Mavchamp Posted February 18, 2014 Share Posted February 18, 2014 There was an article in today's Marshall News Messenger that stated that MISD, in coordination with Texarkana ISD, and Sulphur Springs would drop 7th grade football starting in 2014. It's my understanding no one else in the current 14-4A fields a 7th grade team, instead just starting with 8th grade. But I don't know that for sure. Longview will be joining the district this Fall, and apparently they field 7th grade teams. No word on if they will continue or not. Apparently scheduling difficulties safety issues were part of the reasons. My question is..... is this a good decision? And if Longview continues, being the only school in 15-5A that does it... seems like Texas High, Marshall, and SS are conceding another advantage to Longview when they shouldn't have to. If anything, adding Longview should make scheduling a little easier. Interesting decision by Marshall, Texarkana, and SS. Cant really see the advantage of it other than saving some money. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LoboFan07 Posted February 18, 2014 Share Posted February 18, 2014 Longview will continue 7th grade football, there's no question. Foster, Forest Park, and Judson all play each other almost every week other than playing Lufkin twice late in the season and Marhsall to start the year. Obviously Marshall is gone now, so expecting the Tyler middle schools/Evangel/Calvary to come into the picture like in the past. If Longview was in the position where it only had one middle school, then I think it definitely would be a different picture. But thankfully we're not. Longview has not played a "district" 7th or 8th grade schedule in as long as I've been around, and definitely not going to be starting anytime soon. Kind of shocked at the three schools' decision to do this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mavchamp Posted February 19, 2014 Author Share Posted February 19, 2014 I agree. The deck is already stacked against everyone in 15-5A concerning Longview. Seems like conceding yet another. http://www.marshallnewsmessenger.com/news/misd-drops-th-grade-football/article_edc8ab68-98d5-11e3-a428-0019bb2963f4.html "Other district 14-4A aligned schools have elected to drop their seventh grade football programs as well, including Sulphur Springs and Texas High." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eagleborn Posted February 19, 2014 Share Posted February 19, 2014 Longview will continue 7th grade football, there's no question. Foster, Forest Park, and Judson all play each other almost every week other than playing Lufkin twice late in the season and Marhsall to start the year. Obviously Marshall is gone now, so expecting the Tyler middle schools/Evangel/Calvary to come into the picture like in the past. If Longview was in the position where it only had one middle school, then I think it definitely would be a different picture. But thankfully we're not. Longview has not played a "district" 7th or 8th grade schedule in as long as I've been around, and definitely not going to be starting anytime soon. Kind of shocked at the three schools' decision to do this. Evangel has some grown men at the younger grades. Our MS played them this year. Big ol boys. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cletus Posted February 19, 2014 Share Posted February 19, 2014 MP plays a 7th Grade Schedule, just not a full schedule. I would hate to see 7th grade programs dropped. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WP4L Posted February 19, 2014 Share Posted February 19, 2014 Evangel has always had grown men in the younger grades. Remember my days at JMS, they absolutely hammered us. Don't know why it hasn't spilled over into the varsity program lately though. Anyway, LISD isn't going to stop 7th grade football. For one, the 7th grade teams only play Longview teams (all 3 LISD middle schools have two teams) and Lufkin's middle school consistently. I know they played Marshall this season..but that hasn't always been. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mavchamp Posted February 19, 2014 Author Share Posted February 19, 2014 I don't understand it at all. I can't speak for Texarkana or Sulphur Springs, but MISD had enough 7th graders to field two 7th grade teams as well as two 8th grade teams. They played Judson, Whitehouse, Pine Tree (twice), Mt. Pleasant (twice), Hallsville (twice). I think the games against Jacksonville were cancelled. Maybe the 7th graders will play with the 8th graders. I don't know. But I can't wrap my brain around giving up that competitive experience. Looks like a questionable decision by MISD, TISD, and SSISD. And the next question is how PTISD, HISD, and MPISD respond. Since apparently LISD has no plans to change. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LoboFan07 Posted February 19, 2014 Share Posted February 19, 2014 They played Judson, Whitehouse, Pine Tree (twice), Mt. Pleasant (twice), Hallsville (twice). I think the games against Jacksonville were cancelled. That's way too much travel for a 7th grade team imo. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PigskinProfessor Posted February 19, 2014 Share Posted February 19, 2014 Hate to hear this.. Know a lot of young 6th grade boys who were ready to go. They will age out of most area youth programs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gtee2 Posted February 19, 2014 Share Posted February 19, 2014 So 7th graders will just move up to 8th grade ball?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eagleborn Posted February 19, 2014 Share Posted February 19, 2014 So 7th graders will just move up to 8th grade ball?? What would the point of not having 7th grade ball be then? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blitzem Posted February 19, 2014 Share Posted February 19, 2014 Sulphur Springs is not "dropping" 7th grade football. Since at least 1990 (possibly longer) they have not had a traveling 7th grade football team. They play an inter squad type of league. They have several small teams. They would have more than enough to field 2 7th grade travel teams. But they have chosen not to all the way back to the 90's when James Cameron was there. This is not a money issue for SS. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gtee2 Posted February 19, 2014 Share Posted February 19, 2014 What would the point of not having 7th grade ball be then?I asking if the 7th grade kids are gonna play mixed in with 8th grade teams? Or will they completely be shut down? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eagleborn Posted February 19, 2014 Share Posted February 19, 2014 I asking if the 7th grade kids are gonna play mixed in with 8th grade teams? Or will they completely be shut down? I know. That's why I said what I said. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mavchamp Posted February 19, 2014 Author Share Posted February 19, 2014 I'm going to find out when I get back to Texas. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gtee2 Posted February 19, 2014 Share Posted February 19, 2014 I know. That's why I said what I said. oh my bad Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PackAttack Posted February 20, 2014 Share Posted February 20, 2014 Maybe the point is missing here. What I have heard on news reports are there is a trend in this country as many of you know toward safety and concussion issues. What I read are these schools will use their 7th grade for developmental football/ no pads in a PE period teaching better fundamentals. Don't think it is a cost issue at all. In fact there are some entities around the country that would like to see football abolished all together. I never played organized football until the 8th grade and I ended up just fine later on. The difference today is our kids start playing youth football at 6 and 7 years old and are exposed to more chances of injury at an early age when their bones and ligaments are developing and growing. This new change give the 7th grade kids more time to mature physically before they start taking a pounding for 5 years. On a different note, I have also read in several articles that more than 50% of NFL players do not want their own sons to play football because of what they have had to go through physically. Interesting? Can't comment on Lufkin, either way, I don't think it would impact how successful the varsity program will be down the road. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CanAm Posted February 21, 2014 Share Posted February 21, 2014 TISD (Texas High) does not play a 7th grade sched. No change to them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blitzem Posted February 21, 2014 Share Posted February 21, 2014 TISD (Texas High) does not play a 7th grade sched. No change to them. I think that's what a lot of people are missing the point of; several schools have 7th grade football without having a traveling team. They aren't necessarily dropping 7th grade football. I'm not sure though why everyone else can't play a travel schedule if they want. I've seen lots of 7th grade programs who play some teams in their district and just don't play the ones with out a team. They even play some of them twice. It shouldn't be this big of a deal. If the school district wants to have 7th grade travel, let them. If they don't, don't. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JTFAN99 Posted February 21, 2014 Share Posted February 21, 2014 Longview will continue 7th grade football, there's no question. Foster, Forest Park, and Judson all play each other almost every week other than playing Lufkin twice late in the season and Marhsall to start the year. Obviously Marshall is gone now, so expecting the Tyler middle schools/Evangel/Calvary to come into the picture like in the past. If Longview was in the position where it only had one middle school, then I think it definitely would be a different picture. But thankfully we're not. Longview has not played a "district" 7th or 8th grade schedule in as long as I've been around, and definitely not going to be starting anytime soon. Kind of shocked at the three schools' decision to do this. unless something changes this yr, the Athletic director said that Tyler ISD schools will only be playing each other, like they did this past yr. His reason was costs, and teams getting home late from away games. There are 6 middle schools in Tyler iSD. They really have no need to travel and play other schools in terms of filling a schedule. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedBird1 Posted February 21, 2014 Share Posted February 21, 2014 Longview has always spilt each middle school into 2 teams and played split games against both teams from each school. At the end they would play a city championship round robin. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blitzem Posted February 21, 2014 Share Posted February 21, 2014 I would imagine if Marshall doesn't want to have a league with in their own program, they could set something up with Hallsville, PT and whoever else doesn't do their own league. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedBird1 Posted February 21, 2014 Share Posted February 21, 2014 longview's 7th grade program is not a live game format. It has a scrimmage format with no special teams. Coaches are allowed on field until Combined City Championship round. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KennyPowers Posted February 21, 2014 Share Posted February 21, 2014 I am in total agreement with what Marshall is doing. Football is a violent sport. A good base of knowledge and skills (correct skills), should be taught before ever playing a game and the few weeks of instruction before games start is no where near enough time teach "PROPER" fundamentals. The full year of strength "development and training" will do nothing but better prepare them for the game. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Posted February 21, 2014 Share Posted February 21, 2014 7th grade football is a 50/50 deal. On the one hand, the positives are it gets kids out playing, they learn competition earlier, etc... On the negative side.... coaching potentially not near as good with inexperienced coaches (on average), kids get burned out quicker by high school, it needs to be fun as players minds -- and bodies -- are developing. Now there is the head injury issue and the number of blows to the head that is now proven to be a factor later. Danny Long had quite a run here in Jacksonville from 1991 to 2002. He never had 7th grade football. If I remember, he said Dennis Parker didn't have it in Marshall (?) I may be wrong (?) Coach Long did not believe in it for many reasons, a couple I cited abov. Other schools had it and it never put Jax behind competitively. He believed in 7th graders doing a passing league, lineman learning fundamentals, having intra-squad games, etc.. until 8th grade. It worked then I don't see why it wouldn't work now so I wouldn't worry about it as there is nothing that proves having it -- or not having it -- makes your high school program better or worse. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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