deserving. Strength of team, statistics and notoriety are a few of the many factors that play important parts in who gets the awards. We have all seen players that do not make all league or all county go on to much better college careers than those that were named. Let’s just have a little fun with it and recognize the many good players and coaches we have in this area but not forget there are many others that are just as deserving, and sometimes more.

I would like to discuss the onside kick for a few minutes. You don’t see them often but when we do it means the game is on the line so it is a very important play. I witnessed one at a college game on Saturday. After scoring a TD, the home team was down by 7 points with under a minute to play so both teams fully expected on inside kick. The kicking team executed a great kick, one that bounces high in the air the 2 nd time it hits the ground, toward one of the sidelines. A kicking team player got to the ball first and attempted to secure it. The home crowd went nuts but what transpired prior to that player touching the ball made all that happened after a mute point. That player, who looked to be the hero to many, had actually done two things that are against the rules. First, he crossed the line where the ball was kicked before the kicker
kicked the ball. Second, he touched the ball before it went 10 yards. The offsides was not called but the early touching was so the receiving team took possession at that point and promptly ran out the clock for the victory. Many home fans were very upset because they did not know the rules. Secondly, a very loud fan yelled at the officials for giving the visiting team the ball when no flag was thrown for a penalty. Learn the rules before you make a public fool of yourself! It was not a penalty for touching the ball early, it is just a rule.

I always thought baseball parents and fans were the worst for not knowing the rules of the game, mainly because almost everyone plays baseball as a little kid and they think that makes them an expert. Football is a very complicated game and even people that know a lot about the game don’t know all the rules. Let’s learn a lesson, trust the officials, they are usually right.