Friday, October 06, 2006

Yogi Kinder, You are Way Too Competitive

Great article in the Washington Post about the breaking of the single-game rushing record in a high school football game.

There's a couple of things at work here, and I think it seems clear that at this point in history, single-game rushing records are going to come from a team that dominates another team. I see no way around that. When the record for one player is over 600 yards, that means the other team is probably in the fuckin' hurtlocker.

I've been on the losing team in some blowouts, and I've been on the winning team in some blowouts, and I don't think I could have ever mustered the disrespect for other players that Yogi (he's probably not a Yogi in the Hindu sense) Kinder did.

Again, read the article, but quick synposis here: Kinder coaches Matewan High School in West Virginia. He's got some Rudy-esque running back named Paul McCoy who may or may not get a scholarship to college. McCoy has had some big games already this season, and Burch High School is a perennially inferior opponent, and had graduated or lost 10 starters from the year before. When McCoy ran for 300 yards in the first half of the game against Burch High School, he expected to come out of the game. Kinder, with a record-breaking game in his sights, decided to go a different route.

Dave Hunt coaches Burch High School, and the Washington Post captures what he felt as the game went on:

The coach felt confused when McCoy ran onto the field to start the second half. Livid when Matewan started to run a no-huddle offense in the third quarter with a 35-point lead. Nauseous when Matewan stopped returning punts, instead letting the ball roll backward to leave more yards for McCoy.

Hunt's team had lost its first four games of the season, and it hadn't scored against Matewan in seven years. But never had Burch suffered this sort of embarrassment. Midway through the fourth quarter, McCoy ran for a 77-yard touchdown that was negated because of a holding penalty. McCoy smiled, trotted back from the end zone to the line of scrimmage and, on the very next play, took another hand-off for an 87-yard score.

"It was kind of unbelievable to watch it happening," Hunt said. "With about six minutes left in the game, I heard one of their assistant coaches yell, 'One more should be enough!' And here I am, my team losing by like 60 points, and I'm thinking, 'One more was enough two hours ago.' "


McCoy ended the game with 658 yards, 10 touchdowns, and obviously scored most of the points in the 64-0 win. I clearly empathize with the losing team. I can't imagine the frustration they must of felt. It says great things about Hunt's coaching that the game didn't become an organized riot--I would have been very tempted to have my players start trying to hurt starters any chance they got. In high school, in college, in the NFL--blowouts mean that the starters come out, 2nd string takes over, and that's how its always been. And regardless--running a no huddle offense with a 35 point lead? Letting punts roll back so McCoy would have more yardage. That's just wrong, in my book.

To quote Hunt from the article:
"I'm sure there are hundreds if not thousands of games each season where a record like this could happen, but it's just about who has the greed and selfishness to go out and do it," Hunt said. "It's not about who has the talent. It's about who has the greed and disrespect."


Yogi Kinder, You are way too competitive

6 comments:

Zach Landres-Schnur said...

nice angle on this boys...where's albert haynesworth when you need him, huh?

we went with a slightly different approach to this story.

http://zachls.blogspot.com/2006/10/if-only-he-was-on-our-fantasy-team.html

Badcock said...

No question, James Earl Jones should have pulled his "Rudy-esque" RB. But the backup would have scored five TDs. No doubt, they shouldn't have been in a no-huddle offense. But if they were going to score anyway, isn't it kinder to score quickly and give the other team a chance? No doubt, no high school game is important enough to warrant 64-0. But if the coach Dave Hunt of Burch High used some of his nausea on his players, perhaps the embarrassment could have been avoided.

If you don't want your team to give up over 600 yards rushing to a single player, teach them how to fucking tackle.

The NFL has enforced parity. Colleges pad their stats with Bible Colleges. High schools in West Virginia are cast in divisions without regard to size or talent.

But it's still 11 on 11. 64-0 sure sounds like someone quit. I blame you, Dave Hunt. I blame you.

Anonymous said...

Hunt should have sent his players out there to put helmets on knees and blow out as many knee ligaments as possible. If he was half a man, that's what he would have done.

JR said...

Kinder and McCoy know in their hearts that this record is predicated on cracker-jack stunts. Ah well, it'll be something for McCoy in 10 years to reminisce fondly about over a beer when he comes home to his trailer at night after a long day at the sawmill.

Anonymous said...

OCTOBER 2010 3 years later Matewan beats Burch again without Paul McCoy on the team. Score in 3rd quarter was 50 - 0. and Matewan was putting 2nd and 3rd string players on the field. Burch walks off field and quits. Maybe the whole deal about these rivalries is Burches Coaching and not Yogi being such a bad guy. Have you not heard of a situation where as if you kick someones ass bad enough it can teach a lesson, but as for the Burch Coach it has taught him nothing. The blame should be put on the school leadership for not acquiring a coach worth a shit. Matewan is a very small town with a population of 498 and has for decades acquired a winning coach. I know for a fact because in the late 70's I played for a school app. 10 miles from Matewan in Ky. for a team that had never won a game in the schools history until they acquired coaches from Matewan Wv. A coach makes the difference in winning vs. losing. The first time our school won its 1st game in Phelps Ky. we had 8-9 freshman starters on the team. Lots of locals dont like Yogi simply because he is a tough coach. Yogi takes wimps and makes men out of them. Every human has a bad side to them which often over shadows the great side of them.

Anonymous said...

RESONSE TO JR. SAID If Hunts team had the knowlege, to blow out some knees would you not think they could have knowlege to play a fair game. YOU JR. are a crook and sore loser and must have taken it from your family or so called friends you grew up with. If a coach could or would teach a kid to take out another kids knees I personally and polietly would walk across or around the field and punch out the coach or any other crook such as you JR. Crooks do not make good coaches...