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I have attended the Coaches' HS All-Star Game at MSU the last two years. I decided to share a few random thoughts on the game along with one (minor) beef with this year's East coach...

Overall, I am impressed with the event for the thrill and memories it must provide these players and their families. Most of the crowd (maybe 3 or 4,000?) seems to be made up of players' family and friends. And while all the participants are standouts who have accomplished much in their HS careers, the game doesn't attract the higher-profile, top-15 type kids (probably due to injury concerns of their soon-to-be college programs).

The level of play is a little uneven, but that is to be expected with the short prep time for the players and coaching staffs. Not to be overlooked is the fact that, for football heads like me, the game provides an early fix for a HS football addiction in the midst of what seems like a long off-season. This game is a worthwhile event in that it promotes Michigan HS football and I look forward to attending more of these games in the future.

Now, my beef. The game features a "12 Point Rule". In short, if the losing team scores and is behind by 12 points or more, they have the choice to recieve the ensuing kickoff, thus staying on offense. I don't have a problem with the concept of trying to keep the game competitive. In fact, it helps ensure that neither side's players get embarrassed in what is essentially a celebration of their accomplishments. However, this year the East coach appeared to ask his placekicker to intentionally miss an extra point kick after the East had scored a touchdown. It was obvious to all in the crowd that the kicker missed intentionally. Doing so, enabled the East to remain behind the West by 12 points and thus, by rule, enabling them to keep possession on the ensuing kickoff.

Why would a coach ask an excellent kicker (who had made long field goals earlier in the game) to intentionally fail during his "moment in the sun" in front of peers, family and friends in what was essentially a meaningless game? Why not instruct your team to go for a 2 point conversion? If the attempt fails, the team still gets the ball back. I thought this was a bush-league play and put the East coaches and players in a bad light, something I'm sure none of them deserved.

I'm interested to know if others who were at the game saw this the same way or differently.

ftballer67 wrote:

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Out of curiosity who was the coach for the East squad? Head coach and 1 asst from Reese HS; 2 asst from Detroit Douglas; 1 asst from Wyandotte Roosevelt; 1 asst from Taylor Truman