Safety Comes First

I still remember covering my first football game at the Big House in Ann Arbor for the University of Michigan. That was 30 years ago, but I can recall it vividly. I soaked in every moment and for some reason, as the blue jerseys kept pouring out of the tunnel, I remember thinking there must be 100 guys in uniform.

I was close – there were 85.

I remember thinking there wouldn’t be any problems with substitutions or injured players.

I thought of that little anecdote after hearing the news that Haldane High School would have to forfeit a game because it didn’t have enough healthy players. The Blue Devils was one of three teams in Section 1 to suffer that fate last week.

It is something that plagues small schools. A scourge, really. Schools like Haldane, with limited enrollment, already have that numbers problem.

Needless to say, this isn’t Michigan. It’s not even Carmel, Mahopac, or Brewster. Or any school where it’s “next man up.” At schools like Haldane, there may not be a next man. Such is life for the Blue Devils. This is an issue that is germane to small schools.

Notice I said “issue” and not “problem.”

How can it be a problem when you just have a bunch of kids who are passionate about the game of football? Haldane and other programs are just caught up in circumstance. It happens to be in a small, tight-knit community.

Not everybody is cut out for football. When these schools talk about recruiting players, they’re not talking about poaching the star player from the next down. They’re talking about just asking kids within their own district to come out for the team. They’re talking about having more bodies. They’re talking about filling out a roster.

In my time, I’ve seen some schools with a roster of 18 players… That’s not even enough to have a scrimmage or fill up the team bus.

That’s why, in many ways, I applaud this decision. A forfeit hurts. Any loss hurts. But, ultimately, it’s about the health and safety of the kids. That’s the ultimate goal, not wins. I applaud the dedication and exuberance of the young men, but I’d much rather see them go to class on Monday without having to hobble around in a cast.

Rich Thomaselli is a longtime sports reporter in the Hudson Valley, and currently covers Putnam County. He can be reached at rich.thomaselli@gmail.com.