JV squads hampered by numbers game

By JOHN D’ABRUZZO

jd’abruzzo@ncnewsonline.com

The numbers game.

It is an annual battle for local high school football coaches and athletic directors.

And for most, the battle is a losing one.

New Castle hasn’t had any problems with its junior varsity schedule, largely in part because the Red Hurricane carried a 63-man roster entering the season.

The rest of Lawrence County, though, hasn’t been so lucky.

A total of 330 local high school athletes suited up to play football at the start of the year. And as the season rolled on, the usual bumps and bruises took its toll on depth charts, leaving some teams opting to cancel JV games because of a lack of numbers.

“It’s really a numbers thing,” Laurel coach Jerry Holzhauser said. “Small schools have a lot of younger kids playing, and we have a lot of ninth-graders playing (on JV). It’s important that they get playing time. We want them to play.”

But those younger players don’t always get the opportunity to play in JV games.

“Sometimes we find out after the game on Friday night,” Neshannock athletic director Gary Weimer said. “Sometimes coaches will come up to me and say they’re not going to have enough guys to play a game Saturday or Monday. That’s just the nature of the beast with JV football.”

INJURY BUG

Mohawk played five junior varsity games this year, but was forced to cancel the rest of its schedule because of a lack of players.

“Our numbers are getting low,” Mohawk athletic director Jared Stratton said. “We’re probably down to 15 kids (for JV). It becomes a concern with guys backing up varsity players. We’ve had guys go down, so you have to turn to their backups.”

That’s obviously not pleasing to Jason Long.

“I absolutely hate it,” the Mohawk coach said. “Our numbers are way down this season. I had about 28 guys in pads the other day. It’s just a killer.

“It’s tough to play games because we need kids to practice. The fact is we’re counting on these kids. We can’t afford them to get hurt in a JV game because we need them for Friday.”

Shenango coach Ryan Mayo feels his pain.

“We have 25 to 26 guys counting freshmen and that’s really low,” he said. “To have four grades and only have 26 healthy and willing football players is really a low number.”

Union coach Stacy Robinson has struggled with numbers more than any coach this season. He’s had a mere 24 players to work with this year.

“We can’t afford any injuries,” he said. “It would be catastrophic for us. Some of these guys have no backups and it’s tough. It’s not the first time I’ve dealt with it, but it’s tough mentally and physically on the players. Guys need a break during practice and during games.”

According to Union athletic director Bob Natale Sr., this is the first season the Scotties haven’t played most of their JV schedule. Union is scheduled to play its only JV game this season Oct. 27 against Shenango.

“We’ve always played JV games,” he said. “Maybe not the whole schedule, but playing just one is very unusual. This is just a small group this year.”

VALUABLE EXPERIENCE

Robinson believes a lack of JV games takes away crucial experience from his younger players.

“I’ve been fighting for 12 years,” Robinson said. “The lack of numbers doesn’t force kids to compete and be the best they can when you’re putting people out on the field when they’re not ready.

“Here, you could be a full-time starter in 10th grade and that’s the way it is. But it’s not fair to those kids because they’re going up against kids two-to-three years older than them. Players are bigger and stronger from the NFL down to this level, and to put these young kids out on the field on Friday night is not a good situation because they are playing up where they’re not used to the size and skill level.”

Shenango athletic director Jan Budai can agree with Robinson. He coached JV players for 25 years at Shenango.

“All week, they’re the ones holding dummies and going against the varsity,” said Budai, who also noted that the Wildcats played four JV games this year. “These games are where you hone your skills and that’s why we try to play these games at every expense.”

“It’s super important,” Mayo added. “Not only is it an experience factor, but it’s also a motivation factor. Since Lawrence County schools have ninth-graders on varsity, we have to get them game-time repetition.”

For some youngsters, junior varsity games are even a reward.

“They practice all week and look forward to the opportunity to play a game,” Holzhauser said. “It’s tough to prepare for competition. They don’t get a chance to practice for those games, so they look to execute come game time.”

But what it comes down to is fewer players who come out each year usually means fewer opportunities for younger players during the season.

“It’s a crying, stinking shame that we live in western Pennsylvania and we’re begging kids to play football,” Long said. “I know football is not for everybody, but they say Beaver County kids are tough and they’re out playing football. Where are these kids in Lawrence County?

“I know the population is decreasing, but I think it says a lot about the youth today and it’s not a positive thing. Football has a lot to offer in life lessons. I believe the lack of players is truly a reflection of our society.”