Highlight Reel: Everett/Flushing

November 5, 2014

The Flushing football team defeated Lansing Everett on Saturday in a Division 2 District opener. Click the headings below for MHSAA.tv highlights and the final link to watch the game in full. 

EVERETT TIES IT - Rhett Blackman ties the game up for Lansing Everett against Flushing in the second quarter on a 6-yard run. Blackman would score twice.

WOW FACTOR - Flushing's Jake Matus takes in a 59-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Garrett Oginsky on the last play of the first half to break that tie.

BIG PASS FOR VIKINGS - Everett tightens things up late in the third quarter on this 50-yard pass and run play from Rhett Butler to Brian Jones. It cut the Flushing lead to 29-21 at the time, and that score held up.

Watch the entire game and order DVDs by Clicking Here.

Football Follies

October 7, 2014

Notice reached the MHSAA office of a so-called “2014 Michigan Youth Football Classic” that invites youth league teams to “a great weekend of youth tackle football.” For $450 per team, youth football teams will bang bodies for two days – Nov. 8 and 9 – with each team guaranteed at least three games. Three!

No level of football but this – for the youngest players who have the most vulnerable skulls – allows the idiocy of three games in a weekend. Most limit competition to a maximum of one game in a week!

In my opinion, this isn’t a football classic. It’s child abuse.

I wish the foolishness would stop there, but even an organization called USA Football seems to have lost its head. Initially and mostly with funding from the NFL, USA Football was focused on teaching youth football coaches and players safe blocking and tackling techniques. Good.

But now this pseudo-national governing body for amateur football is planning events for various age groups that will extend tackle football practices and games throughout what used to be an off-season. Multiple competitions in tackle football are scheduled for high school age players in January, February and July of 2015.

At a time when professional, college, school and Pop Warner football are all reducing contact during practices in-season, USA Football wants to expand the contact experience out of season. It makes about as much sense as three games in a weekend.