11/21/24
October 31, 2007
Smith Center, Kansas?: I don't know where it is, but they play some monster high school football there. 72 points in the first quarter on the way to an 86-0 win. The team has outscored their opponents this year 640-0.
I love the smell of sportsmanship in the morning. I looked for more details on the team, which won three consecutive Class 2-1A state championships in 2004-2006 in a town of 1,900. Here's one team site and a video report.
posted by rcade at 06:04 AM on October 31, 2007
It's tiny, and way out west. For those of you who have never been to western Kansas, picture an area so desolate that you can actually see the next town 12 miles away when you leave the town you are in. This is part of what makes the drive to Denver miserable.
posted by hawkguy at 08:59 AM on October 31, 2007
Class 2-1A should just about say it all. In Nebraska that's an eight man team. Everyone plays both sides of the ball. And hawkguy, yes WESTERN Kansas is miserable. Those of us here on the East Side like it just fine where we are.
posted by Tinman at 10:21 AM on October 31, 2007
Only thing I remember about western Kansas is driving to Colordao to elk hunt. Miserable drive , and appears, hot bed of true sportmanship, at least in Smith Center.
posted by brickman at 10:34 AM on October 31, 2007
Yeah, I grew up in Central Kansas, and it didn't take me long to migrate almost as far east in Kansas as you can. (I'm sure you can decipher it from my screen name.) It's funny to me that everybody in my area now thinks that anything west of Topeka is Western Kansas.
posted by hawkguy at 10:55 AM on October 31, 2007
If they scored 72 in the first quarter and only 86 for the game, it looks to me like they showed some good sportsmanship. The article said there were 6 turnovers in the first quarter -- maybe the defense scored a couple times? They stopped trying to score after the first quarter. If you're the coach and you put your second team in, do you tell them they're not allowed to score? "Run to daylight, then fall down."
posted by joaquim at 11:04 AM on October 31, 2007
Yes, but if it is bad sportsmanship - can I start issuing bodyslams to their players?
posted by WeedyMcSmokey at 11:47 AM on October 31, 2007
Having lived in both western and eastern Ks, i have to say that western kansas is barren. However, the belief that eastern kansas is superior is more a matter of priorities and perception. If you like having something to do other than farm, than yeah, eastern kansas is better. However, if you like being able to leave your doors unlocked and not having to home school your kids due to the fear of sending your kids to public school, then western kansas is better. Either way, stereotypes are bad. No, i'm not from Smith Center.
posted by brainofdtrain at 01:22 PM on October 31, 2007
I got to talking to a guy from Humboldt, Kansas. Their team is 10-0 and in the Kansas Class 1A-2A playoffs. If they win their next game, they'll likely have to face Smith Center. Thing is, Humboldt suits up 19 kids this year. I'm not sure how many kids are out for football in Smith Center, but reports I've heard indicate SC's two top running backs are out for the season due to knee injuries. The SC coach is kind of a legend in Kansas football. He pulled his starters after that 72 point first quarter (six of the touchdowns came from Plainville fumbles and a pass interception). SC attempted only two passes the whole game, one of them for a touchdown. Word is that SC fans are worried their players aren't getting enough game experience for the playoffs. Their punter hasn't kicked the ball all season. For the geographically-challenged, Smith Center isn't "western" Kansas, but in the north-central part of the state, butt up against Nebraska. As for a Mercy Rule, it only applies in Kansas in 8-man games, however once a team is ahead by 49 points in 11-man games, they don't stop the clock.
posted by Monkeyhawk at 11:51 AM on November 08, 2007
Well they were finally scored on: Smith Center 44 St. Francis 6 I had forgotten about Smith Center thanks for reminding me. Kids, coaches and towns with such positive attitudes deserve the publicity. Now then about "desolate" Hawkguy moved out of western Kansas, but then his nickname suggests a KU influence which calls his sanity into question. :) I happen to like the plains. I enjoyed growing up in the tall grass prairie of eastern Kansas, living on the savanna of Africa and now living in the short grass prairie and sandhills of Nebraska. I-70 is desolate but the prairie is not. And nothing is as desolate as the concrete wilderness in large urban centers.
posted by a_wanderer at 01:29 PM on November 17, 2007
For the mathematically challenged out there, that's 6 points every minute, or roughly one touchdown every 1.2 minutes. Maybe it's time to institute a mercy rule....